Router Tables - Cast Iron vs Phenolic vs MDF

[Julie Moriarty]

For the past 20+ years I've been working on a laminated MDF TS extension wing that holds a router lift. There have been times wood has caught on the edge of the router plate. Wood swelling? I don't know. But it's annoying, and if it snags part way into the feed, it can mess up the job.

I recently bought a new cabinet saw that has cast iron wings plus a phenolic extension that looks insufficient to hold a router lift w/router motor over time. The phenolic top is 3/8" thick. The frame is 5/8" x 1-5/8" phenolic. In order to install the router lift, the center rib has to be cut, leaving a span of almost 20" unsupported. Of course I could beef it up but it would probably be easier to just build a new extension wing. I could use that extension on the TS outfeed.

The TS manufacturer sells a pricey cast iron wing that fits the TS and router lift perfectly. About the only drawback I can think of (besides price) is rust.

Phenolic sheet goods, from what little searches I've done, look to be considerably more expensive than laminated MDF. I know nothing about phenolic but I wonder about it sagging over time. I bought some 3/4" thick UHMW a couple decades ago, thinking it was completely stable, but over time it proved not to be.

As to MDF, from my experience, laminated MDF seems to have its drawbacks, too, as noted above.

Hopefully, the cabinet saw upgrade will make work much more enjoyable. I'd like to have a similar experience with the router table, too. Any thoughts?

[Jim Becker]

I will admit that I really like cast iron for the "feel" and vibration dampening. The disadvantage is that you can't "roll your own" and you have to use accessories, such as lifts, fences, etc., that are compatible with the particular cast iron unit you choose. And yes, in some areas, cast iron comes with a maintenance requirement. (fortunately not in my shop) Phenolic coated plywood, laminate covered MDF or even raw MDF or plywood will make perfectly good router table surfaces that will perform for a long time. You can design them exactly the way you want them, too.

One solution for moisture issues with MDF is to use exterior versions such as Medex and Extiera. My auxiliary bench and guitar bench surfaces are made from Extiera that I had left over from a client job.

[Alan Lightstone]

I use cast iron for mine, Julie, and even in our neck of the woods simple maintenance prevents rust issues. My issue with the one I have (in a router table now, not in a table saw extension wing) is that it just isn't deep enough (front - bit). That does get in the way with safely doing some operations.

I would be very wary of using MDF in South Florida where the humidity is 500%. Jim's suggestion of using exterior versions may be a great one, but I have no clue if they swell with humidity or they solve that problem.

One annoyance I had with the cast iron router table in the extension wing is that you really have to seriously beef up the wing. I tried multiple angle iron pieces, and that really worked far worse than expected. I would at least double up on the 3/4" sheet goods. I did that on the router table, and that worked great.

[Julie Moriarty]

I use cast iron for mine, Julie, and even in our neck of the woods simple maintenance prevents rust issues. My issue with the one I have (in a router table now, not in a table saw extension wing) is that it just isn't deep enough (front - bit). That does get in the way with safely doing some operations.

I would be very wary of using MDF in South Florida where the humidity is 500%. Jim's suggestion of using exterior versions may be a great one, but I have no clue if they swell with humidity or they solve that problem.

One annoyance I had with the cast iron router table in the extension wing is that you really have to seriously beef up the wing. I tried multiple angle iron pieces, and that really worked far worse than expected. I would at least double up on the 3/4" sheet goods. I did that on the router table, and that worked great.

It didn't take me long to realize SW Florida is very different animal than Chicago, Alan. Humidity, salt air and heat seem to be out to destroy everything man-made. But I've got the rust issue under control. It just requires more maintenance than needed up north.

But another thing that can't be ignored is when things work as intended (or expected), you tend to use them more often and certainly enjoy them more. More then once I talked myself out of doing something because I knew I'd get annoyed or frustrated with the flaws in my DIY setup.

The DIY router fence was cool when I made it but it hasn't stood the test of time, especially here in Florida. So I ordered a fence from Woodpeckers, along with their lift and Portamate router. I expected the extension wing on the Harvey HW110S to be beefy enough to support a router w/lift. But after I opened the box, that extension wing looked pretty anemic.

As to beefing up the support under the cast iron router wing, my setup has legs under the extension. A Portamate mobile base extension will allow for the legs to roll with the saw base. I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with the sliding table.

Thanks, all, for the replies. That cast iron router wing is looking better.

[Julie Moriarty]

The table saw is a Harvey HW110S

[Thomas Wilson]

I have used 3/4 plywood for router tables. I used 1x3 around the hole and 2x4 ladder frame underneath to stiffen the sheet. It stayed flat. It was made to go on sawhorses rather than for a table saw extension so you would have to engineer the substructure to attach it to your saw. I found some adjustable supports that allowed the plate to be leveled as needed. I don’t know if those or something similar are still available. I will take a picture for you if you are interested. I will be away from the shop until next Tuesday.

This particular table was made for a molding job and had mounts for two routers. It was intended for one job but was useful and has not gotten pitched yet.

[Charles Coolidge]

I'm a cast iron fan and went with this purchased setup vs building my own in the interest of time.

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[Doug Dawson]

I'm a cast iron fan and went with this purchased setup vs building my own in the interest of time.

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I have the Jet version of that table, looks exactly the same except for the livery. The “mobility solution” for it was so awful that I ended up bagging and tagging it and putting the thing on a Portamate. Did you have any issues with it?

[Charles Coolidge]

I have the Jet version of that table, looks exactly the same except for the livery. The “mobility solution” for it was so awful that I ended up bagging and tagging it and putting the thing on a Portamate. Did you have any issues with it?

What specifically was the issue with the mobile base? It's working fine for me so far no issues but we'll see how long those cheesy wheels hold up. They are an odd size like 2" and 2.5" which are not easy to source in urethane with bearings or I may have already replaced them. Agree the Jet and SawStop are the exact same base and table.

I have an extra Grizzly T31566 - Bear Crawl All Swivel HD Mobile Base if needed. I put one on a Powermatic mortising machine recently and its nice.

[Doug Dawson]

What specifically was the issue with the mobile base? It's working fine for me so far no issues but we'll see how long those cheesy wheels hold up. They are an odd size like 2" and 2.5" which are not easy to source in urethane with bearings or I may have already replaced them. Agree the Jet and SawStop are the exact same base and table.

Using the stock mounting positions for the two fixed wheels, you had to jack up the levelers so high to get the unit to not catch over a slightly uneven floor that the assembly felt rickety in use, as I remember it (a few years ago.) I didn’t think it was particularly well engineered. Maybe SawStop spec’ed in a fix for that.

[tom lucas]

I'm a cast iron man. I purchased this one because it included folding support legs and a nice fence.

https://www.shopyourway.com/general-...-kit/628082744

Not sure if it's still available from General, but the one sawstop is selling looks identical.

I put an Incra PRL-V2 rapid lift in it. Love it. As others have mentioned the only issue is I wish table front to blade were a few inches wider. But, in reality, it is seldom needed. Plus the entire tablesaw top can be used simply by flipping the fence to the other side and feeding from the opposite direction.

This replaced a stand-alone table that was much bigger with a sliding table. Worth it for the space savings, to me.

Mounting it just involved match drilling holes in the tablesaw top. With the legs it's well supported.

[Brian Holcombe]

Cast iron is nice for this, mine has not yet dampened vibration but it certainly does damp vibration.

[Charles Coolidge]

Also, lifting that 24x32 cast iron table about gave me a hernia.

[Jack Frederick]

The TS is a SS, correct?

[Norman Pirollo]

With the "sagging" issue in mind. I researched and built my router table using a torsion box sub-frame. Has never sagged. I created a box opening in the center to mount the router table insert. So essentially the table surface is supported by a grid composed of vertical components sandwiched between with another birch ply panel below. 15 years and going on strong!

Norman

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