Where is router speed setting adjusted?

[Fredymac]

Where is router speed setting adjusted?
On the Makita router there is a manual RPM adjustment, but I do not see in gSender what the actual RPM is. Router speed can also be set in VCarve depending on the bit and each specific job but with that how do I know what Makita setting to use to accomplish my ‘programmed’ speed?

[jepho]

@Fredymac

Where is router speed setting adjusted?

It may be possible to set the speed of the Makita trim router via some electronic box but I suspect not. The usual route for speed control is to exchange your trim router for a spindle that is controlled by a VFD. Then commands can be sent to the spindle that will be speed commands. The settings you make in your CAM software are important in terms of how the cutting bit is applied to the workpiece.

Step down = how big a bite the tool will take at each complete pass (on a single level) of the tool path.

Stepover = how much of the tool diameter (reflected by the cutter moving sideways) on its next pass at the same height so that the total workpiece is milled.

Feed speed = this parameter determines how fast the cutter is pushed through the workpiece, bearing it in mind that it creates a lateral force. Too much feed speed will break the cutter or damage the workpiece.

Plunge speed = the amount of time taken for the cutter to move down to its next stepdown position on a subsequent pass. A hard wood or metal will break the cutter if you force it too fast or too far into the workpiece.

That’s it. You can set a speed for the router but unless you have a spindle and are hooked into the control box, the software which creates the toolpaths (CAM software) will have no effect on the speed of rotation of the Makita Trim Router.

gSender is not CAM software but control software and its job is to pass the GCode created by the CAM software to the hardware controller of your CNC machine. While GCode can be hand edited and speed of the spindle is one of the parameters which can be adjusted, it is not a task which is usually done at the control software level.

I recently added a document which demonstrates a set of speeds for my own Makita router. These are averaged values taken 5 times for every reading and it may assist you.

Makita Trim Router ~ Speed Settings

Hello all. I see a fair number of people using the Makita Trim Router with their LongMill CNC machines. I used an Extech digital tachometer to obtain the data for each of the 6 marked values on the rheostat and for the intermediate speeds as well. I marked the centre point of the casing below the speed wheel. I also marked the intermediate points between the numbers with a permanent black sharpie so that each speed would be reproducible easily. I have attached a PDF file with the no load speed…

EDIT: typos and grammar and URL addition.

[gwilki]

@Fredymac Welcome to the group, Bill. As @jepho elegantly put it, you cannot control the speed of the Makita router in any software. If you enter a speed in your cam software, the only use that it has is to inform you when you actually run the Makita at that speed if the speed was appropriate - sort of a reminder to set the dial on the Makita.

Makita shows the speed for each of the dial settings. @jepho has provided a more detailed setting chart taken on his Makita router. Your router may stray from that a bit, but it will get you very close.

There are a myriad of feeds and speeds charts online to help you get those settings in the ball park for your setup and projects. In the end, though, it really comes down to experimenting and noting the settings when you get good results.