3 Of The Most Useful Accessories For Makita's Compact Routers

Makita was founded in 1915, but didn't start making power tools until 1958. The performance and reliability of Makita's tools landed the company at the top of our rankings of the world's top power tool brands, in part based on the LXT series of woodworking tools. That set includes the 40 volt router shown above, which has 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 below $150 to almost $400. 

To complement this broad selection of powerful tools, Makita also offers plenty of bits, guides, and other accessories to make each palm router even more helpful in performing a variety of tasks. We've sifted through the nearly 200 portable router accessories on Makita's website to isolate the most important ones and arrange them logically for you so you can get back to your latest woodworking project.

A router without bits is just a vibrating noisemaker. Fortunately, Makita provides an array of bits for nearly every task. It has more than two dozen straight and groove-cutting bits, as well as three that cut V-shaped grooves in widths of 3/8, 5/8, and 7/8 of an inch and depths of 7/16, 1/2, and 5/8 of an inch, respectively. Makita's router bits have either 1/4, 3/8, or 1/2 inch shanks, and their selection also includes a variety of dovetail and hinge mortising bits in different sizes.

For making tongue-in-groove and other joinery cuts, you'll need the appropriate edge and slot cutting bits as well. Makita has you covered there, 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 of an inch, with a total length of up to 3-5/16 inches.

Regardless of whether you're using a template for your woodworking project, Makita has the right guide to keep your router cuts in line. 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 more than a dozen guides and adapters in different sizes for you, along with all the hardware you'll need to attach the guides to your router. 

To keep your work surface clear from sawdust so you can see your template, Makita carries five dust extracting attachments for use with its different routers. They're all made of durable translucent plastic, but you'll have to click through Makita's website to identify which of these helpful accessories is the right one for your particular model of router.

Having the right bits and guides is an absolutely necessary start to any woodworking job requiring a router, but matching the correct base to your particular task will help things go as smoothly as possible. Makita has more than a half-dozen bases and handle setups for you to choose from, including fixed, offset, and tilt bases. The plunge base shown above allows you to cut at depths of up to 1-3/8 inches, and has three individual 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. 

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