Duhhh... oh, THAT'S how it works. (edge guide/ OF1400)

[James Watriss]

So, after having used the edge guide a few times before, it finally dawned on me today why the rods are so freakin' long.

I was running a groove in the edge of some 3/4 1A ply for edge banding. I've used the edge guide before, I dig it, but I do hate having more than half of the router hanging over the edge. Dusty floor, 8' long run with a slot cutter...

The slot cutting bit does have a bearing, but it occurred to me that the edge guide might provide a little more stability. Then after it was all hooked up, it dawned on me that with the rods sticking so far inboard, that I should see if I could use one of the guide rail blocks as a makeshift offset base, to really stabilize things.

Sure enough, works like a charm.

I'm sure I'm not the only person to figure this out, but I figured I'd share, to help the other pinheads like me who took a while to get it.

 

[Frank-Jan]

James, if it's possible, could you post a picture of how that works?
I don't have the guiderail stuff for the OF1400, the edgeguide was standard, but the guiderail stuff wasn't... it did came standard with my of1010, but haven't used that yet, so I thought I'd use the 1010 in case I need to use the guiderail (I have a few jobs coming up that will need it soon)

 

[JayStPeter]

I do that whenever I'm doing any kind of edge work with the 1400.  I've also found that the dust collection attachment meant for the dovetail jig usually works better than the little swivel cup.  Downside is that it puts even more stuff outboard and really requires that you put a knob inboard.
If I didn't have other routers, I'd get the offset base though.  It's still a very unstable router on an edge, especially going around corners.

 

[James Watriss]

Frank, if you have jobs coming up that require the rail, I'd really look into the guide rail blocks for the 1400. The 1010 works ok, but the set for the 1400 has a (little understood, apparently) feature that allows some micro-adjusting. So, if you're not exactly where you wanted to be, you don't have to re-arrange the whole rail... you can just shift the router a little bit.

I'll try to take a picture when I have time. It's been a busy couple of weeks, but this technique is worth understanding... you'll be able to use it with the 1010 too, but it's really invaluable on teh 1400. As Jay mentioned, the 1400 is notoriously wobbly when you're working on the edge of a board.

You may be able to figure it out with the 1010... the principle is the same. Have the edge guide set up underneath the router, and run the rods all the way through, so they hang way out of the other side. Because the guide rail block is designed to sit on the same surface hte router is on, it will sit level with the base. Words can be wasted here... once you have everythign assembled, you should see pretty quickly what I'm talking about.

Anyway, til I put up some photos...

cheers.

 

[James Watriss]

Finally getting around to putting up a picture...

[attachimg=#1]

 

[festoller]

This works as well with the Of 1010! Another Festool secret revealed! Maybe someone should start a list.

Makes you wonder why Festool doesn't tell you about this.

 

[James Watriss]

I'm not convinced that it was designed to work that way... but it does, and that's good enough for me. I do wish there was better dust collection when it is used this way, but I'll figure that out sometime...

 

[greenbayguy]

Finally getting around to putting up a picture...

[attachimg=#1]

Great post, and I am glad this image is on here. Has anyone noticed the right knob for the edge guide is not coplanar -- or recessed -- with the edge of the router base? For example, from the middle of the bit to the edge of the router base is app. 3", though on a parallel line, the knob on the edge guide is about 3-1/8". This would be relevant if one were to set up a stop block (stop dado, mortise, etc.) with say... a stock rail. The knob would make contact before the router base, creating the potential for an uneven cut.

Maybe I am missing something, but this seems like a kind of normal situation. Yes, there are myriad workarounds, though this occurred to me today, and at least prompted this question. I looked at some of my other routers and this is not the case. Seems like something someone would have thought of.

What further confused me, is their is another knob for locking in the rails on the "front" of the router (moving left to right like any good router operator would), which if substituted for the stock Edge Guide knob, provides ample clearance; it is just not as hefty, though ample.

 

[joiner1970]

I too did this today I have the OF1010 and bought an 8mm shank Biscuit cutter to use with it. I cut a few slots in some carcases today for face frames and realized that the guide rail adapter would work well as an out rigger too, its exactly flush with the router base and it worked great.

If you look at the    Extension table TV-OF 1000  that festool sell it has the exact same guide rail adapter but with a sheet of formica (or what ever material it is) attached to it. So that must be what the screw holes are for on the under side to fix the formica.