Are you the type of guy that wants to buy something once, and never again?  For some tools , I find myself doing just that.  If I know the tool I really don’t want to buy a inexpensive one to see if I like it.  If it is something I know I am going to use a lot, I go out and buy something that I know my kids will fight over when I am dead.  Certain big items like table saws, router tables, drill presses, band saws and dust collectors all fit this mindset (for me).  Although expensive ,this top is one of those items where you buy once and you never have to think about replacing it.  Its heavy duty and will last several lifetimes if you take care of it.  Quality is not an issue with this since your really cannot due a whole lot to damage a cast iron top.  This one tops out at $429, and you have to purchase an insert and a fence.  See the product review at the bottom.

Features and Specs:

Do you need the toughest router table top on the market?  Then look no further than the Bench Dog 40-100 cast iron table top.

This cast iron top is heavy duty, it will meet all your expectations for any project that you can throw at it.  It is a solid one piece unit weighing in at 100lbs.

• machine ground to .008
• 12 point leveling and locking capabilities
• Fits both Baltic Birch Cabinet and the Steel ProStand
• Dual track miter and t-track, molded into top.
• Fence Slots fit Pro Fence 32
• This model number (40-100) is for the top only, Insert is sold seperately

If your looking to order the top and the fence, that item number is called the Bench Dog Pro Max 40-301, Cast Iron table and fence combo

If your looking to order this top, Pro Fence and Pro Cabinet, that is called the Bench Dog RT Complete 40-300

I also found a helpful review on Amazon that gives some good insight to the stability issue I mention above.  This is a amazon product review.  When I find more, I will reference them here.

A couple years ago I spent nearly $300 on a Rockler MDF router table. I thought I was buying quality – wrong. After about a year the blasted thing warped with just the weight of the router. It now has a bow of about 3/16″ from the sides to the center. Talk about disappointing. You can’t do quality routing on a warped router table.

So, I went on a determined search to find a quality router table. I had decide that if I couldn’t find a commercially available unit I would have one custom made. But I wasn’t wasting any more money on junk.

Lo’ and behold I found that Benchdog makes a cast iron router table. $429 Sounds expensive but not when you consider that junk costs 2/3rds of that…it’s inexpensive in the long run.

I’ve been using it now for several months. This is one nice router table. I customized it a little bit because I needed to mount it to my work bench to accommodate my Incra micro-adjustable split router fence. The support table frame that I bought with it is also quality. I drilled two holes in the cast iron edge and bolted it to my (heavy) work bench. The set up works great. I do precision routing with this setup and am very pleased with the stability of the entire set up.

Note well since it is cast iron, it will rust. So, I clean it with Windex with ammonia, then spray a wax based corrosion inhibitor which also lubricates the surface (between uses). Note well, this router table weighs about a 100 lbs.

I also purchased the Benchdog router lift. Very nice. My first experience with a router lift. the only caveat is that the lift will not raise the router high enough to change bits. You have to lower the router and change bits below the table. Overall, I am extremely pleased.

Related posts:

• Bench Dog ProMax RT Complete, 40-300
• Bench Dog 40-201 Top and Fence
• Bench Dog 40-001 ProTop Contractor Benchtop Router Table
• Router Table Review, RM405 from Router Table Depot
• Bench Dog Pro Top Phenolic Complete

One Response to “Bench Dog 40-100 Pro Max, Cast Iron Router Table Top”