Mounting a Makita RF1101

[locker@magma.ca]

I can't get a phone line to ShopBot today (fault of the snow storm?) so here's a quick question for anyone that's using the Makita RF1101 router... how the heck do you mount it? I'm just assembling my new ShopBot, and the router mounting bracket came with 2 white plastic sleeves... using both sleeves there's just no way I can pry the mounting bracket open wide enough to get the router in, but if I use just one sleeve then its too loose a fit and the router slips. I don't want to pry on the bracket so hard that I break it. Any tips?

Thanks
Phil

[kaaboom_99]

Hi Phil. I am not aware of what SB is shipping now with the PRT, but when I purchased my PRT96 it came with a piece of 4" aluminum 'C' channel approx 5" long. I just purchased a Makita RF1101 and mounted it this way. I drilled and mounted (on the z axis) 2 pieces of Unistrut 6" long running vertical from the bottom of the z axis and just far enough from the edge to clear the guide rollers for the z axis.(This Unistrut is a form of channel similar to the channel used to reinforce the y carriage). I then mounted the 4" aluminum 'C' channel to this Unistrut with (1) fender washer spacer and using the same kind of nuts that is used on the strut for the carriage (around here these nuts are called "spring " nuts). Now with the 'C' channel mounted, I ran (2) 4" gear clamps around it through the gap created by the spacers. These gear clamps are what holds my router.
Hope this helps
Perry

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Perry,

ShopBot has changed their nounting system. The new one is not as adaptable as the old one.

Ron

[kaaboom_99]

Sorry to hear this. Maybe Shopbot can offer a choice of mounting systems, hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm????

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Perry,

One should also remember the folks at ShopBot see a lot more tools running and working than any one of us. One would summarize they have figured out which routers are actually BETTER than others. I do remember being in a shop where they ran a particular brand of router and had found cutting aluminum it would last about 3 months. At this time they would hear the bearings start to shuck and take the router back down to the National Chain store and get a replacement with a new 1 year warranty. But, it was only a 10 minute run to the store for that shop.

I ran my ShopBot with a Makita router for a couple of years. I had several as I had them set-up for jigs and no longer needed the jigs. And, a router is a router - right?

I can tell you when I finally did change to a Porter-Cable VS Router it was a world of difference. It IS a superior router to what I was running.

I would think one could cut two or three strips and place them in a radial pattern to clamp a router into the new style holder - as I remember seeing it. The router would still be more securely clamped than the 'original' method.


Ron

[kaaboom_99]

HI Ron.
All I meant by what I had said is that Shopbot offers this very router (and the PC ones also) that started this thread and that I also use this router (Makita RF1101) and it was my experience (limited) that the mounted of this Makita router was fairly straight forward with the mounting system offered at the time of my purchase and that it doesn't sound so straight forward with what the company is sending now and that possibly and option or choice of mounting systems could be offered. Nothing more or less was meant by my comments.
Perry

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Perry,

You are right, If SB offers the router, one would think it should fit. The new mounting bracket is a cast unit with, apparently, sleeves to reduce the diameter. It could be someone forgot to pack the proper sleeve.

The Makita router I ran WAS NOT the one offered by ShopBot (BTW). I just had some from a previous job and figured they would fit in the hose clamps offered at that time.

Ron

[watswood]

Rockler sells sleeve adapters for their master-r lift. These sleeves convert makita, bosch, and the smaller pc routers to match the diameter of the 3hp pc 7815. I'm using the sleeve with my rf1101 and it works great and makes swapping out different routers easy while keeping the exact x-y bit location. Other manufacturers of router lifts also make similar sleeves.

[Phil Locker]

Well I've put it together with only one of the two white plastic sleeves, and have inserted 3 shims radially around and it seems to be a nice firm fit now. Nearly time to fire it up for the first time...