I’m gonna guess there is no such option, but let me pose the question: Are there any Makita 1/2" collets? If not, what options are there for bits that are 1/2" shanks? Can these bits be had in a reduced shank?
Thanks guys!
JENN
I don’t think so. It’d have to be some kind of external collet contraption which would have all sorts of safety issues that would be difficult to engineer out.
If a bit needs a half-inch shank then the Makita 700 is going to be too underpowered to really use it well. But there are a lot of bits that are 1/2" shank that can also be found in qtr inch shanks. What bits were you looking at?
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I don’t think the makita has a 1/2" collet option, but I seem to remember there being a 3/8" collet somewhere, with that said I’ve never seen a 3/8" shank router bit myself.
It might be possible to use a 1/4" to 1/2" collet adapter but that would add a few inches of extra length & likely additional runout.
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No there isn’t. If you need larger bits, you will want to move to a spindle at some point. See the many threads on the forum:
As others pointed out, most bits are available in smaller diameters. Installing a spindle has a cost so consider your options carefully. In the forum, most spindle users chose them for the noise reduction or improved control. A larger collet would be nice for some accessories though.
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Thanks Jim, I wanted to use an amana 1/2" end mill to remove twice the surface that my amana 1/4". But the 1/2" amana bit seems to only be available in 1/2" diameter collet size. So I figured either get 1/2" collet, or find a 1/2" end mill with a reduced 1/4" shank.
JENN
Hmm… assuming you don’t want a surfacing bit, you could get the Makita 8mm cone. Amana sells 8mm bits, that’s about 20% larger already than 1/4".
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Umm, that might actually work! I’ll have to look into this. How does the cone actually perform? Will I be able to go with a 1/2" end mill? Thanks!
JENN
@ buggman I have 2 - 3/8 collets for my Porter Cable routers. To find 3/8 bits you have to shop the machine tool shops.
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Bits and Bits (bitsbits.com) carry them as well. You can find a lot of them at toolstoday.com too.
No, it’s 8mm. It’s very common bit size in Europe but Amana manufactures the bits as well.
In terms of performance, I never had a slippage.
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hmmmm, something new to me 
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Okay, I’ll start looking into the 8mm bits… I’ll place my order for the cone at Amazon, so I just pop out my 1/4" collet, pop in the cone and my new 8mm bit? Yes?
JENN
Yes, in Europe the Makita router ships with 6mm and 8mm. I bought the 1/4" as aftermarket and they all interchange happily.
To illustrate, the 8mm collet is in between a 6mm (left) and a 1/4" (right). As you can see it’s about 20% larger than the alternatives. This is the largest collet (and therefore bit) that you can fit in the Makita RT700/RT701.
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I see, said the blind man… a picture is worth a thousand words Ben! I gots to get mine! 
Thank you all!
JENN
Okay, I found the Makita Cone and I found an Amana 8mm Bit, see here:
So just to be sure I’m getting this right, the Cone will allow for this Amana bit to fit this cone adapter in my Makita Router RT0701C? I think this Amana bit might be 1" in diameter, or 25mm
Thanks Ben
JENN
The listing is janked up. It says it’s an 8mm bit in the title but the specs say it’s 1/8" which doesn’t make sense.
“SPECIFICATIONS: (D) Diameter: 1/8 (B) Cutting Height: 13/16 (d) Shank: 1/8 Overall Length (L): 2-1/2 B1: 7/32 Type: nACo Ceramic Coating Flutes: 2”
It says it in multiple places in the listing so can’t tell what you’re really getting. Worth asking the seller.
If it’s really the 48306-K bit then it is an 8mm by just shy of 1" DOC (25mm).
Here’s the official Amana info on it
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As @JimHatch pointed out, the Amazon listing may not be reliable.
The link to the Amana web site is correct though. Toolstoday may be more reliable than Amazon for this sort of purchase.
And yes, the cone will hold any 8mm bit very tightly, including the 48306-K.
I took the photo, in a rush, to demonstrate the size difference only. I can see why it might have got worried about holding power of the cone. In practice the shank will pass through such that the final shape (bit shank + cone) is like all the other collars. I regularly fit 8mm bits in my Makita router, never had a problem with them.
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Has anyone used one of these adaptors
Did you read the reviews? I’d stay far away from this.
This Makita router is made for bits up to a 1/2” in diameter, and you can get these with 1/4” shafts. There’s no real advantage to run a 1/2” bit on a 1/2” shaft connected to a 1/4” shaft. In fact I’d say this would be a far worse option than just going with the 1/4” bit.
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