1400 or 2200 Router?
- Thread starter Motor
- Start date
waterloomarc
Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2014
- Messages
- 108
I don't have both but I have the 1400 and I wouldn't want to do that often with it. If it's just a one off deal then sure you could make it work. It if this is something you're going to be doing often I would go with the 2200. Just my opinion based on my 1400.
I'd vote for the big 3 hp router. Maneuverability is not an issue in your case. You are making 12" long straight channels. So no maneuvering. Just sit the router down and push it along. Make a template and use a top bearing bit and just push it around awhile. Done. Could use any size bit. 1/2", 3/4", 1". Not sure anyone makes a 1.5" wide straight bit. Set the depth stop at 0.5" and ram the router down. No finesse. You are just plowing wood.
Birdhunter
Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2012
- Messages
- 4,145
I would agree with the 220 selection. You will want the vac turned up to max as the 2200 can chew up a lot of wood.
Also, the 220 has a tremendous amount of power. Even with the soft start, you have to be careful that the router doesn't get out of control.
Also, the 220 has a tremendous amount of power. Even with the soft start, you have to be careful that the router doesn't get out of control.
Job and Knock
Member
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2016
- Messages
- 159
Over here we generally rout housings for closed riser stairs (the most common variant) in a single pass. This is because we use a dovetail-profile housing cutter like these to do the job:
[attachimg=1]
That type of cutter needs to be run single pass at full depth, so the bigger the router, the better - so I'd definitely go for the 2200 for that. On open riser stairs you are routing parallel sided grooves so there's less pressure to do it single pass, however, stair routing can get pretty tedious after the third or fourth flight in a day, so again if you are doing volume bigger really is better. But then my friends all reckon I'm a power freak, so...
[attachimg=1]
That type of cutter needs to be run single pass at full depth, so the bigger the router, the better - so I'd definitely go for the 2200 for that. On open riser stairs you are routing parallel sided grooves so there's less pressure to do it single pass, however, stair routing can get pretty tedious after the third or fourth flight in a day, so again if you are doing volume bigger really is better. But then my friends all reckon I'm a power freak, so...
Attachments
MrToolJunkie
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2009
- Messages
- 3,008
I have them both and the 2200, no question.
Motor said:
Why the lust for such an expensive router? $900 I think for the 2200. If all you want to do is rout these stair stringers, you don't need a fancy dandy wonder router with blue tooth and wifi and internet connectivity. You just need muscle. The big Porter Cable 7539 router is equal to the 2200 in power and only costs $368 or so. You are just routing a groove. Its kind of like a sledge hammer. From the fanciest down to the lowest, they all work pretty much the exact same. If you are smashing down a wall, it doesn't really matter if its a $200 sledge hammer or $10 sledge hammer.
From the question you post and the replies, if money isn't a factor, get the one you like. Or you'll get home and say, I should have. So get it, like it, and love it, because at the end of the day you bought it. So be happy, which ever way you go. Or you'll spend it twice.
RussellS said:
RussellS said:
I get that principle for sure. I have three Porter Cable routers and although they do the job they need to be continually adjusted to maintain precision depth. I used a Porter Cable on a 12-foot stringer and had to throw it out as the adjustment wing nut came loose half-way through a cut. I've got a couple Ridgid routers and although they were dirt cheap, it was money I flushed down the toilet just the same.
nickao
Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2008
- Messages
- 4,617
RussellS said:
Okay, you can say that about EVERY SINGLE TOOL FESTOOL MAKES, except the Domino because no one else makes it.
Name any tool Festool makes that other companies make and I can give an alternative. When someone asks about which Festool router to get on a Festool forum, I think they already know they can get another brand for less money. Cost usually isn't the main concern when people are looking at Festool's or they wouldn't be looking in the first place. They are looking for the best, even if it's only marginally better.
That being said I have that Porter Cable and it's a beast of a router and yes its nice and powerful, but its not near as easy handled as the OF2200. If I was doing stringers and I wanted the best I would want the tool more easy to handle, not just pure power. The OF2200 is the better choice between the PC and the OF2200. It's up to him to determine if the cost savings over the slightly better tool is worth it.
I dont touch my PC at all anymore, I use the OF2200 90% of the time now and I have over 15 routers in the shop. The big PC along with my Milwaukee 5625(which I like better than the PC, its not a plunge though) both have been on CNC table before I went to spindles and now sit in a drawer under a router table.
Dovetail65 said:
No, you seem to have missed my point. The original post was about routing stair stringer grooves. All that requires is brute muscle power. Nothing else. How easily the router handles is also meaningless. You are just clamping a template to a board, setting the router into the template and moving it around with a top bearing router bit. No handling. The Festool 2200 router is lots more expensive, and probably has lots of extra niceties and luxuries on it. None of which are useful for routing grooves for stairs. You are paying extra for nothing you will use routing grooves for stair stringers. In many cases the Festool has the extras that you will actually use. Maybe worth paying extra for those niceties because you will use them. But routing grooves for stair stringers, you are only going to use muscle. No handling or other niceties involved. Why pay triple the price for something you will never use? Like my sledge hammer example. If you are knocking down houses with it, 2x4s and drywall, it does not matter how nice the sledge hammer is. Weight is the only important criteria. Save your money and use a cheap sledge hammer for the specific task of knocking down houses.
In the vast majority of cases when you pay extra for Festool, you get something extra that you will actually use during usage of the tool. Whether these extras are worth it is each person's decision. In this case none of the extras the Festool provides are actually used in the task. Why pay for them?
Brent Taylor
Member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2014
- Messages
- 471
For my two cents, the 2200 would be the best Festool router for the job, great dust and chip control and more that enough power for the job, that being said I have 13 different routers in my shop ( 3 of which are Festool and all but 1 are Makita's) I would grab my 3 Hp. Makita. The Mak is lighter and easier to use in my work.
As for the 1400, I like this router for it size and ease of use, but I hate it's DC set-up. I now mostly use it for site work and in a small router table I built for it. And as for the routers I use the most, it would be the 1010 and my pair of Mak 700.
Good luck with your project and maybe look at the 3 Hp. VS Mak. it's a great machine also. B
As for the 1400, I like this router for it size and ease of use, but I hate it's DC set-up. I now mostly use it for site work and in a small router table I built for it. And as for the routers I use the most, it would be the 1010 and my pair of Mak 700.
Good luck with your project and maybe look at the 3 Hp. VS Mak. it's a great machine also. B
Job and Knock
Member
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2016
- Messages
- 159
I have a couple of deWalt DW625s (in fact one of them is an Elu MOF177e). As plunge routers they are, even for a 30 year old design, not bad pieces of kit - they have a good collet design (IMO better than any of the Japanese 1/2in heavy routers which all require reducers to handle smaller shank bits), they are relatively compact, mine have been exceptionally reliable and spare parts are still available for most of the production run. At 1850 watts they are, however a tad underpowered for some things (e.g. Corian, stair stringers, etc), they are quite loud and they have poor dust extraction. the OF2200s I have are physically quite a bit larger, but they are quieter, have excellent dust extraction and somewhat better ergonomics. They also bog down less on heavy work (that 350 watts makes a difference). Were I routing stair stringers all day long then the OF2200 would be the better choice. For a one off or only a few it's a bit on the expensive side whereas the OF1400 simply lacks the oomph
Similar threads
