Product Description
Freuds New Doweling Joiner combines extreme versatility and maximumprecision in a portable design making it the ultimate joining solution forboth jobsite and workshop environments!The Freud FDW710K Doweling Joiner easily makesquick and strong dowel joints without the use ofcomplicated jigs, templates, and drills. FreudsDoweling Joiner can also easily bore shelf pinholes without building cumbersome jigs orpurchasing expensive line boring equipment.The versatility and portability of thismachine makes it great toolfor face frames, furniturerepairs, cabinet construction,and shelf pin hole boring. 3/4 stock setting plastic fence attachment Rack & pinion fence for accuratesynchronized height adjustments Accepts standard 10 mm shank boring bits Work with bits from 3/16 to 1/2 (5mm-12mm) diameter Bits are 32mm from centre to centre Adjustable fence with positive detentsat 0, 22.5, 45, & 90 Adjustable indexing pins provide for evenspacing of repetitive holes Powerful 6.5 amp motor for long life Includes carrying case. Freud warranty applies to Canadian consumers only.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #253284 in Home Improvement
- Brand: Freud
- Model: FDW710K
Features
- Great tool for dowel holes, face frames, shelf pins, furniture repair, and standard joinery.
- Works with bits from 3/16 inch to 1/2 inch ( 5mm-12mm ). Bits are 32mm from center to center. Accepts standard 10 mm shank boring bits
- Features adjustable rack & pinion fence and fence mounted handle for superior stability and control
- Easy to use without the need of set up jigs and portable enough to make repairs in the field. Carrying case included
- 5 Year Limited Warranty - 90 Days Money Back Guarantee
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful.
A Conundrum.
By Mike from Michigan
Just got mine today. What to think?
Info on this thing is sparse, so here is what I found -
The unit comes with a pair of 1/4" carbide tipped boring bits, both right handed.
Part numbers for replacement bits and other size bits are not listed on the Freud website or in the material that came with the unit.
The manual states 10mm shank boring bits with flat on shank. Freud makes 57mm and 70mm bits, this one uses the 57mm bits. (the 70mm would be too long for the unit).
The spare bit might be the Freud 1657R 1/4-Inch by 57-Millimeter Right 10-Millimeter Shank Carbide Tipped Spindle Boring Machine Bit but the photo does not show a flat like in the Freud 1670R 1/4-Inch by 70-Millimeter Right 10-Millimeter Shank Carbide Tipped Spindle Boring Machine Bit.
The Freud site only shows bits down to 10mm dia without a flat shown in the photo. My local Freud dealer (Woodcraft Supply) was no help either.
Quality - The boring depth and fence height "scales" are stickers. The boring depth already fell off mine before I turned it on. The scales for the indexing pins look to be molded in the faceplate. They are off significantly from left-to-right and there is no adjustment for them. I had hoped the pins themselves would be 1/4" so I could easily drill a series of holes for bookshelf supports, but they are 1/8" so you need to be careful to hold the pin tight to the side of the previously drilled hole when drilling a series.
The general "feel" of quality of knobs and such, and the noise it makes is on par with my DeWalt plate joiner.
Is it worth the price premium over plate joiners? I'm still not sure. The dowel holes have enough slop (using fluted 1/4" dowels) to allow some alignment, so the fit is about as "tight" as a biscuit. With the 1/4" bits, the narrowest rail you could join to a stile would be about 1 3/4". Just a tad smaller than you might try with a number zero biscuit. The glue is still drying on my test piece, but I would assume the joint strength is only equal to a biscuit.
It has a 90 day "money back" guarantee. If I bought it local, I may have taken it back, but shipping back to Amazon might be costly. (update: I applied for a refund today. Amazon operator said I would get a full refund. Let's see.***2nd update: I did get a full refund, including return shipping. Kudos to Amazon***)
So - if you ignore the "factory" scale settings and set it up yourself, use fluted dowels, and find replacement bits, it is worth it? Definitely maybe.
Do people from Freud read these reviews? If so-
What is the tube of oil for? The manual says I must take the unit only to an authorized service center, and I should take it there every two years for lubrication. There are no lubrication access points to the gear train.
Your tool documentation and website have no info on replacement bits. Don't you want to sell bits?
Your dealers need training about this tool and need to carry bits.
Make the indexing pins 1/4" to aid line boring.
The table on page 12 has no column headers, just some dimensions. The adjustable pins will work with all bit sizes because they are "adjustable".
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Biscuit joiner on steriods
By rprice54
I will preface by saying I haven't had a chance to use this much yet, I've made a few sample joints just to get a feel for this thing. I figure I have 90 days to decide if I will keep it- and I think I will- but I wanted to post some basic info because there's really not much out there for potential buyers.
It is definitely more of a luxury item than a "must have." You can do dowels for less, but I don't think you could do them easier or faster. I almost bought a biscuit joiner, they are very popular right now, but I decided to go with this. A lot of woodworking plans these days (from the common magazines) love to use biscuits for joinery. I think mainly because it's easy and fast. I'm not convinced they add much (if any) strength to a joint and I've never been comfortable with plans that use them in the main assembly or carcass. I just don't see those lasting. I can break a biscuit easily in my hands. I've read some reports they may even weaken an edge joint by decreasing glue surface- but that's anecdotal. If you already have a biscuit joiner, I'm not sure it's worth it to upgrade, but that's a personal decision.
Enter this thing. Solid oak dowels are much stronger than biscuits (usually some pressed or cheap light wood). Especially if you start drilling 2"+ long holes (over 1" on each side). So that's why I went with this. The usability and quickness of a biscuit but stronger joints. More of a traditional joint, like the Domino. I decided up front I wasn't going to spend the money for a Domino. This does cost more than a biscuit joiner though- for me it was worth it.
My biggest concern was precision- can you repeatedly drill holes that will line up vertically and horizontally?- and the answer so far is yes, the machine seems very precise. I tested on some plywood, the holes lined up at the same ply every time, and the resulting joint was flush. There is some learning curve, my first few holes were not spot on. The key is keeping the fence flush to the wood. The layout lines on the fence are easy to use, I use a 5mm pencil for most layouts, and this fits perfectly with the clear guides on the joiner. Instead of using an ink'd line, the clear plastic has a raised line that is clearly visible, but you can see your layout mark through the plastic. Very nice. There is one centered line, and one over each bit, in case you use one bit at a time for smaller joints.
As far as replacement bits, the website doesn't say specifically, but I think the replacement part is: BP63557R for the 1/4 bit. You want a 10mmx20mm bit, Right handed, with a drilling depth of 27mm and an overall depth of 57mm. The manual says the bit needs a flat area on the shank to accept the collet screw. I've emailed Freud about this, I will post their answer. [EDIT] confirmed from two different sources at Freud, the "standard boring bits" all include a flat area on the shank, including all the boring bits made by freud. So the item above will work, it's about $8 currently at Amazon. Now to look into some bigger bits for bigger dowels...
The joiner feels solid, all metal on the business end of the machine. The stops on the fence are dead on, well the 90 and 45 degrees are. I don't have an easy way to test the others. I don't notice any slop in the plunge mechanism, it feels very solid.
The plunge gauge is easy to zero out and set a depth. The fence turret adjustment seems smooth and parallel. There are presets for common thicknesses of wood, to help you hit the middle of the piece- what is more important is that your holes line up at the same depth. For strength you want to be in the middle...
So far I find myself holding smaller parts with my left hand and using my right to plunge the machine. I guess the handle on top would come in handy with a larger workpiece that is clamped to your bench.
The guide indexing pins are a good idea, but they are much smaller than the holes (1/8 roughly) and so they introduce some room for error (is that pin on the exact far end of the 1/4 hole?). It may work for shelf pin holes, where being off 1/64 won't matter, but for running a line of holes along a joint I don't think I trust them. My initial test showed the piece skewed a bit (about 1/64) based on the layout lines on the two pieces, too much for my tastes, I'll just stick with multiple layout lines. The pins are adjustable, and mabye mine need adjusting- if I can fix the error I will update my post. I used the setup out of the box. They do have indicator lines for the appropriate placement when you use bigger bits.
I tried two types of dowels, the traditional "ribbed" dowels that come precut- I bought a bag of 25 at my home improvement store. I believe they are solid oak based on the grain, but not sure. I also bought a standard 1/4 oak dowel rod to try. The premade dowels fit easily and snug, but with just a little wiggle room. Enough to compensate for some user error maybe, but snug enough. The dowel rod is a very tight fit, but man, what a strong joint. I face jointed two pieces of plywood and used 4 dowels (two layout lines) over a 10" joint, and without glue I couldn't break the joint. It opened up a bit, but I couldn't break the 4 dowels. That was with 1 1/4" dowels. The solid dowel rod may not leave enough room for glue though... we'll see.
It comes with a 5 year warranty, and feels like it will last that long. The bits are carbide tipped and should last a long time, and if replacement bits are $8 I'll go ahead and get a pair to have on hand.
For me it's a keeper. Minus a star for the price, maybe half a star for the adjustable pins, but I need to pull the calipers out first and be sure they are lined up properly, it is almost $100 more than a comparable biscuit joiner but I think over the life of the product will be worth it for stronger joints.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Fraud
By Thomas W. Wilson
When I received this product i contacted Freud USA to inquire about conversion kits and spare parts. I was informed that freud no longer manufactored the product and woas unable to assist me with any parts or conversion of the product to imperial vs metric application. I requested an authorization to return the product as it was usless to me. Nothing in the promotional material available to me prior to purchase disclosed that the product was out of production, no longer service by Frued or that the return would have to be via international mail or carrier. I was first advised the purchasr price only $199.99 woud be refunded. I complained and receive a subsequent notice the $25.00 original shipping charge be refunded but not the $67.25 of reeturn postage I had to pay. I gurss I am out the $67.25 and you are out of another customer. I do think you need to screen the clients you sell for and filter out the unfair and deceptive practices of these clients. I will not be returning to your site in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment