DEWALT DWP611 VS MAKITA RT0700CX

[AnthonyB]

I had a credit note for Frankston Bunnings, so that's where I got mine from, and the 1/8" collet is on order. Unfortunately the default brackets definitely don't fit - not by much, maybe a mm or two on each side, but enough On the plus side, it seems to be somewhat quieter than the Ozito dremel knockoff that I've been using.

I'm just about to jet off on holiday to Perth for two weeks, but when I get back I'll hopefully be able to have a go at milling some brackets and putting it all together.

[AnthonyB]

A quick update.

I got the new collet in the mail while I was on holiday, and filed it down this evening. Took a bit longer than 15 minutes though - I had to remove a good chunk of metal, maybe a mm or so, from the insertion end. Perhaps I have a different model of collet or router?

Anyway, I ended up improvising a mini lathe by bolting the collet into a dremel with one of the rubber sanding drums pushed in backwards, then attacking it with a file while it was running at low speed. That did the trick, and it's now sitting properly in the router, and seems to be running well. I don't have a way of measuring runout, but it seems to be smoother than the Ozito dremel-alike that I'm currently using.

Now I just have to mount it. Ben, did you want to share your design files? It doesn't look too hard to knock up some mounts, but might save me some time.

Anthony

[AnthonyB]

correct... weight comes in at about 1.8KG bare which is pretty good....

Hmm, FWIW I just weighed my Makita, and the bare weight (without the base, etc.) comes in at about 1.4kg. Even with the cord coiled on top, it's only 1.6kg. Perhaps I have a newer model or something? For reference, both of the rotary tools that I have here are about 0.5kg.

[ianmmy]

Just got mine a few weeks ago, i am aiming to use it for a spindle on my homemade MDF cnc router,
anyone have any infos or tips for this router? would it be suitable for the job? can it handle long working time?
i can feel it heating up on only few minutes of cutting, \

also does anyone know if ER collets would fit in the shaft?
or does anyone have an idea where i can get a 6mm collet?


thank you.

[AnthonyB]

Just got mine a few weeks ago, i am aiming to use it for a spindle on my homemade MDF cnc router,
anyone have any infos or tips for this router? would it be suitable for the job? can it handle long working time?
i can feel it heating up on only few minutes of cutting

I just mounted mine today, it's a complete beast compared to the dremel knockoff that I was using previously (and that was an upgrade from the other dremel knockoff that came with the Shapeoko kit). It reminds me of Neal Stephenson's anecdote in Cryptonomicon about the vickers compared to normal machine guns and bandsaws compared to normal saws

Mine does get warm, and the manual says not to run it at low speeds for long periods or "the motor will get overloaded", but I'm pretty sure they mean that it won't get the airflow to cool properly. My plan short term is just to keep an eye/finger on it - if it gets too hot to touch, I'll either wind up the speed a bit, or else give it a break for a while. Long term, possibly adding some suction to the base might help keep it cooler.

I'll post pics and the dxf of my mounts in a bit.

Anthony

[AnthonyB]

So here is the beast in all its glory.

shapeoko_makita_spindle.jpg (97.12 KiB) Viewed 5979 times

I haven't attached the final mounts yet (the dremel knockoff found them a bit hard going, so the first lot weren't quite accurate) but as you can see I've milled them out. I also bollocksed up the clamping holes for locking in the router, so I need to redo it anyway.

Some notes:

• It's pretty quiet compared to the dremel knockoff's ZOMG I'M CUTTING THINGS! shriek. The vacuum cleaner is now the loudest component when I'm milling things, at least things made from HDPE, anyway
• It seems fairly robust, ie. it's solid, and with the electronic speed control doesn't seem to be particularly fazed by cutting things like the dremel knockoff.
• Don't use the red locking button when it's mounted in the Shapeoko - the two spanners which fit the shaft and collet nut do a much better job of tightening.
• It's pretty heavy - probably a bit much for the single x-axis which I have - but it seems to work ok and doesn't deflect a great deal.

I've attached the inkscape svg which I used for my mounts, just in case it's useful to anyone else. Let me know if you have any questions.

Anthony

[ianmmy]

Yes they are damn wonderful, I am looking forward for my forstner bits as they are the only thing holding me back on mine.
This said that it has a speed controller or i know as a governor, Does anyone know if it works?
I mean, 164$ for this beast is already enough for being quiet and variable voltage.

[AnthonyB]

Yes they are damn wonderful, I am looking forward for my forstner bits as they are the only thing holding me back on mine.
This said that it has a speed controller or i know as a governor, Does anyone know if it works?
I mean, 164$ for this beast is already enough for being quiet and variable voltage.

It definitely has a speed controller - you can tell by cranking the speed up while it's not loaded, then turning it down sharply. There'll be a brief pause while the motor spins down to the new lower speed before it starts driving the motor again. Also, the noise is constant while cutting - there's no change when it gets to a difficult bit.

I just ran an hour-ish long job using it, btw and it didn't get too hot - just quite warm. I was sucking air over it with the vacuum cleaner though, which seemed to help.

[orangezero]

Just as a followup, I purchased the Makita trim router simply because it goes down to 10,000rpm. I thought the slight extra cost may help in the long run with noise and a mildly larger speed difference. Wouldn't the 10,000rpm be a bit better for plastics than the 15,000-16,000 of the Dewalt 611? I gathered that from my reading, but I'm not sure it makes a practical difference.

In any case, I drew up a 3d printed mount so I could get it running. I'll probably switch to aluminum when/if I can make one, sometime. If anyone needs it I can put it up on here. Nothing special, but it fits the Makita.

[Improbable Construct]

I run my DWP611 at 25000 RPM all of the time.
Plastic, wood, foam, aluminum, doesn't matter 25000 RPM is the speed.
My SuperPID says it only spins about 29000 RPM at full speed so I take it down to 25000 to give it some headroom.