|
Post by bicycleclip on May 29, 2017 7:16:06 GMT -5
Hello MUFflers
I have some work coming up involving box joints (aka finger joints) and so want to mount my Mafell LO65 router in a table to do these. I am also likely to buy an Erika 85 in the next few weeks.
Should I get a standalone router table upfront, or is the Erika router adapter/extension worth investing in for some £££.
Three things concern me about the Erika router kit and I'd appreciate your experience on these.
1) assuming the table is attatched to one meter extensions, is it stable enough?
2) is it difficult to be working always perpendicular to the router, rather than a combination of parallel and perpendicular that you'd get by being able to rotate a dedicated table (as I'm assuming you can't change the direction of the router fence with the Erika set-up)? (Edit: just realised that the fence opening can face outside so this question is totally redundant)
3)the set-up will live in a small (c. 200f2) workshop shed, with occasional forays into my garden, UK weather permitting. I wonder if the Erika router set-up is basically intended as a compromise for onsite portability, and that a dedicated router table is a better option?
Would greatly appreciate your thoughts,
Regards, Mark
|
|
|
Post by wrightwoodwork on May 29, 2017 14:40:26 GMT -5
Hello MUFflers I have some work coming up involving box joints (aka finger joints) and so want to mount my Mafell LO65 router in a table to do these. I am also likely to buy an Erika 85 in the next few weeks. Should I get a standalone router table upfront, or is the Erika router adapter/extension worth investing in for some £££. Three things concern me about the Erika router kit and I'd appreciate your experience on these. 1) assuming the table is attatched to one meter extensions, is it stable enough? 2) is it difficult to be working always perpendicular to the router, rather than a combination of parallel and perpendicular that you'd get by being able to rotate a dedicated table (as I'm assuming you can't change the direction of the router fence with the Erika set-up)? (Edit: just realised that the fence opening can face outside so this question is totally redundant) 3)the set-up will live in a small (c. 200f2) workshop shed, with occasional forays into my garden, UK weather permitting. I wonder if the Erika router set-up is basically intended as a compromise for onsite portability, and that a dedicated router table is a better option? Would greatly appreciate your thoughts, Regards, Mark Hi the stability is OK depending on what you're doing and how you're using. Something I sometimes do if needed to be really stable is to use the two extension legs attached to the bottom of the extension rails then is pretty solid. You really need be trying to make it tip when set up like that. Depending on what I'm doing will determine what way I set it up. So if narrow stock or upto approx 150 mm I will have the router fence set in the middle so I dont need to lean over and just use as normal router table. Then you can still use the saw as normal if desired. Yet on wide material I will set the router fence on the outside so the table of the saw become part of the work surface. One thing to know is the hole diameter is 50 mm so max cutter diameter is 40mm being sensible or maybe 45 at a squeeze. The outfeed fence has a micro adjust, which I also wish the indeed did as well
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on May 29, 2017 14:47:55 GMT -5
Thanks very much, that's an informative reply. A couple of other things I wonder about, does it take long to dismount the router from the table for handheld mode. Do you have any difficult adjusting height with the router upside down?
|
|
|
Post by wrightwoodwork on May 29, 2017 16:16:00 GMT -5
To take the router off the table is simply a case of undoing 2 screws when it is sat on the ground obviously not when set in the rail or gravity will be a pain. To adjust the height I usually push it up to roughly the height lock it then I move the wheel to lock it so it can't drop when I unlock it then use the wheel to alter the height. If needed to adjust up it does help to give a push to ease the weight. It's not as easy as a proper lift but not impossible
|
|
|
Post by holmz on May 29, 2017 17:00:00 GMT -5
Similar boat a while back. I got the LO50 (8-mm) router, which is Festool 1400 size but with an 8-mm chuck.
The LO65 or porter cable or Triton would be good in a table, but you may not need a 2600w router to be hans held?
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on May 29, 2017 18:18:52 GMT -5
I thought the LO65 would be a do-it-all router, perhaps only slightly excessive... I've used it freehand and it's been comfortable to use. That was cutting overlap joints with an improvised fence using a speedsquare and clamp. For box joints I've been looking at various tables, including the Erika extension kit and adapter. I've also been looking at the woodrat system. Space is an issue. I like the idea of using the Erika as an integrated platform.
|
|
|
Post by holmz on May 30, 2017 6:53:58 GMT -5
I thought the LO65 would be a do-it-all router, perhaps only slightly excessive... I've used it freehand and it's been comfortable to use. That was cutting overlap joints with an improvised fence using a speedsquare and clamp. For box joints I've been looking at various tables, including the Erika extension kit and adapter. I've also been looking at the woodrat system. Space is an issue. I like the idea of using the Erika as an integrated platform. I am likely to go the same route. But it is nice to have a small hand held router and leave the beast in the table for shaper type of work. Even an old daggy router would be good do most of the light work.
|
|
|
Post by antihero on Jun 12, 2017 10:02:00 GMT -5
My experience is that while the table extension looks and feels stable, it actually does form a slight belly when the router is hanging in it (erika 85 + lo65). It is very annoying and makes depth/height of cut inaccurate especially when working with longer pieces.
To work around this, I support the extension table in two spots close to the middle, around the router.
|
|
|
Post by holmz on Jun 12, 2017 14:55:17 GMT -5
I did not see a height adjustment like the Triton Tr1 has. How easy is it to fine tune the depth?
|
|
|
Post by huntsgemein on Jun 12, 2017 18:41:49 GMT -5
Depthing a table router. What fun! You put your forehead on the table, and both hands blindly fumbling underneath hoping not to catch a fingertip &/or thumb on anything sharp. A little bit like one's first sexual experience, really. And similarly unsatisfactory too. That's the way it used to be.
If the springs or plunge action are stiff, it sometimes pays to get an extra bit of shoulder action onto the table top to fight that plunge reluctance. Some sort of semi-retarded mounting of the router table as one strives to overcome the combined resistance of dual springs working in opposition, gravity & stiction. As for accurately adjusting the depth a fraction of a mm. or two, well good luck. It's more a case of trial and (mostly) error. Some (presumably using a router permanently table mounted) remove the springs. Some spend not so small fortunes on super sophisticated depth-robbing router lifts that will require collet extensions as compensation for the lost depth of cut. Some use a cleverly modified scissor-lift car jack mounted underneath & to the "top" of the router. There's even a cheap (AU $30 odd) asian pressed steel version available on flea-bay.
Me? I now use a Woodrat Plungebar on my DW626, & have never looked back. No more blind groping, no more pushing with both hands against my head/shoulder. No more strugging to get an accurate depth. Just preset the depth on the router, squeeze the bars together, and it more or less automatically locks off. When combined with a Musclechuck I can now "overplunge" the router and exchange bits through the table top with the mere twist of a tee-handled hex key. Bliss.
A pair of "type B" plungebars will fit the LO65, can be kept permanently attached to the router, and as a bonus will actually enhance the operability and ergonomics of the machine when routing freehand too.
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on Jun 13, 2017 4:48:09 GMT -5
Depthing a table router. What fun! You put your forehead on the table, and both hands blindly fumbling underneath hoping not to catch a fingertip &/or thumb on anything sharp. A little bit like one's first sexual experience, really. And similarly unsatisfactory too. That's the way it used to be. If the springs or plunge action are stiff, it sometimes pays to get an extra bit of shoulder action onto the table top to fight that plunge reluctance. Some sort of semi-retarded mounting of the router table as one strives to overcome the combined resistance of dual springs working in opposition, gravity & stiction. As for accurately adjusting the depth a fraction of a mm. or two, well good luck. It's more a case of trial and (mostly) error. Some (presumably using a router permanently table mounted) remove the springs. Some spend not so small fortunes on super sophisticated depth-robbing router lifts that will require collet extensions as compensation for the lost depth of cut. Some use a cleverly modified scissor-lift car jack mounted underneath & to the "top" of the router. There's even a cheap (AU $30 odd) asian pressed steel version available on flea-bay. Me? I now use a Woodrat Plungebar on my DW626, & have never looked back. No more blind groping, no more pushing with both hands against my head/shoulder. No more strugging to get an accurate depth. Just preset the depth on the router, squeeze the bars together, and it more or less automatically locks off. When combined with a Musclechuck I can now "overplunge" the router and exchange bits through the table top with the mere twist of a tee-handled hex key. Bliss. A pair of "type B" plungebars will fit the LO65, can be kept permanently attached to the router, and as a bonus will actually enhance the operability and ergonomics of the machine when routing freehand too. My first timer was fat, pretty and much older. I asked her to brush her teeth. Aside from that, her experience benefitted both of us.
I was also looking at the various sophisticated router lifts and I appreciate hearing that they're not all that. Great to have a review of the Woodrat plunger. I literally have just taken receipt of a Mk1 Woodrat WS900 which I bought for the equivalent of $150 USD on eBay.co.uk. It was dropped off by courier without a manual or any accessories, and I've been watching Youtube to figure out how to operate it. I was hesitating whether to buy the Plungebar and things, just in case I decided it wasn't for me, but since you've said this is generally useful, I'll have to give it a go
('take the plunge' is just too obvious).
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on Jun 13, 2017 4:52:22 GMT -5
My experience is that while the table extension looks and feels stable, it actually does form a slight belly when the router is hanging in it (erika 85 + lo65). It is very annoying and makes depth/height of cut inaccurate especially when working with longer pieces. To work around this, I support the extension table in two spots close to the middle, around the router. Wow that's good to know, thanks for the warning. You must have been disappointed to have found that out the hard way. I'm shocked that it got past Mafell QA.
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on Jun 27, 2017 4:09:55 GMT -5
A pair of "type B" plungebars will fit the LO65, can be kept permanently attached to the router, and as a bonus will actually enhance the operability and ergonomics of the machine when routing freehand too. In summary, order "type C/F" for the LO65. My explanation is thus - I received a set of 'Type B' plungebars as mentioned in your email and, critically, stated on the Woodrat website as being compatible with the LO65. They came without any instructions, so I went online to find pictures to figure it out. That's when I noticed that Dictum.com, which seems to sell a lot of paired LO65 and Woodrats, had a different plungebar configuration. I rang Woodrat and spoke with Martin Godfrey, who helpfully suggested that the correct plungebar, as demonstrated by Dictum, is the type 'C/F', and that the info on Woodrat's own website referring to type 'B' being compatible is wrong. Type B is good for Dewalts he mentioned, which fits your view on it. Also he didn't understand why there weren't instructions in the packet, so I must have had a bit of bad luck that time.
|
|
|
Post by bicycleclip on Feb 25, 2018 14:42:09 GMT -5
Word to the wise - the Woodrat plungebar is not compatible with the Mafell router extension table together with the LO65. The reason is that plungebar occupies the channels in the base of the LO65. The Mafell router kit wants to use the same channels too, for the extension table adapters. It’s a case of have one or the other, not both.
When the penny droppped this caused me some consternation. I also realised that the plungebar doesn’t allow you to use a router mounted guide fence on the LO65, for the same reasons. Although on youtube, the Woodrat chap has managed to make it work with an ELU, due to that router having a different configuration of channels.
In practice, being 6’ 3” I found that the underside of the router can be lifted under the table by my knee, with about as much control as I’d have with the Plungebar. The plungebar works well but with these limitations I’m not sure there’s a use for it, other than with the actual woodrat.
|
|