It’s been a seven years since FW reviewed router tables and lifts. There appear to have been many improvements in the past years among many brands. Does anyone have experience with some of the better quality router tables?
Also, FW in 2013 noted sagging of various amounts in phenolic tables. The amount of sag varied considerably and of course cast iron tables were best in this regard, although a great deal heavier and more expensive. Have phenolic tables improved through design, material, or heavier construction since 2013?
Question for FW: any plans for an update on these?
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Replies
All I can say is that I have the Triton offering and it's a dog - avoid it.
If I were in the market for a new table today, I'd go for a phenolic top with a Kreg router lift and make my own carcass. Sag could be limited by design - a bit of angle iron under the top should stop any appreciable sag and is dirt cheap.
I have a cast iron top that came with a polycarb plate that sagged, so I replaced it with aluminum. Before you spend a pile on a lift check out the Triton plunge router. It is designed to be used upside-down in a table and has the lift function built in. It works well and above the table adjustments AND bit changes are simple.
I have an older Bench Dog and Porter Cable 3.5 horse router motor. I have had it for a long time and absolutely no complaints. There have been some updates and improvements to the table recently which I think make it even better. It is pricey but I think worth the cost. I did build the stand for it and the dust collection is good also.
+1
I have a 25+year old portable Bench Dog ProTop Contractor model which has met most of my needs.
I have a Krieg router table. I generally like it but I've never been wild about the fence, for two reasons. One, the left hand lock just seems like it wouldn't always be square. It seems like it works OK, but I've never been crazy about it the design. Two, the dust collection on it works OK but maybe it could be better.
My table has a thick laminate top. I've never seen the need for cast iron with a router table. Over time it will rust. And router tables have enough built in forces acting against absolute accuracy (you're moving by hand a piece through a moving cutter with only you're hand pushing it against a fence) that whatever perceived stability or accuracy the table might add is nothing against the fact that it's a router table.
If I had it to do over and had the money, I would probably go with the Woodpecker or Jessem table/fence combo, as they seem more precise and have a bigger dust port. That said, the Kreig table is a half to a third of the cost of the ones I like better, and I've been making perfectly good parts with it for about 10 years.
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For about 16 years now, I've used and abused an Incra Tools router table and fence... it is as good as the day I bought it, and the Leading Screw Fence is worth every additional penny. Incra packages a Jessem router lift with the fence and table.
I have an ancient cast iron table now mounted as the right wing of the last tablesaw I hope to buy. It came with a polycarb plate that I replaced with aluminum.
The plate is more important than the table, this is where the issues always lie. As for lifts, they are complex and fussy when you consider the Triton plunge router, which I've had for a happy 2 years now. The Triton was designed to be used upside-down in a table and is "all that"...and far less exoensive than a motor/lift combo.
Or you could just build a table to meet your needs.
@MJ I'm glad you're enjoying your Triton.
My Triton developed such a backlash issue in the lock mechanism as to render it unusable for in a router table. IOW every time the lock is released to adjust the height, the motor would drop as much as 1/8". A call to Triton support the response was "its the nature of the beast/a known issue". They offered to repair but I declined.
To the poster, I've always made my own tables and have never had a sagging issue. I make them of double layer MDF with thick laminate both sides. Important to build in support in the base for either side of the insert plate.
Last year I made Matt Kenney's router table ( a FW video project) and equipped it with a JessEm Mast-R-Lift II that holds a Bosch 1-3/4 router. Fun though challenging to build, and it's rock-solid and a pleasure to work with.
I have a Rockler table that I bought in a package with a Triton router. As a way to prevent sag, I just lift the router/plate out of the table, turn it upside down (or right side up, depending on your perspective) and set it on top of the table. A little annoying, but not much to do if you don't use the table daily.
Mount it in your tablesaw right wing.
I've been doing that for 30 years.
I have the General (discontinued) router lift in my Hammer K3 sliding table saw. I love it.
Takes up NO shop space; it's sturdy.
You have the use of your tablesaw fence for quick set-up for most things.
I have used Incra for over 5 years without any complaints. I also found them to be quite helpful with technical questions.
I'd like to echo ggdevine's comment about Matt Kenney's router table. I built it six years ago and I like it a lot. I like the large surface and fence which provide solid control of the work pieces. The drawers hold a lot of stuff, which is a really wonderful bonus. Matt also has a video that shows how to construct a box that houses the router and greatly improves the dust collection. I have a 4 inch port on the back of the table and attach my dust collector to it. This provides excellent suction from both the fence and the router lift opening. It's fairly large, but if you have the space in your shop it may be worth considering
The best use of all this info is to render it down extracting the parts that best suit your situation. To that end I'll toss out my two cents.
For me the choice in a router table comes down to the lift (or plate) and the fence. The table's job is to support these two items in as near a perfect manner as we can get.
A 1-1/8" MDF top, well supported, has done this for me since 2009. The foil tape you see in the pic acts as shim material to get me nice and flat once the top is screwed down. It took a few on-and-offs to get this done but, not too many. The important part is that the top is well supported so it will not sag or shift.
A good stout plate with a router that allows above the table adjustment will work well. Anyone who has used this setup and moved to a heavy lift/motor combination will tell you that they are two different things. Regardless of your choice, this assembly must be solid, lock into position and hold the bit precisely perpendicular to the table.
Your choice of fence can affect your choice of table if the two are integrated. The fence can be really simple or very complex. As long as it is square and reliable, you're good. Mine is an aluminum form with split faces that simply clamps to the table via t-bolts through slots in the table's top. The only thing simpler is clamping the fence to the table edges which also works for most things.
I'm using the Jessem Mast-R-Lift Excel II table and lift with the Jessem Mast-R-Fence and a Porter Cable 7519 motor with an external speed control. The table is rock solid with no sag or vibration. You do have to be careful during assembly of the lift to the table to perform the final snug up to the table with the motor in the lift. I'm not crazy about the dust collection from the undertable port, but I'm working on a containment box for better dust control that still allows proper cooling for the motor. Everything from Jessem is beautifully machined and fits together perfectly.
I have the 3hp Triton router in a Kreg table and I’ve been really happy with it. I also agree that built into your table saw can be excellent - mine was like that successfully for many years.
I've had a Kreg table for a couple of years but made it much more user friendly by adding a Dowelmax lift top. The hinged Dowelmax lift is sandwiched between the top of the table frame and the table top. To access the router, i lift and the entire top swings up on small hydraulic pistons. It's easy to mount a bit and to dial in elevation because I'm at eye level with the table top without bending at the waist. I use the router's own elevation adjustment because it is easy to reach. There's no need for a separate lift or crank mechanism. And it's simple to remove the router motor from the base to use elsewhere. Dowelmax: https://www.dowelmax.com/router-lift-demonstration/. As for the Kreg Precision Router Table Fence, it racks and is difficult to lock down. Therefore, it is frustrating to square the fence to a given distance from the bit. I'm looking for a much better fence.
I'm using DEWALT DWP611PK, and this is best for me as a beginner.
Here you can see
https://www.craftyhangouts.com/best-wood-router-for-beginner/
I just added a Jessem mast r lift II to my bench dog pro top contractor router table. The jessem is nicely built and fit into the bench dog table opening (8-1/4 x 11-3/4) with only a minor bit of trimming on one of the bench dog support brackets. All good so far.
I have a Kreg table, Kreg router lift, and the Dewalt 618 attached to it. Previous poster is correct - table fence is a little janky, but I just put a spring clamp on it to make sure there is no movement. Not a big deal. Very happy for the price.
I guess I'll chime in too
I suggest building your own table and buying a high quality lift. I personally find retail (store bought) tables to be too small to support larger items like panels and doors as an example. Not to mention that the prices have gone a bit crazy IMO
If not that, I would go the tablesaw route where you already have a good solid platform and a good fence to reference your stock off of.
I made my own from a photo years ago. Lots I would do differently but it still serves me well today.
I have a Woodpeckers table, phenolic top with a shop-made fence. My router is an older PC 7538 that I fitted with a Router Raizer (unlike some reports on the forum, mine has worked great for nearly 10 years). The router is a single speed and I tried to use a speed control, but the torque decreased with the speed, which made it essentially worthless.
The table is pretty massive and heavy and takes up quite a bit of real estate in my small shop, but all-in-all I think it's worth it. It works great.
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