SOLVED: LR32 Hole position discrepancy of 0.5mm

[Michael Kellough]

Michael, Thanks for that. Your suggestion of making a very tiny mark by just touching the bit against the workpiece to check before drilling sounds like a good idea. Whether I end up with a better guide plate or have to make do with the one I've got, I will if necessary use a feeler gauge to compensate for errors where the holes are too far from the reference edge. My experiments have shown me how essential it is to have completely square panels. My first attempt at drilling holes actually had an error of 1mm between the two rows of holes and I think half of that error was due to non-square panels. I learned my lesson after this and the experiments I described were done using square panels.

Mastercabman, On the subject of checking that the clamps have held the wood against the stops, I checked that carefully. The 1400 router is very heavy and it could easily cause things to move if the clamps are not done up tightly.

Reminds me of my first use of the LR32. The guide rail wasn't clamped tightly enough (I'm used to using the saw without clamping the rail) and the hole spacing went horribly wrong. Every little impact from moving the plate to the next stop pushed the rail a little farther on, mainly because I was working from the wrong end of the rail (the end stop couldn't stop the rail from sliding in that direction).

 

[tiralie]

Tim, I am using an OF1400

Thanks. I am wondering if it's the plate/screw to 1400 base problem. Unless I am really careless, I am not aware of any differences in my left to right hole alignment.  For me .5mm (a pencil line) is within my tolerances.
BTW, do you turn the board or the rail when you make holes on the opposite side?
Tim

 

[cliffp]

the plate/screw to 1400 base problem

Is this a known problem? With the centering mandrel in the hole in the plate there is no play at all and although (until the two screws are tightened up) there is an amount of rotational movement possible (mandrel within hole) this wouldn't cause any lateral movement of the drilling axis. I suppose my point is, the only sources of error I can imagine stemming from the guide plate are a pressing fault (as I described in a previous post as my theory of the source of error) or a problem with the retractable pin.

do you turn the board or the rail when you make holes on the opposite side?

I turn the board, keep the orientation of the rail the same but obviously slide the rail along so that the opposite end butts up against the workpiece.

For me .5mm (a pencil line) is within my tolerances

I did wonder whether I was being unrealistic to expect better than this. Its just that most things Festool (from my experience/perception) are much more accurate than this.

 

[jonny round boy]

Whilst it's annoying when you discover these little errors, I don't think it's something you need to worry about.

If your shelf holes are off by 0.5mm on each side, then when you fit a shelf onto pins inserted into them, you'll have 1mm of error on one pin. That's really not a lot. You could even get that much error in the pins themselves, depending on which type you use. Chances are the shelf won't be perfectly flat anyway.

Even with that 1mm gap, as soon as any weight is added to the shelf that gap will disappear, and over time the shelf will conform to fit the pins.

 

[cliffp]

0.5mm on each side

Actually the total error (between the two rows) is only 0.5mm so the problem is only half as bad as you imagine.

Would this error not be a problem when drilling hinge mounting holes? (both the 5mm ones and the 35mm one)

Forgive my naivety - I haven't yet inserted any shelves using the LR32 system, nor fitted any doors.

 

[mastercabman]

0.5mm on each side

Actually the total error (between the two rows) is only 0.5mm so the problem is only half as bad as you imagine.

Would this error not be a problem when drilling hinge mounting holes? (both the 5mm ones and the 35mm one)

Forgive my naivety - I haven't yet inserted any shelves using the LR32 system, nor fitted any doors.

Well that's ok
If the back rows of holes are .5mm off then the back of the shelves would be higher/lower than the front by .5mm witch is nothing to worry about
Believe me I have seen worse
As far as hinges,most of them have adjustment +/- 3mm so that .5mm is not going to be a big problem

 

[Davej]

0.5mm is nothing to get stressed about. The shelves won't rock about . You  would have a bigger problem trying to get the cupboard level to within that sort of tolerance even with a laser level. As long as your cupboards are square then don't worry about it .
Dave

 

[peter halle]

I have been reading this thread and perhaps it was misnamed or I wasn't comprehending and didn't get this correct.  Are we talking about .5mm which is the thickness of my mechanical pencil lead?

Peter

 

[tiralie]

I have been reading this thread and perhaps it was misnamed or I wasn't comprehending and didn't get this correct.  Are we talking about .5mm which is the thickness of my mechanical pencil lead?

Peter

Yes.

 

[cliffp]

I have been reading this thread and perhaps it was misnamed or I wasn't comprehending and didn't get this correct.  Are we talking about .5mm which is the thickness of my mechanical pencil lead?

Peter

When I chose this title I was meaning that the line of holes created using the right side of the rail was 0.5mm out of alignment with those created using the left. What I haven't stated but which may be significant, is that one row of holes are in the correct position (ie 16, 48, 80, 112 etc) but the other row of holes are out by 0.5mm ie 16.5, 48.5, 112.5 etc. This could be significant where absolute positioning is important (maybe in practice it never is - I haven't enough experience to have found out).

 

[cliffp]

I exchanged the guide plate last week. Before sending off the old one I looked closely at the retractable pin and it did seem to be out of square with the plate (ie canted over). The pin on the replacement plate seemed to be properly aligned. I carried out tests as before and this time I got acceptable results - one side was spot on and the other side out by no more than 0.2mm.

 

[tiralie]

I carried out tests as before and this time I got acceptable results - one side was spot on and the other side out by no more than 0.2mm.

Good  to hear, we're all waiting to see what you do with it  [big grin]
Tim

 

[cliffp]

we're all waiting to see what you do with it

Hopefully put in some shelves that don't wobble!

 

[Acrobat]

If I understand you correctly, when say you route the first line of holes say from left to right with the end stop in place butted up against the board (lets say its the bottom of the board) they are all correct, but when you route from right to left the holes have moved down .5mm?  So all are still at 32mm spacing just the line has moved .5 mm down? I think the perhaps end of the board is softer and you are indenting the end stop at that end in a bit by using more pressure than going the other direction.
Another thing then to check is are both end stops the same? i.e. is one flatter or higher at the point it hits the workpiece? Try swapping them over and see what result you get? I assume they are exactly the same but you never know.

 

[Acrobat]

Glad to see your issue has been resolved.
I'm looking forward to making some cabinets and giving the lr32 a go myself sometime in the near future.

 

[cliffp]

It is a good piece of kit. There is a bit of a learning curve. You have to make sure the end stops are properly located (flat against the rail), the side stops can also move away from the edge of the wood when you slide the clamps along and tighten them if you're not careful, the rail must be clamped down of course. It is extremely important that your panel is completely square otherwise positioning errors will creep in. Other than that it seems foolproof. I recommend practicing with it on a piece of scrap wood.

 

[tomgrezek2]

CliffP-your post has been very helpful.  It seems I've run into the same problem you did.  After ruining my first maple panel (only 1 side), I wised up and decided to experiment and get it within acceptable tolerance before going back to the "production" panels.  I've spend a lot of time varying my setup to eliminate the problem to no avail, so it must be my guide plate.  I have the luxury of both the 1010 and 1400, so I've run both setups and ended up with the same result.  Even after triple checking alignment mandrel and rechecking all setup alignment, I still get what I consider a substantial offset (+1mm) in my holes that would result in a teetering shelf given the left rear and right front pins would be lower.  I've been frustrated watching on-line videos of guys using the LR32 showing visually spot on pin holes on their panels.  I must have one of the few guide plates that got "dropped" on the factory floor. 

Anyone else have this problem?

How did you go about getting the replacement?

Thanks

 

[cliffp]

I contacted my dealer who sent me a replacement which was perfect.

 

[Brice Burrell]

CliffP-your post has been very helpful.  It seems I've run into the same problem you did.  After ruining my first maple panel (only 1 side), I wised up and decided to experiment and get it within acceptable tolerance before going back to the "production" panels.  I've spend a lot of time varying my setup to eliminate the problem to no avail, so it must be my guide plate.  I have the luxury of both the 1010 and 1400, so I've run both setups and ended up with the same result.  Even after triple checking alignment mandrel and rechecking all setup alignment, I still get what I consider a substantial offset (+1mm) in my holes that would result in a teetering shelf given the left rear and right front pins would be lower.  I've been frustrated watching on-line videos of guys using the LR32 showing visually spot on pin holes on their panels.  I must have one of the few guide plates that got "dropped" on the factory floor.  

Anyone else have this problem?

How did you go about getting the replacement?

Thanks

As already mentioned you can contact your dealer or call Festool, that is likely the fastest way to get this resolved.

 

[RSmike]

I know this post is old but I just wanted to say thank you to the FOG for saving my sanity. 

I just spent days fighting with my LR32 system.  I assumed it was user error.  Last night I spent hours with a micrometer and finally arrived at the conclusion that there is a defect in my router plate...still cannot believe it myself.

Today I found this post and really feel vindicated.  Few seem to understand the issue.  [It's not user error kids.]  Some plates are really made wrong.  The plate is skewed relative to the rail.  Sure the holes are 32mm relative to each on each side but when you flip the rail the skewed plate produces an offset between the rows.  My offset is almost a full millimeter.  My first cabinet has very "tippy" shelves.   

I've sent a note to Festool service.  This is my second LR32 system.  The first one I received had a bent plate.

Now I'm concerned the supplier has a lot/group of systems that are made wrong.  I've asked Festool to verify a replacement for me.

RSlater,
RSmike