Nick n Scratched

Greetings Freud Router Fans:
I finally had some time to thoroughly inspect my router. So here is what I have found:

1. Thanks Charles for suggesting calling the support telephone number. They have some of the units in the field that require larger shims in the push button unlock mechanism. That is a no big deal fix to swap them out if anyone else experiences a gear that tends not to grab the threads when one tries to raise up the bit height. Painless.

2. My unit has a clear plastic base and it does, in fact, have a small hole that is positioned over another small recessed hole through the metal base plate near the spindle locking mechanism. But, it is a hole to nowhere, as it appears to be about 10-32 threaded, and empty. There is no hex hole, and no way to actuate the spindle lock from above the table on my unit. I am not sure how this small threaded hole thru could be used for that purpose, even if it had hardware with it. I asked the knowledgeable and friendly gentleman at the support line about the new above table spindle lock, and he was not aware of it. Maybe it is really new and he has not seen it yet. I would like to see one, as it sounds interesting. If anyone has the new Freud 1700 with above table spindle lock, please chime in.

3. The original conical cam that automatically actuates the spindle lock as it rides up into it was on the neato router unit on display that I thought I was getting when I purchased this one…Hence the origin of this post. There is, for sure, nothing wrong with the manual spindle-locking unit I have. Now, I am in no way recommending doing anything with the following comments nor would I do anything of the following nature myself, but: It seems that if one had a modestly equipped shop, that one could use, say, a piece of 3/8”, easy to machine, hard plastic such as PVC Type l or polyurethane, or even aluminum to fabricate a small conical shaped cam to replace the manually actuating spindle lock. The hypothetical cam would use the existing manual lever cam as a basic template for producing, perhaps, a rounded 1” dia x 3/8" tapered cam. Adding a hole thru and counter bore to accommodate the existing screw might even affix this hypothetical cam to the metal router base in the same hole where the old lever was fastened. One might even consider carefully using a die grinder with some coarse sand paper to bevel the mild steel locking pin so it rides smoothly down the new cam when raising up the tool for bit changes. Once again, I do not recommend, nor would I try any of this myself as it certainly voids the warranty and could be dangerous if machined incorrectly. So don’t even dream of it.

I again state that this is a really good router for the money. I had heard a few complaints here or there when reading some pre-purchase reviews, but some of these people are trying to compare this $150 router with a $300 lift system not including the router cost. Get real. This thing is a great value with the old design, or new design. I defy anyone to find a similar router of this quality, with these features at this price. I really enjoy using it.

Nick

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Nick
"Did I just do what I think I did?"

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Mike

Nick, No doubt Freud makes nice routers. Defy anyone? I think that is pressing things a bit. Everybody has their personal choice of features that are important to them. The important thing is that you are happy with the router you own and enjoy using it. I feel that way about my Bosch 1617's. I bought a PC 690 since it is the top selling router (by sheer momentum) to learn about it. It is a far cry above most Skil, Ryobi or Craftsman routers but I find it lacking in comparison to my Bosch's. Even so, when asked by a member which router they should buy I suggest they get as many different routers as they can into their hands and see how they feel to them. Most brands have quality machines that perform well. To each their own.

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Mike

Ray Dockrey

Hypothetically you could take the cam locking lever and grind the tab off and make it rounded off and leave it in the open position. Then, hypothetically, grind a bevel on the locking pin and when you raise the router it will automatically engage. Of course, all this is hypothetical and would void your warranty.

Nick n Scratched

Mike:
Absolutely. I have accumulated more than one router over the years and I like them all for different reasons. I use them all for different things. I guess my point was that in some pre-purchase reviews, I saw some nit-picking about the Freud 1700. There for sure are routers and lift kits that are more precise if one requires that. BUT, that is something one must be willing to pay for. I saw the same thing on a great new bandsaw I recently purchased. My brother's comment was, “what did they expect for that price?”

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Nick
"Did I just do what I think I did?"

Nick n Scratched

Ray:
One might consider, hypothetically of course, pulling out the 'ol grinder as a practical and quick design improvement to the lever. The thought crossed my mind in a purely theoretical manner. With a one month old router still covered under a one year warranty, one might consider, as a purely conjectural alternative, the fun fabrication method first before enhancing the lever design with the grinder.

I am still interested in seeing if the above table third hex hole spindle lock design looks like if anyone has one and wants to share their experiences.

Happy Routing

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Nick
"Did I just do what I think I did?"