ROUSSEAU Deluxe Router Baseplate any good?

[Michael Donahue]

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4958&refcode=08IN09RL

This seems like a good price for a router plate and I'm looking to build a router table. I've got some formica and particle board from a friend that should make a perfect top, now I just need a decent plate. I've got a Dewalt 618 (I believe that's the number) router that I want to slap in the table.

What do you think about the insert? Are they pretty stable? How about mounting the router?

Thanks for the input! :D

[Greg Hines, MD]

That is the kind of plate that I have in my router table. It works fine, but the reduction rings can be hard to get snapped in place with out a tap from a mallet. Also, the resin of the plate makes a very strong odor whtn you cut or drill into it.

I did like the underside concentric rings that they form to help you center your router on it. Also, the center will accept standard Porter Cable inserts and reducers.

Doc

[Rusty Flewelling]

I have what looks to be the same plate from Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-3509-9-Inch-12-Inch-8-Inch/dp/B00002242B/)

However, I wouldn't buy it again. Like mentioned earlier, the rings are extremely difficult to remove. But the main problem I have with the plate, is that its molded with a slight crown in the center. This tends to "rock" pieces of stock slightly and also causes problems with fit.

The next time I build a router table, I'll either get a plate with a lift or maybe an aluminum plate.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, that crown is just crazy. I can't figure why anybody would build a plate like that. Workpieces rock on it. It gave me all sorts of wierd results until I tracked it down. I threw mine away, and found a flat one.

[glenn bradley]

I'm glad Rusty mentioned the crown. I can't imagine someone thinking that a non-perpendicular surface is correct for a router plate. The argument seems to be that a heavy router or one with a large enough base will flatten the plate when attached . . . what about the rest of the routers that don't do that? Pretty silly to me. The 1/4" Rocklers have never given me trouble and the 3/8" Woodpeckers are great too; both aluminum. I wouldn't try to save a few bucks on something that will effect EVERY cut you make. My .02.

[Bruce Benjamin]

There's a guy on the Router Workshop forum, (Forum moderator) that insists that this is a great router plate. He says that the plate has the crown to compensate for a table that isn't flat and for wood that isn't quite straight. I went back and forth debating with him with what I thought was a logical argument and I still think it is. He ended up losing his temper and because he was a moderator he made himself right by threatening to boot me from the forum. The guy seems to have an understanding of woodworking and I've seen some of the jigs and a few projects that he's made, (Pictures) and they look ok to me. Maybe he got hit in the head once by a kicked back piece of wood and it effected the router plate decision making part of his brain.:rolleyes:

So how is it that he or anyone else would think that fixing a table that isn't flat or compensating for improperly milled stock by going in the opposite direction is the way to go? He obviously isn't the only person who think this way because they have been selling these crowned plates for years. I dunno but to me it's just fixing one or two problems by adding another problem.

I'm very happy with my phenolic plate from Woodhaven. It's had a heavy Freud router hanging from it for about 5 years now and it's still dead-flat. So is the table I made for it and so is the stock I run over it.:cool:

Bruce

[Tim Thomas]

If you can swing the extra bucks, I would recommend a router lift over a router plate. I've got this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-3002-Router-Lift-LS/dp/B0006FRAW0

It is well reviewed and it has my approval also. Very easy to change bits and get precise bit height using a router lift. I realize that a lift is quite a bit more expense when compared to a router plate, but the added functionality is definitely worth it to me. If you get just a plate I think you will probably find yourself wanting to upgrade to a lift later anyway. Just something to think about...

[J.R. Rutter]

The price is nice, but you get what you pay for. I would not buy it again.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have a roussou.
It isn't dead flat, it flexes under load
Other than that it's OK

[Bruce Benjamin]

I have a roussou.
It isn't dead flat, it flexes under load
Other than that it's OK

It's not flat and it flexes...Those are two pretty big, "Other than that" exceptions considering the two most important qualities of a router plate, (At least to me) is that it's flat and it doesn't flex. You were being sarcastic, right?

Bruce

[Scott Rollins]

I have the Rous router plate sitting in a corner somewhere. I would follow everyones advise and get the aluminum router plate from rockler. It is so much better. Or you can just do as another creeker did and bore a hole in a piece of mdf and bolt your router under it. It will serve you well for a long time.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87977&highlight=cheap+router+table

[Michael Donahue]

This may sound really cheap, but for the plate could I use 1/2" MDF maybe and cover both sides with formica?

[Robert Meyer]

The Rousseau plate is crowned and will not sit flat with the table top. The plastic rings are a pain to use. Their tech support insists a crowned plate that causes the middle to be above the table top is a good idea. Get a Woodpecker alum. plate with a good set of rings. Pay once and be happy.

[Bob Feeser]

I have what looks to be the same plate from Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-3509-9-Inch-12-Inch-8-Inch/dp/B00002242B/)

However, I wouldn't buy it again. Like mentioned earlier, the rings are extremely difficult to remove. But the main problem I have with the plate, is that its molded with a slight crown in the center. This tends to "rock" pieces of stock slightly and also causes problems with fit.

The next time I build a router table, I'll either get a plate with a lift or maybe an aluminum plate.

It's a bit to read, but the solution to the ring removal, as well as the solution to the crown in the middle are stated in my reviews for the Rousseau plate at Amazon. Amazon placed both of my reviews in the top 2 positions. Sorry for the gloat, but they have information that entirely answers your questions.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31dEgWocj%2BL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/customer-reviews/stars-5-0._V47081849_.gif The most bang for the buck, September 17, 2003
By Bob Feeser "HandyBids.com"http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/icons/drop-down-icon-small-empty-arrow._V13355991_.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A14JBDSWKPKTZA/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp) (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews (http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A14JBDSWKPKTZA/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview)
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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/customer-reviews/stars-5-0._V47081849_.gif Installation tip makes the Rousseau plate even better, January 6, 2004
By Bob Feeser "HandyBids.com"http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/icons/drop-down-icon-small-empty-arrow._V13355991_.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A14JBDSWKPKTZA/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp) (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews (http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A14JBDSWKPKTZA/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview)
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/reputation/c7y_badge_tr_5._V47082063_.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#TR) http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/reputation/c7y_badge_vn_1._V28483947_.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#VN)

The link to the Amazon page is already posted by Rusty.

[Bob Feeser]

I knew it was too much to read. My Rousseau plates are flat, and removing the plates is easy if you know the trick. Just like a woman showing a man how to remove the lid on a jar, the Rousseau ring removal procedure is just as embarrassing. If you press on them with your thumb, you can press until you are blue in the face, and they still won't come off, BUT if you give them a tap, they pop with near zero effort. I use a pencil with a rubber eraser on the end, to get under the table, and then tap the wood end of a new pencil with a small hammer. A light tap, and they pop right out.
I have 4 of my router tables with the Rousseau insert in them, and they are all perfectly flat. You can run the straight edge over the entire table, and not see a whisp of light anywhere sneaking out from underneath. You will have to read the reviews to see why. Or should I say how.