Depth adjustment on OF 1400

L

Limey556

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2010
Messages
35
I want to replace my old Porter Cable router and was considering the OF 1400. I looked at one in Berlands House of Tools and it seemed the thumb wheel for fine depth adjustment was extremely difficult to rotate this put me off and I decided to wait and get feedback before deciding, after all at $470 this is much more expensive than most Routers.

I love all the festool product I have to date and would be surprised if festool made anything that is not well engineered maybe this was just an issue with this particular demo model.

So whats the verdict, is fine depth adjustment an issue with the1400?  Any feedback on experience with the 1400 would be appreciated.

Love this site and appreciate all the infomation everyone posts
 
Not an issue. The fine adjustment wheel should be set in the middle of the adjustment field to provide up & down movement. I have had the 1400 for 4 years without any issues.

Don
 
I agree with dsweetser. There was probably something that had it 'bound'.  I can think of a few things that could cause the knob to be difficult to turn. Most of them being operator error.

Whereas you picked this up off of a store shelf. The adjuster has probably been `diddled to death` in one particular direction.
I have the OF1400 and have never had an issue except where it has been dialed the max number of rotations in a particular direction.
 
I wanted to give a couple of members the chance to offer their unbiased opinions before responding. You should see free movement in the depth adjustment. Should you decide to get the OF 1400 and you're not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund less shipping charges (if applicable) within 30 days of purchase.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. After reading the posts I think the demo model may have been jammed at the end of travel as suggested and to Shanes point I can always return if not satisfied

This is what makes this site so good

Terence
AKA Limey 556
 
Let me add praise for the OF 1400. I bought mine shortly after they were available in the USA. Mine is used a few hours each week and has not needed to be sent anywhere for repairs. Like all my routers I keep it clean. The Micro-Adjust on the depth control is a well-engineered feature of the OF1400.

It makes me very sad to read that a demo Festool at a dealer is not clean and operating to factory specs.

A few months ago a valued FOG member wrote that he was put off buying an OF1010 because the one he tried at a very well-known Southern California dealer would not spring back to the up position.

With all routers everyone needs to be able to accurately set the depth of cut. With a plunge router, such as the OF1400, OF1010 and OF2200, it is vital that the router motor spring back to the up safety position. The result of the FOG member posting was that the regional sales manager made a special ASAP trip to the dealer. All that was required was to clean the rods, as explained in the instructions.

I know that dealership. I buy lumber from them and my Festools from another well-respected dealer much closer to me. The other dealer was really nice sales folks and all I have talked to about Festools know their tools. Maybe it was a bad day.
 
Any woodworker worth his salt would know that a bit of wd40 spray would have fixed this!
 
jimmy7 said:
Any woodworker worth his salt would know that a bit of wd40 spray would have fixed this!
Click to expand...

During the recent Advanced Router class (11 and 12 November 2010) in Henderson, NV we discussed ways to need plunge routers plunging and then springing back to safety position. All of us, including the instructors Steve Bace and Brian Sedgeley, are experienced woodworkers. For some uses we think the world of WD-40.

However, the consensus was that products like WD-40, originally intended to protect machined steel and electronics from moisture, attract dust and thus gum in tight-fitting sliding bearings.

The better procedure to keep bearings sliding on precisely ground rods is to physically clean away accumulated dust, gum and grime. Often use of compressed air only make the situation worse. Following a manual cleaning, the prudent approach is to use a hint of something like graphite.

Where WD-40 can be very helpful would be a situation in a moist environment where tools need to be stored for protracted lengths of time. The woodworker would apply WD-40 before storage with the understand that when the tool is needed, the WD-40 would need to be cleaned off.
 
Are you living in the real world?Ok so I'll strip the entire router after use to get that one bit of saw dust?Unless you are dipping the router into a bucket of dust a light spray of wd40 will lube the router to work freely,maybe you should pass that on to your advanced rocket scientist woodworkers
 
ccarrolladams said:
Let me add praise for the OF 1400. I bought mine shortly after they were available in the USA. Mine is used a few hours each week and has not needed to be sent anywhere for repairs. Like all my routers I keep it clean. The Micro-Adjust on the depth control is a well-engineered feature of the OF1400.

It makes me very sad to read that a demo Festool at a dealer is not clean and operating to factory specs.
Click to expand...
It does?Family beavement or my football team getting beat makes me very sad whereas a router (not your own personal one i may add)not working properly really doesn't bother me.This is cringe material.
 
jimmy7 said:
Are you living in the real world?Ok so I'll strip the entire router after use to get that one bit of saw dust?Unless you are dipping the router into a bucket of dust a light spray of wd40 will lube the router to work freely,maybe you should pass that on to your advanced rocket scientist woodworkers
Click to expand...

WD40 is not recommended for lubricating the oilite bearings in Festool products because it degrades the lubricant in the oil impregnated bearings. Light weight machine oil or sewing machine oil is recommended by Festool for lubricating the oil impregnated bearings.
 
Are you trying to tell me i cant use wd40 on my router columns???Give me a break.PMSL
 
Well you can do what you want but - WD40 is not really a lubricant and is not recommended for long term lubrication on anything. It is slippery and will work for a short time frame but after some of the contents evaporate off, you are left with a kind of gooey substance. It is sold as a penetrant and moisture displacer. There are far better lubricants available. I used to use WD40 on some of my tools before I knew better and was fighting dust and gum buildup. Life got easier when I swithced to recommended products for the tools.
 
jimmy7 said:
Are you living in the real world?Ok so I'll strip the entire router after use to get that one bit of saw dust?Unless you are dipping the router into a bucket of dust a light spray of wd40 will lube the router to work freely,maybe you should pass that on to your advanced rocket scientist woodworkers
Click to expand...

Jimmy, I am not trying to tell you anything. Do what you want. Use all the WD-40 you like.

Releasing the router motor from the plunge rods on all Festool routers is an easy thing to do and takes a few seconds, as explained in the instructions. You hardly need to "strip" the entire router.

As many others mentioned, WD-40 is not a lubricant and harms permanently lubricated bearings.

Of course each FOG member will have different experiences. YMMD. Here people ask questions and others provide answers based on their experience.

It is comforting to know for you WD-40 has works well in many circumstances.
 
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