Posts Tagged ‘router table review’

This is the follow up for the router table that I reviewed here. I think that you will find that having a video can help you get a better idea of the features of the table and give you some more information. The fence turned out to be an interesting feature. I am going to post a separate video going over how it works and what makes it unique.

Here is a free download of a router table review.  It is not exhaustive, but it will give you an excellent idea of what is available and where to get them.  Some of this links are not working correctly since its a PDF file, but it will give you some excellent information.  Get it by clicking the link below.

Router table review

We did a review of the video series for Sommerfeld tools and its only fair to have a look at the router table that was featured in it.  If you are doing some research to figure out which table to buy, this table should certainly be included.  However it is not the cheapest and should be rightfully compared with router tables in its same price class.  It is well thought out and offers a very nice fence.  Below are the particulars for the table and the fence.  You can find the table at their website, www.sommerfeldtools.com

Table Top

Huge 36″ x 27″ extruded aluminum Table gives you plenty of support for your largest workpieces

3-5/8″ dia. opening (without Insert Rings) accepts even your largest panel-raising bits.Five pre-drilled holes for mounting Triton’s 2-1/4 or 3-1/4 HP routers. Tops with no holes predrilled are available for other router types.

2 Threaded holes for starter pin (included)Table end tracks, each with two T-slots. One for 5/16″ bolts w/1/2″ hex heads-one for 3/8″-16 weld nuts.Tabletop T-slots. Four accept 5/16″ bolts w/1/2″ hex heads-four accept standard 3/4″ miter gauge bar w/or w/o T-slot washers. Great for jigs, fixtures, featherboards, etc.
INCLUDES:(8) twist-lock Insert Rings (Solid, 1/2″,3/4″,1″,1-1/4″,1-1/2″,2″,2-5/8″ openings) w/Spanner Locking Wrench

(3) Zero Clearance Fence Inserts

(2) 5/16″-18 threaded Knobs

Screw-in Starting Pin

5/32″ Allen driver.

Nuts, bolts and assorted mounting hardware.

16-page full-color instruction book, DVD 3 Router Table Made Easy and 48″ x4-3/4″ of easy-adjusting Fence to guide your stock through the cut.Spring-loaded Pin allows rapid pivot adjustments of Fence from one end-or use Locking Knobs on both Fence ends if you prefer when working with cumbersome workpieces.

Fence can be swapped end-for-end, allowing work from either side of Table

4-step Dust Port slides captive over full length of Fence in dovetail slots. Slide out of the way to access bit area for cleanout-accepts 1-1/4″,1-1/2″,2″ & 2-1/4″ I.D. fittings.Three T-Slots for attaching stops, hold-downs or similar devices using 516″ bolts w/1/2″ hex heads. Another slot on Fence for mounting HDPE Sub-Fences.

HDPE Sub-fences slide left to right and lock in T-slot…can be shimmed from behind for outfeed support when making full-height edge cuts.

Zero clearnce Fence Inserts (3 included w/Fence) can be customized to match your bits.

This is a very interesting series by Sommerfeld Tools.  This particular video covers the “router tables made easy” DVD.  First off, a lot of people do not know much about Sommerfeld tools, they are not really lumped in with the big brand names.  In some ways that can be very good.  This 6 minute video shows a lot of information of what’s on the DVD, that is a good thing.  Here is an overview of the video:

• Preview from the “Made Easy” series
• New extruded table top overview
• Review of the cabinet DVD
• Table overview size is 36” x 27”
• Fence is 48” x 4 ¾”
• Fence uses retractable pin and good dust collection
• Sub fences
• 3 zero clearance inserts on fence
• 3 insert rings for the router table insert

 

Cabinet

• Building the face frame first
• Self aligning Tongue and Groove Joinery
• Laying out the parts
• Uses pocket hole joinery
• Matched tongue and groove router bits
• Uses a jig for bit height (available at their site)
• You cut all grooves at once
• Assembly of the case
• Drawer assembly
• Dovetail joinery for drawers, another cool jig that you use on your router table
• Easy set jig for cope cuts
• Drawer fronts
• Drawer pulls
• Easy board jig for mounting drawers
• DVD is only $9.90 plus free shipping

You can find this video here at there website.

Here is a very interesting bench top design that can easily be built quickly.  Its simple design shows you how you can save some real money by not buy all the “official” router accessories and using some brain cells instead.  I really like the simple design of the fence.  You only need to small pieces of angle bracket to hold it square.  The all wood design really saves some money since aluminum fence cores are very expensive.  This builders project is sure to give you some great ideas on how to build your own custom table.  Be sure to incorporate the use of router bit storage into your design as shown.  This will help keep your shop neat and clean and keep all your router related items together in one spot.  We also would like to encourage you to submit your project to be featured on the website.  The aim is to help your fellow woodworkers with interesting or simple design and get good ideas yourself.  That is what woodworking is all about.

This was (is) my first Router table, and was made about 2.5 years ago. As you can see it is not a high quality piece of equipment, and has no finish on it.

I bought the T-track, cam-locks, and dust collection nozzle from Rockler, and the isolation switch from a local hardware store specifically for this job. I also bought the knobs from Rockler on special, but as part of my starting stock for future Jigs that I knew I would be making one day. Other than that, I had some plywood offcuts, some brandering and some Aluminium angle lying around from previous jobs. The power plug was also a leftover from a previous home repair. The sacrificial MDF fences were leftover from when I replaced my RAS sacrificial table. The table-top was rescued from a dumpster when my then office had some remodeling done.

I had seen a similar design somewhere on-line, but couldn’t find it when I decided to make this, so I basically went by memory. I didn’t “design” it so much as sketch a basic idea on my RAS table and the rest was done on-the-fly. The table-top needs to be replaced sometime soon as the old one is curving from humidity. I probably won’t replace the top,but rather make a new table for my new workshop while making the cabinets. I’ve done a basic design in SketchUp for the new table which includes better dust collection.

Product Description-Incra Precision Tools LS25WFNCSYS

I have read a lot of product reviews over the years. I also offer product reviews for the products we sell, as well as use them on blogs and articles to help people with buying choices. It did occur to me that sometimes people can be skewed towards buying or not buying something because of the way the product review is written. When I sat down to look at some factors that I take for granted, I was compelled to put this article together. I hope you find it helpful. It is slanted towards the woodworking industry, particularly routers and router tables. I think you will find that the mindset or theme will work for any type of product.

When reading a review right off the bat I think of these main areas of the person that is leaving the review. These are the main areas in which we will discuss.

• Shipping
• Expectations
• Experience/Inexperience
• Customer Service
• Emotion
• Assembly
• Use period
• Manufacture or Vendor Mindset

Shipping

This is the first subject that usually gets a lot of comments on. Let me begin with this statement. “I really understand the shipping process” I have worked in this industry at one time and I have seen every aspect from a package getting from point A to point B. If there is one thing that is a constant in the universe it is this, shipping companies damage boxes. There is no way around it, and sooner or later it will happen to you. Manufacturers design their packaging around the fact that it is rough world when your package gets picked up and on to your destination. You have to consider the sort facility and the way things get handled. Speed is the ultimate theme and shippers go by how many packages they sort out each night. Being careful is a goal but not always the golden rule. So when an item comes damaged, most vendors jump through hoops to help you replace the item or fix the problem. It is a headache, and if they can design a box to relieve that headache, they most certainly will because it reduces their replacement costs. So any comments on shipping damage really need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Experience/Inexperience

This is a sensitive area, since it is closely tied to emotion. I will try to tread lightly, but I will be blunt in some areas in order for the reader to get the most out of this content. When it comes to power tools, some people just do not have any experience and some have extensive experience. It is hard to figure out who is who when you are reading a review. To be honest, some people have no business owning a power tool, yet they go to great lengths in leaving some scathing reviews. Others have a perfectionist type of view that can give you some great insight about the product. Some are Engineer types that can go into great detail and offer design changes that they think would make the product better. So how do you approach this problem? I think the best way to evaluate it is by simply knowing the fact that there are different levels of experience out there and everyone is entitled to their opinion. You just never really know who you are talking too when reading a review or getting advice from someone, you just have to use your gut feeling.

Expectations

Some reviews are written in sense of an expectation of that product that has either been met or not. If you expected a product to be of a certain design or quality and it is not, your expectations have not been met. Most people draw from this and use it in their review. Another avenue of this thought is that people write about their experience based on using the item right away. Perhaps the tool met their expectation right away but then they quickly grew out of it or moved on in their skill level. The media also has tremendous influence on what our expectations are for products. Most of the time this is based on mass appeal and it’s designed to do one thing and one thing only and that is to sell you the product. Just because someone says they are an expert does not necessarily mean it is true.

Customer Service

Customer service is often commented on but it has some bearing in some instances. For example if you are speaking directly to the manufacture themselves, then customer service can be influential. If you are speaking to a distributor of a product, then how they handle your service situation is up to them and only reflects on their company, website or business, not necessarily the product. This can skew some reviews. Of course good customer service can always be a positive factor, it is really the product you are reviewing not your buying experience. Someone should make a service about that!

Emotion

I choose to add this section because I have seen overtones of this that leak into reviews. Emotion is powerful and sometimes it is hard to shake a pre conceived concept. That concept is from the old “mail order” days when the industry was brand new. Most “mail order” companies sold junk and it was all about conversion ratios and quotas. Today most companies and vendors realize that Internet sales are a huge part of their business and a great way to reach out to customers from all over the world. So here is a concept that I and most good companies embrace. The sooner customers and the general public figure it out the better. (This is the blunt part I was talking about)

Companies want and need to take care of their customers for a very good reason. If you become a customer once, there is a good chance that you will buy from us again. If you buy from us again, you reduce the cost of acquiring a new customer and that improves the amount of money a company makes. Bottom line: if you are my customer, I want you to buy from me over and over again. This is how we stay alive.

I have no interest in making you mad, or delivering a poor product, that would be stupid and go against the business plan. If you are happy, then my life is easy. If you are mad, my day sucks. I like stress free days, so it is in my best interest in doing a good job so that you come back.

Assembly

I thought it was worth mentioning that assembly can be part of the product review formula. Let’s face it, there is a new problem alive and well today and it is most irritating. That problem is the lack of good clear and concise directions. Remember when software use to come with a book on how to use it? Now day’s vendors think it is ok to be vague. I am not sure who thought this was a way to save money or not, but it is irritating. I think directions are an influence but not always the deciding factor. It is worth noting that not everyone is good at the obvious. (Blunt I know) but I am amazed at how often that putting Tab A into Slot B eludes some people.

Manufacture Mindset

Product companies have a mindset of selling product and making goals. Part of the goals is keeping replacement costs down by good design and good techniques. It is just about as simple as that. Some Brands are better at it than others; those are the ones that last in the industry. Look for manufacturers that embrace this concept by developing their authority. Most good companies really enjoy happy customers.

I hope this has helped you with interpreting customer reviews. It was intended in teaching you how to write one, but more of an education of how people write them for the world to see. The one thing about the Internet, comments stay forever and reputations are made and broken over time. Getting a good assessment of a product can sometimes be harder than you thought.

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

Here is a table that often gets overlooked. It is a full sized cabinet table that is comparable in features to the Larger Bench Dog 40-300 table, but a lot more inexpensive. This table is a custom table that is sourced and built for Router Table Depot Customers. When you look at the price, remember to factor in the larger delivery fee on bigger tables. As with all large router tables, this one is heavy and costs about $100 to deliver. Even adding that to the price still brings you in far less than a name brand table. It really has good looks too, plus a really nice cabinet with lots of storage. Price $469

At this printing there are no customer reviews for the table, but we will add them as they become available.

From the site:

RTD presents a little something different, a custom hand built router table. If you’re tastes vary from the typical name brand table, this deluxe router table might just be the ticket. It is chock full of features and is bound to help you create all sorts of unique projects and special memories for you and your family.

Cabinet

• Cabinet is constructed of solid wood core Oak veneer panels. This material is not common plywood, it is solid wood laminated on both sides with Oak veneer, very strong! Inside shelves are mdf Built in floor leveling system compensates for uneven floors and keeps the unit stable. Total height to table surface is 35”.
• 2 drawers hold 28 – ½” bits, 2 drawers hold 36 – ¼” bits and 1 wrench drawer. Lower storage drawer is mounted on KV roller slides and large enough to hold several routers. The side 2 ½” quick-connect dust port draws dust through the fence and out of the router compartment while ventilating the router motor.
• Router compartment light is great for changing router height and bits. Plus being able to see the work as it contacts the bit under power. Once you use a table with a light you will wonder how you ever managed without. On/Off switches for the Router and Light are mounted in front for easy access. Both recessed for safety. Two 120-volt receptacles in back. Equipped with 6′ Power cord and casters.

Top

• Top is 22″x 30″ x ¾” thick with durable ThermoSet Plastic Melamine on both Top and Bottom surfaces. Table edges are thickened to 1 ½ and wrapped in Oak for durability and plenty of heft for clamping fixtures down. Two ¾ steel reinforcement struts run the width of the table top to insure it stays flat Plus two additional steel bars under the router opening to support large routers without worry. The 9-¼”x 11-¾”x 3/8’ opening in top is sized to accept many of the most popular router lifts. Clear 3/8”Acrylic plate with 6 leveling screws ships blank for custom fitting to routers up to 3 1/4 hp from All manufacturers.
• Plate is offset to the backside of the table to allow more working surface in front where it’s needed. Aluminum ¾” x 3/8” miter track runs the width of the top.
• Steel Reinforced

Fence

• The fence is constructed of 9 ply cabinet grade ½” Baltic Birch using glue, brads and screws with enough supports to insure it stays square.
• The fence is mounted to the table with large Star Shaped comfort grip knobs. A few turns of the large knobs and the fence lifts off, leaving a smooth unobstructed table for pattern and freehand work.
• The 4 1/4″ tall-segmented fence is ideal for control and accuracy in vertical routing operations. The top section has a “T” slot along its length for attachments such as feather boards, hold downs, stop blocks and guards. The lower section opens from 0″ to 3 1/2″ for the safe use of larger bits. Fence adjusts Forward and Back 5″. Dust is collected through the fence from under the table surface.
• T-track on fence is included

Shipping

• After inspection the top and base are removed for shipping. Assembling the table, with the supplied hardware, is a simple project requiring only a few minutes.

• Assembly and illustrated router mounting instructions included.
• Fixed rate shipping on this item. ($89) No shipping outside of USA nor canada, HI, or AK

• This table needs 7 to 10 days lead time, this overrides the statement that says it ships in 2 to 3 days.

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)

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

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