This top BETTER NOT sag!!

[Rick Hubbard]

After months and months of lamenting problems with sag in my router table top the problem has been resolved once and for all (I hope)!

I do have once “issue” with the Bench Dog router lift, however. It came from Rockler with a single woefully inadequate opening insert ring- just a funky piece of cheap plastic (apparently designed to accommodate some kind of dust collection thingy) with a 1 ½ inch opening. As near as I can tell, no other sizes of rings are available. I’ve thought about having some steel rings, in various sizes machined (bi bucks I’m afraid) or trying to build my own inserts.

Any Ideas?

Thanks,

Rick

[Maurice Ungaro]

Bench Dog makes 1.25", 2.5", & blank inserts.

[Rick Hubbard]

Bench Dog makes 1.25", 2.5", & blank inserts.

Thanks for this, Maurice. I just got off the phone with the nearby (150 miles away) Rockler store manager and she was flabbergasted at what I told her was in the box. She said the next time I "drop by" that I should return the ring that was in the package and they will replace it with the rings that are advertised on the Bench Dog site (1 1/2", 2 1/2" and a blank).

Thats good (and typical of the customer service at this Rockler store) but I still can't get out of my head the idea of having some metal rings built. I wonder if anyone else has ever tried such a venture?

Rick

[Joe Chritz]

Any competent machine shop could build a ring like that, even without CNC equipment. Aluminum is relatively cheap and easy to machine but I expect on a small order it still may be a bit more than one is willing to spend.

I wonder if you could bandsaw a rough blank and use the original as a template of sorts then cut a hole with a hole saw in something like Baltic birch or corian.

Joe

[Maurice Ungaro]

Rick,
Glad you got that worked out! It would be interesting to give Bench Dog a shout and float it by them. Another avenue, would be to find a machinist friend to mill them for you - using your stock ones as guides.

[Chip Lindley]

Think Aluminum, Rick! JustInCase something comes loose, you will not harm a nice router bit.

P.S. Thats ONE nice router table.

[Rick Hubbard]

Think Aluminum, Rick! JustInCase something comes loose, you will not harm a nice router bit.

P.S. Thats ONE nice router table.

Thanks for the compliment Chip.
Thanks also for the good advice about aluminum- that makes sense. On the other hand, one of the reasons I'm thinking about ferrous metal for the rings is that I have come up with an idea for using magnets from old computer hard drives to hold the steel rings in place. These magnets are incredibly strong but the really interesting thing is that they are shaped almost perfectly to attach under the lift plate (I am confident that even without any mechanical attachment they would never come loose from the bottom of the lift plate). I don't know if you have ever seen one of these magnet assembly or not, but in case you haven't, I've included a picture.

Rick

[Douglas Brummett]

Yikes, those magnets are super strong. I used to work for a HD mfg and played with some of those. Honestly I think they are too strong for the application. You are going to need a breaker bar to leverage the ring off those.

I agree that the BD plates do leave something to be desired in the insert department. other bummer is that the opening in the cast iron is sized so that you have not much option for plates that fit the table. That aside I have been pleased with my BD unit.

[Rick Hubbard]

Yikes, those magnets are super strong.

Heh Heh, yeah they are pretty strong magnets- I’ve used them for door latches on storage sheds and I have NEVER seen a wind that could break them loose! But, as you say, all this strength might be a draw-back when it comes to removing the rings.

Here is another thought exercise: I wonder how one would go about cutting disks of 3/8 BB plywood then routing a rabbet on the outside edge (just deep enough to be flush with the top of the lift) then coating the rabbet with magnetic paint (yes there is such a thing- try googling it). After all, just how tight does this insert ring REALLY need to be? Surely there is no need to hold them down with 6 screws, is there? ISTM that all that is needed is just a very minimal holding force to keep them in place.

Thinking aloud…..

Rick

[Jim Becker]

My BenchDog lift came with three metal inserts...I only want for one with a smaller hole for working with straight bits for grooves, etc.

Nice job on that router setup! Looks great!

[Rick Hubbard]

My BenchDog lift came with three metal inserts...I only want for one with a smaller hole for working with straight bits for grooves, etc.

Nice job on that router setup! Looks great!

Thanks Jim-

Maybe its not healthy to obsess about such things, but I wonder why you got three METAL inserts and I got only ONE cheezy little plastic one :).

I looked at the Bench Dog site and it appears that now plastic rings are standard.:(. That's a bummer. ISTM there are two possible explanations for the change:

A. It helped with Bench Dog's profit margin OR
B. Bench Dog's attorneys told them a stationary piece of metal in close proximity to another piece of metal spinning at around 20,000 RPM might not be such a good thing :D

Nevertheless....

Any thoughts about shop-made insert rings?

Rick

[Clay Crocker]

My BenchDog lift came with three metal inserts...I only want for one with a smaller hole for working with straight bits for grooves, etc.

Jim,

Mine came with the three steel rings too. BTW, Bench Dog does offer a zero clearance insert that fits in the 2" insert ring. My 2" insert ring came with three machine screw holes to accommodate the hardware to attach the Z.C.I., which appears to be made of phenolic. Bench Dog Stock No. 40-039.

Clay