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Superior Dust Collection
Until I picked up the OF 1400, I had never used a router without covering myself, my project and my shop with dust and chips. Like all Festool tools, this router has extraordinary dust collection...and it works. Combined with my CT-22 Extractor, routing edges on solid stock and MDF resulted in no noticeable dust being deposited in the usual places when edge routing, there is a rotating half-cup hood that mounts into the insert system below the router base and it catches nearly all the spray coming off the bit, allowing the air flow through the above-the-base dust port to capture the dust and move it down the hose. That said, even when routing the edge of an MDF scrap without the lower hood, dust collection was nearly complete. The edge guide system includes provisions for capturing dust in a similar way. All of these accessories easily install and de-install quickly and with ease; again, because of the tool-free locking mechanisms inherent in the router’s design.
The plunge design on this machine is really, really smooth...the best I’ve had the chance to use. The left handle knob doubles as the plunge lock and a quick turn of the wrist allows for easy engagement/disengagement of the same. On the other side, the right handle allows for a positive and comfortable grip while operating the switch and switch lock. This design combines the best of both a plunge router and a D-handle design into a single tool...great for edge work and comfortable for use with jigs and the Festool guide system. Speaking about the guide system, this is yet another thing that this company does well...everything works together very well. And when you combine an excellent router with the guide, you have high-precision capablity for dados, including stopped dados as well as other forms of machining on panels and boards.
Like most Festool products, this tool is variable speed. The tool operates at a noticeably lower sound level than most routers...something that everyone noticed and commented about during our Sunday afternoon “Festool-val” at the shop on the same weekend I worked with this router. You still need to wear hearing protection, especially at top speed, but this machine does not scream like most others do!
Bit travel on the OF 1400 is nearly 2.75"...a full three quarters of an inch more than the smaller OF 1010. That really offers a lot of flexibility with mortising and other operations that benefit from a deep cut. Similar to most plunge routers, an adjustable three-position stop system lets you step through deep cuts in an organized fashion. Incidentally, that black knob on the base is a one-hand locking system for the edge guide accessory...no more fumbling with multiple screws to install, de-install and adjust the guide.