Considering MFK700 for trimming hardwood edging on plywood. How deep can it cut?

[Onebean]

I have several projects I'm working on that use veneered plywood with hardwood edging to hide the plywood edge. My hardwood edging ranges from 1/4" thick to 1-1/2" thick. With the horizontal attachment, is it possible to flush trim edging 1-1/2" thick? I have attached a picture showing what I would like to do. Will the MFK700 work for me?

[attachimg=1]

 

[Josh2]

No, that is way too much. It's more like 5/8'' but I forgot the exact numbers. 1-1/2" is too much even with the half-inch shy mod of the MFK700:http://www.halfinchshy.com/2010/12/extending-capacity-of-mfk-700.html
I would use a good hand plane or a simple jig like this:

 

[Onebean]

Thank you Josh2.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Nope, not a chance. I have mine modified even more than Paul Mercel, but even it will only reach 1".
I would go for the OF1010 and the  accessory mount that is intended for this kind of cut. If you don't already have an OF1010, an off-set base set-up could accomplish that too. But you have to be very careful with the balance. It's a pretty tippy thing and the cutting part is what digs into whatever is down there when it happens.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

I use the OF1010 with adapter and it works well but even with practice I occasionally have some small gouges near the ends.  For me it’s happening because I stop moving the plate when it gets to the end of the panel but then have to move the router in an arc motion in order to finish the end of the panel. This is fine when exiting the panel but when coming back inwards the corner of the panel can easily get hung up on the inner hole on the router baseplate which causes the router to jerk and then the gouge happens.

I’m still trying to learn how to perfect my technique but it always makes me wonder whether the MFK700 would provide any better of a result or a worse one, on thick edge banding, as it will not be able to make any wide arc at the ends with its already limited depth but perhaps it doesn’t need to ...

 

[Josh2]

What is the max edge banding you can do with the OF 1010 and adapter plate? I only have the OF 1400 with adapter plate and think the max width was around 1” but I am probably off. So I used the approach with vertical router and offset base, which also was fast for me. The problem is that it is much more prone to tear out compared to a vertical router setup. I think I will try with a sacrificial fence next that helps prevent tear out.

 

[Frank-Jan]

If it's something you do often, a lipping planer might be a valid option.

 

[Frank-Jan]

I just remembered this thing from fastcap:https://www.fastcap.com/product/little-lipper#!prettyPhoto

 

[Crazyraceguy]

What is the max edge banding you can do with the OF 1010 and adapter plate? I only have the OF 1400 with adapter plate and think the max width was around 1” but I am probably off. So I used the approach with vertical router and offset base, which also was fast for me. The problem is that it is much more prone to tear out compared to a vertical router setup. I think I will try with a sacrificial fence next that helps prevent tear out.

I would say that the only real limitation there would be the cut-length of your bit?

 

[Bugsysiegals]

What is the max edge banding you can do with the OF 1010 and adapter plate? I only have the OF 1400 with adapter plate and think the max width was around 1” but I am probably off. So I used the approach with vertical router and offset base, which also was fast for me. The problem is that it is much more prone to tear out compared to a vertical router setup. I think I will try with a sacrificial fence next that helps prevent tear out.

Here’s the distance between the base plate and attachment. Depending on how far the bit is sticking into the collet, max plunge depth, and the fact the bit can’t touch the attachment ... the theoretical maximum is just shy of 1 3/4”. 

View attachment 1

 

[Josh2]

I ended up making this jig for the Festool edging plate so that I can mount my Makita router on the plate. Not the most beautiful jig but very functional. You can actually mount the Makita router base right on the festool edging plate but the router is smaller compared to OF 1100 and 1400 so that the bit cannot reach the correct height. So I ordered some m6 x 50 screws and put a spacer between the plate and router base. Unfortunately, that wasn't stable enough so I added a custom router baseplate with a second mounting screw. The next challenge was to get the custom router baseplate 90 deg to the reference surface. A 4mm domino did the trick.

With this setup, I can trim about 1-3/4'' of edge banding. The router base is permanently attached to the jig and I can just switch the router to another base. So setup is super quick, the router it light and I get the micro-adjust from the Festool edging plate. Really happy how this one worked out.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

How’s the dust collection on that?  ;D

 

[Josh2]

Actually pretty okay when I attached the Makita dust hood to the router base. The bit is already partly enclosed, I put some tape on the front opening and I will improve on that by adding something that almost goes to the height of the plate.

How’s the dust collection on that?  ;D

 

[Bugsysiegals]

Glad to hear ... routers can make quite a mess!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

josh2, that looks like a quite workable solution.
You might have saved some of the spacer thickness by using a bigger diameter bit. I'm sure the compression bit helps, but I find that the reduced cutting angle of a larger cutter can cut way down on tear-out.
The bit on my modified MFK is 3/4" and it has worked out very well.