noob router table dilema.

3397 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by DesertRatTom, Jul 25, 2017

The Outlaw

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2017

A few years back i decided i wanted to try to make guitar bodies and trinket boxes and started buying woodworking tools including one of the $150 grizzly tables and an inexpensive skil router that came with both fixed and plunge bases. Before i ever even mounted the router though i started a new job and we had to move to a place with no space to spare.

I have since bought a house with a garage and started setting the garage up to do some wood working and this is where the dilema starts. I bought a new much bigger triton router for the above the table adjustment, and was told i would have nothing but trouble trying to use the plastic plate the table came with. So i ran out and bought an aluminum woodpecker plate that was completely incompatible with the table. While looking for the right aluminum plate i come to realize most of the high quality stuff is sized completely different than the grizzly table, and worse yet i start seeing fancy fences i liked the looks of too, then whole router table packages from woodpecker and incra catch my eye...

I have been bouncing back and forth for 2 weeks now trying to decide if i should just get any old aluminum plate i can find that fits the grizzly or if i should sink even more money into a fancy combo setup with all the bells and whistles. What makes it really difficult is that im a total noob whose only used a router once so i dont know if any of that fancy stuff is even going to help me or just help me and my money part ways... Buying a $500 basic woodpecker combo or $750 loaded inca combo is a long ways from a $100 plate.

Are the woodpecker super fence or incra wonder fence compatible with the grizzy table?

Are those more complicated fences really going to help with things like jointing 2" thick stock for guitar bodies or doing box joints?

I would have no problem throwing down the $750 for the loaded incra setup if its going to be something usefull and helps me but i'd rather not waste the money if its just a bunch of fancy gadgets ill never use anyway, since im not loaded and just starting out there are lots of other places the money could be used.

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Terry Q

· #4 · Jul 24, 2017

The Outlaw said:
Are the woodpecker super fence or incra wonder fence compatible with the grizzy table?

Are those more complicated fences really going to help with things like jointing 2" thick stock for guitar bodies or doing box joints?

I would have no problem throwing down the $750 for the loaded incra setup if its going to be something usefull and helps me but i'd rather not waste the money if its just a bunch of fancy gadgets ill never use anyway, since im not loaded and just starting out there are lots of other places the money could be used.

Not familiar with the woodpecker fence, but I can chime in on the Incra LS positioner fence. The LS positioner uses a fairly long arm. To take full advantage of the fence you need a much bigger table then normal, so I'm going to say no to being compatible with the grizzly table, or just about any other standard size router table.

The Incra wonder fence is designed for jointing stock on a router table. The only problem I'd see is finding a two inch long router bit.
The Incra jig comes with templates for making dozens of different box joints and variations.

My recommendation is you use your Grizzly table and use your old router. While you get comfortable with it you can take the time to build yourself a new router table for your new router and plate. Consider making it large enough for the Incra fence if you still decide to get one. If you have the room two router tables can be useful, or you can sell the old one.

In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.

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