The 3 Most Useful Accessories for Makita’s Compact Routers

Makita was founded In 1915, but did not start making power tools Until 1958. The performance and reliability of Makita’s tools have earned the company the top spot. Ranking of the world’s best power tool brandspartly based on this LXT series woodworking tools. This set includes the 40-volt router shown above with a 1.5-horsepower brushless motor that runs up to 31,000 RPM. Makita’s line of compact routers includes units with motors ranging from 1-1/4 to 3-1/4 horsepower and prices from under $150 to almost $400.

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To complement this wide range of powerful tools, Makita also offers a wide range of bits, guides and other accessories to make each handheld router even more useful in performing a variety of tasks. We reviewed nearly 200 Makita’s portable router accessories website Sorting out the most important ones and organizing them logically for you so you can get back to your latest woodworking project.

A router without bits is just a flickering noisemaker. Fortunately, Makita provides a set of bits for almost every task. It has more than two dozen straight and slotting bits, as well as three bits that cut V-shaped grooves 3/8, 5/8, and 7/8 inches wide and 7/16, 1/2 inch deep. 2 and 5/8 inches respectively. Makita’s router bits come in 1/4, 3/8, or 1/2 inch shanks, and their selection also includes a variety of dovetail and hinge tenoning bits in different sizes.

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You’ll also need appropriate edge and slot cutting bits for making tongue and other joinery cuts in the groove. Makita has your needs covered with more than two dozen chamfering bits in a variety of widths, depths and shapes. You can also find bits that cut slots as narrow as 1/8 inch, with overall lengths up to 3-5/16 inches.

Whether or not you use a jig for your woodworking project, Makita has the right guide to keep your router cuts aligned. Makita sells eight different straight and trimmer guides, as well as 39- and 55-inch guide rails, along with the adapters you’ll need to use the rails. If you’re going to be cutting with a template, Makita has over a dozen guides and adapters in different sizes, plus all the hardware you’ll need to attach the guides to your router.

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To keep your work surface clear of sawdust so you can view your template, Makita carries five dust extractors to use with its different routers. They’re all made of durable translucent plastic, but you’ll need to click through to Makita’s website to determine which of these helpful accessories is right for your router model.

Having the right bits and guides is an absolutely necessary start for any woodworking job that requires a router, but matching the right base to your specific job will help things go as smoothly as possible. Makita has more than half a dozen base and handle settings to choose from, including fixed, offset, and inclined bases. The plunge base shown above allows you to cut to depths of up to 1-3/8 inches and has three separate stop screws. There’s a plunge lock lever to speed up your work, and you can mount template guides to the sub-base to keep you on track.

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This base works with Makita’s 18-volt LXT wireless router and its 1-1/4 horsepower corded version. There is a different plunge base for use with the 2-1/4 horsepower plunge router, but its maximum plunge depth is 2-19/32 inches. Makita’s tilt base works with four compact router models and has fixed stops at 30 and 45 degrees for making angled cuts.