Paul Gatti
01-17-2011, 8:51 PM
Several months ago I asked the community (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?151409-Bench-Dog-ProMax-RT-Top-with-Jessem-Mast-R-Lift-and-Mast-R-Fence) for some feedback about combining a Bench Dog ProMax RT Top with Jessem Mast-R-Lift and Mast-R-Fence. Based on that advice, I decided to move forward with my project. I’m pleased to say that the combination worked out very well so I thought I'd share some pictures of the finished product.
I decided early on that I wanted a Benchdog ProMax RT top (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-100-ProMAX-Router/dp/B001IDZR4M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-8) and the Jessem Mast-R-Lift II (http://www.jessem.com/Mast-R-Lift_II.html) lift and Mast-R-Fence II (http://www.jessem.com/MAST-R-FENCE_II.html). From my research, all three products seemed to offer best in breed performance. The cast iron top was flawless and very flat. The Mast-R-Lift II (http://www.jessem.com/Mast-R-Lift_II.html) is a work of art. I love the fine degree of adjustment, the ability to lock in the height, and the capability to change bits above the table. I also liked the fact that the adjustment screws used to level the table are accessible from the top. This made leveling the router plate to the top much easier.
Everything fit together pretty well. I did have to file about a 1/32 off of the inside corner of the cast iron top to get the Jessem lift to fit in the top (see below), but otherwise the fit was perfect.
178530
Mounting the Mast-R-Fence II to the top was fairly straight forward. I ended up cutting two oak fill strips to allow the fence rails to mount properly to the top.
178531
As a side note, you can forgo the fence rails and use the fence with the cut-outs on the ProMax RT top (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-100-ProMAX-Router/dp/B001IDZR4M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-8), but I would have had to replace the hold down knobs with something that didn’t require access to the bottom of the table to tighten.
I decided not to build the cabinet and instead opted for the Benchdog ProCabinet (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-110-ProCabinet-Router/dp/B0027IRG0U/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-14). The cabinet was designed to work with the top and provided all the necessary mobility and storage. I mounted the optional Jessem Pow-R-Tek Remote Power Motor 15 Amp Switch (http://www.jessem.com/POW-R-TEK_SWITCH.html) to the cabinet with a simple L-bracket I fabricated out of some shop scraps. The switch is out of the way while still being very easy to access.
178534
178535
For a router, I decided to go with a Porter Cable 7518 (http://www.portercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11099). It’s 3¼ HP should be able to chew through most any stock.
Overall I’m very pleased with my new router table. It’s very stable and free of vibration.
178532
178533
I decided early on that I wanted a Benchdog ProMax RT top (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-100-ProMAX-Router/dp/B001IDZR4M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-8) and the Jessem Mast-R-Lift II (http://www.jessem.com/Mast-R-Lift_II.html) lift and Mast-R-Fence II (http://www.jessem.com/MAST-R-FENCE_II.html). From my research, all three products seemed to offer best in breed performance. The cast iron top was flawless and very flat. The Mast-R-Lift II (http://www.jessem.com/Mast-R-Lift_II.html) is a work of art. I love the fine degree of adjustment, the ability to lock in the height, and the capability to change bits above the table. I also liked the fact that the adjustment screws used to level the table are accessible from the top. This made leveling the router plate to the top much easier.
Everything fit together pretty well. I did have to file about a 1/32 off of the inside corner of the cast iron top to get the Jessem lift to fit in the top (see below), but otherwise the fit was perfect.
178530
Mounting the Mast-R-Fence II to the top was fairly straight forward. I ended up cutting two oak fill strips to allow the fence rails to mount properly to the top.
178531
As a side note, you can forgo the fence rails and use the fence with the cut-outs on the ProMax RT top (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-100-ProMAX-Router/dp/B001IDZR4M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-8), but I would have had to replace the hold down knobs with something that didn’t require access to the bottom of the table to tighten.
I decided not to build the cabinet and instead opted for the Benchdog ProCabinet (http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-110-ProCabinet-Router/dp/B0027IRG0U/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1295314749&sr=8-14). The cabinet was designed to work with the top and provided all the necessary mobility and storage. I mounted the optional Jessem Pow-R-Tek Remote Power Motor 15 Amp Switch (http://www.jessem.com/POW-R-TEK_SWITCH.html) to the cabinet with a simple L-bracket I fabricated out of some shop scraps. The switch is out of the way while still being very easy to access.
178534
178535
For a router, I decided to go with a Porter Cable 7518 (http://www.portercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11099). It’s 3¼ HP should be able to chew through most any stock.
Overall I’m very pleased with my new router table. It’s very stable and free of vibration.
178532
178533