Elu routers

[Hornbeam]

Its a real pity Elu sold out to Dewalt. My old MOF 96E from nearly 30 years ago has just had a small service and running as well as the day I bought it. 1 set of replacement bearings and a new on off switch total cost about £30 or £1 a year. I think it just shows buying quality pays

 

[scholar]

I sold my Elu MOF96E some years ago, together with its little router table as I decided I had too many routers (I do), including a full set of Festool. After a while, I found I had various little jobs that the MOF96E was best for.

I tried a long shot and contacted the buyer of mine about 5 years after selling it, but was rather disappointed, but i suppose gratified, that he loved the machine and it was in virtually daily use

I spent a while rebuilding my kit through eBay purchases and it will now stay with me as long as I am around.

BTW, the router table setup is really adaptable and useful for many site jobs - definitely worth finding one of these if you don't have one.

Cheers

 

[Hornbeam]

I think router collecting is a specialist hobby. I think I have 5 and a separate table set up

 

[scholar]

I have a proper table, but the Elu accessory still has uses.

 

[joncooper27]

I have an Elu planer great bit of kit must be about 30 years old too!

 

[Distinterior]

On a similar theme....

Elu MOF 177E Brushes.

I actually ended up fitting the new brushes last week....

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Plus there is a 177e dedicated to the router table.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[jrm688]

Plus there is a 177e dedicated to the router table.

Regards from Perth

Derek

My Elu 3339 looks like the larger one in the picture . Except for the colour it is identical to the Dewalt 625. In 30 years I have only had to replace the speed sensor magnet when it came off the top end of the shaft. The local DeWalt dealer got me the part.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

My Elu 3339 looks like the larger one in the picture . Except for the colour it is identical to the Dewalt 625. In 30 years I have only had to replace the speed sensor magnet when it came off the top end of the shaft. The local DeWalt dealer got me the part.

I gather that the 177e was named 3339 in the North Americas.

Incidentally, as we know, DeWalt continued the Elu models, just changing the numbers. The Elu versions, especially the 177e, did not come with dust control. What I did was modify (slightly) the DeWalt items, and fit them (see my photo). This works very well. Below is an extract from my post on routing dog holes for a multifunction table (MFT) ...

My old Elu router is at least 25 years old. It used a 30mm Trend guide bush fitted into a custom made adapter ..

The router bit is a Trend 20mm ...

I was also very pleased to see how well the dust collection worked. The Elu did not come with dust collection - this was not important 25 years ago! - and I adapted the fitting from a Dewalt to fit it.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My neighbour picked up an unused, boxed 177e a couple of years ago for £50.

 

[clogs]

they also "Elu" made a very nice planer /thick and flip saw as well...also copied by DeWalt......"They made em an offer they could not refuse" I guess......
Prob cheaper to buy the company than to design from scratch.....marvelous that stuff scratch......hahaha...

PS, still have the P/T just wish I still had the flip saw......

 

[pe2dave]

My 177e is still in use - I do miss the guide bush fittings though. @Hornbeam where did you get it serviced please?
My 196 went up in smoke, needed to have been service 10 years prior!

 

[Hornbeam]

@Hornbeam where did you get it serviced please?

In my workshop. It is very simple to split into parts. The access to the 4 screws that hold the lower casing are a bit awkward due to the angle but otherwise under an hour.
@Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) I have a very similar family but the middle one is a Dewalt. The ELU OF97E and Dewalt DW621 have the dust extraction integral in one of te plunge columns and are the only router I have ever used with good dust extraction. Pity no one else has followed this up

 

[eribaMotters]

My Elu 96 gave up the ghost with smoke coming out of the top some years ago. I believe a bearing had seized up after many years of excellent service. I managed to claim on my new for old house insurance and bought a DeWalt DW621, which as stated above has excellent extraction system down a leg.
My Elu 177e is still housed under a router table after ?? years of trouble free use.

Colin

 

[Lignafera]

I also have a Elu 96e, that is more than 30 years old, not used very often today.

 

[BillK]

I've got two 177s, a single-speed and a multi-speed. One lives on a mini router sled (platform with side rails), the other in a larger router sled using CNC rails and v-slot etc. Also got an OF97E, I love that thing though don't need it much.

And an Elu pin router with the MOF11 kept for spare, has a bit much run-out in the spindle, but I managed to find a little-used Dewalt DW627 Type1 that runs truer and now lives in there instead.

MOF11 users might well know already but there's two types of arbor, with different threads - one version takes standard 177 nuts & collet. Makes it easy to swap between 1/4" and 1/2" collets on the 11 (or DW627).

 

[dickm]

Just to join the Elu club! Two Mof 177E, one for kitchen work, one in a Ryobi table. At least one 96, a 97 and possibly more. 110V portable planer and, perhaps my favourite, a flipover saw. Incredibly well made, but the weight is getting a bit excessive for my aged muscles!

 

[Distinterior]

I've got two Elu TGS 173 Flip over saws. The first one ,240v, that I bought new in 1993 and a 110v one from 1995 that I picked up second hand in 2000 .... Not the best mitre saw or the best portable table saw, but still a good combination of the two. I had to put new motor bearings in the 240v saw about 3 months ago, but that's small price to pay for extensive on the job use after 29 years...Nice quiet induction motors on both saws.

 

[accipiter]

I've a 96 - not 96e - that I've had for 32~34? years. Use to have it mounted semi-permanent to the Trend Router Lathe but hadn't used it for quite a few years.

Two years ago(?) - summer 2021 - I had to use it for/on a rocking chair I was making for the (then pregnant) daughter. Fudge mounted it to one of the mobile router tables I'd had for some time - fudge mount because the holding plate is for a 152mm (6") router base - which the 96 ain't. Had a mind blip about airflow and used a surgical scissor lift unit to support - resting on what is the airflow "top" now the "bottom" as in the table. After a while smoke started to appear... .

Located another 96 on eBay while deciding what to do with the old one. Hearing about "self servicing" I'm now considering that option so could end up with 2 96's plus three other routers - No... 4 as I located one with a 152mm base that fits the mobile router table. (Thinking of selling as a bundle this year as have enough). The 96 replacement (used) cost more than the new one I found which has the correct size base for the mobile router table...