Backed away

[David Utterback]

Deal or no deal? Went to look at a Jessem router table and lift listed on Craigslist. I took a straightedge to check the top. There was at least a 32nd of sag in the center which caused me to walk away. Would others have considered the tool unusable for accurate work such as milling stock for raised panel door rails and stiles?

The top appeared to be phenolic resin and was at most 3/4 thick. The lift mechanism was belt driven with the wheel below the front of the table. The newer models are gear driven (I believe) with the handle on the right hand side. A new top can be bought for about $230 but I am not sure the lift could be attached to it and I might also need a new insert plate.

Thanks for any input.
David

[Harold Weaver]

David, I am by no means an expert on these, but could you have utilized the Jessem Lift and built your own table for it? The asking price, in my opinion, would play a huge part in whether I walked away.

[Bill Adamsen]

With that amount of sag I too would have walked away ... unless (as David mentions) the price was such that the parts were worth scavenging.

[Peter Quinn]

You are saying the router lift plate sags or the over all router table sags? If the plate is that concave over its length I'd say no way, if the over all table sags....that may be easily remedied with cleats below the table, or by changing what's already there, so it becomes price dependent for me then, and you would have to evaluate the sub architecture of the table to determine if a remedy could be achieved and be cost/time effective.