Hand in hand with my LR32 review I need to touch upon my Festool OF 1400. I called my TS 55 the gateway tool. It has quickly led to other Festools being populated in my shop. The OF 1400 was the most recent Festool that I acquired.
First a confession, I am a reluctant router operator. The fact that I have a sharp bit spinning at high speed making awful noise really turns me off of routers. This is offset by the fact that there are a lot of things that I need to do require a router. In other words prior to the Festool, routers were a neccessary evil.
Pros
-As with all Festools the systainer really helps with keeping my shop/workplace clean and organized. Other tool cases have been relegated to the dust bin due to their durability or inability to store my tools. The OF 1400 systainer (and others) neatly stack beneath my MFT/3 ready to go on a moment’s notice. They also let me maximize the little real estate in my shop to safely work.
-The dust collection was awesome. Watching the dust swirl around and get sucked up was amazing. Prior router experiences inevitably led to me having to spend a lot of time/effort cleaning the dust. Not only that, in my small shop walking all 10 feet to the far end did not get me away from breathing the dust cloud by my old SHIP ANCHOR router. Here is a picture of the OF 1400 ready to use with the LR 32 guide rail (note the dust extraction hose is about to be hooked up.)
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-I have limited experience with routers due to reasons cited above but the OF 1400 is extremely intuitive and easy to use. The weight makes it effortless to use and the sightlines to the bit and my work provide confidence that I know what the router is doing and have more control. The green colouring on knobs also made it easy to quickly learn how to set up the router.
-Bit changes are amazing. The flat on the base of the router lets me lay it flat on the table and by pushing a button a ratchet assists my while I use my wrench (spanner to some!). The common refrain is no more busted knuckles!!! This happened a fair bit on the old router as it was difficult to get it to lay flat with one hand, hold the wrench with the other hand and use the third hand to… you get the idea. Here is a picture of the OF 1400 laying flat ready for a bit change:
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-The integration with my guide rails is quick and easy to do. Now I can quickly make dados and other straight cuts away from the edge without the aid of another accessory or template.
Cons
-I do not have much mileage with the router so far and am pressed to list any cons.
Conclusion
As someone who was reluctant in the past to use routers I can say that the OF 1400 has changed my mind. The ability to confidently place it on my work, adjust the plunge depth and sightlines to the action are great (even with the dust collection in place.) That combined with the quick cleanups I think this is an awesome tool. I cannot wait to make some transition strips this weekend something that I would have done reluctantly before. The only hard part will be choosing the right bit profile!
First a confession, I am a reluctant router operator. The fact that I have a sharp bit spinning at high speed making awful noise really turns me off of routers. This is offset by the fact that there are a lot of things that I need to do require a router. In other words prior to the Festool, routers were a neccessary evil.
Pros
-As with all Festools the systainer really helps with keeping my shop/workplace clean and organized. Other tool cases have been relegated to the dust bin due to their durability or inability to store my tools. The OF 1400 systainer (and others) neatly stack beneath my MFT/3 ready to go on a moment’s notice. They also let me maximize the little real estate in my shop to safely work.
-The dust collection was awesome. Watching the dust swirl around and get sucked up was amazing. Prior router experiences inevitably led to me having to spend a lot of time/effort cleaning the dust. Not only that, in my small shop walking all 10 feet to the far end did not get me away from breathing the dust cloud by my old SHIP ANCHOR router. Here is a picture of the OF 1400 ready to use with the LR 32 guide rail (note the dust extraction hose is about to be hooked up.)
[attachthumb=#]
-I have limited experience with routers due to reasons cited above but the OF 1400 is extremely intuitive and easy to use. The weight makes it effortless to use and the sightlines to the bit and my work provide confidence that I know what the router is doing and have more control. The green colouring on knobs also made it easy to quickly learn how to set up the router.
-Bit changes are amazing. The flat on the base of the router lets me lay it flat on the table and by pushing a button a ratchet assists my while I use my wrench (spanner to some!). The common refrain is no more busted knuckles!!! This happened a fair bit on the old router as it was difficult to get it to lay flat with one hand, hold the wrench with the other hand and use the third hand to… you get the idea. Here is a picture of the OF 1400 laying flat ready for a bit change:
[attachthumb=#]
-The integration with my guide rails is quick and easy to do. Now I can quickly make dados and other straight cuts away from the edge without the aid of another accessory or template.
Cons
-I do not have much mileage with the router so far and am pressed to list any cons.
Conclusion
As someone who was reluctant in the past to use routers I can say that the OF 1400 has changed my mind. The ability to confidently place it on my work, adjust the plunge depth and sightlines to the action are great (even with the dust collection in place.) That combined with the quick cleanups I think this is an awesome tool. I cannot wait to make some transition strips this weekend something that I would have done reluctantly before. The only hard part will be choosing the right bit profile!
