[Stanmcmct]

I purchased an Excalibur 40-200 cast iron router table with fence and dust collection system in 2015. I partially assembled it but because of work and other issues didn't get to completing the assembly till last week. When leveling the router lift plate, I noticed a dip fore and aft of the plate so that I could not precisely level the plate. I can slide a 0.018 inch feeler gauge under a straight edge in the middle of the table. Will this cause problems? I have been unable to contact General International for help. I would welcome any ideas. Thanks!

 

[Bstrom]

That seems to be a tolerable error but nothing tells you the truth like a test joint. if you have calipers you can measure the variation.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

.018" sounds like a lot. When I purchased my Unisaw I was told that table flatness was to .003". Where you might have problems according to what you described is that you might have part of the plate above the table or below the table. Both cause problems. If you experience that thenn you should keep trying to get in touch with General. I realize it's been 5 years but that had to have been like that from day 1 so maybe they would go good for it.

 

[Herb Stoops]

Here is a review,I found. Gen. Intn'l went out of business several years ago and sold their interests to different Taiwanese companies. I am not sure of their Customer Service now.
Herb
https://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-Floor-Router-Table-Kit/product-reviews/B00R7O2078

 

[mtnwalton]

I wanted to do cast iron when i upgraded my router setup last year, and finally decided against cast iron for this reason. I couldn't make the trip at the time to Rocklers and inspect before buying so went with phenolic and under table adjustment just in case.

 

[Bob Adams]

I might be tempted to live with it, but it might be worth a call to a machine shop to see if they have the tooling to mill it flat. If so I would make my decision based on the cost of the milling.

 

[sreilly]

I might be tempted to live with it, but it might be worth a call to a machine shop to see if they have the tooling to mill it flat. If so I would make my decision based on the cost of the milling.

Most shops charge a basic setup fee that makes small jobs expensive. Worth looking into but don't be overly surprised. Of course the setup fee becomes less of a factor on many of the same operations being done with that setup.

 

[Danman1957]

General no longer exists ! In Canada Normand Inc. which has 2 stores in Quebec and 1 in Ontario, has purchased the rights to several products and has them made for them (probably Taiwan). The carry some parts but I don't think they have router tables. They obviously do NOT honour the General guarantees.
I work for a large machine shop/fabricator and yes we have minimum charges to set up for tooling, but, most areas especially rural agricultural areas, have a local small scale machine shop that often has older conventional equipment and work for much more reasonable rates that I have found quite affordable for small jobs, more so if you're not in a hurry.
That .013 gap is not acceptable, as Chuck said his is about .003 which is pretty much the norm +/-.005 on cast iron tops. Good luck !

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Stan I ordered that same one years ago , well when it first debuted . Then all of the sudden it was not available and I didn’t get it . Lost most of my $400 deposit to a shady employee at WP unfortunately .
I was happy it was not coming after I started reading reviews . Either the table wasn’t flat or the the lift didn’t sit in the hole properly. Sounds like they were plagued with problems .
So if you get the surface machined , I’m assuming you’d have to get the upper plate machined as well ?
Not sure as maybe there’s adjustments for the lift , but I can’t remember .

I’m thinking keep the lift and build a new table

 

[Stanmcmct]

I did a little digging and found that Sawstop offers the EXACT same router table. It is sold by Rockler also. In my chat with Sawstop, they said the table is flat to 4 mm (0.0157 inch) in all directions. They said they know nothing about the Excalibur and can't honor General International's warranty. Woodcraft Supply used to sell the Excalibur and has been selling Sawstop saws for years. I'll check with them. Sawstop says one can get the table only for $430 through their resellers. I think I will try the table and maybe put a piece of foil tape in the low area. I think if it was possible to machine the table flat, the slots might be off.

In any case, thank you for your thoughtful replies.

 

[Herb Stoops]

I am just throwing out this idea on the table. Can the top be filled with Jet weld or epoxy and screeded off. Or how about a sheet of steel or SS plate layed on top and attached with screws? Or sanded off with a belt sander and a black carborundum belt? Cast Iron sands easily,kind if messy needs a vacuum up the dust.
Just thinking out loud.
HErb

 

[Stanmcmct]

Herb, Thanks for your ideas. Jet Weld looks like an adhesive that does not bond well to steel. Epoxy is a good idea, but I would need to block the area around the lift plate to prevent seepage and bonding I think. The problem with a top sheet is that the T-track will not work. I think I'll try aluminum tape in areas where the table is a little low around the lift plate. Thanks again.

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Stan this would be a last resort , but looking at the design I’m almost wondering if I guy could add another layer to the cast top and glue it .
Basically make a new top out of phenolic board and glue it to the cast top . The only hard part would be raising the side rails for the fence to compensate for the height difference.

 

[Stanmcmct]

Rainman, Thanks for your idea. I wonder if adding thickness to the plate would also mess up the mitre tracks in addition to the fence, although I think the fence brackets that bolt to the table sides may be adjustable. Machining the table flat if possible might not mess up the tracks b/c we're talking a ten thousandth or so. The issue is cost. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. Stan