Affordable cast iron router tops????

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Hey all;

I would love to get the bench dog cast iron top, but $450 is out of my league. Does anyone know of any other cast iron router tops that might be more affordable?

Thanks
Shawn

[duke bryant]

Hey all;

I would love to get the bench dog cast iron top, but $450 is out of my league. Does anyone know of any other cast iron router tops that might be more affordable?

Thanks
Shawn

If getting it today is not crucial, you can download the manual from harbor frieght for their CI router table, and call their parts ordering folks, and order just the CI top. That should get you in for less than $100 if their price for that part hasn't gone up to much.

Good luck
Duke

[Jim Becker]

Keep in mind that part of your decision is to be sure that the CI top you choose will also work with any intended insert or lift...you really cannot "modify" the opening yourself with this format of table.

[Keith Campbell]

I picked up my CI router extension from Peachtree. $219 For the basic extension and $329 for the CI extension and their supreme fence (which I purchased). Very happy with both. I have it mounted in my Rigid 3650 and it fits great. I think they have it listed on their homepage.

[Wade Lippman]

I have been using corian. Does everything I could ask for in a router table top. And if you are resourceful, it is free.

[Rick Hubbard]

Hey all;

I would love to get the bench dog cast iron top, but $450 is out of my league. Does anyone know of any other cast iron router tops that might be more affordable?

Thanks
Shawn

Hi Shawn-

I'm not sure where you saw the $450 price, but Amazon currently has the BD top for $329 with free shipping.

Rick

[Jeff Miller]

Table saw top 10 bucks at local salvage yard ,works super and also serves as an extension









JEFF

[Prashun Patel]

I know you're looking for Cast iron, but Rockler has the Benchdog 1 1/8" mdf table and fence on clearance for $200. Comes with insert. Looks nice.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Table saw top 10 bucks at local salvage yard ,works super and also serves as an extension

JEFF

YOu found a Table saw top at a Salvage yard? Cool -

I like you zero clearance thing!

I've decided to build my router table into my TS as well... would be cool to use cast iron!!

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Table saw top 10 bucks at local salvage yard ,works super and also serves as an extension

JEFF

Well heck, that is pure freaking genius , and I was just offered a TS with a dead motor for free. Jeff, you just made my day.

Woo Hoo!

Shawn

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Hi Shawn-

I'm not sure where you saw the $450 price, but Amazon currently has the BD top for $329 with free shipping.

Rick

The $450 price is up here in Canada at House of Tools. Shipping for such a heavy item over the border would cost a lot.

[Jack Clay]

I had a Craftsman table saw give to me that I took just for the top. I took it to a friend with a CNC mill and he milled it to fit a Dewalt 3 hp plunge router. We them mill an aluminum plate to fit the saw opening with the cut out for the router bit. This will also double the size of your table saw top. Good Luck.

[Jack Briggs]

I have a table-mounted router (Hitachi TR12) that serves some important needs, but I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to spend the time or money to build or buy a router table out of cast iron when a 3/4" spindle shaper will do so much more, much more accurately and easily than the router table. My Grizzly G1035 cost me $500, weighs 200lbs., takes a 1/2" router bit spindle (if needed) and has a 3" spindle travel on a heavy cast iron handwheel with adjustment that trumps any router-lifter-raizer-thing on the market.

Am I alone in thinking this or is there something about a table-mounted universal motor-powered device that I'm missing?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hello Jack, I also rejected the router table approach in favour of a shaper.

I rarely use router bits in mine however, unless you have a Felder with a high speed spindle, they just don't spin fast enough for small bits.

For large bits such as a panel raising bit, they work just fine, although of course a shaper cutter works much better.

Shapers also have reversible spindle rotation enabling you to flip cutters over so that grain direction isn't an issue.

I have an insert head that takes HSS knives, providing a superior finish in solid wood. The knives are less than $20 per pair, available in over 100 standard profiles, or blanks can be custom ground to any profile.

Once you have a shaper with a flat cast iron table, good fences, a power feeder and shaper cutters, you'll never go back to an upside down blender in a table.

As you mentioned, a low end 3 HP shaper isn't more money than a good router, and a commercially produced high end router table. Of course, I don't think that many wives/children/girl friends walk out of stores on Fathers Day with a shaper under their arm, however a lot of routers get sold for that day.

Regards, Rod.

[Jerome Hanby]

They wont have them until October, but Peachtree is going to have a cast iron router table extension that's machined to hold the Digital SmartLift!

The current model is $219, so I would assume the new one will be priced similarly. Best part, they charge shipping based on the dollar amount! For $300 that amounts to about $15 to ship you a big chunk of cast iron!