Next router options

[Petey83]

So I currently have an OF1010 as my only router and I've been really happy with it. It's been used for edging and some shallow rebates when fitting cabinet backs.

I have started undertaking a few things where I can see the limitations of the routers power. It has managed to do all I ask but has taken more passes and still you can feel the motor starting to struggle.

The other factor to wanting a second router is I've started doing bigger DIY projects that don't always allow all the routing with a specific cutter to be done in one sitting so having a second router would allow me to leave the other configured to a specific task and not require me to mess about trying to re set and taking multiple test cuts.

For the sake of clarity I am defiantly addicted to the green and blue as proven by my recent (and wallet burning) Kapex purchase but for this router I need to get the balance right and not just default to Festool

So my options

OF1400 - looks great and will have a familiar feel. Main concern is that it's not a massive step up in power from the OF1010....

OF2200 - Bags more power but costs bags more money. I'm a weekend wood work and don't do this for a living so can I truly justify the cost of this and is it almost to much router for my potential needs. Also as its expensive it's going to take a few months after Xmas to get the funds in place for it.

Other routers - Dewalt DW625, Trend T11, Makita RP1801. These all seem to get good reviews, have a good amount of power (all more than OF1400) and are obviously all cheaper. The big downside as I see it is I loose the guide rail compatability which is something I'm starting to use more on the OF1010 but also where the cuts the OF1010 has struggled with. I also loose the systainer which given my very limited space and need to move my kit to the garden to work is a serious consideration.

Thoughts and view appreciated.

 

[ear3]

Just to step back for a second and take the long view, I think the optimal router configuration is 4:

1. Something like the 1010 for light duty edge profiling and trimming (if you don't have the edging plate yet, consider getting this, as it is ideal for flush trimming hardwood caps on plywood)

2. A more powerful hand-held router for deep dadoes/rabbets, heavy duty profiling, etc.

3. A table mounted router for the super heavy duty work, moulding milling, and and for lots of repeat cuts

4. A trim router for hinge mortising, light duty and narrow edge trimming (though the 1010 can cover a lot of this), round-overs, etc.

Not that you can't have more routers, but with these 4 you should have everything covered.

Depending on the work you imagine yourself doing in the future, you might also consider getting a router table set-up before you get a more heavy duty Festool router.  Unfortunately the Festool ones only work with the CMS, which is as wallet burning as they come.  But something like the Triton, which has above the table adjustment and bit-changing, along with a sturdy table and fence, will give you as much power as you need short of buying a shaper.

But back to the OF1400 vs 2200.  Both are great machines (I just got my 2200 recently, and so am still learning the machine's limits) -- obviously, the 2200 has more power, but I have rarely encountered a hand-held router operation where I couldn't get by with the 1400 and a few additional passes.  The 2200 does have better dust collection, and I prefer its ergonomics with the turret dust port and angled handles.  I also like the integrated stepped-base plate option you get with the 2200 for rail guided mounting, as opposed to the plastic foot of the 1400.  And even though it's so large and beastly, the 2200 feels every bit -- if not more -- stable and smooth than the 1400 when in use.

If cost is a factor, just be clear up front what the total associated costs will be.  I think it absolutely makes sense to add on the 2200 base accessory kit.  And the 1/4" and 8mm collets are not included, so that would be an additional $100 if you ever wanted to work with smaller bits on the 2200.  So if you factor all of that in, the 2200 ends up being significantly more than its machine price tag of 900.  For the 1400, the one additional must-have item is the edge guide -- other than that, all the essentials are in the kit.

 

 

[Petey83]

Interesting point regarding the router table. As it stands at the moment I have no space for one but when I move house next year u hope to have some space for one and the big triton router was what I had in mind for it so that does open up the possibility of using that for any really big handheld jobs that the OF1400 could not handle (if I do decide to buy it)

The 1400 kit in the UK comes with the edge fence so I'd just need the rail guide at an extra £45 so all in I could have the lot for about £480 compared to almost £800 for the 2200 full kit.

I can't escape the feeling that maybe a dewalt or Makita is just better value but the loss of guide rail it's my main worry

 

[ear3]

I also forgot to mention the dust shroud on the 2200, which has to be purchased separately as well.

Dewalt has a base adapter to run a router on their rails, and I imagine that Makita has the same.  But then you're talking about buying into another system.  Other than the quality of the tools, it's the systems approach of Festool that really makes it worth it.  So if you have the router like the 1400 or 2200, you can later add the MFT table which would allow you to do something like precision stopped dadoes for cabinet shelving, something that is difficult (though not impossible) with just a rail.  And after that, you can add in the LR32 system for shelf pins and hinge hardware.  Speaking of which, if you think you might add this in the future, keep in mind it's only compatible with the 1010 and 1400, not the 2200 -- though theoretically you could still do most of the LR32 work with the 1010, if you still wanted to get the 2200.

Interesting point regarding the router table. As it stands at the moment I have no space for one but when I move house next year u hope to have some space for one and the big triton router was what I had in mind for it so that does open up the possibility of using that for any really big handheld jobs that the OF1400 could not handle (if I do decide to buy it)

The 1400 kit in the UK comes with the edge fence so I'd just need the rail guide at an extra £45 so all in I could have the lot for about £480 compared to almost £800 for the 2200 full kit.

I can't escape the feeling that maybe a dewalt or Makita is just better value but the loss of guide rail it's my main worry

 

[Wuffles]

Looong before I had a Festool router I used a Bosch on my Festool rails. I made a profiled piece of ply that sat over the rail and the other end had a 30mm hole in it that I would use a 30mm guide bush in. If anything it was more stable than the Festool offering.

So it's not impossible. Just cludgy,

 

[Holmz]

Looong before I had a Festool router I used a Bosch on my Festool rails. I made a profiled piece of ply that sat over the rail and the other end had a 30mm hole in it that I would use a 30mm guide bush in. If anything it was more stable than the Festool offering.

So it's not impossible. Just cludgy,

Or buy the Bosch rail which works with the Bosch/Mafell router, and Bosch have a holey one too.
I think Bosch have been doing routers a long time.

OP - I would wait till the move.
A router table and one of those tritons seems worth consideration.
You could grab the bull by the 'orn(s), but I like feeding in a stick on a table.

 

[Kev]

To me, the range of tasks you can cover with a 1010 and a 2200 is about as wide as it can be with just two routers (plus associated accessories).

The 1400 is the perfect "just one router" option.

The 2200 loses out a bit in the US as they say not to use it in the CMS - but we're fine  elsewhere on the planet.

 

[sancho57]

I got the 2200 and the ten ten, best combo one can have.... I use the 1010 for everything free hand I have a 8mm or 1/4 bit for. the 2200 freehand and table mounted great any large bits.

 

[sancho57]

To me, the range of tasks you can cover with a 1010 and a 2200 is about as wide as it can be with just two routers (plus associated accessories).

The 1400 is the perfect "just one router" option.

The 2200 loses out a bit in the US as they say not to use it in the CMS - but we're fine  elsewhere on the planet.

Kev I got a US 2200 and CMS since Im in the UK I mount the 2200 in my CMS. No problems in over 2 years using a 3.3 Kv tranny to convert from 220v to 110v.

I guess when I go back to the US Ill have to take it out it won't work right in NA

 

[Geoff Wild]

A poor man's guide rail adapter...

[attachimg=2]

Geoff

 

[Wuffles]

A poor man's guide rail adapter...

[attachimg=2]

Geoff

That's the spirit.

 

[roblg3]

Unless you need to spin 3" 75mm bits, the 1400 has plenty of power.  I wish i had a 1010 instead of 1400 just for weight, because i can't find anything i can't do with the 1400.  I have a 2000 in a table, that thing will rip your arm off...i can't imagine what a non door building non-professional shop would NEED a 2200 for?  Of course that's just my opinion.

 

[Petey83]

Unless you need to spin 3" 75mm bits, the 1400 has plenty of power.  I wish i had a 1010 instead of 1400 just for weight, because i can't find anything i can't do with the 1400.  I have a 2000 in a table, that thing will rip your arm off...i can't imagine what a non door building non-professional shop would NEED a 2200 for?  Of course that's just my opinion.

See this is a lot of my thinking and why I say is the 220 to much router for me. I think I am just a little concerned that the 1400 would be under powered and cross into my 1010 turf to much so would it really represent value to me.

The power concern seems to be aliviated now. The projects I have coming up are a bunch ok case and garden table - both made from reclaimed scaffold board and joist. The two parts of this I had concerns about the 1010 doing due to limited bit size are cutting daedos in single lines for the chunky shelves and being able to cut the mortices and surface levelling the top for my garden table project.

It sounds like the 1400 does have the power to do those tasks and can take the bigger cutters that they require. The 1010 is a breeze t Muse for edge treatments and trimming so although I'll see some cross over between the 2 the 1400 may be the way to go for me if I want to buy a festool option as oppose to dewalt / Makita

 

[Kev]

Slowing your feed rate will let you achieve most things that you'd want to do with the OF1400. A production environment will want to work at maximum speed and therefore aim at beefier machines!!

The 2200 is also intended for solid surface stuff (with the right cutters).

 

[Peter_C]

Interesting point regarding the router table. As it stands at the moment I have no space for one but when I move house next year u hope to have some space for one and the big triton router was what I had in mind for it so that does open up the possibility of using that for any really big handheld jobs that the OF1400 could not handle (if I do decide to buy it)

A router table does not need to take up hardly any room.

Easier for me to repost from another thread.

This probably goes against the general grain on here of owning the best of everything, but...

Since I rarely use a router table I went the really cheap route as in $5.00. I had built temporary counter tops out of melamine for my parents kitchen, and re-purposed one piece into a router table. Sawhorses hold the table up. The aluminum for the router plate was scrap metal purchased for $5.00. If I am concerned with the aluminum scratching or marring the surface I put plastic drawer liner over the top that is sticky on one side, yet removes really easy. Otherwise I occasionally hit the aluminum plate with 500 grit. The wood blocks used as the fence can be cut to any desired width, so if you want more on the outfeed side a pass thru the table saw can make that adjustment. I run an OF2000 router so it has the screw down plunge adjustment which makes it easier to adjust mounted under a table and the dust collection works pretty good. There is a Festool black hood on top of the router bit between the two blocks of wood. Double stick tape can keep the wood blocks from sliding once the fence is set (I haven't had to do that yet though). It works pretty well for me and the fence is easy enough to adjust. Of course a Woodpeckers phenolic table router setup with a lift would be sweet!

If I wanted a dedicated router for the table I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Triton.

Another cheap option is the Husky unit from Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-8-ft-x-3-ft-Portable-Jobsite-Workbench-225047/205887786

 

[blaszcsj]

MaKITA has a guide rail adapter. PN 194579-2. I use it on my 3 hp 2301 makita router and it works on the makita and festool rails.

 

[Peter_C]

Marital has a guide rail adapter. PN 194579-2. I use it on my 3 hp 2301 makita router and it works on the makita and festool rails.

I have one of the guide rail adapters for my OF2000, and just don't find it solid. Instead I use a guide rail as a strait edge and do so with the large aluminum plate as a base.

 

[rvieceli]

[member=50292]Peter_C[/member]

On my OF2000 I find I get better results and the router is more stable by flipping the router to the back side of the guide rail instead of the "official" way. Then the guide rides in the back track and the router base plate sits flat on the work piece.

Ron

 

[Peter_C]

[member=50292]Peter_C[/member]

On my OF2000 I find I get better results and the router is more stable by flipping the router to the back side of the guide rail instead of the "official" way. Then the guide rides in the back track and the router base plate sits flat on the work piece.

Ron

Thanks! I will make a pass with some scrap and see how it works. Not sure there is much of a benefit though vs running up against the rail itself.

 

[ear3]

How do you adjust for the different thickness of the base plate and guide rail then -- I'm presuming you're just using the regular base plate for this operation, as opposed to the stepped one which rides half on the rail and half on the workpiece?

[member=50292]Peter_C[/member]

On my OF2000 I find I get better results and the router is more stable by flipping the router to the back side of the guide rail instead of the "official" way. Then the guide rides in the back track and the router base plate sits flat on the work piece.

Ron