[barri]

I had a Kreg insert which had the hole for winding on the left. That arrangement made it easy to get to the height locking lever and the quick height adjuster wheel but the on/off switch was a little awkward.

I have now upgraded to a Woodpecker plate and fence (brilliant BTW) and the whole situation is reversed. The winding hole is on the right making the accessing the switch easier but the height lock lever more awkward but it is manageable.

So my questions .....

1) Leave the lock lever alone and trust the router to keep its height
2) Flip the plate so it faces the back (Woodpecker logo facing the fence) then the lock lever would be more accessible at the front
3) Any Woodpecker & Triton owners who have done that or have you left it as in the Picture. Do you just accept under table adjustments on the Triton are awkward but OK

I guess the switch is the most important as this has to be off to mount bits.

 

[hawkeye10]

Run your router cord to the outside of your table and plug it into an on and off switch. Then just leave the router switch on all the time. Don't forget to unplug the router cord from the switch when changing bits. This is what I do.

 

[barri]

Don, the Triton switch has to be off to change bits. Annoying but it is a good built in safety device. I also run a cord to an outside NVR switch. So I'm sure you don't have a recent Triton router.

 

[hawkeye10]

Don, the Triton switch has to be off to change bits. Annoying but it is a good built in safety device. I also run a cord to an outside NVR switch. So I'm sure you don't have a recent Triton router.

No John I have a Porter Cable 895. My PC has a button that goes into the spindle and locks it so you can change bits with one wrench and The switch has to be off to work it. My router will come up far enough so I use two wrenches to change bits. You could also buy a Muscle Chuck for your router. You could also defeat the switch. I would never trust a switch. I would unplug the router every time. You have to unplug everything else so you need to stay in the habit of unplugging your tools.

 

[barri]

I just realised (and feel stupid) that when I do edge profiling the winding hole is covered by the fence then I have to adjust height under the table so maybe the Woodpecker insert is in the wrong way and should be flipped. It just seems strange to have the logo facing the wrong way.

I'd still love to hear from anyone who has the same combination.

 

[DesertRatTom]

You'll want to lock the height in. I have the Woodpecker plate with the Triton TRA001 and had to drill my own height adjustment hole, so I was able to arrange it so the switch and lock are easily accessable. I do have a Rockler metal dust collection cabinet, which is a tight fit. I'm thinking about removing it and putting in a larger door for easier access to the chamber where the router lives. The best thing about the Woodpecker plate is the twist lock insert, and the extra thickness to support the weight without sagging. I got converted by watching Marc Sommerfeld videos since he has that plate as well as a Triton in the table.

 

[barri]

Tom, I just flipped the plate so that instead of the pre-drilled winder hole being at 2 o clock it is now at 8 o clock. The quick adjust wheel and the lock lever are now are lot more accessible and the switch while not in a perfect spot is still acceptable. This is the way it should be.

While I don't care where the woodpecker logo is, it is now buried under the fence when doing edge work. It's their fault that their logo or winder hole are in the wrong place and out of sight. I saw on a festool forum the pre drilled hole is at 5 o clock and the logo is still buried under the fence. So maybe all Triton holes on woodpecker plates are not the same.

Apart from all this I agree with you Tom. The plate is top quality and their superfence is wonderful. Very happy I upgraded

 

[Geevesmac]

I have the Woodpecker plate, for the Triton TRA001, in an Incra table frame. I built the dust box under the router, but I put a door each side, so I can access the switch and speed control on the left, and lock on the right. Works a treat.

 

[barri]

Greg, is your woodpecker logo facing towards you or away? Also is your winding hole at 8 o clock?

 

[tomp913]

You'll want to lock the height in. I have the Woodpecker plate with the Triton TRA001 and had to drill my own height adjustment hole, so I was able to arrange it so the switch and lock are easily accessable. I do have a Rockler metal dust collection cabinet, which is a tight fit. I'm thinking about removing it and putting in a larger door for easier access to the chamber where the router lives. The best thing about the Woodpecker plate is the twist lock insert, and the extra thickness to support the weight without sagging. I got converted by watching Marc Sommerfeld videos since he has that plate as well as a Triton in the table.

@DesertRatTom

Good information, and just at the right time. I have a P-C 690 in a Bench Dog lift in my Rockler table which has worked very well, also with the Rockler sheet metal box. I'm considering trying the Sommerfeld tongue and groove system for building cabinets (at least for attaching the face frames, I think the grooves for the corner block is overkill, and I like my methoug of installing the backs) and a little worried that the P-C may be a little underpowered for that type of service. I haven't had any problems with the present set-up, but I'm not a heavy duty user of the router table as I cut rabbets and so forth either with a hand held router (the Betterly base does a great job of dust collection, thanks to Mike in Detroit for the recommendation) or with a dado set in the TS, depending on part size. The Rockler insert for the Triton takes the same hole as the Bench Dog and the Triton is supposed to fit in the metal box - do you consider the "fit" of the Triton in the sheet metal box to be a problem?

I like the Bench Dog lift, nice and solid, has been trouble free. The cast iron top is rigid, and came with (or maybe I bought extra) an insert that accepts P-C bushings - I don't use the guide bushings but rather the set with different holes in the center so I can close the hole up around the bit to minimize the clearance. The Bench Dog has a height lock - just a little thumb knob on the height adjustment hat positively locks the height and must be loosened and then tightened after making height adjustments, but it's readily available through the open door. I'd like to keep using the set-up I have, don't want to find out though that I need the heavier router by burning up this one.

That's the height adjustment at the bottom of the photo - it came with a little dial that fits around the socket that can be zeroed each time and used to give a pretty good indication of how much the bit is raised or lowered - one complete revolution raises/lowers the spindle by 1/8"

 

[katabrontes]

I disabled the interlock on the Triton router switch so that it did not have to be turned off to raise and lock the spindle. This was a bit fiddly to do but not difficult, you have to dis-assemble the switch and remove the small interlock part and then put it back together. I suppose it would void the warranty and it is important to have an alternative external switch (I use a no volt cut-out switch) or, as advised by Hawkeye10, always unplug the main feed to the table before making any adjustments to the router (good advice).

 

[barri]

Mike, after having a few "wake up calls" I do like that safety feature of the Tritons. In any one session I don't change bits very often so I can live with reaching underneath for the sake of safety. The two things that I need easy access are the quick lift wheel and the lock lever. I've got that now. I still wonder why a quality company like Woodpecker would make that mistake with the logo. From an aesthetic point of view I did like the red contrasting logo on a dull grey aluminium plate. My wife did too. Now its buried

 

[DesertRatTom]

@tomp913 The Rockler steel box is OK, but a tight fit. You have to get the big Triton in at a bit of an angle to have access to the height lock AND the switch. Using the Sommerfeld matched bits, you don't have to reset height within the set.

The problem for me is that tight fit makes it easy to scrape the back of my hand against the poorly finished edge, and after chemo, the back of my hand is very celicate and tears open easily. I have a Rockler table, but have line it with ply, so I can replace the Rockler box with a much larger one so I don't have to bleed every few uses. You may find it acceptable. I like having the air flow regulation on the containment box. Hate to have spent the money for the metal box then not use it, but that's life.

 

[Geevesmac]

John, Logo facing me (bottom left), with the winder at 2 o'clock. Locking lever is then at the rear of the router.

 

[barri]

Thanks Greg. OK so you plate is the same as mine. I thought I was going mad! As I said above, using 2 o'clock, you can't use the winder when doing edge profiling as the fence (my woodpecker fence) covers that hole which means you have to use the micro adjust or quick adjust under the table. No big deal but personally I like using the winder, hence why I flipped that hole to 8 o'clock. I find it interesting that on the Kreg pre-drilled plate, the logo is facing you when the winder hole is at 8 o'clock. Opposite to Woodpecker. I think that's the way it should be. Then there's no restriction on the winder. I've heard Woodpecker's old phenolic plates have the same orientation as Kreg's, so why did they change?

Go figure!!!!!

 

[tomp913]

@DesertRatTom

I have the same Rockler box, and I agree the sharp edges are a problem. The height lock thumb screw is a top left and I would scrape the back of my hand (right-handed BTW) if I wasn't careful and paying attention. One day I was standing to the right of the opening for some reason and reached in with my left hand, kind of palm up and from the bottom up, and found that it was easy to get in there without hitting my hand. Another option I was looking at wad putting some trim on the edges of the opening Outwater Plastics - 2016 Master Catalog - page A-19 might have to shim the hinge out but I think that the magnet would still hold the door closed OK.

I like my router, lift combo with the box, just wondering if the Sommerfeld tongue and rabbets bits would be too much for the 1-3/4 HP P-C. It's not as if I build more than a couple at a time any more, if I did I'd be looking at dusting off the shaper and getting a set of bits for it. Maybe I'll give Marc a call - I bought one of his original, all aluminum non-adjustable Kreg Jigs probably 30 years or more ago at the Woodworking Show in Baltimore. I also wanted to ask about building a cabinet with an overhanging face frame - it's all well to talk about building one long cabinet, but those days may be behind me now - so I'm thinking that I could use his gauge, put a shim equal to the overhang underneath it and use that to set the rabbet bit to cut the stiles.

I took a look at a couple of demo videos on the Triton router, and it does seem that you have to be under there a lot when changing bits - I have my P-C plugged into a switch on the outside of the table so the router stays on all the time and operates off that switch - although I'm not constantly changing bits so it may not be that much of a problem.

Thanks for the input,

Tom

 

[DesertRatTom]

My Woodpecker plate didn't come pre drilled for the Triton crank, so I oriented the router, then drilled the hole, cleaned it up with a fine rat tail file. The twist lock insert ring is the reason I bought the plate. I found a pdf on disabling the safety switch, but I don't really use it enough to feel OK voiding the guarantee on the Triton. I was going to wrap a little tape over the edge of the Rockler box, but keep forgetting to do so. It's kind of a tight fit in there. I will be giving up some storage space to the sides of the table. I had to route the Rockler top to enlarge and slightly deepen the rabbit for the Woodpecker plate. It is a nice looking item with that red logo.

 

[barri]

Wish I could see it and have the winder at 2 o'clock. :crying:

 

[CharleyL]

You'll want to lock the height in. I have the Woodpecker plate with the Triton TRA001 and had to drill my own height adjustment hole, so I was able to arrange it so the switch and lock are easily accessable. I do have a Rockler metal dust collection cabinet, which is a tight fit. I'm thinking about removing it and putting in a larger door for easier access to the chamber where the router lives. The best thing about the Woodpecker plate is the twist lock insert, and the extra thickness to support the weight without sagging. I got converted by watching Marc Sommerfeld videos since he has that plate as well as a Triton in the table.

When I last checked, Marc Sommerfeld's table had a Triton Router in it, but his aluminum router table top had no insert plate at all. I've been considering his table and Triton Router combination and I like the idea, but I'll probably install hinges and a gas spring to lift the table for making adjustments. I think a height where one hand can reach the bit area above the table top while the other hand is adjusting the router below the table top and locking/unlocking the router height would be the ideal up position. The gas spring would make it easy to lift the top and hold it up. Doing away with the plate and the lift eliminates possible movement of the plate and possible errors related to it, so I'm liking the idea. It would also eliminate a seam in the table top as well, so no chance of the work catching in it. Maybe I'll be doing this some time in the Spring when my router table version IV begins to materialize. I sold my 3 hp router, so I'm ready to buy if I decide that the big Triton is right for me.

Charley

 

[barri]

Wish I could see it and have the winder at 2 o'clock. :crying:

Woops.. I meant 8 o'clock