OF1400 - Are centering issues still a concern?

[Mike Goetzke]

Mine is off center but like many have mentioned (and shown) even if perfectly centered there is plenty of play with the snap-in bushing holder. I saw a video where a guy showed how to make a perfectly centered bushing holder for another brand router but should work for the 1400.

He used a transfer punch to accurately layout the holes in the base and then he used a small drill like bit in the router to punch the center hole. (There are several other steps but these are the key ones to center the bit.) Just surprises me with so many of these 1400's out there some company hasn't offered a bushing base for this router.

 

[grbmds]

Did you actually experience deflection and movement on the guide bushing of the unit that you have, or did you rate the tool based on the experiences of others?  This post reads like the latter is the case...

If I press on the guide bushing of my 1400, there is deflection and movement at the slots where the adapter plugs in. See reply #10 above. It's been a few days and there have been a few more cuts. There is definitely movement at the bushing. It varies depending on the cut and the pressure of the bushing against the template. Thanks for the reply.

When you used it to do what you bought it for . . . Did what you report have any effect on the desired result? In the end, that's really the important thing. If an observed "defect", if it is a defect, that does not have a negative impact on the result when employed in your work, is really of no significance.

If you feel that this does have an impact on the result or you have actually noted a problem when in use, then take advantage of the 30-day return policy. There is no reason to pay Festool prices for a tool that you have no confidence in.

 

[squall_line]

Did you actually experience deflection and movement on the guide bushing of the unit that you have, or did you rate the tool based on the experiences of others?  This post reads like the latter is the case...

If I press on the guide bushing of my 1400, there is deflection and movement at the slots where the adapter plugs in. See reply #10 above. It's been a few days and there have been a few more cuts. There is definitely movement at the bushing. It varies depending on the cut and the pressure of the bushing against the template. Thanks for the reply.

Reply #10 above says "I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary earlier today when I made some test cuts. So far, so good!", that's why I was confused.

 

[4nthony]

Reply #10 above says "Previously, I thought my tabbed adapter was rock solid, but If I push on it hard enough, I can also see some slight movement. Although, it felt like I was having to push way harder than I normally would when routing.I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary earlier today when I made some test cuts. So far, so good!", that's why I was confused.

Added my full paragraph to your quoted text. I should have noted that my "so far, so good" test cuts were made in butter 3/4" MDF  [cool]

Seven days on since purchasing the router, I've noticed a few things that can influence movement including the type of wood, how much material is being removed, the sharpness of the bit, and the pressure exerted on the bushing. Initiating movement in the adapter is possible, but I believe movement can be avoided with safe routing practices (shallow cuts, multiple passes, sharp bits, etc.)

 

[tallgrass]

I have several 1400s and I use them with guides as well as the 20mm guide jig. Works perfectly. I am glad I do not have any of these issues. Because of this thread I actually took mine to the furnace plate and started checking them out. All of them. my 2- 1010s, 2-1400s as well as my 4-2000s. As well as my Makitas. Thankfully , for my sanity, they all were fantastic. As a mechanical engineer, I would caution about trying to come to grips with deflection testing. Rigidity and or stiffness, can be a rabbit hole of chasing zeros. I was an early adopter of the the dominofix plate. Which would suffer if my 1400s had repeatability problems. I even did deflection tests to figure our what an acceptable amount of side loading was acceptable. I feel sorry for people who are having this problem. It would be interesting if this is a batch problem or represents a different QAQC issue.

 

[JonathanJung]

Bottom line is that it's a terrible design. After 3 years with my 1400 I never use it with a bushing, because I can't rely on it to not move. Would rather be making stuff than fiddling around with a silly adapter plate. So I have another router that does what it's supposed to.

 

[Cypren]

From my observation, the problem isn't so much the router, which is probably very tightly QC'd, as it is the inserts, which I suspect are not. I have a large number of inserts for both the OF2200 and OF1400, and while most of them fit tightly with maximum measurable deflection of less than 0.1mm, two of them don't and can show deflection of up to 0.4mm. The issue seems to be that the clips that latch into the router aren't bent at the proper angle, but I haven't yet tried to correct the problem myself to see if it can be fixed since I'm worried about making the issue worse.

 

[JonathanJung]

From my observation, the problem isn't so much the router, which is probably very tightly QC'd, as it is the inserts, which I suspect are not. I have a large number of inserts for both the OF2200 and OF1400, and while most of them fit tightly with maximum measurable deflection of less than 0.1mm, two of them don't and can show deflection of up to 0.4mm. The issue seems to be that the clips that latch into the router aren't bent at the proper angle, but I haven't yet tried to correct the problem myself to see if it can be fixed since I'm worried about making the issue worse.

It will likely make the issue worse...trust me, I tried. If you try tightening the tabs, then they won't work with the latches.

 

[Stevenscustomguitars]

[size=12pt]

I don't know if I'll personally hear what comes of this, but hopefully something will and the issue will eventually be resolved.

Did you ever get a response?

I was just looking to use my OF1400 with the supplied 30mm bushing in a UJK PRECISION GROOVING JIG from Axminster UK but when i checked the bushing there is an unacceptable amount of play. I certainly wouldn't trust it to route a truss rod slot in a guitar neck.

Are there any solutions? Maybe an alternative base and bushing system? Wondering what you ended up doing.

 

[Cheese]

I checked the bushing there is an unacceptable amount of play. I certainly wouldn't trust it to route a truss rod slot in a guitar neck.

If you limit the depth of each pass and you orient the router in the proper direction, taking straight cuts will be fine. It's when you start moving in circles that things get wonky.

I ran into problems when I naively followed Woodpecker's instructions.  [tongue]  I was routing 20mm diameter holes in 19mm thick Baltic birch at full cutter depth with a 1/2" diameter bit, certainly a worst-case situation.

If you orient the router so that the axis of the template ears is the same direction as your truss rod slot, then you'll be fine as any movement of the guide will be in the same direction as the slot. Also, the movement of the guide is only .003" if oriented along the axis of the ears and it does take some serious amount of force to move the template guide.

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[4nthony]

Did you ever get a response?

After the initial back and forth describing the issue, I never heard anything back.

My experience with the 1400 and guide bushings is the same as what Cheese posted: dog holes with deviations. It's easy to reproduce. I haven't done much else with guide bushings since, but if I needed to, I would probably reach for my Bosch.

Otherwise, I love the 1400, especially when paired with a guide rail.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I bought a piece of cast plexiglass to make my own base (ha-when I get some extra shop time). I'm wondering should the base plate be round, round with a flat on one side, or "tear-drop" (like Pat Werner)?

Thanks

 

[Lincoln]

I made a simple jig to rout butt hinges into door edges and jambs. Worked beautifully, with the 1400 + copy ring - until I offered the door up to the jamb. Hinge mortises didn't line up. This should have been impossible, as I used the same full length jig for door and jamb. Realised it was because the router was oriented different ways for matching mortises and the off-centre and slop came into play. Had to mark everything with 'handle this way' to make sure I oriented the router the same way for all cuts. VERY frustrating. I've since bought a clear plexi base that takes standard rings.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I made a simple jig to rout butt hinges into door edges and jambs. Worked beautifully, with the 1400 + copy ring - until I offered the door up to the jamb. Hinge mortises didn't line up. This should have been impossible, as I used the same full length jig for door and jamb. Realised it was because the router was oriented different ways for matching mortises and the off-centre and slop came into play. Had to mark everything with 'handle this way' to make sure I oriented the router the same way for all cuts. VERY frustrating. I've since bought a clear plexi base that takes standard rings.

[member=69760]Lincoln[/member] Can you provide a link to the source you purchased the plexi base from?

 

[4nthony]

I missed this part of your message in my previous reply

Are there any solutions? Maybe an alternative base and bushing system? Wondering what you ended up doing.

I picked up a sheet of 3/8" acrylic and have been drilling test holes in MDF to get the fit right for threaded guide bushings. I haven't built the base yet but will hopefully get to it soon.

There are 3rd party bases available that will also accommodate threaded guide bushings, but some require you to drill your own holes for the 1400.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

A while back I found this video on making your own:

Router Base

 

[Lincoln]

I made a simple jig to rout butt hinges into door edges and jambs. Worked beautifully, with the 1400 + copy ring - until I offered the door up to the jamb. Hinge mortises didn't line up. This should have been impossible, as I used the same full length jig for door and jamb. Realised it was because the router was oriented different ways for matching mortises and the off-centre and slop came into play. Had to mark everything with 'handle this way' to make sure I oriented the router the same way for all cuts. VERY frustrating. I've since bought a clear plexi base that takes standard rings.

[member=69760]Lincoln[/member] Can you provide a link to the source you purchased the plexi base from?

I'm in Australia, so probably not much use if you're in the US, but it was this one -https://www.carbatec.com.au/router-universal-base-plate-suits-pc-style-bushes-ct-bpa-1

 

[rst]

I've made various router bases or the last 40 years.  Much like the video, I use the original bases for the attachment holes.  To insure concentricity I plunge a 1/4" bit after making the just oversize base.  I then use a piece of drill rod to pin the base to a subbase and clamp clamp the the unit to my stationary sander and rotate the router base until the diameter desired...voila...perfectly centered.

 

[fshanno]

This would be a super easy fix for Festool (or a third party).  The problem is that the diameter of the snap-in is too small.  You can see it clearly in the photos.  All Festool has to do is make a snap-in universal bushing holder that has a slightly larger diameter.  I'm looking at about .5mm on mine. 

This assumes that the receiving indentation in the base is concentric with the shaft.  I bet that is very close, close enough for woodworking anyway.

 

[Cheese]

Having gone down this rabbit hole several times in recent years I've come to realize that the snap-in template bushings used on the OF 1400 & OF 2200 may or may not center around the router bit.

It is a junk-shoot and consequently sometimes this is an issue and sometimes this is not an issue as in, sometimes they need to be centered and sometimes they don't need to be centered to produce a functional part. I did some testing a few years ago and the distances could vary from being .005" off center to almost .030" off center.

While using the 1400 this afternoon and reflecting upon my previous testing I realized that in the past I never measured router bit runout on the 1400 as I assumed it would be .001" or less so that wasn't a big deal.

Just for giggles I measured runout today and was totally surprised with the outcome. I mounted an SGS carbide end mill into the router and then set up the gaging equipment. It measured .0037" to .0042". I may need to check to see if the bearings are bad. I can't find the Festool factory spec but I'm sure it's not .004".

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