Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 49-54-1035 Router Edge Guide with Micro-Fine Adjustment

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love my Milwaukee router, so when looking for an edge guide, I went with the same brand.

The edge guide was easy to install, and once the distance was set it worked as well as you'd expect an edge guide to work.

However, I found the Fine Adjustment setting to be impossible to use. It is held in place by the same screw that clamps it securely to the rails. Loosening the screw in order to adjust the distance caused the guide to slip from the rails, which made it impossible to adjust smoothly and accurately. Knowing what I know now, I'd look for a different edge guide.

In reading some of the previous reviews it seemed just ok. After recieving this product im not sure why. I feel like Milwaukee did a great job with this edge guide. I work with furniture mostly. This edge guide is not so bulky that it interferes with your work. It does not have complicated frills like the Bosh and is not plastic like parts of the DeWalt (which i own). This edge guide is just like all other Milwaukee products...durable and made to last. The core is aluminum. All other is metal. To adjust the fine micro you need to loosen only ONE knob that is hidden in the picture that is just below the aluminum body. Once this is loosened you simply turn the metal screw to adjust. Once adjusted secure it there by tigntening the ONE knob and your done ! There is no need to loosen all screws like i have read? As these are metal on metal parts out of the box it helps to put some light oil or WD40 for smooth action.

This guide is fantastic. Micro fine adjusments made easy and precise.

If you are looking at this but question if it delivers, here's how it got to work for me. Once the router is over the cut mark lock the rails finger tight. Using your left hand hold the fence against the stock, with your right hand loosen the single fence nut (underneath) then using the same hand micro adjust the dial to move the router toward or away from you. Once the bit is in position lock the fence nut and the micro fine adjustment is complete.

I bought this Milwaukee edge guide from Amazon and it came in factory-sealed packaging. There is so much slop in the design that I doubt that a 1/128-inch adjustment is repeatable. Better yet, the fine adjustment knob on my guide had damaged threads and would not turn at all. The person who assembled it forced it into place. The knob is steel and the sliding part that it goes into is aluminum. The threads in the aluminum part were chewed up as a result. Both guide rods were also severely corroded at the ends and one rod was starting to corrode along its length.
Milwaukee seems to have really terrible quality control (if at all) in their router division. I'm crossing my fingers that the replacement unit will be in much better shape than this one.

UPDATE 6/09: Amazon could not send me a replacement and refunded my purchase. After additional research, I ordered a Bosch RA1054 edge guide. The Bosch rods are larger diameter and spaced farther apart and will not fit the Milwaukee router. I had a pair of 1/4-in stainless rods which will fit the inboard guide holes of the edge guide. The Milwaukee base takes a 5/16-in rod, but will take the 1/4-in rods. The fit isn't perfect, but I've used this setup on a number of projects already and it worked well for me. This is the design that Milwaukee should have used.

Far below Milwaukee quality standards, there is nothing "heavy-duty" about this edge guide. Made in China, crudely designed, you will need to buff the threads and oil them before the mechanism will even begin to adjust smoothly. This is what you may expect from Black & Decker or Skil, but to attach this third-world accessory to the superb Milwaukee router is ridiculous. A joke at nearly $30, at least it's all metal. The only reason to buy: it will definitely fit your Milwaukee router.

I used the guide, attached to a jig, for making flutes in the pilasters of a large book case. It worked superbly, by far easier to adjust than the edge guide for Craftsman routers. The only drawback is the limited documentation, including the lack of instructions for attaching the guide to the router base. That was an annoying first time out of the box problem but it is quickly solved.

It does what it is supposed to do. I found the micro adjustment was difficult to use and was disappointed that it didn't include some hints or instructions. The adjustment knob would benefit from some lock nut on the threads and a slide adjustment of some type but instead it has a locking bolt (not pictured) that you have to loosen every time you want to turn the micro adjustment knob. I would still purchase it if the price is good. I was concerned another brands guide would not fit my Milwaukee.

I have just received my router edge guide. It fits great. It works as advertised. Fine adjustment is just that. You use the fine adjustment to slowly fine tune your measurements. The instructions are vague but you don't really need a manual to figure it out. There is a third knob on the bottom that allows for the fine adjustment that moves the aluminum t guide in a shuttle. You loosen the two side knobs to get it to close to your measurement and then tighten them down. Then you loosen the bottom knob (not really pictured in the photo) and you turn the fine adjustment knob. This will allow you to dial it in to your exact measurement. It is that simple. It does what it says. I strongly disagree with the negative reviews and I am just getting started in wood working.

I'm a novice with a router so interpret what I say appropriately. The difference in quality of construction between this accessory and my Milwaukee router is pretty striking with the edge guide definitely losing on the comparison. It does work to guide the router, but the adjustment is not very precise. I end up using the micro-adjustment to fine tune the position to my marks and find the measurements on the dial unusable. On the other hand, it does guide the router and it's easy to attach.

Milwaukee products are usually rugged and reliable. This edge guide could take a lesson from other manufacturers in ease of use and accuracy. I find the micro-adjustment feature to be very difficult to turn even with the bottom nut completely loose. The rails that the edge guide travels along are not connected to anything and may play a role in the micro-adjustment difficulty when they are not perfectly parallel.

This guide works and is not all of that pricey, but it could stand some improvements for which many folks are willing to pay a little extra for. I can't honestly give it 4 stars, but 3 stars is an average rating.