# New flush edge helper-tool



## johnnie_dr (Jan 8, 2016)

Hi Guys & Gals,

I get eNews from a small company that makes interesting and very helpful tools & widgets. FastCap.com

Here's a new widget that will help stabilize your router and bit when doing flush trimming...

Little Lipper - FastCap - Woodworking Tools

I'm not endorsing it...don't have one...just thought it might be of interest to you all.

Johnnie D


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Although I like most FastCap products this one looks scary. It puts your fingers too close to the whirly bits for me. Maybe I'm just a wuss (but I do have all my fingers.)


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

I'm surprised they didn't add a guard and shape it more like a handle behind...... wait a minute..... Might have a go at that.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Other than the obvious, with your fingers too close to the cutter, you're still unsupported for the first couple of inches until the guide gets to the part. After all those years of trimming backsplashes and panel edges, I just use the flush bit in a trimmer - and with the trimmer vertical, I'd think having it horizontal like that is just asking for trouble as you're trying to balance the weight of the trimmer too. If I was going to make a guide, I'd look at the Flush Trim Jig from Woodsmith #94


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

johnnie_dr said:


> Hi Guys & Gals,
> 
> I get eNews from a small company that makes interesting and very helpful tools & widgets. FastCap.com
> 
> ...


I would fear for my fingers way too much to use that...


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

Agreed not a safe product. The safest thing to do is orient the work piece so that you hold the router properly in a vertical position.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Gents,

I forwarded your feedback on to Mr. Akers, he thanks you for your input.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

MikeMa said:


> Agreed not a safe product. The safest thing to do is orient the work piece so that you hold the router properly in a vertical position.


or make something yourself...


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## Aldoman (Feb 13, 2016)

Hi, I am the designer and creator of the Little Lipper. I have been making furniture full time for over 40 years now and have been using variations of the Lipper for around 10 years. The Lipper has been very useful in my work and I always thought it would be a great product which is why I contacted FastCap.

I can see how the Lipper can be perceived to have safety issues but in usage it feels very comfortable to me. The Lipper is 8” long and your hand is a safe distance from the flush cut bit. The force of your hand on the Lipper is directed parallel to the cut and not towards the cutting bit. The combined length of the Lipper and the router gives the user a great deal of leverage and you are also using two hands so you have added control.

I would recommend the Lipper be used with a laminate trimmer since they are smaller and easier to handle, I use a Bosch with a 1/2” bit and usually have that setup as a dedicated router. There are times when the weight of a larger router is helpful but it is usually not needed.

The Little Lipper extremely versatile and will give you a perfectly flush cut on flat, concave and convex surfaces. Other than the cutter depth the trimmer requires no adjustment. The router rotates around the Lipper and once the Lipper is placed on the surface to be trimmed the router is lowered to engage the cut. The cutting depth can be controlled so you don't have to make the full cut in one pass. The added leverage provided by the Lipper is especially useful when you have to cut downhill to prevent chip out when trimming figured woods. 

We tried to keep the tool as simple, functional and affordable as possible. We are open to making improvements and welcome your comments. Good luck with your routing projects.

Thanks,
Allen Miesner
miesner.com


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## LONGHAIR (Mar 8, 2008)

Or you could simply use a router that was intended to do such a thing, like the Festool mfk700. It makes this job as easy/safe and dust free as possible.
I worked around this problem for years with different methods and varying degrees of success. An offset fence on a router table works well, but only one smaller parts like shelves and it can't do curved pieces at all. Block planes and card scrapers work too, but they are tedious and slow, not a huge issue to a hobbyist but not when you do it for a living.

Lamello also makes a "lipping planer" that does a fine job, but it is a strictly dedicated tool, that's all it does. The mfk700 has vertical base options that make it far more versatile.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

Aldoman said:


> Hi, I am the designer and creator of the Little Lipper. I have been making furniture full time for over 40 years now and have been using variations of the Lipper for around 10 years. The Lipper has been very useful in my work and I always thought it would be a great product which is why I contacted FastCap.
> 
> I can see how the Lipper can be perceived to have safety issues but in usage it feels very comfortable to me. The Lipper is 8” long and your hand is a safe distance from the flush cut bit. The force of your hand on the Lipper is directed parallel to the cut and not towards the cutting bit. The combined length of the Lipper and the router gives the user a great deal of leverage and you are also using two hands so you have added control.
> 
> ...


Hi Allen. Thank you for taking the time to respond to our members concerns. We have a few professional woodworkers among us, but most of us are hobbyists, like myself. I would pass on this.. WAY out of my comfort zone.


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## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

The MFK 700 setup is limited on the thickness of edge band in horizontal mode but can also be used in vertical position with the router base resting on the flat in combo with mortising bit.

The Festool OF1010 also has an accessories kit to do the edge trimming on the horizontal.

Can also make a base similar to the Betterley trimmer jig, perhaps not as complicated, for whatever router is in the kit.

http://www.routerforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189498&thumb=1


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

One solution to the hands too close issue would be to extend the shaft on the tool and leave a smooth end to hold on to -or- make the outer end a little longer and threaded and put a 90* handle with a blank hole in one end that slips over the shaft and gets nutted tight to the end of the shaft.


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## Aldoman (Feb 13, 2016)

The Festool router would be the preferred choice, I have never used one but I am sure it does a great job as do all of the Festool products. That said the Little Lipper only costs $35, requires no adjustment and will flush cut a concave or convex surface.


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## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

Aldoman said:


> The Festool router would be the preferred choice, I have never used one but I am sure it does a great job as do all of the Festool products. That said the Little Lipper only costs $35, requires no adjustment and will flush cut a concave or convex surface.


I can see the advantage of edging convex/concave and don't think I would hesitate to give your device a tryout if the need arises but so far my current available options have suited my work.


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## johnnie_dr (Jan 8, 2016)

Allen,

I was the original "poster" of this topic. Thanks for chiming in and sharing details about your original design. It's valuable to get the perspective of the tool designer, plus your experience in using it. Judging from the pictures on your website, you are rather accomplished craftsman. 

I'll be watching the FastCap site to see if they address any safety issues or make improvements. And if we *all *could afford Festool products....well, we'd be all safer and happier (I guess), but meanwhile we make the best of what we've got.

later...

Johnnie D


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

johnnie_dr said:


> Allen,
> 
> I was the original "poster" of this topic. Thanks for chiming in and sharing details about your original design. It's valuable to get the perspective of the tool designer, plus your experience in using it. Judging from the pictures on your website, you are rather accomplished craftsman.
> 
> ...


I agree. When you stop and think about it a hammer and a chisel in the hands of a novice is an unsafe tool. there are a lot of tools that can be unsafe if not handled right. I would have no problem using this addition to a router. I have confidence in my ability to use it for its intended use. I feel a lot of times that safety is way over blown in that people expect things to be so safe that a little old lady can walk in and pick it up and use it. 
I know that some of you guys were and are safety engineers and don't agree, but thats fine, My feelings are that in a lot of cases safety is over done to the point of being unsafe in a lot of cases,and I speak from experience,and is based a lot on insurance claims for injuries claimed that was due to carelessness and inexperience. There, I said it and I stand by it.

Herb


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