Little router mods

[Steve Maskery]

A while ago I asked for advice on a small router. I bought the Hug Flight and am generally very pleased indeed with it, so whoever suggested it, Thank You.

There are a couple of niggles. The cable is stupidly short, so I've fitted a 3m cable instead. It only needs to be 2-core, but I forgot that and bought 3-core. The earth is redundant.

The other thing is the size of the base. Well it is supposed to be small, off course, but it is easy to tip. So I've made an offset base to give me more stability.

The material is an old shower tray panel. Big mistake. It is too flexible and the router bounces a tad. So I've remade it with some 6mm phenolic (at least I think that is what it is - it's certainly hard and rigid) and that works much better, no bounce at all. The only slight cockup is the hole positions, they are not quite right. I don't understand why, though as I poked through the originals, so it's held on by only two screws rather than 4. But that's fine.

So with that base I can flush off applied edgings or use a bearing bit to round over, and there is much less chance of the tool tipping.

I'm seriously thinking of getting another one and keeping one permanently set up like this.

 

[transatlantic]

I have one of these too, great little tool. I've thought of getting another too. The price is right.

If you're replacing the cable, one thing you could do is go the festool route and have the cable be unpluggable from the tool itself. That way you can have one long lead you always keep plugged in, and switch in/out tools. Keeps things tidy and less storage.

I think I may apply the idea to all my corded tools (at least the ones out of warranty)

 

[Chrispy]

Here's my version Steve, I find it easier to use with a side handle.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yours is bigger, Chris, and I wanted to keep the small size, just make it more stable.
I agree about the knob. I must have a spare one somewhere.

Trans, I did think of that but the Plugit part is half the cost of the router.

 

[transatlantic]

Trans, I did think of that but the Plugit part is half the cost of the router.

For the actual Festool ones?

I was just going to use something like this, should only be a few quid :

But something more compact would be nicer

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes it would, especially as the router itself is very small. I think a big connector, especially in conjunction with a DX port and hose, would make it quite unwieldy.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Trans, I did think of that but the Plugit part is half the cost of the router.

For the actual Festool ones?

I was just going to use something like this, should only be a few quid :

But something more compact would be nicer

Consider the Neutrik Powercon series (NAC3FCA, etc., or even 4-pole "Speakon" (NL4FX but I didn't say that!).

Re-wireable IEC connectors ("trailing plugs") are the spawn of Satan. Three major deficiencies, all of them are safety-related:

1. The cable clamping is inadequate, and like the straps in 13A plugs is a point of failure because it pinches the cable allowing it to fracture at that point. You have to be VERY adept at wiring the things to get enough outer sleeve inside beyond the clamp too. I have seen many of them with bare wires going into the plug, the sheath long ago having pulled out. I've even seen it on the factory-moulded ones!
2. The method of terminating the wires to the pins/receptacles is inadequate, to the point of being dangerous.
3. The pins/receptacles themselves do NOT make good enough connection for the rated current (6A or 10A depending), and the grip is too weak for power tool leads. I've got a pair on the Flymo and the strimmer, as I really dislike long leads being attached to tools - they get uncomfortably hot in use, because the connection is so poor. Yes, I must get around to changing them...

Oh, and 4: the earth lead is the shortest wire inside - it should be the longest for safety reasons (13A plugs leave room for a _loop_ in the earth wire, for exactly this reason, although the uninitiated don't realise this).

In a PC-based world, the IEC things are too convenient to be banned, but they are horrible nonetheless.

Yes, you will pay quite a bit for better connectors, sadly because they're not made in really large quantities, but the alternatives on power tools are quite nasty. It's worth shopping around for Neutrik stuff - can be had quite inexpensively, and Speakons are usually easily re-used. I'm not sure about the latest one (I suspect there is a choice), but the early ones had grub-screw wire clamps. They are intended for high numbers of connect-disconnect cycles.

I'm morally certain that Neutrik make the Festool connectors, or at least designed them - they're too similar to Powercon otherwise. Speakons would be OK too, as they are intended to handle the current and keep fingers well away from volts, but they're not certified for the job. Both series latch properly AND have really nice strong cable collet-style clamps, which don't weaken the cable by pinching it either.

If your workshop makes loudspeaker cabinets, stick to Powercons for safety reasons.

E.

PS: the only "correct" way I can see of wiring the IEC plugs properly is to crimp/swage U or O-shaped tags onto the wire ends and then screw those down to the pins. BUT, they'd have to be special manufacturing-style crimp fittings because there isn't enough space inside the plug to even do that properly with shop-bought crimps, because of the plastic sleeves and swages they have. You'd be spending upwards of 80 quid on the crimp tooling alone, and probably have a min. order of 1,000 on the crimps, Which is another reason not to,

 

[transatlantic]

Thanks Viking. Next time I'm near a Maplins, I'll have a gander at the speakon connections, although if I remember correctly, they're rather large.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I suspect they'll be a bit pricey in Maplins. Also there are several variants, for really high power use and split speaker systems. Those are indeed chunky, but the 4-way ones aren't. I've just remembered there is or was a 2-way version of the 4-way size - would be cheaper if the earth isn't needed.

Powercons are the proper job mind... just sayin'

 

[Phil1975]

I have Neutrik powercon true 1 cords on all my tools as an alternative to the Festool plug it cables. The only tool this doesn't currently work on is my Domino (my only Festool tool) - which I plan to mod to a Neutrik because I think they're a better connector.

Wouldn't be without them now!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have one of these too, great little tool. I've thought of getting another too. The price is right.

If you're replacing the cable, one thing you could do is go the festool route and have the cable be unpluggable from the tool itself. That way you can have one long lead you always keep plugged in, and switch in/out tools. Keeps things tidy and less storage.

I think I may apply the idea to all my corded tools (at least the ones out of warranty)

I used to do this with all my tools. If you relieve the ridge moulded into the inside of case slightly so it pulls out more easily it also saves wear and tear on the connections in the tool. If you use the flat connectors make sure they are wired correctly and a two pin one on the tool will fit a three pin on the mains lead. Don't do what my uncle did and wire the male side live and mow the lawn in the drizzle. :roll:
ps put the connector within a few inches of the tool or more than four feet away - otherwise it'll snag every time you go over the edge of a sheet. Duraplug are seem indestructible.

 

[Claymore]

.......

 

[Moonsafari69]

Steve, what's the purpose of the extra (2nd) piece of phenolic you've added to the base? Maybe my brain's not in gear but I can't work it out. Thanks, Dave.

 

[Steve Maskery]

OK, fair q.
In this way the router can be used to trim lipping of an MDF panel. The lipping is oversized in width when it is glued on. Once it is cured the excess can be trimmed off to leave a flush surface.
That extra pointy bit allows the router to sit above the lipping but trim it off to the same level as the main panel. The fact that it is pointed means that it is possible to get into the corners.
I hope that makes sense.
S

 

[Moonsafari69]

OK, fair q.
In this way the router can be used to trim lipping of an MDF panel. The lipping is oversized in width when it is glued on. Once it is cured the excess can be trimmed off to leave a flush surface.
That extra pointy bit allows the router to sit above the lipping but trim it off to the same level as the main panel. The fact that it is pointed means that it is possible to get into the corners.
I hope that makes sense.
S

Oh, that's really quite clever. So the two points of the circumference of the cutter are sat tight on the lines of the 'imaginary' corner of the extra piece of phenolic. I like that, thanks.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes it is clever. I only wish that it was my cleverness. It isn't!