Incra router table / Jessem router

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new router table setup. I'm looking at the Incra LS 25" positioner super system, and the Jessem PowRtek router in the Incra branded Jessem router lift.

I cannot find any user feedback on the Jessem router motor. I know it is fairly new. It will cost me about $30 more than a PC7518, which I know to be a proven design with a longer (3 yr) warranty. The Jessem provides a rheostat style speed control and digital rpm readout on the front of the cabinet. This will make speed changes easier without having to go into the cabinet, and some bling factor with the digital rpm readout.

I will be building the cabinet and top myself, for two reasons: 1. Save money, 2. Make it bigger to suit my space, and higher quality. I will do a base cabinet, with an MDF torsion box on top. then a 1.5" mdf top, which I will laminate with formica. My goal is a lifetime router table. The price of this may be a wash vs. the pre made Incra top, but I can make mine bigger and not have any sag issues due to the torsion box I plan to build. Do i need to laminate the bottom of the tabletop with formica?

I considered the Incra Cleansweep cabinet, but with more time than money on my hands, I don't see why I couldn't make an mdf box to enclose the router. I will be hooking this to my Clearvue cyclone, and dust collection is of primary importance to me, so if there is any reason to purchase the Cleansweep cabinet, I am all ears. I will order the cleansweep rings as I do see the benefit of them and they are not something I am setup to make in my shop.

If anybody has any input on these items, I would love to hear it:
1. Jessem router motor vs PC 7518
2. Shop made tabletop vs premade Incra tabletop
3. Thoughts on the value of the Incra positioner vs. a shop made fence.

I may be over analyzing this project, so I would love to hear from those with real world experience.

Thank you folks,

Brian

Can't comment on the Jessem router, and you're right, there's precious little feedback on it. I tend to trust Jessem's commitment to quality, so I'm guessing that it's a good motor.

I'm using the Cleansweep dust cabinet and it's excellent, so good that I no longer bother to hook up a hose to the port on my fence for roundover/chamfer cuts. My dust collector is a modified 2 hp Harbor Freight unit, so not the greatest. The Cleansweep insert rings are, of course, necessary but I only ever use one of them (the one that allows the most air flow), so buying the whole set is overkill IMO.

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Originally Posted by Nick Decker

Can't comment on the Jessem router, and you're right, there's precious little feedback on it. I tend to trust Jessem's commitment to quality, so I'm guessing that it's a good motor.

I'm using the Cleansweep dust cabinet and it's excellent, so good that I no longer bother to hook up a hose to the port on my fence for roundover/chamfer cuts. My dust collector is a modified 2 hp Harbor Freight unit, so not the greatest. The Cleansweep insert rings are, of course, necessary but I only ever use one of them (the one that allows the most air flow), so buying the whole set is overkill IMO.

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Thanks for your feedback, Nick. I was thinkin along the same lines. I can just buy the largest cleansweep ring and save about $40 vs the whole set. Thanks buddy.

I just did the Incra fence conversion on my SawStop and added the Incra router table to the end.

I looked at the Cleansweep box, but built my own out of a piece of mdf shelving I had laying around ($11).

Using the same fence for the table saw as the router, I needed somewhere to store the router Wonder Fence components when not in use. As the Wonder fence mounts with T nuts, on the side of the homemade dust box, I mounted a couple of pieces of T track and then store the Wonder Fence on the side of the dust box.

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...psjupj9zbu.jpg

The Jessum router lift handle (top right in the picture above) is held in place, for storage, with a bar magnet.

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6ykh0rgx.jpg


http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...psa0i37f8g.jpg

The Cleansweep rings are held on the frame rails by magnets.

The door is held on by 4 magnets
http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...pshk9u8hg1.jpg



http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...psynyznzhu.jpg

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Originally Posted by Brian Behrens

Thanks for your feedback, Nick. I was thinkin along the same lines. I can just buy the largest cleansweep ring and save about $40 vs the whole set. Thanks buddy.

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No problem. BTW, I'm sure you could build a good box yourself, and many have, but the Cleansweep box is an elegant plug-n-play option. Amazing to me how little dust evades it, both on the table top and inside the box itself.

Or you could go with the Rockler dust bucket (LINK). Thats what I did with my Benchdog cast iron router table top. I have the Incra router lift with the CleanSweep magnetic inserts all hooked up to an Oneida V-3000 dust collector and the dust collection is amazing!

Outstanding post Mr Edwards. You did a great job on that rig. That is what I'm thinking, to make my own "cleansweep" box with mdf scraps from the tabletop. You came up with a great design Thank you.

Hi Ben, that is a great looking solution. It is priced very close to the Incra box, so if I decide to buy a box, I am leaning towards the Incra due to the military discount.

I have had the PowR Tek for 2months now. No complaints, my first router table set up. Fair to say some mistakes made (too much cut, improper fence alignment) and the motor did not flinch. I also installed the Incra clean sweep box and as Mr. Decker commented the dust collection is excellent.

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Originally Posted by Jim Reffner

I have had the PowR Tek for 2months now. No complaints, my first router table set up. Fair to say some mistakes made (too much cut, improper fence alignment) and the motor did not flinch. I also installed the Incra clean sweep box and as Mr. Decker commented the dust collection is excellent.

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Thanks for the data, Jim. What's your opinion of the rpm readout and speed control? Gimmick, or useful? And the cleansweep box? Do you see any advantage over a shop made box? Thank you sir.

Thanks for the PowR Tek info, Jim.

My main consideration for the speed control adjustment was having the control accessible and sold with the motor as an integrated package. Having used the larger and medium profile bits, I'm now able to "see" the rpm's and correlate the speed to the tone of the motor. Helpful to me, but I reckon a more experienced user could get by without the fluff. Really can't say if the CleanSweep is more advantageous over a shop made box, my hat is always tipped to the craftsman. Incra took the guesswork out for me- mounting, motor access and the dust control port. Could get by without the blast gate as I move my dust collection from machine to machine.

Great thread, that set-up is #1 on my wish list!

Excellent thread indeed!
But what happened to the Jessem Router motor? It’s probably somewhere....

Just an update, I did go with the Jessem router motor and the incra LS super system. I will post a review on it after a few months use since there is very little info out there on the router motor. I decided to make the tabletop and cleansweep box myself. Unfortunately there is an 8 week lead time from Incra, so I will not have this setup operational until early next year. I will make the tabletop and base cabinet in the meantime, but I'm going to wait on the doors and drawers fronts so I can make them on the router table. I've never made raised panels before so I see this as a good way to practice.

Yes, please post a review especially about the router motor. It looks like a great product but as you note there is not a lot of information out about it.

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Originally Posted by Jim Reffner

I have had the PowR Tek for 2months now. No complaints, my first router table set up.

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Jim,

Now that you had the PowRTek motor with remote speed controller for awhile what can ya tell me about it? Any issues? Any regrets

All the Best
Curt