Customer Reviews

Makita 3612 3-1/4-Horsepower Plunge Router

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having used only a 1 1/2 HP router in the past, this tool is a bit intimidating at first. It is very large and very heavy. However, the router is a dream to use. The extra power (and weight) make pattern/free-hand routing much smoother. The controls are well layed out and seem to work equally well in a table or free-hand. The depth stop screw has a quick release for faster course placement and the tall depth setting knob extends well above the top of the router for easy use in a table. Overall I have been extremely pleased with this tool.

I have nothing but praise for the Makita 3612 plunge router. I have used it for about ten years on furniture and cabinetry projects in maple, oak, pine, fir, cedar, redwood, others, and have never had any trouble with it with any table mounted, handheld, or plunge routing project. I bought it gently used from the father of a friend who had owned it for at least 3 additional years, and have used it on many furniture and cabinetry projects for my family.

The pros of this unit:
1) Immensely strong, as is stated in other reviews. Not even the hardest and most figured sugar maple slows the 3612 down.
2) Well built with craftsmanship. The motor shaft is still tight and smooth after 10 years of table mounted use. I have not needed to replace any component on the unit in all my use. I have even done plunge and rabbet operations for 1 1/2" deep grooves with no issue. Amazing machine. I keep it clean, so perhaps I have avoided other problems that might come up.
3) Smooth operation. The router spins up smoothly with or without the use of a speed controller. I have used it with a speed control unit very successfully, with little or no loss of power and torque for table mounted applications.
4) I recently bought a Router Raizer unit to use with the 3612. The installation of this add on has made the unit even more useful and valuable for table mounted applications. Topside elevation changes are very well controlled using this system, and the system works seamlessly with the original Makita functionality. This made the system even more useful to me. The newer 3612s have an efficient height control knob, whereas the older units did not. I might not have needed the Router Raizer with a newer unit.
5) An absolute pro for 1/2" shank bits and panel raising bits. This machine is perfect for table mounting and can handle any bit you want to attempt. I have used a wide variety on a lot of different woods and have never found an issue or limitation.
6) Well balanced with good handle ergonomics. Some people may argue this point, but I feel the positioning of the handles, switches, and levers are very functional and easy to manage when plunge or template routing with the unit. Like I've said above, I really like this router.

The cons of this unit:
1) Heavyweight. While this may also double as a strength, the power of the system comes at a price. The 3612 can get a bit heavy for handheld use at uncomfortable angles and heights.
2) Not a large number of accessories available by third parties. While Rockler and others do carry table plates and universal baseplate mounts to utilize Porter Cable template inserts, there are not as many options other than those Makita supplies with the unit (edge guide, etc.)
3) Also tied to the strength of the unit, I have found it to be almost too powerful when using 1/4" bits. The router isn't struggling even in a hard cut, and can sometimes result in damage to the 1/4 bit because you feel that you can push harder laterally than the bit shaft can handle without damage. I have broken 1/4" shaft bits during template half blind dovetail cutting in maple. This isn't really the fault of the 3612, but power can have its price.
4) The lack of the speed control in the 3612 as compared to the 3612C is a bit of an issue. It does require an external speed controller when working in hard to route materials like maple, hemlock, and other hard woods. The 3612C has a 5 speed control, which is sufficient for most applications. If I were to replace or buy a second 3612, I would most certainly acquire the 3612C in order to get the speed control and soft start built into the unit.

I have two of these routers, a 9 year old and a newborn. The only difference is the varible speed, and the depth control but everything else is exactly the same. With that said, I can truely say this router will last. My older one has not been treated as well as it should have but the plunge action is still smooth and predictable and everything from the motor to the case has been trouble free. The only thing that I can complain about is the eye shield ( I have somehow broken both of them) and my girls are a bit on the heavy side (but these are also powerful 3.25 hp motors so wieght comes with the territory). They will cut anything ( O.K not metals...) but I can cut oak,maple,cherry with even the biggest bits and they don't bog down. My hat is off to makita for a great machine.

I wanted the best table mounted router available,so I asked someone who cuts nearly 1,000,000 dovetails a year doing demos for a well known company.He told me that he used the Makita 3612c and that it outlasts all others.He doesnt sell routers. Putting a router upsidedown,mounting it to a table changes how it was designed to opperate.Some don't perform as well as others in this format.The Makita has a great motor,low vibration ,and its bearing configuration are ideal for mounting it in a table.I use it sometimes for hours and it never gets more than a little warm.Lots of power.I dont think anyone wouldn't love this tool.I've had mine for over two years and would buy it again if I needed one.

I need a second router to keep fixed in a table and it says a lot about the 3612, which I have had for many years, that I'm buying another similar router but with variable speed. Till date I haven't had a days trouble with the machine. I dropped it once from the work bench and the plastic chip deflector broke but the machine works perfectly. The plunge action is smooth and the power is awesome, I've raised panels in maple, ash, teak, rosewood, without a drop in speed, and at 22,000 rpm the cuts are always smooth. The hand grips are contoured perfectly to fit my palms and the electric brake and soft start make for less wasted effort and time. This was my first router and it will be in my tool box for a long long time more by the looks of it. It seems indistructable.

I am not a writer, so I will make this breif.
I have been working with wood and building furniture for more years than I care to talk about.
The Makita 3612 plunge router I have purchased is really a fine piece of equipment. I have tested it for the past month or so now. I must say it is a much better unit than some of the other routers I have purchased and still own! I was truly in awe when I turned it on the first time. Very little noise. I like that! It lives in my router table now and that is where it will stay. The only thing I am not truly fond of is the small space given for the chuck wrench to be used in. (I have big hands) Other than that, I am quite impressed with it. Some of the "local" (USA) router manufactures should take a look at the "standard" features on this router and think about making certain improvements to their line.

I just ordered the variable speed version of this router to replace a 3612B (square base) that I bought in 1985. This has to be, without a doubt, the sturdiest router around. It just can't be beat for the price, I just went down and looked at the competition this week and they are either way more expensive or junky. My only regret is that the square base (quite a bit larger than the round) doesn't seem to be available anymore. It was great being able to turn it upside down, lock it in a vice, adjust the fence in, and use it as a mini router-table.

I bought this router back in 1987, and used it to route various projects before mounting it to a table for a while, then put it back in the box. For a long time I did not use it (stopped doing projects) but I have recently brought it out for more projects around the house. It is a beast of a router, well made, smooth, heavy, powerful. When you turn it on it sounds like a turbine, and it has tremendous air movement through the machine for cooling and clearing the chips from the workpiece. The power cable started to crack badly from its' time under the table in the garage, so I found and ordered a replacement online and I had it back to full operation in 5 minutes. It is amazing to me that the router has stood the test of time in the marketplace with various modifications, and parts are still available for my 22 year old purchase, so it is likely to outlive me.

I am a professional timberframer and we use the 3612 to rout out our pockets, wire chases, housings, etc. My last router was the 3612c, the variable speed model, and that aspect of the machine was its biggest drawback. I had no need to reduce power, and after putting the machine through the timber frame paces the wires to the variable speed function burned through. Unfortunately Makita's engineers make it so that a repair is impossible, and I was left with buying a new machine. In our workshop this router lasts about two years. It's a solid tool with a lot of power and plunge capacity. I highly recommend it, with the caveat that everyday usage will limit its lifespan.

This is a replacement for the prior 3 1/2 hp Makita router. It finally quit working after being used in a shop built tenon machine for 24 years and making many,many,tenons. When it was pulled from that fixture, it was put on a trammel and used to cut round table tops out of 5/4 red oak. It's a beast of a router and I highly recommend it.