Replies

1. 
   mytulpa | Sep 19, 2007 10:14pm | #1

   i have the jessem and it's a thing of beauty. you will have to provide a cabinet for it though.

2. 
   WillGeorge | Sep 19, 2007 10:22pm | #2

   better dust collection and a faster lift.

   Very confused on this one.. SLOW on lift. How long does a few cranks on something take..

   I use my router table every day.. I 'crank' and THEN I step back and make sure of what I'm doing before I start again!

   Dust collection.. BIG suction device that also holds down the stick that is being routed.. Now, if we could get it to slide over the bit too!

3. 
   frenchy | Sep 20, 2007 04:30am | #3

   david,

    best router lift table?  a shaper! For what a decent router table would cost you can buy a shaper from grizzly that does a better job easier, faster, and safer..

        I started out with a Jet 3/4 hp and traded up to the Grizzly  3 hp when i had to do a lot of really heavy stuff quickly 

     The Jet sold for about $215.00, uses router bits  as an option and  is relatively small..  (Grizzly sells the same one)   MY 3 hp one is $975 and can single pass even the biggest cutters  hogging all sorts of wood off easily.. 

    The cool thing about a shaper is shaper bits.. I use Grizzly bits they're about as cheap as the better router bits but last 10 times as long..   It's also nice that they are about 1/2 as noisy and since they work so well you can single pass things. I think that's important because every time you run something past the cutter you have a chance to  make a mistake. 

    

4. 
   Recounter | Sep 20, 2007 10:02pm | #4

   Don't forget the fence! I have this Incra on my RT and I love it!! In addition to doing dovetails it provides an all-around level of precision, control and repeatability that is awesome!

   http://www.woodpeck.com/ultra.html

5. 
   alanplanesaw | Sep 21, 2007 01:10am | #5

   David,

   In my opinion -- The Jessem fence and MastRLift on the improved (been out for a couple years or so) New Yankee Workshop router cabinet.  But, if you use the Jessem fence you will need to reduce the overall width of the cabinet by 2 inches.

   But, if you make the cabinet and fence, per Norms plan, you can build per the plan.

   I have my dust collector tied basically per the plan and it flat sucks the dust and chips out.

   Regardless of what you think of NYW / Norm, I don't think you'll find a better designed cabinet with drawers for extra routers and supplies, plus 6 drawer/trays specifically for bits.  Tons of storage.  Stable work cabinet.

   AND -- a shaper does not replace a router or router table.  Although you can put router bits in a shaper, they turn at two different speeds are are designed differently.  You might want to do a search here on Knots.  You will find considerable information describing the differences and dangers regarding speeds, size and shape of bits, and using a bit designed for one on the other.

   Alan - planesaw

6. 
   matt calnen | Sep 21, 2007 02:04am | #6

   I work at a small millwork/cabinet shop and we use the cast iron bench dog lift. I have used other lifts but in my mind the benchdog is the best. Its bullet proof. I've run over 1000' of shoe molding(It was a rush job and our shaper was running a different molding) with a power feed at a decent speed and it never came out of adjustment or moved. Accurate adjustments are a breeze with it.  We set up dust collection in the fence and then built a box around the lift under the table and connected a hose to that. It works pretty well. Hope this helps.

7. 
   Don01 | Sep 21, 2007 08:18am | #7

   This past weekend I saw a new Kreg table used with a Triton MOF001 1400W Router. Nice combo. I already have the Triton router just looking for a new place to mount it.
   The lift and a very good dust collection port are in the router so you can bolt it to any flat smooth surface and rout away. The fine adjust is accessible from the table top via a crank which you have drill a hole for.
   I looked at the Kreg website but there is nothing listed. They talk about their new clamping table but not the router table. They have some interesting features in the fence. The table, fence, casters, 2 redesigned featherboards was around $550.00CAD. The Triton is around $200.00 CAD.