1400 router

[justinh]

I am knocking around the idea of purchasing the 1400 router.  My most immediate use for the tool would be dadoes for shelving something like a bookcase.  I currently use a 690 with a fractional base and a shoot board. I run either a 1/2" or 5/8" dado and then rabbet the shelf to fit a bit loose in the groove.  The advantage of this system is that the edge of my shoot is the edge of my dado which I find helps me to avoid many stupid measuring mistakes.

I am wondering if the router can be adjusted over so that the edge of the bit kisses the edge of the guide rail.  I saw John Lucas do something like this with the smaller router, but said that he had to rig the guide from other parts.  He did not elaborate as which parts and how to combine them.  I asked the same question of the guys at my local Woodcraft, but they were unable to answer.  If it is not possible how do you gentleman set up for cuts of this nature?

I am fairly new to the Festool system so I beg your pardon if this is a silly question.

My thanks in advance,
Justin

 

[Dan Lyke]

I'm a newbie, so carefully vette anything I say for logical inconsistencies and misinterpretations

I have the OF1010. While it's possible to go straight to the edge of the guide rail with the bit, I don't, because I don't want to take pieces off the rubber strip that'd confuse me when I'm trying to align the saw. Instead, I draw a line on a piece of scrap, align that with the guide rail, cut a bit, measure the difference, and use that in aligning my actual pieces. But with the fine adjuster and a block of scrap you can put the bit anywhere you want.

My memory of the fine adjuster sold for use with the 1400 is that it's a nicer execution than the one sold for the 1010 (and I should get one, 'cause I also think it'll work fine with the 1010).

In fact... you may have just convinced me that I need to get some thin sacrificial HDF, rip some hardwood to the size of the track on the rail that the router guide runs on, and just glue up a bunch of rails that I can progressively adjust the router to take a hair off of so that I can use them for alignment in the same way that the rubber strip guides the saw.

Which is probably exactly what you're already doing.

 

[Daviddubya]

Justin - The OF1400 router has an indicator on the base that shows where the center of the bit will cut.  That indicator, combined with the fine adjustment mechanism is what I use for locating dados.  I find that cutting the dados for cabinetry works well if I cut the dados BEFORE cutting up the sheets into individual parts.  If your layout and material use permits, cut matching dados first, then cut the sheet into the required sizes with the guide rail and saw.  I made a secondary base to use with the router on the rail, that permits the router to run flat on the material surface while on the guide rail without the use of the outrigger.  Festool sells a secondary base that can be used, here:
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=492574&ID=4

or you can make one, as I did.  See this thread:
http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=34.0