MFK 700 Horizontal Edge Trimming

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I recently purchased a MFK 700 and am starting to put through the paces.  Today I decided to try to trim some oak edging on oak ply.  Setup was pretty easy and I put in a 1/4" diameter up spiral bit into the collet as deep as it would go and tried to snap the motor into the 1.5 degree base.  No go, bit was too long and was hitting the casting of the base before the motor was fully engaged.
Ended up with a shorter 1/4" diameter straight bit...shorter so chearance was not an issue.

Started to trim a piece and was several mm high and would would my way down with the fine adjustment....one of the things I really like about this trimmer. After a few passes and adjustments I am getting close and just as I want to go down maybe another .3 or .4 mm I am blocked as I hit the bottom of the adjustment range.  So, I just can't get there with the 1/4" diameter bit it appears...maybe if I had an 8mm bit...

Anyone else seen this or have any feedback....

Best,
Todd

 

[mwhafner]

I ran into the same problem.  I switched to a 1/2' (1/4' shank) straight cutter and it worked perfectly. 

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Interesting...  I'll likely try that later tonight or tomorrow, but I sort of wanted a spiral cutter so I may look at an 8mm bit which could be used for mortises with the 8mm Dominos too.  I do have to say that it is a bit disappointing to spend that kind of money and find that a simple common 1/4" bit will not appearently work at all...

Best,
Todd

 

[tbellemare]

Todd:

If I understand you correctly, Festool has a couple of bits they recommend for the task with the the MFK 700:

• a Carbide, Edge Trimming Router Bit and a
• replaceable knife version, 491670

.
The first one has a working length of 16 mm (~5/8") and the latter 12 mm (~15/32"). They are both 19 mm (~3/4") diameter and have 8 mm shanks. the first is 46 mm (~1-13/16") long and the second is 43 mm (~1-11/16").

Maybe you have something similar but in my experience, it is a bit uncommon to find bits that are this "squatty".

Tom

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Thanks Tom.  I went back to the shop after dinner and an episode of Two and a Half Men last night and foud that I did have a 8mm spiral bit, but it was about 2" long which prevented the motor from seating in the base because the bit was about 1/4-3/8" too long overall.  A bit with a length of 1 1/2" and a cutting length of 1/2" would be ideal.  I'll have to do some looking and see if I can find a 8mm spiral in that size.  So, I went to my stash of old cheapo router bits and found an old Sears carbide hinge mortise bit and it fit the parameters which allowed everything to go together fine.  After a height adjustment or two I was getting perfect results triming tI he edge banding which in this case was about 1/8" thick.

One other thing that I learned is that it is best to clean up any glue which comes out behind the edge banding as I had a couple small spots of glue left back there and I found that the base wanted to ride up on the glue spots in most cases.  Not a big deal but something to keep in mind.  Overall with a bit that will fit inside the space parameters the trimer works very well in the horizontal mode. It is well supported by the base plate running on the width of the piece, but I am not sure it will be as stable if running on the edge of material if that was ever needed.

Best,
Todd

 

[Warrior]

I have found that edge trimming with the 1010 and edging plate is just as good, actually better, than the MFK since you can pretty much use any bit you want with it. The depth is not limited to 16mm either. You can edge as thick as you can plunge.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

If you use the 1010 with the trimming plate and such how is the weight? It would seem that most of the weight of the 1010 would be hanging out over the edge.  I really can't imagine having a need to trim more than an 1/4" to 3/4" of banding width with 1/4" or less being the main need.

Best,
Todd

 

[woodshopdemos]

I recently purchased a MFK 700 and am starting to put through the paces.  Today I decided to try to trim some oak edging on oak ply.  Setup was pretty easy and I put in a 1/4" diameter up spiral bit into the collet as deep as it would go and tried to snap the motor into the 1.5 degree base.  No go, bit was too long and was hitting the casting of the base before the motor was fully engaged.
Ended up with a shorter 1/4" diameter straight bit...shorter so chearance was not an issue.

Started to trim a piece and was several mm high and would would my way down with the fine adjustment....one of the things I really like about this trimmer. After a few passes and adjustments I am getting close and just as I want to go down maybe another .3 or .4 mm I am blocked as I hit the bottom of the adjustment range.  So, I just can't get there with the 1/4" diameter bit it appears...maybe if I had an 8mm bit...

Anyone else seen this or have any feedback....

Best,
Todd

Can you leve the bit out about 1/4" and get the djustment you need? Question: these are bits without a trim bearing, no? I always use a trim bearing bit. As to cleaning up residual cement - absolutely must be cleaned o ff before routing and even then clean the bearing occasionally and add a drop of oil.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

No, the 1/4"bit I have is 2" long, need one about 1.5" long to test, but it may still not be able to be adjusted down and in enought odo the job.  8mm bit 40mm long would probably work ok.  The bits I was trying didn't have any bearing on them at all. 

Also, I just looked at the specs and the 700 weighs in at about 4 pounds while the 1010 with trim based and attachments probably is close to 7 lbs.  That is what makes me wonder about the added weigh of the 1010...

Todd

 

[Brice Burrell]

....Also, I just looked at the specs and the 700 weighs in at about 4 pounds while the 1010 with trim based and attachments probably is close to 7 lbs.  That is what makes me wonder about the added weigh of the 1010...

Todd

Todd, I have the 1010 with the edging plate (and the 700), the weight isn't a problem at all. Check out this thread, Festool's edge routing accessories.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Brice,

Thanks for posting that as it is very interesting setup.  Those pieces are much beefier than they look in the catalog and of course I had never seen them in person.

The sliding dovetails are interesting too.  Has anyone compared doing sliding dovetails with these Festool methods versus using a jig like the leigh dovetail jig which also does sliding dovetails.  Of course the obvious advantage for large pieces would be the bringing the material to the jig / setup with that not being so easy for the leigh to handle very large pieces.  How about doing small pieces with the Festool approach?

Best,
Todd

 

[mwhafner]

Todd,

I broke down and bought the Festool bit with the Helix type blades - 491670 that Tom linked abpve.  It works perfectly, but is very expensive. 

So far, I am very happy with the MFK.  However, I can see where others may think the OF1010 would work just as well in most circumstances.  The MFK700 is a pretty specialized tool, and has its limits.  I use a lot of hardwood edged shelves, and it seems to be designed for my needs.

I have also been experimenting with creating sliding dovetails using Jerry Work's methods.  I haven't found any better way of cutting the female portion than using the OF1400, MFT, and a guiderail.  The male portion is a little more tricky.  Jerry's ideas work, but take a little more trial and error than I want.  I think a horizontal router table is the way to go. 

I love my Leigh D4R for through dovetails, but haven't had great success using it for sliding dovetails.  I think the Festool method is better, especially for the female side.

 

[lochsa]

Todd:

If I understand you correctly, Festool has a couple of bits they recommend for the task with the the MFK 700:

• a Carbide, Edge Trimming Router Bit and a
• replaceable knife version, 491670

.
The first one has a working length of 16 mm (~5/8") and the latter 12 mm (~15/32"). They are both 19 mm (~3/4") diameter and have 8 mm shanks. the first is 46 mm (~1-13/16") long and the second is 43 mm (~1-11/16").

Maybe you have something similar but in my experience, it is a bit uncommon to find bits that are this "squatty".

Tom

I just bought this router to trim edge bands, and evidently didn't do enough research first.  I typically use 3/4" edge bands, sometimes 13/16.  I bought the kit with the fancy router bit you reference above, but it will only reach 1/2" in the horizontal position.  As another poster has observed, trying to get a longer cutting edge with a normal bit runs into the toal length being too long, bumping into the slider plate.

I've looked around a bit (ha ha) to find a 3/4" cutting edge bit, but so far they're all too long (the ones on McFeelys are 2" and more).

Have I wasted money on a tool that doesn't fit my needs?

 

[sw1211]

I'm sure you know if you bought it within the past 30 days you can return it for a full refund.

 

[nclemmons]

Will these from Lee Valley work?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42886&cat=1,46168,46171

 

[mwhafner]

What you really have to be careful of is the overall length of the bit.  I haven't measured, but if the bit is longer than about 1 5/8", it won't work horizontally.  If you could find the right bit, you should be able to use it on 3/4" bands.  There is enough clearance between the base and the collet. 

I bought the MFK for the same purpose, but my edges are generally between 1/4 and 3/8, and it works perfectly. 

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

It appears to me that the Lee Valley bits are the typical 2" long bits so they are likely too long to work horizontally.  I have been looking and IRRC Freud has some shorter bits that would likely work.  In my own case I have a metal lathe that I could use to turn the shanks shorter on the 2" or longer bits as long as they are steel with carbide cutters. 

I was looking for shorter spiral cut bits in solid carbide as I don't have the ability to shorten carbide cutters.  They may be out there through a machining suppier but I have mainly looked at the woodworking tools suppliers so far.  I have had good luck in past using milling cutters up to 6" long for deep mortises from the machining suppliers.

Thanks for suggesting these cutters though....

Todd

 

[Warrior]

How about altering the horizontal base?  ;D

 

[BC6738F5BCE98B4]

You might want to look at http://www.burrellcustomcarpentry.com/subpage45.html for an idea of how to do edge trimming with a 1010.  I am currently exploring whether I can use his notion with a 1400

 

[Steve Jones]

Those accessories are listed in the catalog as being for the 1010, but I brought and used them with my 1400 (everything fits and works fine).

The only trouble I had was the weight of the 1400, you are supporting it with one hand trying to keep everything level while edging, OK for occasional use but has made me consider purchasing the 1010 (since a small router is never a bad thing to own anyway)