Jessem router

[Tom Bussey]

What do you think about the New Jessem router? I think it solves all problem of mounting in an enclosed space. Pricey but I had to replace a Porter Cable 3 1/4 HP router because the variable speed went out.

[Keegan Shields]

Seems like adding a vent to the bottom of the dust box on a router table solves the clean air issue. Dust collection will pull clean air up past the motor fan and Bob’s your uncle.

I wouldn’t replace a functioning motor to get the upgrade, but might be cool if you need a new motor. I guess it depends on your budget and where you want to spend it.

Personally I think the fence and lift are more important. I’ve only had one router motor fail due to the bearings. More my fault than the Bosch 1617.

[Jim Becker]

Keegan, I think the theory with the duct-vented router motor is to insure that the cooling air coming in is a separate, "clean" stream than what comes through the table insert, etc. For those of us who only use the router table "from time to time", it likely wouldn't make much difference, but for someone who puts a lot of time in, it could potentially extend the life of the motor, IMHO. Of course, if I were going to be using a router table day-in-day-out (I'm not...), I'd seriously consider a spindle motor for both performance as well as lower sound levels and longer term durability. It would be water cooled in this situation even though I prefer air cooled for the CNC machine.

[Keegan Shields]

Jim,

Check my logic here. The dust enclosure I built has a vent in the center of the bottom floor. When the router motor is mounted in a lift upside down, it pulls air in through the head and blows the air out of the router where the chuck/bit is.

So clean air enters from the bottom vent (in the “floor” of the dust enclosure), is sucked into the router motor by the motor fan, exits the router motor by the bit, and is sucked up by the dust collector.

I don’t have any experience with CNC spindles but they sound awesome (and expensive?).

[Aaron Inami]

Thinking about this. If you have a sealed box with a 4" dust port, the dust collector is going to be pulling fresh air through the entire box using the top opening as input. However, it's not pulling a large amount of air if you have a small 2" hole insert. In this case, the Jessem "external duct cooling" would really help. I think if you are running the router table more than 20 minutes, then this external cooling would be beneficial. A water cooled spindle with VFD would be cool, but you may have problems trying to fit the spindle onto one of the existing router lifts.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

If I end up needing to replace my PC router, I'm going to give the Jessem router a try myself.
However, I've never had an issue with a Bosch router I had previously as my table mounted router due to the dust/air flow. I basically replaced the original Jessem lift/fence/tabletop with they're their latest and greatest setup. I really like all of Jessem's stuff and my take on the router is it would outlast me.

I also re-wired my PC variable speed controls over to a selector switch that I can mount remotely. There's not much to the circuit. You make could revive your PC for a few bucks if you opened it up and found the offending component.

[Tom Bussey]

A have a router table set up like this, and it has some dust collection problems. Your lift may look different but it faces the same problems. Some history, just for the record, I recognized the problems with a router just mounted just to a table so I made the table and lift in 1988. Woodworker's Supply out of New Mexico asked for ideas and so on so I sent them some pictures of my lift. I was supposed to get compensated if any thing came of it. Well about 2 years latter the first lifts started showing up, and guess what?

Anyway the fence is a Twin Linear fence from Incra. It has dust collection through the fence. Mine has MDF faces so I can make the infeed fence zero clearance. I used to make the out feed fence zero clearance but it restricted air flow to much

DSC04207.JPG DSC04201.JPG

Now if the router has a fan that blows chips away from the router and the chips are collected through the fence I should be able to pretty much get all the chips, but I all ways end up with a large amount if chips on the floor under the router. I have been going to add some plywood at an angle so it would not collect on the flats at the bottom by the wheels for years . But I am sure you know about things that never seem to get done.

I have never been one to enclose the router motor because it sucks the air thought the top or bottom if upside down. If I can get the amount of chips on the floor that I sometime do then I could fill up the bottom very easily. Yes I could hook up a dust collector but it would not get all of it and sooner or later the router's air intake would get pugged up just like the air filter on a car. and I find it easier to just roll it out of the say and sweep up the mess.. I am facing even more of the same problem buy putting a cabinate under my newer router table also in the same picture. Now I will have to do some kind of dust collection under the table. I think the new router would solve the problem but I have a good 3 1/4 HP router already and don't or can't spend another $500 at this time.

The router not only solves the air intake problem but the two rows of bearing help because any side pressure on a router bit works on the bearing. That is why I use a fence so it can take the thrust but if the fence is a little to far back on a ball bearing router bit than it is the routers spindle bearing that come into play. I am leaning more to a small fan and sweeping up the mess that dragging a dust collector over, I am running out of free space. I haven't decided yet but is leaning more to a small fan.

[Wes Grass]

Once again Tom mentions setting the fence dead flush with the bearing to avoid loading the bearings.

I have always set it just slightly proud of the fence... which is maybe not a good idea. That will change ...

I also have a desire to switch to a spindle. No commercial lift available, but that would go with a tilting lift based on MW's plans. I *might* consider going with one with 'tool change' function just to avoid messing around with wrenches in and under the table. Huge cost penalty on both the spindle and holders, but hey, its a hobby ... right? And it would be compatible with a CNC ...

None of this happens until there's a building ...anybody interested in a consulting job?

[Jim Becker]

Wes, a tool changer not only ups the investment by "a lot", it also requires more complex control. They are also not typically packaged with lower cost spindles and I'm not sure that they would even work "upside down". If you make your lift such that you can have the ER collet above the table, there would be no need for any low-down wrenching.

[Justin Rapp]

On issue many people have keeping their router table motor cool and dust free is they starve the dust box of air. Most router table with a dust box have a 2 1/2" dust port on the fence and a 4" on the dust box. However the only airflow into the box is through the small space at the router plate ring and router bit, which is usually partially or fully blocked by wood and a negative air pressure from the fence dust collection port. To help ensure the dust box has good flow, you need to have some other holes in the dust box, and the size and number depend on the CFM of your dust collector.

In my case, I have a 3hp collector with only a short run of ducting to my router table. I leave the sliding door to the front of my open about 1/2" that allows clean fresh air to pass over the motor and pull away dust and help cool the motor. I have seen others with holes on the sides and even adjustable venting. Either way, as long as you are keeping enough air-flow through your router dust box, a router motor should last for 1000's of hours of use (maybe with just replacing the brushes at some point).

[Wes Grass]

That's a good point Jim, some kind of interlock needs to be there. I have no idea if there'd be an issue running it upside down either.

Friends of mine bought a machining center. I think some oddball brand. Problem after problem, service call after service call. The final straw was when it ejected a tool from the spindle at 8 or 10k RPM .... 'come and get this xxxxx out of my shop'.

He said it sounded like someone standing in the enclosure swinging a sledge hammer, and everybody in the shop hit the deck.

I can only imagine what a 30 taper holder, with a nice sharp thing hanging out of it, would do at 18k with NO enclosure.

Overall, a bad idea ...

[Chris Parks]

On issue many people have keeping their router table motor cool and dust free is they starve the dust box of air. Most router table with a dust box have a 2 1/2" dust port on the fence and a 4" on the dust box. However the only airflow into the box is through the small space at the router plate ring and router bit, which is usually partially or fully blocked by wood and a negative air pressure from the fence dust collection port. To help ensure the dust box has good flow, you need to have some other holes in the dust box, and the size and number depend on the CFM of your dust collector.

In my case, I have a 3hp collector with only a short run of ducting to my router table. I leave the sliding door to the front of my open about 1/2" that allows clean fresh air to pass over the motor and pull away dust and help cool the motor. I have seen others with holes on the sides and even adjustable venting. Either way, as long as you are keeping enough air-flow through your router dust box, a router motor should last for 1000's of hours of use (maybe with just replacing the brushes at some point).

Yes and companies have made a lot of money by persuading router table users to use insert rings which kill dust extraction.

[Pat Germain]

Is the Jessem router available to purchase? The web site indicates, "Second production run shipping now", but I don't see it for sale anywhere.

[Aaron Inami]

You have to order it direct from Jessem in Canada by clicking on the "Pre-Order Now" button on their page:

https://jessem.com/products/jessems-...le-control-box

My Jessem motor just shipped this week. I had it on order from March.

[Pat Germain]

You have to order it direct from Jessem in Canada by clicking on the "Pre-Order Now" button on their page:

https://jessem.com/products/jessems-...le-control-box

My Jessem motor just shipped this week. I had it on order from March.

Thank you.