Scheppach HF50 table-top router

My not so good impressions after a year of use. The size and general idea are good, and it works, but detailed design is awkward, and production quality is sub-standard. I will never be happy with this machine.
Simply put, precision is bad and it is hard to adjust: will take longer than you think and often be off half a millimeter (1/64 - 1/32"), just enough to result in a bad fit in smaller parts.
Several parts are just so-so, particularly the mitre gauge, which is a joke: rattle fit in the slot, and a severely cupped plastic part, making it next to useless. In the video I forgot to mention the push blocks, which are rubberised for good grip, but the rubber is so hard there is practically no friction and no grip at all...

[@Ajackeroo2]

I purchased one of these and i agree fully with your review, firstly the fence was straight one side off square the other side and trying to push timber through it would hit the left hand bottom edge, took it back and they said the plastic fitting was not square and you could put some washers on one side to straighten it out which i did, then put a bit in to do a small rabbit and it chewed the timber up and stopped the machine and found the screws that hold the motor was loose so i stripped the machine down used locktite for all the screws and adjusted a few things put it all back together, 4 hours work again got back to routing found one side of the bit was higher then the other then tried to get the bit out with holding the plastic locker on the side to lock it to unscrew the nut but it kept spinning and the stop did not work so had to get a ring spanner and tap it with a hammer and finally loosened the nut. This was the final straw as i piled it all into the car and took it back and said i want a refund which that did, I said i have worked on this for 5 hours to do 10 min routing and said its the worse piece of rubbish i have ever seen and i work with machinery. Beware do not buy.

[@SweSuf]

I'm sorry to hear that. Mine is not so bad, but given the obvious lack of engineering skill and quality control I am, unfortunately, not too surprised.

[@mikiknops9667]

I had problems with my table saw from them, from first day raising blade mechanism did not work properly, table top not straight, terrible blade i had to upgrade right away to cut hardwood. Really bad product i will never get anything else from them.,

[@jonathonbatkin6466]

I was thinking about buying one of these, but now I'll reconsider. Thanks for your concise and objective review

[@manla8397]

You saved my few hundred dollars. I was so curious how a metal top router table included router can be so cheap. Thank you.

[@SweSuf]

I'm glad it helped!

[@peterhladky5481]

Thank you so much for preventing me from buying this. I was about to order and then watched your review.

[@MyYouTubeChannelThingy]

Thanks for sharing your impressions on this router table - you provided a really concise overview of your experience with it. Many thanks.

[@kk-zz7dc]

Thank you for your review, it was quite damning - you have saved me time, money & frustration.

[@SweSuf]

Glad I could help! Hope you find something that works for you.

[@BrockMcLellan]

I didn't find your video until a couple of years after I bought an HF50. However, I totally agree with every point that you make. Setting up the HF50 became so problematic, that I "outsourced" the production of kitchen drawers, that I had originally intended to make using this machine. This was my last Scheppach purchase. I bought several machines after I retired, intending to have carpentry and woodworking as a hobby. Now, five - six years later, I am gradually giving all of these machines away or recycling them. In some cases, replacement machines are being bought. Most of these are made by Bosch.

[@cxpeky]

Thank you for your video. You have saved me from buying this piece of equipment. It looks like I will have to buy something few times more expensive :)

[@SweSuf]

Just last week I had to do another task with this thing; it works, sort of, barely, but neither the result nor the experience is enjoyable... Yes, do get something else!

[@5084204]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I think you should ask for a replacement from your supplier immediately after seeing the table top. My table is perfectly flat - max 0.3mm gap diagonally. Bought mine from MachineMart and.... my review: Excellent packaging and fast delivery from Machine Mart. This unit appears to be a rebranded Scheppach HF50, but I believe Machine Mart ensures a slightly better item quality. Pros: The most important thing is that the work table surface is perfectly flat: I have tried to find any faults but ended up with an unevenness max of 0.3mm. This is absolutely great and I did not expect this sort of quality! The motor is very powerful, fully extended 1/2 inch round bits will route pine without any lowering of the speed The lifting mechanism is quite precise, and comfortable, and can be locked to the desired height (beware, locking will move the routing bit about 1mm to the right - so triple-check your set-up before powering the tool!) Speed control is smooth, buttons well designed. Cons: The most serious problem is with the fence. This is complete, utter rubbish. It is not square, it cannot be set up flat, it is too short, and locking bolts also are too short, uncomfortable and frequently fall inside the machine. After 2 days of attempts to use it - I just got rid of that and made my own fence 1.2m - hardwood plywood: 1 meter long, 13cm high: perfectly square to the table top and flat. It works great now! The bottom of the main body unit has got a plastic cover. Unfortunately, there is no attachment to suck the dust away from inside - hence (BE CAREFUL!) there is a very high risk of the machine catching fire. Get rid of that plastic cover as soon as possible and hoover it regularly! Check other reviews with lovely photos of the already burnt machines. It is a very serious design fault and should not be CE-marked. Mitre attachment is terribly unreliable - do not use it. No matter how you tighten the knob - it will change the angle while you push the stock and therefore ruin your project. But overall? Not a bad idea, but needs some extra thought and a few, rather easy modifications. The entire fence needs immediate redesigning, as at this price we could expect a full aluminium cast with replaceable MDF sacrificial pads. Some sort of extractor attachment to the engine bay would sort out the fire risk associated with the wood dust collection inside. Does the job perfectly - but only after building the quality jig fence. Therefore, I consider it a very pricey unit. So far, to bring it to my desired specs and intended use, I had to spend an extra £50 (small, 18mm plywood sheet, larger knobs and feather boards (thank you, Amazon), a few extra long M6 bolts, washers, and some wood glue. Jig making - approx 4h. The flat surface is a big winner for me, though.

[@SweSuf]

It appears you had slightly better luck with your machine than I did, at least regarding the table. Most of what you otherwise say I can agree with. But in the end, as you say, you have to spend a fair bit of time, effort, and some money, to tune it, and then you still have to triple check the settings before running - not acceptable as far as I'm concerned.

[@5084204]

@@SweSuf Most likely luck. Have a look at my set-up, if you wish. Just posted a video about mine.

[@jamesallen6007]

Thankyou. I just put one in my basket. I will now remove it and look for another one.

[@SweSuf]

@@jamesallen6007 You're welcome! Glad if it helped you make a more informed decision.

[@markkukuparinen4412]

Thank you!!I was thinking of buying one,but i think not,very useful info👍

[@saturnus3]

Thank you for this review! It kept me from buying this machine!

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome, I'm glad it helped!

[@christofix]

Thank you for this honnest review!

[@yluvaqui]

Thank for your advise.

[@YuvalAS]

Thank you for taking the time and making this video

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome! Hope it helps.

[@Thyme2sea]

Thank you for caring to inform others.

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome! I just had to vent my frustration, and perhaps help others avoid a purchase they might regret.

[@RunarMagnussen]

You just saved me some money, thanks!

[@Jamvan001]

I knew that a cast-iron topped router table WITH router for only $500 had to be too good to be true. I was hoping that this wasn't the case, but you've confirmed my suspicions.

[@SweSuf]

Yes, unfortunately it was too good to be true. At least some may be able to avoid my mistake.

[@obyvatel]

Thank you for your thorough review of this sad machine. It saved me from considering buying a used one.

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome! As I stated in the video, it works (and I do use it), but never really to satisfaction.

[@obyvatel]

I wonder if you could remove the top and the fence and install the body and router in a cabinet of your own build. I've seen quite a few router bench builds on yt. Mr.Vereshchak made a nice one.

[@SweSuf]

Yes, the same thought has occured to me, I just don't feel up to it (yet?)...

[@pavelhorak6367]

thank You for this video... Its Scheppach... made in Germany but from chinees parts... Do You have some alternative what to buy ? Thank You Pavel

[@SweSuf]

I'm glad if the video helped! Unfortunately I don't know of any similar alternatives. I have briefly looked at router and router lift combinations from Sautershop, but they are pretty expensive

[@heikow.7627]

What do you expect for less than 200€? I have these machine and it is more than ok.

[@mrmukura]

I have just purchased one similar and before doing so read several reviews of even worse ones, but took note of some of the tips, like checking the top and honing it before set up if needed. You can always change knobs and build a new fence out of better grade extrusion etc. In fact, I'm quite looking forward to tweaking mine. The part on here about the mitre guide is a good point, and so I will check mine. We can take critical reviews as learning, and make the most of a functional tool.

[@Stormy2407]

The assembly instructions are useless. Thanks to Machinery House I got English instructions but I am still struggling to complete the assembly. I had the router for over 2 months and still can’t use the fuc###% thing

[@SweSuf]

Pretty much the same experience I had...

[@Dogsparker]

thanks for your review

[@outbak2]

thank you for the advice

[@chrissammels5444]

Thank you.

[@attilaerdei4134]

Thank you for the review, you saved my money :)

[@SweSuf]

That's exactly why I made the review - I'm happy it worked!

[@garyoa1]

If you use the extensions, the miter gauge won't even go in. I suppose you could spend time trying to align them, but not sure if that's even possible. Haven't figured out how to extract dust since you could fit your head in the opening for the vacuum hose and can't find any adapter for it. So that's also useless.

[@SweSuf]

So true... In addition to all other problems the nut inserts in the knobs are starting to spin, and it's almost impossible to make the fence stay in place.

[@garyoa1]

@@SweSuf Wait until you try to find parts. Seems they'll only ship to Germany or Austria. And Austria is a maybe. Finding dealers that stock their parts is fun. Have a compressor that tipped on its side and broke off an air filter. Really bad engineering. Found out factory direct parts don't exist unless you're in Germany. Found a dealer in France for that part. But their bench sander isn't bad. (Except for dust extraction.) Also a decent bench grinder. But all in all, a company to stay away from IMHO.

[@howardbecdove9780]

Thanks very much - you just saved me A$500

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome, glad it helped!

[@thomasdoherty6726]

hello,Iwas thinking of buying one of these machines but from what Ive seen from your video, I wont be, could you recommend a different machine? Thanks Thomas

[@SweSuf]

Unfortunately, when researching, I couldn't find a similar, self-contained machine. I cannot know what suits You, but perhaps a good router table, with lifting mechanism, for mounting a hand-held router would be an option. Good luck!

[@thomasdoherty6726]

Ok thanks for getting back to me!

[@ivandrimal5783]

A bad video says nonsense! This milling machine is for someone who can do it themselves at home so that it works with good accuracy. Just for someone with quite handy hands. I have had this router for several years, at first it wanted to adjust the feed and detent, nothing complicated. Since then it's been OK and I also make old furniture. If you can't do it yourself at home and set it up, buy a professional machine at 5 times the price or make a milling machine yourself.

[@timmermans63]

Thanks

[@SuperMadpom]

It's looking like buying a set of plans and making a table would be better - with a lift would be better - Woodgears.CA and I buildit.CA both have good sets of plans for just a few dollars. No point at all buying a ready made integrated unit for that sort of money when you could get the same quality or better by chopping up some heavy ply and using an old router. I have a cheap and nasty Ozito Router that would work - all the plastic plunge router parts start breaking soon after use but the body and motor are OK.

[@aubreyaub]

4/2019. Just bought one. Not impressed at all. When locking the router to insert/remove cutters, the shaft rotated. Completely buggered. Am rebuilding with larger ''Locking mating surface, and better tolerance". Should have known better. Do yourself a favour, and leave yours in their shop. I will make a photographic record and post later.

[@SweSuf]

I'm sorry to hear that, a sad confirmation of my own experience with this machine.

[@handsfree1000]

Must have been made in China.

[@SweSuf]

Probably not, the label states that it was made in Germany.

[@aubreyaub]

German engineered and made. Made to a price, bloody awful. have to pay more to get quality. Chinese stuff, at this price, is actually better.

[@suryodayanthyagarajan9207]

Thank you for this honnest review!

[@SweSuf]

You're welcome!