Edge trimmer

[marcros]

I have seen various posts about the Makita v Katsu routers. I quite fancy one of these, and am being badgered about what I want for Christmas. The katsu will be good enough for my occasional usage.

So... what bases are recommended? I want to use it for rounding over edges of straight boards and curved boards, plus the odd jobs that it excels at on jewellery boxes (for example fitting hinges). I have a couple of full size routers where needed.

The router with the trimmer base is £29
A plunge base is another £24
A tilt base another £15
The kit with all 3 is £62

An offset base is £20, not included in the kit.

I would rather buy the bits that I am likely to use, rather than pay an extra tenner and get yet more bits that will never be used in a kit.

 

[Racers]

I bought the full kit wit all three bases, and use the plunge base and the normal one most, and my home made exended base for box hinges, it bridges the box so it won't tip.

Katsu with extended base by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

The angled base I have yet to find a use for.

Pete

Pete

 

[marcros]

Thanks Pete.

 

[ScaredyCat]

I bought a piece of perspex from ebay, drilled out the screw holes and main hole then removed the original black base and attached it. A couple of extra screw holes and you can attach other bits of wood for use as guides etc. Katsu is a wonderful little thing and cheap as chips.




btw, I hope I'm not the only one that saw "Edge Trimmer" and thought Four Candles....


.

 

[Rorschach]

I got the full kit, so far though I have only used the router mounted in my homemade table but I have done tests with the other bases and am happy with them.

Watch out on your tilt base, mine had a warped base that made it unstable and dangerous. Aimtools sent me another FOC, it was also warped but not quite as badly and is probably fine. Since I had a spare now I spent a little bit of time with a large flat file and removed the warp as best I could, made a big difference to how safe it feels.

 

[oakmitre]

One point to remember is that the Makita and Katsu standard trim bases do not have micro adjustment like the twist ring adjuster on the Dewalt palm routers.

The Makita / Katsu trim base is an aluminium sleeve secure by a clasp at the back. In order to adust depth of cut, this clasp has to be released.
The sleeve then freely slides up and down.There is a micro adjuster rack and pinion on the front - but it really is just cosmetic since the sleeve slides so freely.

I find it quite difficult to creep up on a depth of cut with the Makita trim base.

Also the Makita Trim base will take standard American brass bushes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-245 ... outer+bush

I have cut these bushes down to 5.5mm to use with 6mm mdf.

The Katsu trim base will not ( it is missing the little shelf moulded into the plastic base plate ).

The Makita and Katsu plunge bases can both take the above Silverline bushes with the adapter in the Silverline kit.

The 30mm trend brass bush also works with the Silverline adapter in both plunge bases. Again it will not work in the Katsu trim base due to the missing shelf.

 

[marcros]

thanks.

 

[jnw010]

If you're just going to use it as a trim router, then don't bother with the other bases. I bought all the bases with it as I could see myself using all of them, and indeed have used all of them. Having said that, the most used base is the standard trim base with a larger Perspex base attached that also has the recess cut for bushing guides.
But then I tend to buy whole kits on the basis that I'd rather have that extra bit and not need it than need it and not have it (within reason of course).

 

[marcros]

I normally do the same. I can see a use for the plunge base for cutting hinges, and the standard trim base for rounding over. the homemade bases look handy too. that said, Pete seems to be using the standard base with his home made base for hinges, so I may start with the basic machine and see how I get on.

 

[will1983]

I just bought the basic fixed base option, never needed anything else and it's easily the most used router in my workshop.

The only time I need to plunge cut is when using a straight bit so I just hold it tightly and manually lower the whole router into the timber. I did make a long auxiliary base for it just like someone posted a picture of before. If you go for a router like this I really recommend you do the same, it makes the tool a lot more controllable and prevents it tipping over and the cutter gouging into your work piece. Oh and if you drill some holes in your auxiliary baseplate you've got a circle cutting jig to.

 

[Noel]

Thanks to you lot (and the other Katsu thread) I've just got one of these. Amazing little tool and seems quite good quality.
Clickity speed control which seems ok.
Also somebody from here who has a YT channel did an unboxing etc. Thanks for that Smallshed.

 

[Bm101]

Just for the sake of evidence. If I'm ever found dead in my shed in a horrible bloody mess, to save taxpayer money please have the police read this.
Been using my makita trimmer more and more lately. (Katsu would have done me fine, didn't know). I am new to routers so everything tends to get done with the plunge base. I'm getting up to speed and starting to learn a bit more, get more familiar with the tool if you like.
Recently been working on (finally) getting my bench built two years odd after starting it. First project I started (and stalled lol) and some of the shoulders on the tenons are a bit wayward as i cut them all by hand with wonky skills. Took a step back and rearranged the design to allow a little fettling. Let's do this properly.
Tacked an off cut to the legs etc as a guide. Took the trimmer to the shoulders giving me a 90 degree shoulder for about an inch depth and finished paring the bottom bit with a chisel. Job done. Bit of a faff with so many shoulders and getting them all the same length and so on but all done.
Quite pleased with myself.
Neato I thought. This is a grand little tool... If only i didn't have to wind that bleedin' thread down 3mm odd after each cut which is a proper PITA. Now if they just had a quick release button right HERE which would be the right place to put it... It even looks a little bit like a quick release button! I could have wizzed through all that.
I may even have chuckled to myself at the sheer ineptitude of the Makita Design team at this point. Ahh those guys! Bless 'em.

And then I pushed the button.
Ah. Wait....
FFS.

#-o

Seems they thought of that after all.

 

[Mrs C]

I have seen various posts about the Makita v Katsu routers. I quite fancy one of these, and am being badgered about what I want for Christmas. The katsu will be good enough for my occasional usage.

So... what bases are recommended? I want to use it for rounding over edges of straight boards and curved boards, plus the odd jobs that it excels at on jewellery boxes (for example fitting hinges). I have a couple of full size routers where needed.

The router with the trimmer base is £29
A plunge base is another £24
A tilt base another £15
The kit with all 3 is £62

An offset base is £20, not included in the kit.

I would rather buy the bits that I am likely to use, rather than pay an extra tenner and get yet more bits that will never be used in a kit.

The little Katsu trimmer is ace, but the plunge base I bought with it was b*** awful (although from other reports I could just have been unlucky). I use mine 99% of the time with a home made lengthened base which makes it a bit easier to balance.

 

[Bodgers]

I have seen various posts about the Makita v Katsu routers. I quite fancy one of these, and am being badgered about what I want for Christmas. The katsu will be good enough for my occasional usage.

So... what bases are recommended? I want to use it for rounding over edges of straight boards and curved boards, plus the odd jobs that it excels at on jewellery boxes (for example fitting hinges). I have a couple of full size routers where needed.

The router with the trimmer base is £29
A plunge base is another £24
A tilt base another £15
The kit with all 3 is £62

An offset base is £20, not included in the kit.

I would rather buy the bits that I am likely to use, rather than pay an extra tenner and get yet more bits that will never be used in a kit.

The little Katsu trimmer is ace, but the plunge base I bought with it was b*** awful (although from other reports I could just have been unlucky). I use mine 99% of the time with a home made lengthened base which makes it a bit easier to balance.

What's up with the plunge base?



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