Posts Tagged ‘bench dog router tables’

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

Well its that time of year again and you may be shopping for yourself or that special woodworker on your list.  I had an interesting talk with the folks at Bench Dog last week and they have told me about their latest promotion that they are having.  If you did not see it, they have a 2 page spread in American Woodworker Magazine.  They are promoting the Bench Dog 40-200 router table and the Bench Dog 40-150 Pro Lift.  These are both excellent woodworking tools.  So what would make them better in my book?  Cash back. Right now if you buy either the 40-200 router table or the 40-150 router lift you can get a $50 rebate direct from Bench Dog.  You go to your favorite retailer and just buy the product like you normally would and then download the rebate form and send it in.  For some reason they have a 8 week processing time for the rebate to come back to you.  I am not sure why most companies wait that long, I personally could not stand having that much stuff on my desk to do.  You can find details about the Promotion Here.  Bench Dog Holiday Promotion.

Bench Dog 40-200

This is a solid table that is capable of doing any router table chore you have in mind.  Keep in mind this table is solid phenolic and has a solid steel stand.  Bench Dog also requires you to buy your insert seperate now, so make sure you do not forget.  The fence comes with it and is a split fence design.  We have done a review of this table and your can find that previous review here for more information.

Bench Dog 40-150 Router Lift

This is a solid lift made specially for Bench Dog tables.  You can put a variety of routers onto the lift, so make sure you have the correct adaptor for your router.  It comes standard issue for the Porter Cable 7518 Router.

This is Bench Dog’s only small router table. It is what we call a “mini cabinet” It has all the features of their larger cabinets but in a smaller size that is designed to fit under your work bench. This table would be good to take on the job if you do any sort of contracting work. It has all the good design features that you come to expect from Bench Dog and the price is reasonable. $239

Top

• 24” x 16”
• Laminate covered
• Miter Gauge slot with ¼ accessory t-slot
• 8 Leveling screws
• Fits all standard Bench Dog Inserts

Fence

• 22” x 3 5/8”
• Adjustable sub fences
• Bit guard included
• Jointing capabilities

Insert

• 2” bit hole
• Phenolic
• Predrilled for these routers only: Bosch 1617series, DW616/618series, DW621, DW625, Fein RT1800, Hitachi M12VC, Makita 1100series, Milwaukee 5615/16/19 series, Milwaukee 5625, All Porter Cable, Triton MOF001 and TRA001

Cabinet

• 15” inside height 22” outside height
• Birch Ply
• Rubber Feet
• Twin steel rail supports

Customer reviews

There are quite a few customer reviews for this product. I have taken a brief snapshot of them to give you an idea.

1. Excellent portable router table
2. Better Than Most, But Still Some Issues
3. Well-Made Table
4. A Best Buy in Router Tables
5. Perfect router table for a weekend warrior
6. The FINEST Benchtop router table at ANY price!
7. Quality well built table
8. Excellent Portable Router Table
9. quality product
10. solid, well-built router table

You can find this table at Bench Dog 40-001 Router Table

They should have called this one “the Big Dog” instead of Bench Dog, cause its the top of the line in their series. If you want to pull out all the stops on adding a table to your shop this is where you go. Cast iron on the top of a cabinet is the best of the best, giving you strength and stability no matter what season or humidity level in your shop. The cabinet provides some great storage and keeps all your router bits and accessories in one spot. You have to buy the insert separate, but if you spending this much money it really should not matter. $840

The Bench Dog 40-300 is a the Cast Iron top, Pro Fence 32 and Cabinet system. All you have to do is choose your insert of choice.

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
• Insert is sold seperately

Pro Fence (Bench Dog 40-132)

Pro cabinet (Bench Dog 40-110)

• Baltic Birch
• bolt and cross dowel construction
• pull out router bit tray
• built in dust port
• fits pro caster 40-188 (sold seperately)
• Best looking cabinet on the market!

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

Make sure your order your insert for this table

Bench Dog Large Router Group 1 Insert

Bench Dog Standard Group I Insert

Bench Dog Large Router Group 2

Bench Dog Standard Group 2 Insert

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.

Bench Dog Pro Top Phenolic is an intersting table since it is made entirely of Phenolic material.  This would mostly come down to preference since it is not made of MDF, which is very stable in my opinion, nor is it made of cast iron.  Any of the those materials make good flat table tops, so it really comes down to weight and personal preference when buying this table top.  Keep in mind Bench Dog now requires you to buy their inserts seperatly.  This is not a bad idea, because it keeps you from settling with what they give you verses what you would really rather have.

This top and fence sells for $340 on average.

The Bench Dog 40-201 Top and Fence set includes Bench Dogs 40-101 Pro Top and 40-132 Pro Fence all in one package.

• Enjoy a solid 3/4″ Phenolic top for amazing durability and stability.
• 31 1/2″ x 23 1/4″
• Built in dual miter track and t-track gives you amazing versatility that can be used with standard accessories.
• Mounts to any Bench Dog Cabinet or steel stand.  You can also mount it to fit your own design.
• The Insert for Bench Dog tables are now sold SEPERATELY

40-132 Fence

• Heavy duty Aluminum, one piece
• Fence length is 32″ x 3 1/2″
• Adjustable Subfences
• Bit Guard included
• 28” x 3 5/8”
• accessory t-lock, accepts 1/4″ & 5/16″ t-bolt plus 1/4″ hex bolt
• Dust Port 2 ½”
• Hole free sub fences

Bench Dog Router Table Inserts

Bench Dog has changed a few things around in their router table insert line. The good news is that they still offer the Bench Dog quality and they still offer the predrilled inserts. However, they did eliminate the phenolic inserts that they use to offer. If you had your heart set on a phenolic insert, you may have to hunt around to find a vendor that still has some in stock.

Changes

Bench Dog still uses a “group” title and you can match up your router with the insert that you need. They did designate a “standard” verses “large” grouping title and the difference is in the larger routers take larger inserts. All the inserts are made of sturdy ¼” aluminum. New routers supported include Craftsman (excellent) and Freud as well as Rigid.

Group 1 Standard

• Makita 1100 series
• Milwaukee 5615-1524
• DeWalt 616-618
• Rigid 2930 Combo New!
• Bosch 1617 Series
• Porter Cable 690,890,7529,8529 series
• Hitachi M12VC

Group 2 Standard

• DeWalt 621
• Craftsman Std. New!
• Freud FT 1700E New!
• Freud 1702VCEK New!

Large Group 1

• Porter Cable 7518,7519,7538,7539
• Milwaukee 5625-30
• Triton TRA001

Large Group 2

• Bosch 1619
• Freud FT2000
• Dewalt 625

You will notice that Bench Dog has changed their product line around a bunch and the changes can be a bit confusing. RTD is trying to make the transition a bit easier for you by providing an overview of the old product verses the new one. Sitting down and figuring out the differences can be time consuming, so we will be including a comparison for all the products they produce for easy evaluation.

Bench Dog Pro Top Phenolic Complete

Old Number is 40-099 Old Price $499.95

New Number is 40-200 New Price=$440.00

Old info

Included a phenolic top (40-098), cabinet (40-097), 32” Pro fence and included Group 1 predrilled phenolic insert. (router table insert)

New Info

Includes phenolic top (now numbered 40-101)

Cabinet (now numbered 40-110)

32” Pro Fence (now numbered 40-132)

Main Differences

Besides the change in numbers, the main difference is when you order the Pro Top Phenolic complete you do not get the insert. You must order this separately. Bench Dog does not carry phenolic inserts anymore which is good in one sense but a bit pricier in another. However they did lower the aluminum insert prices down from $89 to $59.99 which helps. This gives you the same $499.95 price tag, but you get a better insert.

Evaluation:

Great value because of the better insert

.

See the Bench Dog Pro Phenolic Complete 40-201

Bench Dog has changed their 2009 line of router tables significantly from 2008. You will find that they discontinued the acrylic inserts and have moved to an all aluminum insert line. This video gives you a nice highlight of the changes.

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