A reader came up with
a great question: "Can I use my Festool 1000 Router with the new Akeda Jig?" I
knew that the Akeda Jig required a 7/16" guide, and I couldn't find any guide that
came close in the Festool Catalog. The answer came from the technical experts at Festool.
They knew that Leigh made an adapter to fit the Festool router, AND it uses the popular
universal guides. They sent me one to try — and that I did.
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It seemed to fit
perfectly, but I wanted to install and use it to really be able to answer the
question. The universal guide set with the 7/16" guide is at the right.
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Another concern was in bit
size. The router bit shafts that are sold in the US by Akeda are 1/4" and the ones
sold in Europe are 8mm, their standard. Happily, the Festool 1000 comes with both.
[A note to 8mm bit users: the shaft does fit into my 7/16" guide bushing
but the space is tight. If you decide to use this combination, be sure to check the
tolerance before using.]
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I use a straight edge to
check that all the adapter is below the level of the base plate and the guide is above
with enough surface to be used. The reflection in the picture distorts the view a bit
— in fact the guide fits perfectly.
After this check, I rotated the router shaft to see if the bit was centered
properly. It looked very good but only making a dovetail would be the proper test.
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For the test, I
chuck a dovetail bit and raise it to make the cut.
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I won't go through all the
steps here. They are shown in the Akeda review section. ( click here
for the Akeda review )
Here I am extending the marks for the centerlines of the dovetail fingers.
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This is a clearer
"operator's" view. I have made the marks on a piece of repositionable
paper tape so it is easy to put in place and remove.
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I make the cut. Since I am
doing 1/2-blind dovetails, I make the cut into the fingers and then against the back edge
to cut the relief cut.
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First time and a perfect fit. That is a proof positive answer to the
question. Thanks to the reader for the question and thanks to Festool for the quick
answer.
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It was great having the
power of the Festool vacuum connected to the Akeda Jig. I will try to get a shorter hose.
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