Insert Plate size and 11.5" handle spread; how to prevent problems

Ladd · 12-05-2007, 11:19 AM

This is a question about the distance across the router from handle to handle and sizing of a table insert plate (and the hole in the router table top). There is a question at the end, I promise.

I've been considering the purchase of a smaller router table (to save space) to use with my Freud 2200E router. The candidates for the category are the Oak Park table top, the Bench Dog ProTop Contractor and the Kreg Precision Benchtop table.

I can't use the actual Oak Park table as the the space underneath the top that holds the router is not tall enough (the Freud router is 14.5-to-15" tall, depending on how much you squish the top-exit electric cord and the space in the Oak Park cabinet under the table is 13 7/8"). I would have to purchase the Oak Park "make your own table" kit and then construct my own cabinet. Theoretically not a problem.

The Bench Dog Contractor table does have enough space underneath to fit the router (barely) as does the the Kreg Benchtop.

In my research yesterday trying to determine the pros and cons of each table, I was reading some instructions on how to mount your router to an insert plate, talking about making sure you oriented the router so that you would have the best access to its controls and ensuring that the handles would fit through the hole in the table top when installing/removing the router.

It suddenly occurred to me that with the small-table limitations I've been finding with the tall size of the Freud router, perhaps there might also be issues with the handle spread width -- I went down to the basement and measured the handle spread on the Freud and it is just shy of 11.5 ".

Going back to the specs of the three tables mentioned above, I see that the Oak Park insert plate is 11"x11", the Bench Dog plate is 8.25"x11.75" and the Kreg plate is 9.25"x11.75".

So it looks like the router might just fit into the Bench Dog and Kreg table holes (depending on whatever is just under the insert plate sticking out to hold it in place) and with some twisting as the router is inserted, there's a possibility the router will fit into the hole of the Oak Park table.

[As an aside, Oak Park supplies a plate pre-drilled for the Freud 2000E, an older model that appears quite similar to the current 2200E and the baseplate holes are the same as that on the 2200E, so one might assume that the handle width might be the same also and therefore might be a "known-to-work" fit; but to make this assumption one has to assume that both routers are the same size and my 2200E *clearly* won't fit in the complete Oak Park Table Package (15" height of router and and 13 7/8" space inside table), yet Oak Park clearly sells the table with a Freud 2000E plate. So either the 2000E router is shorter than the 2200E or people who purchased the Oak Park table expecting their Freud 2000E routers to fit inside the table were quite surprised when it didn't.]

Yes, there is still a question here.

I'm wondering if all this fine parsing of known and unknown facts is limited by my lack of experience; i.e. even if my Freud 2200E router fits into any of these tables, will it be so tight that I'll regret it.

Perhaps I should go back to one of the early candidates and purchase the Rockler "large plate" table and fence and just get the folding legs option so I'll be able to store it easier. No cabinet so router height won't be an issue and the plate is 9"x13" so handle width shouldn't be a problem either. Lots of things I like about the Oak Park, Bench Dog and Kreg tables, but if being paired up with the Freud router is going to be trouble, I'ld rather know now rather than later.

Advice general and specific welcome.

Charles M · 12-05-2007, 11:46 AM

A couple of thoughts:

You can easily remove the handles for table use if you like.

With a rectangular opening of about 11" you can typically lift enough to get the plate above the table, then rotate so the handles are diagonal to the opening and it will lift right out. Another option is to mount the router so the handles are diagonal to the plate.

Just to confirm for you, the mounting for the FT2000E is the same as for the FT2200E.

**bobj3** · 12-05-2007, 11:58 AM

Hi Ladd

A top is a top and a case is just a case (Box)
Most plates are outside dimensions so to say the Rockler may work but it will be tight drop in fit because of the lip to to hold the plate...so to say some of the lips are 1/2" wide and some are 3/4" wide the bigger the plate the biggger the lip to hold them..

So to say you may need to turn the Freud router on a angle to get it to drop in the top..

Sommerfeldtools is the only one I know about that has a BIG drop in plate 11 1/2" x 15" ,, I have my Freud mounted to it and it works great...

see below

The pictures below the 1st. one shows the Freud mounted and the 2nd picture shows the PC type router mounted in place..
Not all bolt patterns are the same as you know,but it's duck soup to mount all routers to the plate...

NOTE the list price of 850.oo dollars but you can get it for 300.oo dollars,close out sale price ,because sommerfeld as an new one out for 500.oo dollars..
I should note,,,if I had 300.00 bucks just laying around I would buy one more just to have it, it's that good

,,,when I got my top they didn't have anymore of the fences (sold out / (sommerfeldtools.com) so I just got the top..but I didn't know about the stock at Amazon

.. BUT then I just may order one more

great top and fence...I just need to kick it around a bit...

Note the price for the fence,,250.oo just for that item...

http://www.amazon.com/CMT-999-500-02...6908308&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi...able&x=11&y=19

==============

curiousgeorge · 12-05-2007, 12:45 PM

Hi Ladd. Another thing to consider is restricted air flow. I think I remember reading a post where someone had a problem with this. If there isn't enough room under the bottom of your router, when mounted in the table, to allow enough air flow through the router there is a possability of the motor over-heating.

yetiatlarge · 12-10-2007, 08:18 PM

I just got an aluminum 11x13 plate from Home hardware. It is branded as Samona but I have seen it elswhere as other brands.

**bobj3** · 12-10-2007, 09:04 PM

Hi yetiatlarge

Is this the one you got for 60.oo bucks ?
http://www.bosstoolsupply.com/browse...te-Insert.HTML

=================

Quote:

Originally Posted by yetiatlarge

I just got an aluminum 11x13 plate from Home hardware. It is branded as Samona but I have seen it elswhere as other brands.

Ladd · 12-10-2007, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobj3

NOTE the list price of 850.oo dollars but you can get it for 300.oo dollars,close out sale price ,because sommerfeld as an new one ... [snip] ...
I should note,,,if I had 300.00 bucks just laying around I would buy one more just to have it, it's that good

Did you notice that the Industrio table has ONLY one review on Amazon (I thought that was surprising) and he absolutely hated it? Among other things, he called the fence "juvenile".

I believe you over the Amazon reviewer, out of familiarity if for no other reason, but it's a great example of how different people can look at the same thing and see two completely different things.

I've been reading up on router tables continuously and daily for over a month and I either need to make a purchase decision or forget about the whole thing for a while.

I won't ask you to "tell me what to buy", because how can you know what I need when don't -- but I bet you can guess better than I can!

Here's what I've been leaning towards for the last week:

Oak Park "build your own router table with vacu-plate -- $183 w/shipping" (so I can fit the 15" tall Freud router underneath the table top resting on some base I construct -- the full oak park benchtop table with cabinet doesn't have a big enough space for the router)

The close-out Industrio $305 with shipping.

**challagan** · 12-10-2007, 09:57 PM

Hello I had the Bench Dog Contractor table. It was a very nice table and a great fence! But I found the table top to be too small for using my Gifkin jig and the Incra on so I bought the Oak Park top and built the cabinet per the instructions but did some customizing. I love that set up, wish I had done it a long time ago.

Corey

**bobj3** · 12-10-2007, 10:13 PM

HI Ladd

Yep I did notice that , all I can say the guy must be on drugs...

or to say he has not been using routers tables very long..I'm not to sure what he meant by "juvenile" ,, I can say I like it over all the router table tops I have and have used...I would give it 5 stars out of 5 stars...

and I wish I had some extra bucks I would get one more just because of the fence and the big base plate..............

Many neat things about the router top and fence , zero inserts plates in the fence, it will take on ANY router,has a swing fence with lock down plus the guide blocks on the side if some one wants to use them plus the tee track system and the fence can be used from the back side or the front side with just a click or two plus the snap in ring plates that are 3/8" thick, plus a real neat way to off set the out feed part of the fence..as you can see I'm sold on this top and fence it has all the items that a woodworking would need...

I can't put down the Oak-Park system but it is a very proprietary system that's to say once you have it setup you will want the other items they have for it...that's just real smart on their part..

The real key to the Oak-Park system is the top plate you don't need to make the cabinet the same size you can made it a bit taller

...for more room for the router you have but you will still need to remove the handles or turn the router to get it on the hole, that's not a big deal most of the time..

Good luck on your quest...

=========

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladd

Did you notice that the Industrio table has ONLY one review on Amazon (I thought that was surprising) and he absolutely hated it? Among other things, he called the fence "juvenile".

I believe you over the Amazon reviewer, out of familiarity if for no other reason, but it's a great example of how different people can look at the same thing and see two completely different things.

I've been reading up on router tables continuously and daily for over a month and I either need to make a purchase decision or forget about the whole thing for a while.

I won't ask you to "tell me what to buy", because how can you know what I need when don't -- but I bet you can guess better than I can!

Here's what I've been leaning towards for the last week:

Oak Park "build your own router table with vacu-plate -- $183 w/shipping" (so I can fit the 15" tall Freud router underneath the table top resting on some base I construct -- the full oak park benchtop table with cabinet doesn't have a big enough space for the router)

The close-out Industrio $305 with shipping.

**challagan** · 12-10-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobj3

HI Ladd

Yep I did notice that , all I can say the guy must be on drugs...

or to say he has not been using routers tables very long..I'm not to sure what he meant by "juvenile" ,, I can say I like it over all the router table tops I have and have used...I would give it 5 stars out of 5 stars...

and I wish I had some extra bucks I would get one more just because of the fence and the big base plate..............

Many neat things about the router top and fence , zero inserts plates in the fence, it will take on ANY router,has a swing fence with lock down plus the guide blocks on the side if some one wants to use them plus the tee track system and the fence can be used from the back side or the front side with just a click or two plus the snap in ring plates that are 3/8" thick, plus a real neat way to off set the out feed part of the fence..as you can see I'm sold on this top and fence it has all the items that a woodworking would need...

I can't put down the Oak-Park system but it is a very proprietary system that's to say once you have it setup you will want the other items they have for it...that's just real smart on their part..

The real key to the Oak-Park system is the top plate you don't need to make the cabinet the same size you can made it a bit taller

...for more room for the router you have but you will still need to remove the handles or turn the router to get it on the hole, that's not a big deal most of the time..

Good luck on your quest...

=========

Anyone that likes the full size Bench Dog set ups would most likely like the Sommerfield set up. The fences are nearly identical... down to the jointing and shimming bars. The table is nearly the same design as well. The big Bench Dog or the Summerfield would make me happy. Nice set ups! The Bench Dog Pro Top is top quality construction and the fence is awesome ... just too small of a work top for me... it's a heavy well built bench top.

Corey

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