Best plate for a heavy 3HP router??

[Jerry Olexa]

Heee's back. :) You guys helped me a lot about a week ago in my thread about "best 3+hp router" and as a result, the new Milwaukee 5625 is proudly resting in its box in my shop. Great price and great router!! Now, I'm getting ready to adopt and install in the router table so I need a plate to hold that monster (about 10 lbs)and ideally fit the 9 1/4 X 11 3/4" opening (pretty standard I think). Whats brands do you guys like (Woodpecker, Woodhaven, JessEm, BenchDog, etc) and you like Aluminum or Phenolic or ??. I figure with all that weight, I'd better invest in a good un'. What should I buy?? Thanks in advance..:confused:

[CPeter James]

My experience is that is is no such thing as a standard opening. I have used three different plates and the sizes were different on all three. Some may be the same but not all.

CPeter

[Chris Padilla]

Jerry,

I have Woodpecker's PRL...love it. It has held my PC7518, 5-speed, 3.25 hp monster for 3 years: no sag. :) Oh, it is an Al plate, too.

[scott spencer]

I've been happy with the Hartville Tool phenolic insert, but I'm an easy guy to please :) ...

[Vaughn McMillan]

I have the Woodpecker phenolic plate holding my M12V, and I'm very happy with it, but if you can spring the extra money, I'd recommend an aluminum plate.

CPeter's experience regarding 'standard' plate sizes matches mine. When I was shopping for mine a few months ago, it seemed every brand was a different size. I arbitrarily decided to standardize on the Woodpecker plate size, so I also bought their template for routing the recess in the table top.

Enjoy your new toy -

- Vaughn

[Allen Bookout]

Well Jerry, Somehow I new that you would be back.

I don't know if it is the best or not but I have my 5625 bolted to a Woodpecker's aluminum plate. It is not going to sag, I am pretty sure about that. The rings are easy in and out also. The size is 9 1/4 by 11 3/4 as you specified. It is 3/8s of an inch thick. Pricey but worth the bucks in my opinion.

Allen

[Steve Clardy]

I have 5 of Rocklers alum. plates and happy with them

[Norman Hitt]

I have the Woodpecker phenolic plate holding my M12V, and I'm very happy with it, but if you can spring the extra money, I'd recommend an aluminum plate.

CPeter's experience regarding 'standard' plate sizes matches mine. When I was shopping for mine a few months ago, it seemed every brand was a different size. I arbitrarily decided to standardize on the Woodpecker plate size, so I also bought their template for routing the recess in the table top.

Enjoy your new toy -

- Vaughn

My buddy and I have our M12V's mounted, (mine on a Router Workshop Phenolic Plate), and (his on a WoodPecker Lift Plate). They both work fine, and there are things I like better about each one.

What I like most about the Router Workshop plate is that it is about 11 +" SQUARE, and the router can be turned any of 4 different directions in the hole depending on what setup you may have a need for. (I REALLY like this feature, and wish ALL brands would use this style, and it is large enough to allow you to put bracing members under the table top close to the plate hole in the top, yet still leave adequate room around the router should you need to do something under there). The thing I really like about the WoodPecker that I feel is much better than other brands, is their hole Inserts and how they lock into the plate. (I wish they were all like that).

I also think that whatever brand/kind of plate you use, the minimum thickness should be about 3/8", to hold up to the wgt of a 3+ hp router.

[Jim Bills]

I have been delighted with my Veritas 3/16" steel router plate. I did a relief cut on my router table top to allow for a flush fit. It is large, heavy, and allows easy bit changes from the top. I have had the venerable Hitachi M12V hanging from mine for four years with no problems.

Here is a link (I hope) http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=41793&cat=1,43053,43885

Jim

[Chris Padilla]

I have 5 of Rocklers alum. plates and happy with them

Wow, that's a big Al samwich ya got there, Bro!! :eek:

[Russ Massery]

Jerry, I have the (Woodpecker) Plunglift on my M12V which I'm very happy with. I would use any of the one's you listed above. But most importantly I would recommend an aluminum plate only. Do to the weight involved. I feel that the phenloc would sag over time. I'm partial towards Woodpecker plates and lifts.

[glenn bradley]

I use my 5625 in Rockler's somewhat smaller 8" x 11" plate on their table with good results. I boo-boo'd and mounted the router so that the hole for the micro-adjust wrench ends up blocked by the fence when positioned for edging. It hasn't been an issue but if I did it again I'd turn the position 45* to expose the hole. Just watch that you don't turn the router body so much that the locking lever becomes awkward to work.

Enjoy that new 'locomotive'!

[Dan Forman]

Be aware that not all of the lifts accept the big Milwaukee router, at least not as of about a year ago. So be sure to check before ordering.

Dan

[Joe Scarfo]

I have the woodpecker PRL which is great. I picked this one so I could also get the mounting plate for the porter cable portable oscillating spindle sander. With my small shop, I can have both a router table and OSS in a single footprint.

If I could only find a bargain on the OSS, I could complete the set...

My eyes are always on the hunt.

I've picked up a few of the PRL's and now have 2 PC 7518 routers. One more router and I'm building a 3 router table. It'll be great for building doors.

Good luck w/ your choice.

Joe

[frank shic]

the rousseau plates are cheap and have worked well for my bosch 1619 and bosch 1617.

[William Daly]

I have the Bench Dog steel plate that holds my PC variable speed 3 1/4 horse router.

The plate with the attachments underneath weigh at lweast thirty pounds. The plate is at least 1/4 thick, maybe thicker.

It was designed for teh large PC router, but supposedly will fit other routers.

Amazon sells them. They are roughly $300.00 and well worth it.

[Mark Rios]

I have the Bench Dog steel plate that holds my PC variable speed 3 1/4 horse router.

The plate with the attachments underneath weigh at lweast thirty pounds. The plate is at least 1/4 thick, maybe thicker.

It was designed for teh large PC router, but supposedly will fit other routers.

Amazon sells them. They are roughly $300.00 and well worth it.


This page, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005RKNW/qid=1152821846/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/103-9429181-2090267?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013, says that they are on sale. Is this a good price? Is this Bench Dog lift better or worse or the same as the Woodpecker prolift or quicklift?

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks guys...Good recos. I'm leaning toward 3/8 aluminum and probably Woodpecker. I'm still afraid of the weight of that bad boy hanging there for long time. Thanks

[Allen Bookout]

Jerry, I have had mine on the plate for months now with no sag. You do not have to worry about a 3/8 inch aluminum plate.

I also just read your post on the 7518 collett thing and I see that your 5625 came with the 1/2" collet only. Mine came with both or I would have warned you. When they package theses routers they should all either come with both or only one and not have some one way and others the other way. What a pain.