Thread: More Powerful than a Makita RP2301fc

For The Good of All Power Tools, WHY does he need more power. or is his name TIM

I have the same router and an Elu one of similar power and never needed or wanted anything more powerful and both can handle some of the biggest 1/2" cutters available.

I presume it is for fixed table operation ?

If you need more power then maybe a spindle moulder may be more suitable.

Originally Posted by mark david

If you need more power then maybe a spindle moulder may be more suitable.

Get's very expensive Mark, by the time you add on a body armour suit.

The only other routers I've heard of with more power don't have enough extra to warrant being significantly more powerful. Festool OF 2200 is 2200 watts, and one of the Porter Cable motor only routers is either 3¼ or 3¼ HP (so 2437w or 2625w) - but the PC is a 110v version. There may be others I haven't seen.

The Triton TRA001 is 2400W. I regularly use a 89mm cutter with it and it never bogs down in the 11 years of use.

Les

Yes you ar right on both counts.
I remember using one for the first time many years ago, scary experience.
A few years ago I met a chap who lost a couple of fingers.Not because he was careless, the machine was near an open window and got struck by lightening and the table was smashed in two.

Anyway back on topic.
Presume this is required to drive your friends new mitre lock bit.
Probably worthwhile trying the Makita router he already has before assuming it wont be up to the task.
Would need to be running this large cutter in the 8000-12000rpm range probably.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Get's very expensive Mark, by the time you add on a body armour suit.

The only other routers I've heard of with more power don't have enough extra to warrant being significantly more powerful. Festool OF 2200 is 2200 watts, and one of the Porter Cable motor only routers is either 3¼ or 3¼ HP (so 2437w or 2625w) - but the PC is a 110v version. There may be others I haven't seen.

Originally Posted by mark david

Yes you ar right on both counts.
I remember using one for the first time many years ago, scary experience.
A few years ago I met a chap who lost a couple of fingers.Not because he was careless, the machine was near an open window and got struck by lightening and the table was smashed in two.

Anyway back on topic.
Presume this is required to drive your friends new mitre lock bit.
Probably worthwhile trying the Makita router he already has before assuming it wont be up to the task.
Would need to be running this large cutter in the 8000-12000rpm range probably.

Yes, that is correct Mark it is to drive this bit in a router table. http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/...inter_143.html

That cutter is a real monster, cant see any reason why the Makita shouldnt handle it.
My mitre lock bit is quite hefty at 70mm diameter and never had any power issues with my 25 year old elu which is around the 2 1/2HP region
Ideally you will need to make a zero clearance fence for it.will also need a router table with a very solid fence.

You will also need to avoid break-out and the back end of the cut when doing end grain which can be quite considerable.

I have heard you can do cuts in two passes, but have not tried that personally.Using 36mm max timber you are taking off a considerable amount of metarial in one pass.

Good dust extraction will be advisable,ideally behind the fence and below the table.

Good luck to your friend with the bee boxes

Originally Posted by Kidbee

Yes, that is correct Mark it is to drive this bit in a router table. http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/...inter_143.html

I agree with Mark. That big 89mm cutter is a monster. My 89mm cutter is a panel raising cutter and is not such a monster.
Personally I would use only 1 router with that cutter.
The Festool OF2200 (2200 German watts not Chinese watts).
This router also has a triple bearing system for very low vibration and smoothness and a proper collet (best on the market) that will also ensure a great deal of the cutter shaft will be taken up inside the collet. Even my OF 1400 will clamp it well but does not have the grunt.
I know the collets of some other routers are also very good.
There is no reason that once the height is set, that one cannot take more than 1 pass by adjusting the fence until the correct fence setting is achieved or alternatively by using spacers along the fence. Just ensure the spacers are secure.
Just my own personal take on it.
Les

Les, Makita RP 2301fc 'Made in Japan' and even if it was made in China your comment is not necessarily valid. You can buy any quality you want to pay for in China. Anyone who thinks that China only produces 'junk' these days is living in the past! Just my 2 cents worth.
David

Originally Posted by aldav

Les, Makita RP 2301fc 'Made in Japan' and even if it was made in China your comment is not necessarily valid. You can buy any quality you want to pay for in China. Anyone who thinks that China only produces 'junk' these days is living in the past! Just my 2 cents worth.
David

Note my little smiley face at the end. I could not find an emoticon that displays a tongue in cheek.
Having said that I have some Chinese junk, some Chinese good stuff, some Japanese and American/Canadian great stuff and some German brilliant stuff.
It is all in the hand of the user to make it work.
Still don't think the Makita comes close to the Festool router but then it is also 1/3 of the price. Wish I could afford that Festool router. I have the OF1400 (and it is brilliant) and the big Triton (Taiwanese) does a great job in the router table (as said before has been great for 11 years).
Les

Get one of these also to hold the bit. http://musclechuck.com/shop.html

Type 9
# Of Grooves On Head - 3	Nut Size Across Flats - 1 in.
MAKITA
RP1800	RP2301FC

Harold

I'd better stay at the outset that I'm a died in the wool (maybe even blinkered) Elu/DeWalt router fan.

Having said that however, I think the big Makita will be adequate to the task. The 2100w Makita is a big, powerful, crude trade tool that is used & admired by hundreds of thousands of tradesmen the world over. I've heard nothing but positive reviews of its performance.

Using large diameter bits necessitates a machine with advanced FULL WAVE electronics to provide high currents to the armature & windings at the substantially reduced speeds (8-10000 rpm) required. Large diameter bits are often a distinct advantage for spindle work, in that the bit's increased diameter & mass provides a noticeable flywheel effect which smooths the cut progress.

Personally I think you'd need to be certifiably insane to buy a big Fuss-tool router. Yes it's well made, but it's insanely expensive, inadequately equipped & has, like its Festo stablemates somewhat "eccentric" ergonomics. At $1500 odd you get a router in a plastic box. That's about it! To be properly set up with guide rods, fence, micro adjusters, alternative collet sizes, guide rail adapter and a handful of guide bushes will cost you the best part of $2500 or so. Five times the price of an equivalent Makita for less than a 5% power increment!

I'm also less than impressed with the Triton alternative. Some users are happy, but an awful lot of users on this forum & others have tales of woe regarding premature failure. It's also well designed, especially for inverted table use. It's probably the best designed table router available. Yet it's not really as powerful as it should be. It seems that Triton's 2400 Taiwanese watts aren't really noticeably more powerful than my old Elu's 1850 Swiss watts were., and no match for my big DeWalts. I sold mine.

I have a couple of DW626 models, purchased s/h from the UK for about $300 ea. landed in Oz. New ex Germany they are closer to a grand, but spending that sort of money on such a simple tool is pretty stupid in my opinion. At 2300 watts they are reliably under stressed for the heavy duty spindle work I do: t&g flooring, v/j linings, Victorian skirtings & architraves etc. in local hardwoods. I have yet to find them wanting. Importantly neither seems to get hot from continuous work at lower speeds, indicating excellent cooling and interior aerodynamics. My old Elu would get hot after an hour or so of lower speed work.

If you really want the very best & can afford it then there's always Mafell.

Their LO65 is the daddy! Big, brawny and powerful. Easily outclassing all others by a substantial margin, it's the biggest, heaviest (always a good thing in Uber quality tooling) and best designed. Mafell are reknowned as being the world's premier manufacturer of heavy duty tradesman tools.

2600 watts! Heavy duty triple bearings. Heavy duty large diameter copper windings, and a Fuss-tool compatible fitted systainer for the anally retentive and OCD sufferers amongst us. Designed to last a lifetime. And priced accordingly. $1500 odd. Much better value than Fuss-tool perhaps, but still unrealistically expensive in my opinion.

My friend says to pass on his thanks for the replies, as they were all helpful.