LR 32 enhancement

[southern_guy]

Having purchased the LR32 hole drilling system, it was time to give it a go.
Immediately I was frustrated by the method by which the parallel side fence attaches to the guide rail. The head of the bolt that clamps the fence to the guide rail is hard to loosen and tighten when against the rail. So, I have replaced the bolt with the lever arm bolts made by Kipp. Installing and removing the fence is now a breeze.

The Kipp lever can be disengaged by pulling the head of the lever out, thus enabling it to be used where it is not possible to turn it 360 degrees. It is therefore a very simple matter to adjust it so that it can firmly attach the fence to the rail.

The following photo shows the standard fence on the left and the fence with the Kipp bolt head on the right.

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When attached to the guide rail, you can adjust the lever so that it lies flat against the rail when in the tightened position.

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[Overtime]

Nice upgrade ! Much better than fumbling with the supplied turn to tighten knobs. Is there a part # for those ?

Thanks

 

[southern_guy]

I believe the KIPP part number is  06610-106ΔX, although my supplier has its own part numbering system.

It is a M6 thread, and you can buy this lever in a variety of lengths. You don't need anything more than the 10mm length, but my supplier only supplied the 20mm one, so out came the hack saw.

 

[Brice Burrell]

SG, great idea! Festool's knobs are a real PIA, this looks to be the answer to the problem. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I just looked at the flip stop on the MFT, it has the same type of lever as the Kipp, it fits the LR32's side stop, but it is about 25mm or so. One could but the part from Festool and cut it down. I'll post this over on the "Wish list" area. This should be an easy fix for Festool.

 

[Corwin]

I like this.  On mine, the screws are too short and the mere act of loosening becomes disassembling.  Haven't changed them out yet, but really need to.  Now, this looks nice. 

Thanks,
Corwin

 

[Programmergeek]

Same issue on mind you loosen the screw 1/4 of a turn to much and the whole thing falls apart.  This whole system needs rethinking.  Does the lever solve that or is it just a lever with a screw in it.  Can you post a link or parts numbers.

Now if someone could figure out how to clamp the guide rail from side to side instead of bottom and top.  My rail is never long enoght.

 

[kgearhardt]

I just came across this thread and THANKS for coming up with a good solution!  I just purchased and used my LR32 setup this past weekend and those stock knobs are definitely a problem!

Regarding the Kipp part that you used, I was having some difficulties finding an online source.  Being lazy I went to my usual source - McMaster.com.  I just order 2 lever handles with M6 threads, 16mm long (their shortest).  The McMaster-Carr part number is 6324K17 just in case anyone's interested.

Thanks again for the solution!

Kevin

 

[bruegf]

What a great idea.  Those knobs are a real pain too loosen if you get them just a little bit too tight and like Corwin I've had the nut fall out from loosening the knob just a bit too much.  Spent 1/2 hr looking for the damn thing the first time it happened.  This should be an upgrade Festool makes.

Thanks for posting.

Fred

 

[Steven in Iowa]

Here's another online source
Reid Supply Company

 

[RogerF]

Same issue on mind you loosen the screw 1/4 of a turn to much and the whole thing falls apart.  This whole system needs rethinking.  Does the lever solve that or is it just a lever with a screw in it.  Can you post a link or parts numbers.

Now if someone could figure out how to clamp the guide rail from side to side instead of bottom and top.  My rail is never long enoght.

I had some success with this method when the rail is too short for the piece. I had to clamp one end, but using the router edge guide connected to to the router rail guide by their rods on one side and the LR32 parallel guide on the other, the rail stayed put at the un-clamped end. Probably over kill as the rubber strips held well with just the parallel guide but there were times when the hose would hit the guide and I would have to remove it but the jury rig on the router guides would slide anywhere on the rail.
I would slide it down the full length of the rail before routing just to check that nothing was amiss. This caught a a few errors before plunging.