Archive for the ‘Product Reviews’ Category

I thought this was a great video about how new woodworker does their tool reviews.  I really like the part about if you think you are going to get a thousand dollars worth of value out of a $200 tool.  Its pretty short so have a look.

Milwaukee 5619

Specifications

• D-handle router with a 11 Amp, 24,000 rpm motor
• Exclusive linear depth adjustment features a large steel motor lock lever and depth adjustment gearing
• Soft-Grip D-handle with lock-on trigger switch; comfortable over-molded rubber grip wrapped around the base
• Includes two 1-1/8-inch collet wrenches, 1/2-inch collet and 1/4-inch collet
• Tool weighs 9.2 pounds; 5-year manufacturer’s warranty

Comparison Shopping

Tool Barn $158

Tool King $169.99

Pics

Another great tool from Milwaukee

great router

Excellent product

Where’s the variable speed?

ergonomic masterpiece

Thanks Milwaukee

Outstanding Router

One of the BEST

Well thought out design

Other Resources

Wize product review

Replacement Parts

This short video has some interesting aspects to it.  It gives you a nice perspective of the router, certainly much better than a picture.  It also shows you several features of the router such as: Read the rest of this entry »

Bench Dog Router Table Extension 40-102

This is printed with permission from my friend Deke at Lumberjocks.  I will also add some more information about the table over time to give you a complete research.

Okay, this is slightly premature as this thing is half way mounted to my table saw, but already I can tell this was a smart purchase well over due for me. I have a small basement shop and space is tight. After a lot of reorganizing I can now do almost anything (table saw, bandsaw, jointer, planer, miter saw, drill press…) the minute I want to with no rolling things around and dust collection ready to go on all of it. The one missing piece was a router table. I recently sold my Bench Dog contractor table (positive review posted) and bought this extension for my tables saw.

The fit and finish is top notch. Absolutely no issues here. This thing is a beast at about 50 pounds and the miter and t-track slots on this new model are right there in the iron top. It is lining up with my top very well and I suspect it is flatter than anything else on the table saw.

I am being slightly unorthodox with this by mounting on the right side of my Delta contractor saw and attaching it to the existing right side iron extension. Instructions are clear – for this set up I need to reinforce with bolts through the rails for my fence on both sides to support this. I will also be adding legs, but in the future (maybe this weekend), I will build a cabinet to go beneath it to collect dust form below, support the table and give me some drawers for bits and other router stuff. The only issue was only two of the bolts on my table saw lined up with Bench Dog. I think this is due to my attaching to the Delta right side extension. So, I was able to use two of the threaded connections on my extension, but had to drill two holes in my table saw and am using my own bolts/nuts for the other two. Attaching to the fence rails will also require some drilling. Kind of surprising this all doesn’t “plug and play” with a Delta of all things, but my saw is old and lord knows what the original owner did when he put this together.

Nothing fancy here yet in terms of the router. I have a PC 690 and no lift. Some day I hope to upgrade to a triton or some other table friendly router, but I will be fine. I am new to routing (a year or so) and I can work with this. Of course I will may to shell out another $50 for a new insert from Bench Dog when I get a new router (depending on the router model), but I can live with that.

Will combining my router table and table saw be the smart move in the end? I have to say yes. I simply do not have space for a dedicated router table and this sort of “dual purpose” space is exactly the kind of thing I need to have a shop where not only everything fits, but is usable with little hassle so I can concentrate on wood working and not moving things around. I know there are many articles and advice on mobility in small shops, but I tried all that and taking the time to build a functioning shop with minimal mobility is better. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. I think this Bench Dog product is a perfect fit.

Pickings are slim with this kind of product. MCLS has one, but without the t slot for feather boards on the table. I did not feel an mdf or phenolic table was what I wanted and wanted iron all the way.

TRM Note

I thought it was worth mentioning that this extension was formally the older model with a few design changes.  You used to get the insert with the tablesaw extension, but now you need to order one separate.  On that note, you can only use bench dog inserts since they are the only brand that fits this saw.  If you have another insert and think you can make it fit, you will be disappointed.  The good news is that all Bench Dog inserts are aluminum.

Shopping Comparisons

Bench Dog Tablesaw Router Table  Router Table Dep0t, $299.99

Rockler  $349.99

Resources

Another review of the Bench Dog

Review summarys

Customer Rating:
This is a high quality,

Customer Rating:
Installed on old Delta Table saw

Customer Rating:
Installed this on my Craftsman hybrid saw

Customer Rating:
I added this to my Jet JPS-10 ProShop table saw

Very Pleased, Typical Bench Dog Quality

well built,

great addition to saw

Bosch Colt

Specifications

Comparison Shopping

Rockler $119

Tool King, $89.95 (reconditioned)

Other Resources

Replacement Parts

• Wize Review 12 people recommend this product
• Consumer Search Review
• New Woodworker Review
  

Kreg Crown Pro, Crown Molding Jig

Kreg Crown Pro, Crown Molding Jig

I ran across the video on you tube and could not resist adding it to the site.  This is an amazing machine.  I am not getting paid to endorse this, in case you were wondering, but I really think that it has been thought out.  There are a lot of crown cut jigs on the market.  If you want to take the time and create your own, you can do that to save a little money.  However if you are installing crown molding in your home, its really not about money since the molding itself is kind of pricey.  The folks at Kreg hit a home run on this unit and you can see that an actual woodworker thought through this design.

The biggest challenge in crown molding is not learning to cut the complex cuts on the molding but its dealing with the fact that nothing is really “square” in home design today.  Walls always tend to move, bow, or twist a bit as wood dries out.  If you have aluminum studs and wall components, these tend to be as square according to the contractor or sub contractor who installed them.  If they are in a hurry (most are) then the chances are excellent that it is not “perfect”  This jig comes with an included angle finder which I think makes it stand head and shoulders above the the other jigs.  The angle finder allows you to measure the imperfection on the wall and transfer the true angle to the cut you need to make on the jig.  This is amazing and well thought out.  Without rambling on more you can see all of this in the video, here are the highlights:

• solid platform
• adjustable angles
• included angle finder
• inside and outside cut diagrams with reference labels

By now you have seen these, they are pretty much available in most woodworking catalogs.  At first I did not think to much of them until I held one in my hand.  I thought I could just do what I have always done and use a piece of scrap wood.  Sure enough these things work, and they work well.  For $12 its not too bad and they will find a lot of use in your shop.  Here is an interesting factoid, do you know what the difference is between the Rockler bench cookie and the Bench Dog Bench cookie is?  The answer is, nothing.  Rockler owns Bench Dog and the only difference is the color.

• Rout, sand, cut and carve without using clamps
• Raise up workpieces for easy edge finishing
• Support projects without leaving marks
• Assemble projects on a stable, non-slip base
• Set up quickly for any application

Some feedback for the Rockler side

Simple and Strait forward,

Very useful,

So Far, So Good,

Good Stuff

From the Bench Dog side:

Works Great!

Nothing but awesome!,

shipping and tax free alternative to Rockler cookies

Bench Dog Cookies Great Shop Item

Doggone Good

And Just for fun….

Bench Dog Cookies,  get them here

Rockler Bench cookies, get them here

Bosch RA1181 Router Table

The Bosch 1181 is fairly easy to find router table.  Frequently you can find it at Lowe’s and several places online. It is a decent table with several features that would be a step up from something like a Skil.  The table has some full features like the drop in router insert plate, adjustable fence and power switch.  It even comes with a featherboard, which everyone seems to get excited about for some reason.  The base is plastic and the size of the fence is somewhat limiting in my opinion.

I think that for $190 bucks or so, you can have lots of options and can even get a full size table that you can grow with.  Some people prefer the bench top size, which is fine if space is an issue.  But the price is the killer here since I really believe there are some other bench top router tables that have a nicer fence and some better features.

There is a really good review here by new woodworker.

Bosch RA1181 Specifications:

• Amperage: 120V – 15AMP
• Height: 14-1/2″
• Depth: 18″
• Width: 27″
• Max. Fence Opening: 3-3/16″
• Max. Throat Opening: 3-5/8″
• Cord Length: 6′

Bosch RA1181 Includes:

• (1) Set of 3 Mounting Plate Insert Rings to adjust opening to bit size
• (1) Hardware for Mounting Most Bosch Routers
• (2) Adjustable Featherboards
• (1) Adjustable Clear Guard
• (1) Starter Pin and Guard
• (2) Outfeed Fence Shims – 1/16″ Thick
• Predrilled for following routers:
  BOSCH 1617 series*, 1613 series, 1619EVS; Porter Cable 690, 892-895 series*, 7529; Milwaukee: 5615, 5616; Hitachi: M12VC; DeWalt: DW616, DW618*; Makita: RF1100, RF1101; Ryobi: R161K, R162K; Craftsman: Fixed base models with 1/2? collet capacity

Pretty good setup for the money

Almost perfect

Great Table

I came across this video and I was going to skip it, but then something made me watch it.  I am glad i did, this is  a pretty cool idea a long time coming.  Basically its a flush trim bit that has a bearing on top or bottom.  it comes with three bearings so that you can adjust it yourself.  I like it because it saves you time in chucking up a new bit, and it saves you money because you do not have to buy numermous bits.  Here is a summary of this short video, I can only supply the link since they do not have the code available to embed it.

• 4 bearings
• Flush trim
• 1/16″, 1/8″ 3/16″
• Makes something similar to a rabbet, great for raised panel work.
• carbide blades
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbA4DDAeC5I&playnext_from=TL&videos=moN5TJf3jB4&feature=grec

This really is a pretty neat idea.  You can see the Rockler Flush Trim Bit here
Avoid a tedious setup when you want to trim precise amounts of wood off doors and large panels. These kits use razor-sharp shear-cutting bits along with different bearing combinations to remove exactly 1/16″, 1/8″, or 3/16″ of material in just two router passes—all without a straightedge! Each kit includes one carbide router bit and five bearings to set up the various depths of cut. The Small Bit Kit is perfect for trimming stock up to 1″ thick, while the Large Bit Kit can handle doors and panels up to 2″ thick. Click the “Videos” tab above to see how this kit will save you time!

This is the latest from Wood Magazine, they put all 195 back issues on one DVD.  I spent a good hour cleaning out my closet trying to figure out which issues I wanted to keep and which ones I wanted to throw away.  I am going with this, its easier and I have what I need at my fingertips.  I usually just try to keep the issues with router table and router stuff, but you never know when you need something you saw a while back and cannot figure out where it went.

This content is straight from Wood Magazine:

Readers told us they wanted all 195 back issues on one disc, with a single, comprehensive, searchable index. So we did just that, while maintaining the super-high-quality, 300-dpi resolution, ensuring you crystal-clear illustrations and photos. 

High resolution PDFs make for easy, enjoyable reading.
View every photo, drawing, and detail in digitally reproduced, crystal clarity. Zoom in for a closer look, or print articles for use in the shop with the handy “Print this article” button.

Free up shelf space in your home and shop:
The disc and protective case fits 195 issues into the space of a slim paperback.

Save hundreds of dollars versus buying back issues.
In fact, many of the most sought-after issues on this disc have been out of print for years and are no longer available in any other format.

Compatible with PC and Mac.
If you don’t already have it, Adobe Reader is included on the disc for viewing.