Mounting 2200 in Router Table

[DavidCBaker]

I've searched past threads and read until my eyes hurt, but I'm wondering if I could get updated information from the collective. I already have the 2200 router and would like to use it in a router table with lift--is there any consensus for a good option on that front? I've seen the drop in MFT insert by Pinnacle, but I don't know what left would work with that or even whether it's a good idea. I'll be making mainly cabinets for around the house.

Failing a good solution for that, I guess I'll get Woodpecker lift for the Benchdog Pro I got as a gift, and then a dedicated fixed router in the 3 HP range, in which case I'd appreciate your recommendations there, too.

Thanks much.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The general consensus is to reserve plunge routes for above table use.

On the other hand the Triton routers are designed for table use and the Sommerfeld router table here is designed for plunge routers but in that case the router is bolted in place. Not as big of a problem as you may think since you'd probably want to remove a router table insert plate from the bottom of the router too.

 

[Rob-GB]

The OF2200 will work well in a table, in fact Festool make a NAINA product that does just that:-
http://www.festool.co.uk/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=570264&name=Bench-mounted-router-TF-2200-Set-GB-240V

Just wish you guys didn't have to wait so long for great kit.

Rob.

N.B. Why does NAINA always paint a mental picture of some spotty youth, thumbing their nose while calling out Na Na Nur Na Na!!? [huh]

 

[DavidCBaker]

Thanks! I wonder if that can be purchased separately, since I already have the router.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The general consensus is to reserve plunge routes for above table use.

I don't agree with that consensus, and neither does Festool because they make router tables for all their plunge routers in the CMS system.

Basically you can put any router under a table, you just have to make some adaptation for each individual type to get the most comfortable use out of it. The OF2200 will do fine.

 

[Corwin]

Thanks! I wonder if that can be purchased separately, since I already have the router.

Yes and No.  The CMS is offered separately, but it isn't available in North America (NAINA) yet... 

Here's the latest word from Shane at Festool USA

 

[greg mann]

The general consensus is to reserve plunge routes for above table use.

I don't agree with that consensus, and neither does Festool because they make router tables for all their plunge routers in the CMS system.

Basically you can put any router under a table, you just have to make some adaptation for each individual type to get the most comfortable use out of it. The OF2200 will do fine.

It is a general perception in the States that plungers are ubiquitous in Europe and the big fixed base routers like the PCs or the Milwuakee are pretty rare there while being very common here. I personally don't know whether this is accurate or not but over here it is common to: A. Use a fixed base mounted directly or to an insert. B. Use the motor with a lift. C. Adapt a plunger, often with a lift assist such as Router Raizer. D. Adapt a plunger to a lift that more or less ignores the intregal plunge mechanism. I am guessing the popularity runs basically as B, C, A, D. That is my perception from kicking around the domstic forums (fora?).

Every approach has its proponents and detractors. It does certainly make sense for Festool to design their table concept around the routers they have (plungers). And it certainly makes sense for end users to build their tables around what they have, or can easily get and assemble with accessories they can easily get. The less common issue around here is what to do with a very nice router like the OF2200 that has not been embraced for table use on this side of the pond. The general response folks get to the OP's question is to get a big PC and any one of a number of lifts designed for it. That is not bad advice but it does not answer the question of what to do with your wonderful OF2200.  I tend to think that it is just fine to route with what you got. It will just take a little more research as to how best to set it up, barring the arrival of the CMS in the States.

 

[Corwin]

Nice post, Greg!

In his tutorial, 'Installing a Router on a Festool Multi-Function Table - The Easy Way,' Jerry Work describes mounting a 2200 (among others) between two MFTs.  Go to Jerry Work's site, select the 'tutorials' and click on the fourth tutorial about  Mounting Routers in the Space Between Two MFTs.  

 

[JeromeM]

The general consensus is to reserve plunge routes for above table use.

I don't agree with that consensus, and neither does Festool because they make router tables for all their plunge routers in the CMS system.

I'm with you on that. the statement should read In the US The general consensus is to reserve plunge routes for above table use But in the rest of the world most people use plunge routes for table use

Basically you can put any router under a table, you just have to make some adaptation for each individual type to get the most comfortable use out of it. The OF2200 will do fine.

Again I'm with you on that too.
My first router table from 40 years ago was designed for the Elu MOF 96 a plunge router. My latest lets me use my OF 1400 in it when I need to

If you have the need for a router in a table all the time then don't buy a Festool one for the job there are better. The tritons or Trend T11 are just 2 examples. These are much better than fixed base routers as they have there own above table adjustment built in so there is no need for an expensive router lift system.

But as Alex says the OF 2200, 1400, and 1010 will all work well in a table.

 

[Rob-GB]

I don't want to start a 'whats best' or 'he said they said' debate so may I just describe what I have used then state what I have planned for the very near future.

I have used Elu 177E routers (two of them in 16 years) clasped in the jaws of workmates, in home made tables, the Triton set up and Woodrat. The Elu "Fine Height Adjuster" was a huge boon in all of these situations. The adjuster, for those who do not know, is a nut welded to a hollow tube with a plastic handwheel riveted to it. However, it made setting cutter heights easier, while remaining a bit Heath Robinson.
After an "interesting " moment making several items of the cad picture you see in my avatar, I received the Dewalt version of that router as a replacement from my then employer. It too has been used in various positions that do not appear in the Router Karma Sutra. ;D

There is much on a variety of router tables & lifts etc on woodworking sites in association with router tables but none of them seem to be designed with one make in mind and promoting the best functions of that tool.

With one exception.

I will be ordering the OF2200 and CMS Router Table kit very soon, it is just a Paycheck or two away, hopefully before the VAT rise that we can expect [eek]

This is just my view on things, the only fixed based router I have ever used was an old Bosch thing that left a lot to be desired, maybe there are superior ones out there.
Rob.

 

[greg mann]

I will be ordering the OF2200 and CMS Router Table kit very soon, it is just a Paycheck or two away, hopefully before the VAT rise that we can expect [eek]

Rob.

Probably two. [big grin]

 

[DavidCBaker]

Is that something I can order from across the pond, or do I have to wait until a US distributor has it?

 

[Mr Handyman]

Hi David, perhaps you have found another solution for your router table, this post describes how I did mine with the OF2200.

Lots can be said about which type of router is the best for table and handheld use. Plunge routers dominate the European market completely.

Then to your question about putting the OF2200 in a router table. I bought the module CMS-OF for my 2200 but not the table to put the module in, because it seemed expensive and I wanted a cabinet router table. Plus I had no need for any of the other modules. Hence I built a torsion box the same way as the Woodwhisperer did but with no grid in the middle. Then I made a cut-out and mounted battens that the plate rests on. The overall dimension of the tabletop is 100cm (40") x 57cm (22,5") which I believe is a better size for a substantial router table.

The benefit of using the module is that the plunge columns are used for the up and down travel of the engine, the plunge mechanism becomes the operating principle of the router table. The crank handle can be used from above and below, and the router bits are easy to change from above table. In this way it very much resembles the operation of a spindle moulder/shaper. If you for any reason want to reach the router you just lift the whole plate and router up, there is hardly a need to bolt it to the table sinci its weight is severe. It is also easy to disconnect the router from the plate if you want it handheld for a while.

There are no electrical parts on the CMS-OF (apart from the router) so the user just mounts an apropriate NVR swith on it.

How expensive or complicated it is to get it over from Europe is quite another question.

 

[Alan m]

[welcome]

 

[VictorL]

That's hard to adapt OF-1010, OF-1400 or OF2200 in router table without additional push screw. I'm not talking about mounting, that's relatively simple task (leave router centering alone). I'm talking about fine height adjustment. The only router that can be easily adapted in the router table is OF-2000. It has build in fine adjustment for height. Plus it has convenient mounting holes.
Festool's push screw and mounting points for CMS. Router centered with ring.

[attachimg=1]
Fine adjustment nut
[attachimg=2]
Mounting holes
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]

With CMS any Festool router can be mounted easily, but we are waiting it more than 10 years without any luck.

Regards
VictorL

 

[gates559]

I have a 2200 in a kreg table.  I thought this would be awesome, but its not.

Save yourself and just buy a porter cable for under a table or if you need something as big as the 2200 in a table you should buy a shaper if you can afford to.

The 2200 is very hard to adjust upside down because the spring is stiff. Being upside down causes the dust to collect on it and the lock for the collet wont work with out blowing it out all the time.

The 2200 is a great router but not for under a table.

I think the stiff spring would cause you problems with a router lift as well.

 

[tbellemare]

You might also consider a Triton, David. It really simplifies things.

Tom

 

[Sparktrician]

Given that the OF2200 was designed as a hand-held router, I think I'd much rather use something like a Milwaukee or P-C router in a Woodpeckers PRL-V2 (http://www.woodpeck.com/prlv2.html) and not have to deal with the plunge spring issue.  I really appreciate the OF2200 for hand-held use, but think it's just not the right tool for in-table use until the CMS is available (and I'm not holding my breath waiting for that). 

[smile]

 

[Mr Handyman]

[welcome]

Thanks, I have been lurking around here off and on for years, but never posted anything.
Nice resource for Festool junkies.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi Handyman

[welcome] to the FOG

That router table set up sounds good, can you post some pics, it may just solve a purchasing dilema I have been wrestling with for a while. [scratch chin]