My Makita router starting making a crackling noise today. I can consistently reproduce it and it starts about 30 seconds after turning it on. I bought it in May, so I’m going to try to exchange it, but I wondering what caused this and want to make sure that I don’t cause the same problem on the next one. Has anyone had this problem and/or know what the cause could be?
As an additional note, I bought it new and have put maybe 5 hours on it. I’ve cut the MDF waste board and clamps, V-Carved into a 12"x24" plywood and the same size piece of pine. That’s it.
Have you checked the brushes? I’d start there.
Does opening it up void the warranty? I would expect them to be in good condition after just 5 hours of use. Should things go bad that fast?
It should not go bad after 5 hours. I would take it back if you can.
Not had that myself after such short usage. As mentioned above, carbon brushes are a typical suspect after reasonable use.
Changing brushes is a typical maintenance item, though not usually after such a short time. Removing the brushes for inspection should not be something that voids the warranty, since they are designed to be easily removed and replaced.
About how many hours of usage does it usually take before you have to replace brushes?
I’ve never used a tool long enough to replace them, but I’ve heard around 100 hours on these routers. You can buy a multi-pack on Amazon to have on-hand just in case.
Thanks for the link! I was able to exchange it at the hardware store for another one since it’s so new. Hopefully I can get 100 hours out of this one before doing maintenance.