[Steven Owen]

After a week of reading reviews about the Kreg Table. The reviews are either extemely positive for the most part. People also raise some serious concerns.

- Warped Fence
- Warped table top issues

If you own or have owned a Kreg Table, what is your honest opinion of thee router table?

Are you happy with the PRS 1045 or do you find the fence and table are having issues with flatness?

 

[hawkeye10]

After a week of reading reviews about the Kreg Table. The reviews are either extemely positive for the most part. People also raise some serious concerns.

- Warped Fence
- Warped table top issues

If you own or have owned a Kreg Table, what is your honest opinion of thee router table?

Are you happy with the PRS 1045 or do you find the fence and table are having issues with flatness?

Steven I have one and it's the bench top model but the bigger one they have is just like it. I have build dust collection into it and it is on wheels. So far it does everything I want it to do. I did have a problem with the one side of the MDF part of the fence being thicker than the other. I called and they sent me another. I also had a problem with the plate not being dead flat and they sent me a replacement but it was not dead flat either. If I had it to do over again I would buy a Jessem or Woodpecker table. Also you might want to look into building your one table. I lot of guys on here do that.

 

[Steven Owen]

Steven I have one and it's the bench top model but the bigger one they have is just like it. I have build dust collection into it and it is on wheels. So far it does everything I want it to do. I did have a problem with the one side of the MDF part of the fence being thicker than the other. I called and they sent me another. I also had a problem with the plate not being dead flat and they sent me a replacement but it was not dead flat either. If I had it to do over again I would buy a Jessem or Woodpecker table. Also you might want to look into building your one table. I lot of guys on here do that.

Personally I'd love to have the Incra LS Combo 3, there's nothing small or portable about the Incra. You really need to have your own shop or a very large garage to accommodate an LS System.

The 27 by 43 Incra is double the size of the Kreg once you factor in the Fence system. You need another 17 inches above 43 inches to accommodate their fence when it's fully extended.

I am considering the Woodpecker Phenolic Table, Woodpecker Super Fence and Kreg Cart with Casters as a possible alternative. You really can't find many details about Woodpeckers Super Fence online.

 

[mgmine]

I don't own one so I cant speak to the quality. I did own a Kreg fence and found that it was a waste of money. The majority of your work is done on the edge of the stock and for that all you need is a piece of wood clamped to the table. The table itself doesn't have to be fancy either. My vote would be for making a table and making it about 4 feet long. To keep the wood secure it needs something long to rest on as well as something to hold it tight to the table and fence and for that feather boards are a must.

 

[chuckgray]

Hello Steven, I have the Kreg PRS2100 and have no problems with it. No warping of the table surface or fence. My one gripe about it is that the fence can sometimes be frustrating to reinstall. The alignment gizmos on the mounting screws that slip into the mounting slots on the table rotate loosely making it difficult to align them, but this isn't a major issue, just a bit frustrating at times.

 

[Wood Chip]

I have the tabletop model. It works fine for me but I'm not a heavy user. My only complaint is the plate sags under the weight of the router. Their customer service has been excellent. I called to order a replacement fence because I broke the original one (my stupidity which I readily admitted to). They sent me a new one for free.

 

[Steven Owen]

Hello Steven, I have the Kreg PRS2100 and have no problems with it. No warping of the table surface or fence. My one gripe about it is that the fence can sometimes be frustrating to reinstall. The alignment gizmos on the mounting screws that slip into the mounting slots on the table rotate loosely making it difficult to align them, but this isn't a major issue, just a bit frustrating at times.

I looked at the Woodpeckers options and by the time you price their table out, you might as well have bought the Incra LS from Elite Tools.

The Kreg table gets a lot of positive reviews. I guess it really comes down to how fussy you are about your table. A lot of people buying the Kreg are casual hobbyist users.

The price of lumber in Canada almost negates building your own table from scratch.

 

[Mike]

Steven, there are two basic choices in router tables: "Whistles and bells" or "Keep it simple." Both ways work and only you can decide which method is the right choice for you. Here are a couple of things to consider in making your choice that may affect your decision.

If your table has a miter slot and you use this in combination with the fence they must be square to each other. This means constantly using a square to check your set up. In the "Keep it simple" method there is no miter slot and everything guides off the fence so there is nothing to have to square up. This is because the bits are round; the only critical settings are bit height and distance from the fence.

Wood moves with changes in temperature and humidity. Brass set up bars and your fingertip will give you good results the same as a digital gauge; you can err with either method.

A project built using a home made table will turn out the same as one built on a thousand dollar cast iron table. It all comes down to practice with either one. This is why I recommend building your first router table. Discover what you like/dislike before you spend your hard earned money that may or may not improve the quality of your routing.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Mike makes good points. My use of routers improved rapidly when I started watching Marc Sommerfeld videos of him making various kinds of projects. Yup, he sells woodworking stuff, but the videos are terrific at showing elegantly simple technique. I have a Rockler table with a Woodpecker mounting plate, set up for a Triton TRA001. My fence is the Rockler fence. I had a Kreg fance on my band saw which was OK and rarely used. The woodpecker plate is extra thick and has a twist lock for the insert, which is far more convenient than one that uses tiny, easily lost bolts. Cutting the opening for this oversized plate is pretty easy since they have a template, or you can make a template with four boards. You add leveling screws through the base, through the rabbit. Pretty easy to install and a very rugged plate.

If I were making my own table, I'd likely use two layers, the top with laminate on MDF, and a second layer of MDF to at least a total thickness of about 1.5 inches. I'd make it quite large. If I were making a fence, it would be made of a good, straight grain hard wood, and it would be hollowed out in the center for dust collection through a 2 1/2 inch hose. The Triton has a nice dust collection port built in, and I have been thinking of connecting it to the existing table mounted dust collection system. I think that would also help keep sawdust out of the router's works.

It's easy to make the top, but you can use almost anything to hold that top. For example, something as simple as a bathroom cabinet to which you add a shelf to create a chamber for the router. Or even a couple of saw horses, or a folding base something like a school science fair folding display, but in ply. Use your imagination for alternatives for a stand.

 

[Knothead47]

I bought the benchtop model and really like it. Now the fence is made into two pieces so they can be adjusted independently. The change came after I bought mine. The offset in the fences is measured by inserting metal rods into slots on the fence for different depths of cut. Still learning how to use it. I would recommend it. I looked at a benchtop router table at Lowe's and was disappointed in the quality and sturdiness; Bosch if I recall.

 

[Steven Owen]

I bought the benchtop model and really like it. Now the fence is made into two pieces so they can be adjusted independently. The change came after I bought mine. The offset in the fences is measured by inserting metal rods into slots on the fence for different depths of cut. Still learning how to use it. I would recommend it. I looked at a benchtop router table at Lowe's and was disappointed in the quality and sturdiness; Bosch if I recall.

People will pick on the Kreg because it's not on par with it's higher end counterparts.

I think Kreg's target audience for the 1045 is the hobby woodworker and the enthusiast rather than professional woodworkers.

The choice between the Incra LS 3 17 inch and the Kreg Table is really going to come down whether I can make room for an LS.

I'm pretty sure if I buy the LS I'll be routing out on drive way on sunny days rather than the garage. I doubt I'll be given the extra real estate for the LS.

 

[Jerry Bowen]

People will pick on the Kreg because it's not on par with it's higher end counterparts.

I think Kreg's target audience for the 1045 is the hobby woodworker and the enthusiast rather than professional woodworkers.

The choice between the Incra LS 3 17 inch and the Kreg Table is really going to come down whether I can make room for an LS.

I'm pretty sure if I buy the LS I'll be routing out on drive way on sunny days rather than the garage. I doubt I'll be given the extra real estate for the LS.

I have to confess that I forget how fortuanate I am to have all of the space that I have. I sure would not be able to put my tools in a garage. Now, if I could find a way to keep the dust and dirt out of the shop that comes in from the fields. Then a nice A/C and a heating system would really top it all off.

We all need to be thankful for whatever it is that we have as well as the health and physical strength to get out and enjoy it. It's so easy to take our health and even our tools for granted, we need to stop from time to time and dwell on our blessings.

Jerry

 

[Steven Owen]

Mike makes good points. My use of routers improved rapidly when I started watching Marc Sommerfeld videos of him making various kinds of projects. Yup, he sells woodworking stuff, but the videos are terrific at showing elegantly simple technique. I have a Rockler table with a Woodpecker mounting plate, set up for a Triton TRA001. My fence is the Rockler fence. I had a Kreg fance on my band saw which was OK and rarely used. The woodpecker plate is extra thick and has a twist lock for the insert, which is far more convenient than one that uses tiny, easily lost bolts. Cutting the opening for this oversized plate is pretty easy since they have a template, or you can make a template with four boards. You add leveling screws through the base, through the rabbit. Pretty easy to install and a very rugged plate.

If I were making my own table, I'd likely use two layers, the top with laminate on MDF, and a second layer of MDF to at least a total thickness of about 1.5 inches. I'd make it quite large. If I were making a fence, it would be made of a good, straight grain hard wood, and it would be hollowed out in the center for dust collection through a 2 1/2 inch hose. The Triton has a nice dust collection port built in, and I have been thinking of connecting it to the existing table mounted dust collection system. I think that would also help keep sawdust out of the router's works.

It's easy to make the top, but you can use almost anything to hold that top. For example, something as simple as a bathroom cabinet to which you add a shelf to create a chamber for the router. Or even a couple of saw horses, or a folding base something like a school science fair folding display, but in ply. Use your imagination for alternatives for a stand.

The Sommerfield set-up looks neat but the time you ship it up to Canada the costs are off the charts.