Thank you Stoll for posting this. I saw it months ago and it was on the todo list since then. I fixed my turret a little differently than you, but I probably wouldn’t have done it without seeing your post and pic.
When I searched for the post today and inspected your picture, I noticed the bottom of the turret casting and where it attaches to the router base. I felt that if a flat washer worked on top then a nylon washer might work great on the bottom between the turret and the router base.
I went out to the shop and disassembled the turret and measured the inside and outside diameters of all the parts, took some more measurements then I searched the internet for appropriate washer/s.
The washer Festool provides is an M6 flat washer either zinc or stainless steel. I bought some M6 flat washers and 1/4 inch nylon washers at Ace hardware for 13 cents a piece for both types. After returning and playing around with the parts I noticed something.
The part you called the central bushing is longer than the central shaft of the turret stop. This is by design. The bushing also acts as a spacer. It’s so one can tighten the bolt and washer tightly and yet the turret will rotate freely and, as we know, the turret will be able to move up and down slightly causing the slop we are trying to fix.
I don’t doubt that it worked for you but I’m not sure how. My threaded hole was a through hole and it looks like the bolt doesn’t bottom out. I don’t know how tightly you cranked on the hex bolt. It would seem something had to deform a bit to overcome the height difference of the bushing.
I contemplated using a mill file to shorten the bushing. I looked it up on EKAT.
Part #54 in the exploded diagram, Festool part #436300, Bush. $1.14
It seemed cheap enough to try but I figured I would try two nylon washers first. I put one on top and one on bottom. I thought they might deform a bit and snug up the play in the stop. It worked beautifully. I had a couple extra so I removed the stop and inspected the washers. They had a slight ring that showed they deformed just enough to overcome the bushing height difference. I can see the turret is spinning between the nylon washers. The washers stay stationary so they become a cheap easily replaceable wear point.
At this point I am completely happy with the turret stop. At first I noticed the ball detent wasn’t as pronounced so I put a small mark on the router base. Instead of putting it near the ball, I put it 120 degrees counterclockwise. This way, if the long screw is aligned with the mark, then the short screw is aligned under the depth rod. After I tightened the bolt the 2nd time, I can still clearly feel the detent. The turret turns beautifully and there is no slop even when trying to apply torque.
It cost 26 cents. The order is bolt, M6 flat washer, 1/4" nylon washer, bushing, put that through the stop from the top, then nylon washer on bottom. Line up a hole over the ball and spring and press down and tighten. It does no harm and is easily reversible.
Ideally, I would use a washer with ~12mm OD on top and a washer with ~14mm OD on bottom, but it might be nitpicky and I couldn’t find the ~14mm after a cursory search.
Hope this helps. Thanks again Stoll!
Good luck, Ed
