Axminster Palm Router table for a Katsu?

[MikeJhn]

With all the guys on here that have a Katsu Router, I thought this may be of interest: http://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-technolo ... e-ax978206

Mike

Video in use: https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/palm- ... 1503718784

 

[MikeJhn]

This also looks interesting, especially as the chuck is build in, not available at the moment so just teasing us: https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/ujk-t ... ill-guide/

Mike

 

[Rorschach]

That's an interesting bit of kit. The thickness planer function is very appealing, I have just finished planning an addition to my little homemade table that will allow me to joint edges but thicknessing would be much more difficult. I am just hoping the 3" router I bought is actually straight enough to work lol.

 

[Geordie Joe]

This also looks interesting, especially as the chuck is build in, not available at the moment so just teasing us: https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/ujk-t ... ill-guide/

Mike

I remember looking at this before, it certainly looked a lot better than the plastic ones other manufacturers sell. I remember thinking that if it is as accurate as they say it is it would be worth having. But I seem to remember that the price put me off more than a little.

Interesting to note that the article is 3 months old and they still haven't produced enough to start selling them again.

 

[jnw010]

I'd watch how much abuse you give a Katsu, I managed to burn out the motor in mine.
I might have just been unlucky with it, but I replaced it with the Makita version which does feel more quality. I also won't be abusing it so much.

 

[Racers]

Katsu routers on eBay for £20.99

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KATSU-3-8-1- ... SwBjdaFCp5

Trying to resist buying another!

Pete

 

[Rorschach]

Katsu routers on eBay for £20.99

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KATSU-3-8-1- ... SwBjdaFCp5

Trying to resist buying another!

Pete

That will be a scam, it often pops up for the katsu. Seller with no feedback. I don't know how the scam works but it must somehow.

 

[Racers]

Some now on eBay for £12!

Don’t!

Pete

 

[Rorschach]

I always take a punt on these cheap tools, you have nothing to lose if you pay by paypal.
9 times out of 10 nothing turns up, you get your money back, one in a while though it does. I got a dashcam worth over a £100 for a tenner, I don't know what that scam was, it was a 0 rated seller but I got my item so I was happy.

 

[Bodgers]

300 quid router table with 12 quid router...hmmm. Makes the router almost a 'consumable' in the setup. Router burns out, plug in another...

 

[bugbear]

300 quid router table with 12 quid router...hmmm. Makes the router almost a 'consumable' in the setup. Router burns out, plug in another...

Any vendors doing bulk buy discounts, like they do on Bahco 244 saws?

BugBear

 

[MikeJhn]

300 quid router table with 12 quid router...hmmm. Makes the router almost a 'consumable' in the setup. Router burns out, plug in another...

Even with my full size router table the router itself is a consumable item, table near £1000.00 Router about £150.00 so not dissimilar.

Mike

 

[beech1948]

I am a determined maker of workshop tools for myself.

£300 for the Axi CJK thingy is exorbitant. Where is the value in that. The engineer in me is already pricing up the processes and materials. A huge markup over base costs. It seems marketing and man jewellery wins again.

 

[transatlantic]

I am a determined maker of workshop tools for myself.

£300 for the Axi CJK thingy is exorbitant. Where is the value in that. The engineer in me is already pricing up the processes and materials. A huge markup over base costs. It seems marketing and man jewellery wins again.

Yes, it does sound expensive, but it looks to be of a very high quality. Don't forget you're also paying for the time these products take to research/design, which is usually a good few years.

 

[beech1948]

transatlantic,

Your two lines of text pushed me to reply. I am not being critical of you just irritated.

Your excuse of "years of development" is just rhubarb. A typical one liner response from those inexperienced in design and build of tools like this.

Time from idea to product. Less than 6 months.

First design.....2 weeks
First prototype....mere days
Second/third prototypes via Lean design principles...mere days
First production hack..1 week
Second and third production hacks....2 weeks
Quality assure....1 week
Cost minimisation 2 weeks
First 100 off....3 days at most

How do I know this. 49 yrs working from degreed engineer to Director of Product Development and Innovation at a global engineering company.

Far too often we excuse the inexcusable and do not challenge things. Most people are scared to challenge anything.

As an example. Festool. I once took apart a Festool drill out of curiosity and found the following:-

Parts designed not to be serviceable so once broken the drill had to be replaced...deliberately built in obsolescence
Cheap bearings
OK motor but nothing above average
OK gears and chuck
Cheap standard market power control/voltage control
Other low cost only average quality parts

BUT Festool has a rep next to God so they must be good. The drill in question was mine.

To excuse over pricing, poor design and poor quality in anything is to be a mug. I would rather not purchase such tat and will not excuse it.

I own 3 Katsu routers. I smile when the Makita clone theory is trotted out. Its utter BS. The Katsu design was around before Makita was interested. Makita took the early design and maybe added a few items to the device eg colours/logo maybe the motor. Katsu shifted from supplier to router vendors eg DeWalt/Makita/B&D and others to a direct reseller to wholesale distributors as well. A smart business move. Makita continue to pretend that their router was designed by the whole Makita engineering knowledge base. Not true.

So is Makita better than the Katsu they copied. Possibly. But I'm not buying one to tear it down to find out.
Is Makita price of around £120 giving £85 better value than Katsu. Not on your life.

 

[Bodgers]

transatlantic,

Your two lines of text pushed me to reply. I am not being critical of you just irritated.

Your excuse of "years of development" is just rhubarb. A typical one liner response from those inexperienced in design and build of tools like this.

Time from idea to product. Less than 6 months.

First design.....2 weeks
First prototype....mere days
Second/third prototypes via Lean design principles...mere days
First production hack..1 week
Second and third production hacks....2 weeks
Quality assure....1 week
Cost minimisation 2 weeks
First 100 off....3 days at most

How do I know this. 49 yrs working from degreed engineer to Director of Product Development and Innovation at a global engineering company.

Far too often we excuse the inexcusable and do not challenge things. Most people are scared to challenge anything.

As an example. Festool. I once took apart a Festool drill out of curiosity and found the following:-

Parts designed not to be serviceable so once broken the drill had to be replaced...deliberately built in obsolescence
Cheap bearings
OK motor but nothing above average
OK gears and chuck
Cheap standard market power control/voltage control
Other low cost only average quality parts

BUT Festool has a rep next to God so they must be good. The drill in question was mine.

To excuse over pricing, poor design and poor quality in anything is to be a mug. I would rather not purchase such tat and will not excuse it.

I own 3 Katsu routers. I smile when the Makita clone theory is trotted out. Its utter BS. The Katsu design was around before Makita was interested. Makita took the early design and maybe added a few items to the device eg colours/logo maybe the motor. Katsu shifted from supplier to router vendors eg DeWalt/Makita/B&D and others to a direct reseller to wholesale distributors as well. A smart business move. Makita continue to pretend that their router was designed by the whole Makita engineering knowledge base. Not true.

So is Makita better than the Katsu they copied. Possibly. But I'm not buying one to tear it down to find out.
Is Makita price of around £120 giving £85 better value than Katsu. Not on your life.

I have the Makita RT0900 and I have mulled the idea of buying a Katsu to compare it. From pictures it looks similar, but something about the materials just looks cheap compared to my Makita. I wonder if the run-out on the spindle etc is the same...

I bought my Makita for my XCarve CNC on the basis that it had to be better than the Katsu.

There is another unbranded clone of this on eBay with red plastic moldings that ships from Hong Kong, available with two different motor power ratings. It's even cheaper.

And...there is also the 'Merry' that looks the same - what about that?

I might just buy them both and compare them all..

What makes you think the Katsu came out before the Makita?


Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Droogs]

Interesting info beech1948. I knew both were made by Katsu on the same basic production line. Didn't realizse Makita were the copy-cats in this instance. I think they are great bits of kit. Think I may have to have a look and see what else Katsu produce that may tickle my fancy and appear in the thermal tights on the morn of the birthday of the baby Jesus/Mythros/Krishna/Dyonisis/etc

 

[beech1948]

[Quote

What makes you think the Katsu came out before the Makita?]

A conversation with another engineer from a Chinese company at a conference in Singapore. Katsu as a brand is really quite a new brand and a sub brand of that manufacturer. Prior to creating this brand the routers were wholesale and customised to other of the main brands or market leaders. Hence the Makita might be considered a brand exercise from Makita ( with whatever changes they made) so they can put their brand on it. If you look closely at the DeWalt equivalent there are several indicators from the body of its likely parentage.

I would be interested in any measurements you make firstly to see if there are really any physical differences eg concentricity of the routers collet chucks, motor amps taken at load and no load etc.

The problem of "look" and "feels" are obvious as is any bias due to brand and colour.

I've found my Katsu ( Katsi plural) to be reliable and to perform as needed.

 

[MikeJhn]

Not withstanding who made what, when, has anybody bought and used one of these tables, just in case we have forgotten what the thread was about.

Link: http://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-technolo ... e-ax978206

Link to manual: http://www.axminster.co.uk/media/downlo ... manual.pdf

Mike

 

[MikeJhn]

Video:

https://youtu.be/--606eIEdps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--606eI ... e=youtu.be

Mike