Correct Router Height in Bracket?

I am a bit embarrassed that this never occured to me, but it also seems to be missing from the assembly instructions… I can’t find any reference to the correct/ideal height of the router in the router bracket. On the product page it appears to show the router fully inserted. The Makita has a bit of a ring around the top of the cylinder, right under the blue top and it seems to sit naturally just below this if you let it fully slide in to the router mount.

In discussing @gwilki’s awesome dust shoe (thanks again for the DXF, Grant) I noticed in his photos that he has his router mounted about mid-point vertically in the router bracket, which would dramatically change his Z height. Chris - this explains your confusion about the Z height, somehow it eluded me that I could safely raise the router WITHIN the bracket to get more Z.

Looking at competitors offerings and videos on YouTube I see some people are fully inserting their Makita or Dewalt and others are doing it mid-point. Is there any mechanical stability or safety or other consideration to one position or the other?

And perhaps you should add the “install your router” details to the final steps of the assembly pages. :slight_smile: I know it seems obvious but as I have proven… :slight_smile:

-Jeff

Well, It’s a trade off. The farther you have the router into the bracket the more chance for deflection. The less deep the router is into the bracket, the chances are the bits won’t reach the waste board. On the positive side, the less deep the router is the thicker stock you can work on (i.e. you gain z height, but not cut depth). I think most of us put the router down almost to the ring you mentioned, but keep in mind that there is no absolutely right position. The position of the router in the mounting bracket can be changed to meet the needs of your current project.

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Thanks for the feedback. So it sounds like having it mid-span as a starting point is a decent general idea then. And adjust based on how you end up using the machine. This helps with my joinery plans considerably.

-Jeff

I just picked an arbitrary position that I figured was a good compromise between height above the spoil board and minimal deflection. Bill Korn in a thread some time ago was in a discussion with Chris about deflection. At that time, Bill remarked that the deflection would be greatest with the router all the way down in the bracket. This, because from the end of the bit to the bracket would be at its greatest, and the lever action would, therefore, be at its greatest also. (This explanation makes it patently clear that I am not an engineer.)

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If anyone wants to try tiling larger jobs (I’ve (mostly) successfully completed my first job) then the 3/8" collet available for the Makita + a standard 3/8" drill bit and cheap 3/8" wood dowels available at most hardware stores make a nice combo to lock down positions reliably. I mention this because realizing I could raise the router up really made it a lot easier to use that huge drill bit plus I think I gained some accuracy by reducing that lever action when I lifted the router up. :slight_smile:

WRT to the dowels for positioning, just be aware that they are basically a throw away once you remove them. Using the drill bit you can’t over bore the holes and they are SNUG so I needed to use a pair of vise grips to remove them from the spoil board when the job was done. That results in the finning on the dowels being crushed and a loose fit if you try and use them again. But they are cheap, won’t do any damage if a router bit accidentally collides with them, easy to install and remove and easy to drill 3/8" holes if you get that 3/8" collet. I can tell you I am getting very good accuracy with the approach (in terms of cuts lining up between the two tiles). I had more issues trying to maintain XYZ zero between moves - it really drove home the need for me to find a way to install these homing switches that arrived yesterday…

-Jeff

-Jeff

Where did you get the 3/8" collet for the Makita?

I bought the full zoot kit with mine, it’s kind of rare, the local tool store ordered it in for me. I found a UK review of the kit and was really impressed. It has a nice plunge base, and offset base, the handheld base and a handheld base that can tilt, which is quite unique. It also has an edge guide, and I bought the track saw track adapter since I have the Makita track saw. The 3/8" collet came with the overall kit. I’m probably forgetting something, oh it comes in a nice bag.

Let me see if I can find a link… I can get you the Makita part number for the collet only if that helps.

EDIT: Here is the kit: https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/RT0701CX3 (ah I remember now, it also came with two dust extraction adapters)

Here is an overview of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-UtqryLrZg

I’ll be in the shop in a little bit and will see if the part number for just the collet is in the manual I have. I think it is.

-Jeff

Makita has a pretty decent website I just noticed. They even have a cross referenced collet adapter table for their various models. You can see the different models and options here: https://www.makita.ca/index2.php?event=newaccessorydetailstemp&id=251&catid=7

The part number for the factory 3/8" adapter for the RT701C is 763619-3.

Google says multiple places have it for CAD $6-$8. E.g. https://www.blackrocktools.com/makita-3-8-collet-cone-763619-3.html

-Jeff

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I’m quite off topic here but since we’re talking 3/8" collets, this thread has some really interesting comments about how much stronger a 3/8" bit is:

https://www.camheads.org/showthread.php?s=bd47c2d5fbb2407626f372b3678fe735&t=9998&page=2

-Jeff