Fitting the guide bush . |
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Fitting the new low profile dust spout . |
If depth-of-cut adjustment is critical as with some jigs like the dovetailer , the T5 Kit includes a fine height adjuster which fits onto the long screw of the depth turret . This allows precise control of cut depth and I have one permanently fitted to one of my old T5s . In use it is hard to fault the new T5 ; it is still as easy to handle as the original MOF 96 , despite the near doubling of power , but still only weighing 3.0kg . Everything is firm and rigid , there is none of that rocking about on the plunge columns that you often get with the cheaper smaller routers . The |
are removing a lot of material in one pass it becomes essential to use the extraction hood , as without it the dust is thrown everywhere making for a very uncomfortable and unhealthy working environment . |
Micro adjustment sidefence . |
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Using the beam trammel bar to make circles and arcs . |
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One final accessory included in the kit is a trammel point that fits onto one of the side-fence bars for cutting circles . This is not something you use very often but is surprisingly effective when you do need it , although some means of locking it onto the fence rod independently of the wing nut clamp would make it easier to use . |
Edge profiling with a bearing guided ogee cutter Ref . 46 / 30X1 / 4TC . |
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50mm plunge action is smooth and accurate and quickly locks with the now wonderfully comfortable side handles ! The benefits of all the extra power soon become clear with the bigger cutters and you can now make a reduced number of passes , the full wave electronics maintaining a constant speed even under load . Where you
8 ��Profile���� ���������������������������������������������� Autumn 2009
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Conclusion
The original T5 specification was hard to improve , but the additional features of the new model lift it to the top of the class for me . The cosmetic tweaks are all very worthy , particularly to the handles , but the real plus is the improved power output allowing you to access a far greater range of bigger cutters on 8mm shanks without the expense of having to move up to a bigger router . But please could we have some longer fence bars as standard !
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... and with a bearing guided cove cutter Ref . 46 / 264X1 / 4TC . |