Is a cast iron router table the right choice?

[Jeff Finazzo]

I know that question is subjective and there will be a variety of opinions. What I really need to answer is the choice between (2) router able set ups i am looking to purchase.

First is the Jess Em set up. The Ultimate Excell II package with all the bells and whistles.

Second choice is to build my with from various components, with the main difference being i would select a cast iron top. I would most likely go with a Jess Em lift and either a Jess Em or Incra fence.

My main dilemma is I like the idea of a cast iron top but do not know if it really make that much of a difference. Also, with the cast iron top there are not a lot of choices, and the ones i do see have the slots in the table for the fence (such as Bench Dog) which i do not want. I have not seen any other sources out there. Infinity had one but they took it off their product list.

I saw a Jet package that comes with a cast iron top, but im not sure that is up to par with the Jess Em as far as components. Also i have not had good luck with Jet in the past

Any wisdom experienced users can offer would be appreciated! thank you

[Ben Rivel]

I have read of other materials/frames/stands sagging, but I guess if you support it properly it should stay flat. Personally I went with the full sized Bench Dog cast iron and LOVE it. Definitely wouldnt go any other route for my own setup.

[Scott Bernstein]

Jeff -

I would guess that non-cast-iron router table tops are morecommon. When I put together my routertable set up I was still quite new into woodworking. I had not used (or seen) a router table otherthan on Norm Abram’s show (I knew his was not cast-iron). Atthat point I had a table saw, band saw, drill press, and a jointer – all ofwhich had cast-iron tops. So, naturally,I figured cast-iron was the way to go for my router table. I purchased the Bench Dog cast-iron routertable top and a steel rolling stand for it. Initially I used the Bench Dog router lift and fence; worked well for mefor a couple years. At that point mynephew was just getting into woodworking so I gave him my router lift and fenceand I purchased a Jessem lift and fence for myself – a slight upgrade. The Bench Dog fence fit into the slots intheir router table top, but the Jessem attaches to rails that you are supposedto screw into the sides of your wood/phenolic table top. I was able to drill appropriate screw holesinto the sides of my Bench Dog cast-iron top with a carbide bit, and theninstalled the Jessem Hardware – works great. I don’t use the Bench Dog fence slots anymore – I pretty much justignore them. If I had to do it again Ithink I would get the same table. Iscast-iron necessary – probably not- but it’s nice, heavy-duty and works verywell for me. I think the only downsideis that it’s yet another cast-iron top I have to maintain. I keep all my tools in the un-air-conditionedgarage, so I have to keep at it or I get rust real quick.
Good luck
Scott

[Mike Kees]

Peachtree has one that bolts to a tablesaw in place of a wing. Not sure if they make a stand alone one,but worth a look. General International also had one. Every router table I ever built eventually sagged,no matter what I used. I would go cast iron if I wanted a router table now. A piece of 1/2'' steel plate with a hole machined to fit your choice of router lift would work nice too.

[Mike Cutler]

If I ever have to build another router table, it will be cast iron.
Like Mike Kees, all of mine have sagged over time also, or got slight distortions in the top.If you're committed to a router in a lift, do it once and be done with it.

[Robert Engel]

IMO it won't. A very stable very flat top can be made using 2 layers of MDF with laminate on both sides.

BTW I just ordered the MastR Lift and the Jessem router which I plan to install in my existing top.

[Doug Dawson]

I know that question is subjective and there will be a variety of opinions. What I really need to answer is the choice between (2) router able set ups i am looking to purchase.

First is the Jess Em set up. The Ultimate Excell II package with all the bells and whistles.

Second choice is to build my with from various components, with the main difference being i would select a cast iron top. I would most likely go with a Jess Em lift and either a Jess Em or Incra fence.

My main dilemma is I like the idea of a cast iron top but do not know if it really make that much of a difference. Also, with the cast iron top there are not a lot of choices, and the ones i do see have the slots in the table for the fence (such as Bench Dog) which i do not want. I have not seen any other sources out there. Infinity had one but they took it off their product list.

I saw a Jet package that comes with a cast iron top, but im not sure that is up to par with the Jess Em as far as components. Also i have not had good luck with Jet in the past

Any wisdom experienced users can offer would be appreciated! thank you

I have the Jet package with the cast iron top. The fence and the Powermatic lift are both very good, and the dust collection is outstanding (which was kind of the point to it for me.) The cast iron top was flat, and has full-size and "half-size" miter slots, so you can use your miter stuff from the other tools. The cast iron lets you use your magnetic accessories. My main complaint with it is that the "mobility solution" was designed by somebody's idiot nephew, and I just left it off and put the thing on a mobile base.

The good part for you is that Jet supposedly sells the table, fence and lift separately, so you can build your own platform. That's probably what I'll eventually do. It's expensive, but nobody pays list for these things.

[liam c murphy]

I have a Sawstop stand alone cast iron router table with their lift, and also a Kreg laminate router table with their latest lift. I usually have the Kreg table set up for notching beaded face frames. The Sawstop table is my general purpose table. On my latest project I set them up to do cope and stick doors and drawer fronts. I probably could have purchased two used shapers for what I spent on the Sawstop table. In general, I like it a lot.

My opinion is that a good lift is more important than whatever table you choose to use. Plenty of talented professional woodworkers make their own tables. I did not want to spend the time, so I bought mine.

[Nick Decker]

If I ever have to build another router table, it will be cast iron.
Like Mike Kees, all of mine have sagged over time also, or got slight distortions in the top.If you're committed to a router in a lift, do it once and be done with it.

Ditto, except that mine hasn't sagged.

When I put my "system" together, I went with the Woodpeckers MDF table. It's excellent in most respects. Having read so many tales of sagging, I underlaid it with a piece of 3/4" BB plywood, cutting out the center to match the cutout in the MDF table. It's been two years, supporting the big Porter Cable router mounted in a Jessem MasterLift II, and it has not sagged one bit.

What it does do is expand and contract with heat/humidity changes. I regularly need to re-adjust the Jessem plate to keep it flush in the MDF table. At first I thought that maybe the adjustment screws were vibrating out of adjustment, so I blue Loctited them. Now it takes considerable force to move them at all. Since I've had to adjust them both up and down, it seems to me that there's a cyclical change going on, hence heat/humidity.

It moves so little that I often don't bother with it, but I always recheck it before doing anything critical.

I've thought about changing to a cast iron top, but that would mean a different fence and I've grown attached to the Woodpeckers fence with the micro adjuster.

[Mike Cutler]

Nick

Mine did pretty much the same thing. My last table was 4' long by 2' deep. It was a layer of 3/4" cabinet ply, with a layer of 1/2" Baltic birch on top. Th router was mounted in a 3/8" thick aluminum plater. The construction was doubled up 2x4 legs, and 3 sides were 1/2" ply to enclose the base. The top probably has less than 12" between 2x4 cross supports in any given span, or measurement. It's bullet proof.The fence slid on Incra T-Track and I put a miter slot into it, which was waste in my opinion. I still had issues with that plate maintaining the same level as the top.
I finally just gave up on router tables all together and bought a used shaper. I still have my last router table. It's still a beast and dead level, but there are a few places where the ply was able to swell at the edges.
My shop is not climate controlled, and that is probably at least 50% of my issues. The shaper was just a better choice for me,and it's nice to have 400+lbs of machine stability.

[Nick Decker]

I've also considered phenolic, and I suppose it wouldn't expand/contract like MDF. You could support it from below, like I did with BB ply underneath, but then I worry about the BB itself turning into a shape-shifter...

[Jeff Finazzo]

Thanks for all the feedback. Very helpful. Some of the feedback got me thinking perhaps getting a shaper is a better solution for me. Considering what i am looking at spending for a high quality router table. I actually considered this at one time but was turned off by the high cost of cutters and what i guess I will call ignorance on my part. I have never used one but I am very familiar with router tables. With that said, if I did consider a shaper, any recommendations for a high quality machine that is suited for a a hobbiest that is replacing a router table. I would not be raising panels or using super large diameter bits. Do not want to spend a crazy amount but I am not afraid to purchase a life time quality machine. Euro machines with siding tables seem nice but are ridiculously expensive. Powermatic a good choice? Used i know is an option but i never seem to have luck going that route

[Doug Dawson]

Thanks for all the feedback. Very helpful. Some of the feedback got me thinking perhaps getting a shaper is a better solution for me. Considering what i am looking at spending for a high quality router table. I actually considered this at one time but was turned off by the high cost of cutters and what i guess I will call ignorance on my part. I have never used one but I am very familiar with router tables. With that said, if I did consider a shaper, any recommendations for a high quality machine that is suited for a a hobbiest that is replacing a router table. I would not be raising panels or using super large diameter bits. Do not want to spend a crazy amount but I am not afraid to purchase a life time quality machine. Euro machines with siding tables seem nice but are ridiculously expensive. Powermatic a good choice? Used i know is an option but i never seem to have luck going that route

A shaper doesn't run fast enough to get the best out of router bits that are not of the class of panel raising bits etc. The router table has its place.

[Jim Becker]

As you note in your OP, it very much is subjective. It was absolutely the right choice for me back when I did it and it was subsequently incorporated into my slider setup as a "poor man's shaper" since I wasn't able to afford a saw/shaper combo. I really like having the cast iron surface, especially since I'm somewhat of a fan of using magnetic fixtures for my feather boards, etc. My life is also ferrous metal, so I don't loose the magnetic capability close to the cutter.

That said, my previous router setups were shop-built surfaces of two pieces of .75" MDF with a plastic laminate top surface. One remains in use on my sander station. (It was re-laminated after filling the original router hole to provide a continuous surface for the cabinet that it sets on) The beautiful of these shop-built setups is that they can be very cost effective...face it, cast iron router tables are not chump-change to buy.

[Ben Zara]

A purchased cheap router table will be a headache. I was given as a gift a Craftsman router table that was big and had all the features but they were so poorly executed (warped aluminum table, flimsy fence, lift that was impossible to square to the table top) that the table was useless for fine work.

If you need to save money, build it yourself.

If you have the funds, buy a cast iron with a good lift. The difference is night and day.

I just bought the sawstop standalone but i fitted it with a Incra/Jessem lift cause I think the dust collection is superb on that model.