Thinking about getting the OF 1400 router

[paxamus]

So I’m in the market for a new router and I’m thinking about the OF 1400 so that way I can us 1/2 and 1/4” bits. For those that have this one- what accessories should I get?  I’m thinking about the guide stop so I can use it with the rail guides I have for my track saw. Anything else that is super helpful?  What about the edge guide?
Thank you!

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[Coen]

I have an OF-1400 and have neither 1/4" nor 1/2" collets, but I live in metric heaven  [tongue]

Anyway, I think the edge guide is already included with the OF-1400 in the Systainer. I have a few of the copy rings with it. Also the guide rail thingy yes. But then it 'rides' on the stupid small foot on the outer side of the router. For the 2200 they make a proper off-set base. For the OF-1400 you have to make something yourself

 

[rst]

I own 16 routers, PC, Bosch and all the Festool.  If I could only own one it would be the 1400, oh, I also have the Milwaukee 18v compact.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have an OF-1400 and have neither 1/4" nor 1/2" collets, but I live in metric heaven  [tongue]

Anyway, I think the edge guide is already included with the OF-1400 in the Systainer. I have a few of the copy rings with it. Also the guide rail thingy yes. But then it 'rides' on the stupid small foot on the outer side of the router. For the 2200 they make a proper off-set base. For the OF-1400 you have to make something yourself

While I can appreciate the concept of metric heaven, I'm pretty sure the actual heaven part is that the edge guide is included in the scope of delivery for you in Europe.
Here in the North American market, it does not. For some crazy reason, the attachment rods do though? It comes with 3 collets 1/4", 8mm, 1/2", the copy ring adapter, chip deflector cup, and dust extractor connector. The rods don't serve any purpose without additional accessories.

[member=78288]paxamus[/member] It's a fantastic router, you will not be disappointed. I would indeed ad the edge guide and the guide rail adapters. If you don't already have some, I would get a pair of guide rail clamps too.
With a track saw, you can use a guide rail all day long without clamping, but it won't work that way with a router. The kickback stop that came with your saw will work well as a limiter for routing too, but a second one is a good idea too.

I own more routers than I care to admit and the Festools are my favorites.

 

[paxamus]

Thank y’all for all of the info!!!

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[Jim_in_PA]

My opinion is that the Festool OF1400 is one of the best mid-range routers on the market and I suspect you'll enjoy it. It's my primary handheld go-to other than for a few tasks that I happen to prefer a physically smaller fixed base router for. If you intend to use it with a separate track or the MFT, you'll want the guide top setup so you can position it accordingly. Edge work warrants an edge guide; I have both the Festool edge guide and a MicroJig version that includes circle cutting. BTW, you'll not only get the 1.2" and 1/4" collets, but it also appears to ship with an 8mm collet which can be very handy for certain tasks like using the Leigh Dovetailing system where 8mm shank tooling is recommended for strength.

 

[guybo]

The rods don't serve any purpose without additional accessories.

    just have to imagine [big grin]                                                                                                                         

 

[luvmytoolz]

While I can appreciate the concept of metric heaven, I'm pretty sure the actual heaven part is that the edge guide is included in the scope of delivery for you in Europe.
Here in the North American market, it does not. For some crazy reason, the attachment rods do though?

That's really quite bizarre! Doesn't make any sense why they'd do that, unless it's some weird (and poorly thought out) marketing/costs analysis decision specific to the NA market? I'd love to know the reasoning behind it.

 

[bobtskutter]

My most used OF1400 accessory is the guide rail adapter 492601.  I've split the two "handles" and mount one on each side of the router using the attachment rods.  The handles act as a base extender and make the router a bit more stable.

You can also modify the bolt through the middle of the handle to make a simple circle jig.

You may also want to get a guide bush adapter to allow you to use different guide bushes (not sure what to call them - these thingshttps://www.axminstertools.com/ujk-...2571?queryID=34d1c893da0232133725f7a0fa7eacd4)

regards
Bob

 

[luvmytoolz]

Funnily enough the guide rail on all my routers I almost never use. The guidebushes on the other hand I use heaps as I do a lot of inlay and template routing. A good set is invaluable. That brass one you linked is a nice set, I have that in metric and imperial. The steel guidebush sets I find a bit crappy though. They just don't adjust as well as the brass ones, or feel good.

 

[bobtskutter]

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member] how'd you get on centering the guide bush in the OF1400?  Mines a little off, but it seems as though most OF1400 guide bushes dont center properly.

I like the brass bushes because if I forget and plunge the router too much, the brass is soft and doesnt damage the collet.

Regards
bob

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member] how'd you get on centering the guide bush in the OF1400?  Mines a little off, but it seems as though most OF1400 guide bushes dont center properly.

I like the brass bushes because if I forget and plunge the router too much, the brass is soft and doesnt damage the collet.

Regards
bob

I tend to use either the larger Festool guidebushes which don't have to be overly precise as it's just medium to large template work, but for the smaller ones, I have a mandrel I bought off ebay that seems to do the job well for the brass guidebushes.

I must say I am disappointed in the tolerances of the Festool guide rings for the 1400 and the 2200 as there's just the barest of play, maybe 0.1-0.2mm, doesn't sound like much, but when I do small butterfly inlays it can be noticeable, to me anyway. I did go back and forth with Festool over it, but in the end for the 2200 I ended up tapping very lightly with a hammer around the entire edge of the guide rings to deform the barest fraction so now they are a tight fit and work well.

I absolutely love my Festool gear, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable to expect better tolerances from CNC machined products.

 

[mcooley]

A couple things with regards to 1400 ergonomics. I like the handle but it needs more grip. The unit is heavy and holding it simply by the handle between using it means it can slip out of your hand. The knob for locking it is also not ideal after you have plunged it. If they had put a "locking button" on top of the unit it would have made more sense or in addition to the knob. There is also no LED light on the unit. The dust shroud is not great and eventually cracks. If someone could please design a better 3D printed one then I think many would buy it. All in all the unit works well but some of the features need to be revised.

Lastly, the track guide is flimsy and again if there was an aftermarket option made of say aluminum or at least more metal parts for a more exact fit and better balance when using it then that too would be a best seller etc.

 

[Cheese]

Festool makes great routers...the poor Milwaukee routers just sit on the shelf.  [smile]

However, if you plan on doing a lot of precision in-lay work, the 1010 is the charm because of its small size and the guide bushings can be centered. The typical 1400 guide bushing is usually never centered exactly and if you apply any amount of side pressure the guide bushing will move like this.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

As for using the router on the guide rail for straight cuts, consider purchasing the Micro Fence accessory. The Festool system mandates that the router hangs off of the rail so that a small foot also needs to be added/adjusted to support the overhung weight.

The Micro Fence accessory places the router on a plate that glides along the surface and thus it's fully supported. The Micro Fence edge guide adjuster is capable of movements of .001" and has almost zero backlash. Here's some photos of the 1010 in action cutting 45º chamfers in Kerdi board that was "folded up" to create shower niches. The last photo shows the bottom of the Micro Fence base that was drilled to accept both the 1010 & 1400 routers.
https://microfence.com/product-category/edge-guide/

[attachimg=3]

[attachimg=4]

[attachimg=5]

 

[Coen]

I have an OF-1400 and have neither 1/4" nor 1/2" collets, but I live in metric heaven  [tongue]

Anyway, I think the edge guide is already included with the OF-1400 in the Systainer. I have a few of the copy rings with it. Also the guide rail thingy yes. But then it 'rides' on the stupid small foot on the outer side of the router. For the 2200 they make a proper off-set base. For the OF-1400 you have to make something yourself

While I can appreciate the concept of metric heaven, I'm pretty sure the actual heaven part is that the edge guide is included in the scope of delivery for you in Europe.
Here in the North American market, it does not. For some crazy reason, the attachment rods do though? It comes with 3 collets 1/4", 8mm, 1/2", the copy ring adapter, chip deflector cup, and dust extractor connector. The rods don't serve any purpose without additional accessories.

[member=78288]paxamus[/member] It's a fantastic router, you will not be disappointed. I would indeed ad the edge guide and the guide rail adapters. If you don't already have some, I would get a pair of guide rail clamps too.
With a track saw, you can use a guide rail all day long without clamping, but it won't work that way with a router. The kickback stop that came with your saw will work well as a limiter for routing too, but a second one is a good idea too.

I own more routers than I care to admit and the Festools are my favorites.

Sooner or later almost everyone will get some attachment and the Systainer is the perfect way to ship the long rods, saving on packaging.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  “the bottom of the Micro Fence base that was drilled to accept both the 1010 & 1400 routers.

Who did the drilling, you or Micro?

 

[Cheese]

Who did the drilling, you or Micro?

I did, I originally tried to purchase the base without any holes in it but that's another story.  [smile]

 

[Michael Kellough]

Impressive that you got the overlapping holes in the right place.

 

[Cheese]

Impressive that you got the overlapping holes in the right place.

That's exactly why I tried to purchase the bottom plate sans holes.  [smile] 

Rich Wedler (the owner) was wonderful to work with and was willing to sell me a naked base but he didn't have any at the time. He offered to special order me one from his supplier however we would have to wait until he placed another order which was 6 months out. My need was more immediate than that so I struck out on my own...just had to be careful and exact as possible using a drill press and a template...easy does it.  [big grin]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Sooner or later almost everyone will get some attachment and the Systainer is the perfect way to ship the long rods, saving on packaging.

But when you buy the edge guide as an accessory, it comes with another pair of rods.
Seems silly to go to the expense of adding parts that serve no purpose when they took out the edge guide. If you are going to take out 90% of the product, why leave the other 10?

As [member=44099]Cheese[/member] pointed out, there is some movement to the copy rings. In at least some cases, this is not really a big deal. Where it comes into play is with smaller inlays, where more precision is needed.
This is kind of out of the scope of the bigger router though.
This is where the smaller OF1010 shines. It is more agile in the first place and the copy rings are not only center-able, they are also held much more solidly.
There are pluses and minuses to both of these situations. The "better" retention system is also much more fussy to deal with. If you put it on and leave it alone, you only do that once, which is fine.
But if you need to remove/install it more often, it gets old. I would use the chip deflector with the OF1010 much more often if this wasn't such a hassle.
That is where the OF1400 shines. You can pop that thing on and off in seconds. So it's a trade-off. Quick and easy is not as precise. You don't need the big power for inlays.
That's why you need both if you do both things, each for it's strength.