Bearing didn’t solve the problem. Ran it for 30 seconds then tore it apart and the entire armature is hot, so it’s got bad windings or something. I have one coming from Makermade so I’ll put that in and keep the Makita for an emergency backup or scrap it. No more Makita’s for me.
Pony
So many active threads on this topic. Such a beefy machine and the Makita is a toy compared to it. If one continues to use a Makita, then make sure you never leave it alone as it will start on fire.
Converting to a real spindle has been the best decision I’ve made on this machine yet. Build your own or spend more money on an integrated kit like the PwnCNC system to save time and the headache. Unfortunately, it’s a more expensive route for sure. Just using a beefier 110V router that’s made for this purpose and that would just slip right into the 1F would be so much better. Most of us don’t need an industrial grade spindle but man is it quiet and powerful.
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I just saw the holiday discount too, makes it cheaper than a new 120v Makita in Canada. I’m ordering!
What I really wonder is if there is a way to use the brushless Makita, with a battery adapter & DC power supply.
It’s too bad there isn’t a pre-made 120v clip on adapter or a 120v brushless version(I know I ask too much).
Plus you need a way to bypass power button to have auto start, method I found definitely voids warranty.
That said, It may be equivalent in cost (once you get power supply) to an air cooled spindle.
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Hey Sawdustmaker,
If it’s a single-phase AC motor, and no spindle (induction motor), then it is usually a universal motor with carbon brush commutator. There also exist capacitor start induction motors that are brushless induction motors and can run on single-phase AC due to the help of the capacitor. They are used with fixed speed in dust collectors or in table saws, but I have never seen one in a hand tool. The use of a capacitor prevents that they can have a variable frequency as needed on spindles (=three-phase induction motors).
A brushless DC motor like found in the Makita DRT50 is comparable to a synchronous motor with integrated VFD and much superior to a universal motor. You should be able to substitue the LiIon battery by a 18 V power supply.
As the accessories like the hand router base fit for both the Makita RT0702C as well as for the Makita DRT50, it is obvious that it has a 65 mm diameter too so should fit the Onefinity router mount (I am not sure if the top part will fit)
Unfortunately Makita says nothing about the power.
Besides the LXT® 18 V LiIon battery class, with
- XTR01 18 V LXT® Lithium‑Ion Brushless Cordless Compact Router (USA),
- DRT50 18 V LXT® Router Trimmer (International)
Makita now also offers a XGT® 40 V LiIon battery class of hand tools that are supposed to replace all wired hand tools in the future:
Here they say something about power: “Up to 1.5 hp”.
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I tried it. It won’t fit. 1mm too big.
Yup, I understand the motors and why they use what they use for different applications 
It just means that for me (when I am ready) I will get a 1.5kw air cooled spindle.
I am not doing production work, or overloading the current makita.
Just purchased the makermade makita knock-off as a backup because the 2yr old makita is starting to heat up more on short (<1hr) carves.
Just could not beat the $122CDN price on the makermade, plus a decent spindle and vfd are currently around $500CDN.
In another 2 years there will be something new that I just can’t live without… LOL
Just ordered a Makermade router today, nice surprise it is on sale for $90USD. The new Makita tight out of the box is showing a 10 deg temp rise at the lower bearing after 5 mins of no load run time, so we don’t hold much hope for it lasting.
Anyroad, am making light cuts to try and keep the Makita alive until the new router arrives.
Soooooo. I guess this is the part where I look like an idiot. Apparently it’s more intended as a drop in for the DeWalt, not the Makita - it does seem to be ~67mm rather than 65. So, I suppose it may work in some mounts, but certainly not all.
I currently have a Makita in my 6040, so I suppose I can see whether the Kobalt fits there.
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What do you think of this one with NSK bearings and ER-11 Collets?
CNC Router with ER-11 Collet - MakerMade
Hey Michael,
are you asking me? The Makermade looks like the other Makita RT0701C / RT0702C counterfeits but like the Carbide ER-11, it has a ER-11 collet. That would be a real advantage.
Both the Carbide and the Makermade say that they are for use in a CNC, so this differs from what Makita says. Maybe the bearings are better, but I have no experience with using such routers in a CNC machine.
Here in Europe, we don’t use such hand trimmers/routers in CNCs, because we have what I consider to be the best milling motor solution for hobbyists and semiprofessionals everywhere.
Me personally, I would not use a hand trim router in a CNC. I own a Makita RT0702C, but for use as a hand trimmer. For my CNC, I bought a Mechatron HFS-8022-24-ER20 (2.2 kW 24 000 rpm water-cooled) for ER-20 collets. It has maintenance-free high precision bearings according to ABEC7/P4S and a runout (taper) of < 5.0 µm.
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Michael,
That looks like a clone to this one Router11 CNC Kit which I actually had for a short time. The ER-11 was nice, but I ultimately ended up returning it for bearing noise which I suspected would ultimately lead to failure. OpenBuilds was very accommodating in the return.
I think that none of these routers are truly meant for use in a CNC. Makita does not certify any of their routers for use in a CNC machine. Those manufacturers that do are simply playing a numbers game, counting on a favorable ratio of sales/returns. But any trim router/wannabe spindle is not going to be up to the task of running for hours non-stop. But to many hobbyists just starting out, they are perfectly suitable for awhile.
This is why I’ll once again encourage Onefinity to develop a 43mm spindle holder for this line of spindles that are truly designed for long-term running. I personally don’t want the mess of hooking up a VFD spindle when one of the 43mm milling spindles are every bit as plug-n-play as a router.
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I completely agree, I just don’t know if we have enough squeaky wheels to make it happen.
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Yes, that is the bottom line. Onefinity has to decide if there’s enough squeaky wheels to merit the cost of designing & bringing it to market. And it’s also a numbers game for them as well. How many of us ‘squeakers’ will actually pony-up and purchase one if they make it available.
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1st post
Have a Carbide 3d router. Its been through a 100 jobs, still going strong, and the ER11 collets are great. You can buy the collets and hex nuts for cheap on amazon, and the extra long power cord is nice too.
Its more expensive then the Makita, but then its also built specifically for CNC work.
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Received my MakerMade router today and to say I’m impressed is an understatement!
This is not just a Makita with new bearings. It has completely different electronics & shaft (maybe armature and fields also?).
I’ve only ran it without bits so far, but it’s not heating up at all like the Makita (I couldn’t even touch the shaft after 30 seconds run time), and I’m sure that it has a much better fan by the way it blows air.
While the collets are ER-11, the collet nut is a ER-11A which has different threads than a ER-11 and the torque setting for this nut is somewhere between 12# and 20# depending on which chart you look at.
Pony
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That’s good to hear/read.
Just checked on my order, says it’s out for delivery today.
Ran it a half hour yesterday with NO problems. Shaft didn’t hardly even get warm!
Remember it has a ER collet. If you have never used one, read up (or YouTube it) on how to correctly install one as there is nothing in the manual!
My 1/4" was hard to install in the nut, while the 1/8" was fairly easy. I ordered some extra collets and nuts and will leave them assembled, plus this will give me spares.
Pony
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