new member and lr 32 sys question

[Alan m]

hi all
new to this forum. living on the other side of the pond than most of you, in Ireland
just bought  the ts 55(talk about brilliant) anyhow. i need to buy another  track and was going to get the one with the holes so that i could buy the lr 32 sys drilling jig later.  what i wanted to know was that, have any of you used it with a non festool router (heavens forbid [eek] [scared] ). i have two routers already (dewalt 625 and a trend t5 lookalike) i was wondering could i use one of these as a stop gap until i can afford one of the festools as i am saving up to buy a domino and all the accessarys and use the lr 32 sys  with it as a guide for eavenly spaced holes( as seen in an unknown post resently)
any info would be great

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi Alan

Welcome to the FOG!!

I have the LR32 system and use it a lot more than I ever imagined, and you will find the same, believe me.

If you look at the many video clips on YouTube ,and also the reviews available from Forrest Anderson's consolidated links on this Forum, about the LR32 system you will see how the base plate on the system is designed for clamping and holding the OF1010 router so I would imagine it might not work. However I don't have the other routers you have and it maybe that another FOG user can test it for you if they have the LR32 and the Dewalt or Trend.

Also a very good choice is to go for the 1400 rail with holes. I bought the 1080 thinking that would be sufficient, but very shortly after had a couple of tall cabinets and it is a real PITA readjusting the rails for a couple of more holes.

Regards

Guy

 

[Brice Burrell]

Alan, first, welcome to the FOG!  I'm not sure if the routers you have will work or not but I suppose you could attach another brand router to the LR32 plate.  The problem is you'd have to modify the plate to some degree. Depending on the router, the modifications may make unusable for the Festool router at a later date.  

 

[chrisrosenb]

I have the LR32 system & use an OF 1400 router with it.
I do not see any reason that another brand plunge router could not be used with the LR32 plate. Although I would recommend using one of the Festool routers, because
I have found that the plunge works much better on them.
You would just have to come up with a way to attach the router to the plate.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

I attempted to attach the base of the DW618 kit to the LR 32 sled.  It *could work*, but I would recommend against it because the screw heads happen to fall where they would scrape along the track.  If you don't mind scraping up the guide rail, then ...

I abandoned this route and have now wound up with Festool routers.

 

[Alan m]

the reason i dont want to buy a new festool is so that i can buy the domino instead. i cant afford to spend 600 euro on a router .

if i understand corectly the router is screwed down to the plate of the lr 32 sys and clamped from the top aswell.

do you expect these screws to open during use.

what size hole is in the plate. could a guide bush be used to center the cutter on the plate . or could a universal base plate be used to attatch the router to the plate.
what other uses do all ye out there use this jig for . i was planning on using it with my domino.

 

[Corwin]

Have you seen Jerry Work's Positioning the Domino with the LR32 Hole Drilling System?

 

[Alan m]

this is where i got` the idea . but would still like to use it for the adustable shelfs

 

[Alan m]

was wondering if anybody could tell me what size the hole is and what size is around it for the router. thank you for your help

 

[Corwin]

was wondering if anybody could tell me what size the hole is and what size is around it for the router. thank you for your help

The LR32 plate has a 40mm diameter hole for the router bit.  The plate can accept a router with a base of 150mm in diameter with the clamping screws in place -- and possibly even as large as 160mm in diameter without those screws.

LR 32 Guide Plate

You will see the clamping screws I mentioned above in the photo of the LR 32 plate in the above link.  The 150mm diameter measurement is the size router that will fit between those two clamping screws.  With them removed, you could get something as large as 160mm in diameter without interfering with the bracket for the plunger.  Hope this helps.

 

[Alan m]

thank you very much.

is it worth spending all the money on the set or just buying the plate only

 

[Corwin]

thank you very much.

is it worth spending all the money on the set or just buying the plate only

You have three options;  1, the LR 32 Hole Drilling Set in SystainerLR 32 Hole Drilling Set in Systainer,   2, the LR 32 Hole Drilling Set  and  3, the LR 32 Guide Plate.  At the minimum, you will need the LR 32 Guide Plate and a pair of the Linear Stops.  These Linear Stops are not shown in the picture of the LR 32 Hole Drilling Set, but do come with both that set and the Systainer set (and one is shown on the top left of that picture).  So, if you choose to get just the LR 32 Guide Plate you will also need to order a pair of these Linear Stops.  These stops are inserted into the holes in the guide rail to position the end(s) of your workpiece.  If you will want the Edge Stops too, you should get the LR 32 Hole Drilling Set.  So, I would recommend that you get the smaller set (option 2 above) -- I first ordered the set in the Systainer and later ordered a second guide plate, so maybe you should do like I say and not like I do (just kidding).   [big grin]

 

[Wood_Junkie]

I would suggest you get the Domino, and find another solution (for now) for shelf hole drilling.  There are a number of much more inexpensive options, all of which give you the capability of doing holes every 32mm or whatever you want.  Rockler, Lee Valley, Woodpeckers, etc all have shelf-hole drilling solutions.
The Domino on the otherhand doesn't really have a comparable alternative.  It is completely in a class by itself.

You could also get a Festool router, and using the guide rail adapter, a rail stop, and a homemade 32mm spacer you could jig together a comparable result (sort of leap frogging from hole to hole by virtue of spacer and stop).  Not nearly as fast or smooth, but it would work.  But, you'd have the router to do many, many other things.  Or, if you already have a plunge router, get a guide rail adapter for your model and off you go, using the rail stop method.

IMO, the LR32 system is sweet, smart, and efficient.  But it's a one-trick pony (including the Domino "trick").  Whereas the router is a truly versatile machine.  And the Domino is so valuable in its function it's just silly.

Also, you can use the Domino's accessory (with the outrigger arms) to setup the equivalent of a 32mm offset.  No LR32 necessary.

 

[Alan m]

thank you for your advive

i will only buy the festool because i need a new rail and will buy the guide plate and adapt it to the domino. the shelf pins will be a bonus. my delema is which set to go for as the basic set has everything i need for now but will have to buy bits later as needed at a heigher cost eventualy.
should i just splash some cash and not regret it later.
has anybody got any other uses for this jig.

 

[pauster]

I am using a DW 625 with the LR32 ... had to drill holes in the guide sled and mount it at an angle, but worked nicely. Gotta take a picture one of these days. But if you try it it may be obvious?

 

[Alan m]

did you use a guide bush to center it or just used the screws .

thank youn for posting as this takes the burden of whether it will work or not off. i presumed it would work somehow ( maybe even having to cut off the parts for the festool routers to make it fit). at least i dont "need"( as if we needed a reason)  to buy amother router.