Pantorouter options

[ivanfabian]

Are there any owners of the aluminum pantorouter about? I'd be interested in your long term view of owning one. Is it your go-to tool for mortices and tenon joinery?

I'm interested in getting one but the UK offering has either a 42mm holder for a mafel or I suspect the old Kress spindles neither would allow me to use any of my 1/2 in cutters. The option that takes the 88.7mm lists a few router options none of which seem be available in the UK. Any thoughts.

Thanks
Ivan

 

[MikeJhn]

Personally if I was looking for a mortice and tenon jig I'd go for the Leigh which can use any router, I have the Leigh Dovetail jig and it really is the RR of jigs.

 

[sunnybob]

Matthias Wendel is the king of pantorouters =D>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wZ1v4PIsYI

 

[ivanfabian]

Personally if I was looking for a mortice and tenon jig I'd go for the Leigh which can use any router, I have the Leigh Dovetail jig and it really is the RR of jigs.

Thanks. That's an interesting idea. I'll look into it.

 

[ivanfabian]

Matthias Wendel is the king of pantorouters =D>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wZ1v4PIsYI

Hes definitely someone who would know a lot about it but I think as hes the inventor he may have a vested interest in it. Id like to know the view of someone who has forked out the money to buy one of these and can comment on whether it is still the goto machine for them.

 

[sunnybob]

He sells plans, not products, so some surfing in his design

 

[Anders K]

Hi, I bought a pantorouter from Kuldeep a few years ago. Although I don't use it that often (I'm a hobbyist), it´s a wonderful machine. I did buy the templates for boxjoints and dovetails, but I haven't used them yet.
I did consider the Festool Domino, but the pantorouter seemed like a more versatile machine. I have used it for big mortice and tenon joints for a workbench and for shelf brackets for a lumber rack.
I use a Bosch GMF1400 router, but i did consider the Draper router motor (not sure if this is still available?). As an alternative you could consider the Bosch GMF1600 (as Cosmas B on Youtube) or an AEG router (as Marius Hornberger on Youtube).
If you have other questions, I'll be happy to help.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Hi Ivan

We are the UK supplier for the Pantorouter, as yet we have not found a reliable 1/2" router that will fit within the Pantorouter and work on UK 230V 50Hz power.

The German made Mafell MF1000 spindle has proved to be an excellent machine and has a few advantages over the round bodied motors. The 43mm shaft is a far more accurate fixing method than clamping onto a round router body. Round body fixing is not an issue for normal bench or handheld routing but the way the Pantorouter moves via the mechanical linkage of a pantograph arm, the concentricity of the cutter to the mounting, is key to accurate work. This would not be noticeable if only doing mortice and tenon work but the Pantorouter is capable of so much more. When you start using multiple dovetail templates or the finger joint jigs, the Mafell starts to show its superior accuracy. The smaller Mafell body also allows the spindle to move more within the Pantorouter frame giving wider joints on boards. I don’t believe any members of the forum have bought one of our Pantorouters, but you can check out the 5 star customer reviews on our website. You are more than welcome to come and see one in action at our workshop in Worcestershire when life returns to normality and we reopen to visitors.

Please give us an email if we can assist further.

Cheers Peter

 

[ivanfabian]

Thanks for the advice Peter. That makes perfect sense. I would like to visit your shop when this lockdown is over.

 

[Peter Sefton]

You would be more than welcome.
In the meantime this review of the FM1000 popped up last week which might be of interest. I have been in contact with Mafell to see if any 1/2" collet options might be available-who knows we might strike lucky, but it's a peculiarity of the UK market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hES9xD ... Yl9ZDt8Pp4

Cheers Peter