router question

[bigarm]

Seeing the threads about edging sets for the 1010 leads me to ask the question - what accessories are needed to do this?  What advantage does the MFK 700 have over the 1010 or vice versa?  I have a 1400 for handheld use and a Bosch 1617 in a small benchtop router table.

 

[Bohdan]

The accessories needed for trimming are very successfully hidden on the festool website and I managed to find mine by interrogating one of the reps. They were Edging plate #486058, Angle arm #486052, Chip guard #486242. The chip guard is not required for trimming but it stops you getting a face full of chips. You also need a trimming cutter. The good news for you is that they also fit the OF1400.

The main advantage of the MFK700 is that it can be left set up ready for use and that it can trim at a 1.5 degree angle. With other accessory bases it can be used as a handy small router.

 

[ear3]

Never used the edging setup for the 1400, but I've seen some comments that it is a bit unwieldy if you are doing things like trimming edge banding.

The advantage of the 1010 as an edger over the MFK is that out of the box it can be used with longer flush trim bits -- the limit on the MFK is 5/8ths, though there is a mod by half inch shy involving the enlargement of the base plate opening that will allow you to use longer ones (not sure if that voids the warranty though).

Not owning the MFK, I can't say how it stacks up against the 1010 as a trimmer, whether in vertical or horizontal mode.  But compared to a normal trim router riding vertically along the edge of a board, the 1010 gives you a much stabler and safer setup.

There is a 4th attachment designed to work with the angle arm that I don't have, but just so that you are aware of it: the copier/scanner set, which among other things allows you to use a bit without a bearing --http://festoolusa.com/power-tool-accessories/routers/other-accessories/copier-scanning-set-486534

EDIT: This post got me thinking about the copier scanning set, and what use it would be.  It seems like if you already have a rabbet bit set, you've covered most of its applications, other than odd-sized rabbets, or making a non-bearing bit into a  bearing guided one (though I imagine there must be limitations on the types of bits you could do this for given how close the copier/scanner must be to the end of the bit).  I tried searching the FOG for more uses, and found an old post by [member=1146]Brice Burrell[/member] where he linked to a review of edge routing accessories in which he supposedly covered the copier, but that link is now dead:
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...-1010-and-copy-scanner-set/msg80968/#msg80968

Any chance of getting the link updated Brice?

 

[Brent Taylor]

I use the edge guide system with both the 1010 and the 1400 quite often.  I have had surgery on both hands to help with some nerve damage and find that the extra handle and stability is a great help. As for the MFK, I have a problem not being able to see what I am doing and the limited bit size,  I use Makita's offset router and a pair of their 700 multi base routers,  these are a great little router and along with my 1010 and my Triton 3.25 hp., are the routers I use most in my day to day work. Since I have been dealing with my hand issues my bigger routers (1400, 2200 and 3 hp. Makita ) have been very lonely,  but the smaller ones have been picking up the slack helping me build two desks,  a library full of bookshelves and three kitchens,  so sometimes bigger is better and other times smaller is better and smarter.