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I called Bench Dog support and it seems they have been acquired by Rockler. Nice and solid, etc. What is a bigger deal is the dust collection port. It does not. Works fine. Having to fool with the dust port because they can't check the fit on a hose by buying and trying a few before spec'ing and the lack of an external switch makes this just average for the cost. I took the port with me to The Home Depot, Lowes and Sears but could not find a 2 1/2 inch hose that would fit it. But it still doesn't fit any hose I could find.
However it is actually about 2 5/16 with most being fitted into a 2 3/8 coupling. Have to say it took a little bit of time to put together but nothing too hard or too vague. Rockler has revised the port and while I had the newer one some were made with a smaller ID. The ID is exactly 2 1/4 inches. Mine has a standard 2 1/2 inch hose which according to Bench Dog is supposed to fit their dust collection port. They included a free set of hold downs as compensation and this time it did ship. Seems like someone forgot to tell mfg that the wall thickness was supposed to go on the outside and not the inside of the opening. Mine didn't include hex wrenches but they were standard and I had them so no big deal.
I suppose I could have sanded my hose end down some as well.The table works fine. Bench Dog includes a paper template with the proper hole spacing. So if the Rockler people would have made this at least 2 5/16 or 2 3/8 things would be fine. That is what a standard 2 1/2 inch hose fitting is supposed to be apparently. That took two weeks because the first time the order didn't go out.
These were accurate so that was a non-event to do.I would give the table a 5 if this review was just confined to that part. Using a Triton router and had to drill holes to mount. Even Bosch on a less expensive table includes a switch and presumably a dust port that fits a shop vac hose. Would have been nice if they would have included an external switch as it is obviously unsafe to open the door to turn off the router. I plan on doing dust collection via shop vac.
I ended up buying a 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 adapter, cutting the 1 1/4 part off and duct taping the rest to the dust port. After waiting the normal time to call, they said oh, gee it didn't ship so will try again. So much for standard. They sent me the revised one.
I told them of the missing parts and directions and parts changes via the email address provided and had no response. That being said, most of us have the tools and can figure out the change in parts and dirctions. What grinds me a bit is that they include a very friendly slip that says to contact them if anything is wrong. So far this router table has worked well for me. I like the router table so far - not so sure what would happen if I have a problem with it considering their lack of responsiveness. Unfortunately, they changed some of the parts (fence, dust collection connector) from the original that the instructions were written for. They included many parts and some extras and warned the purchaser about this in the instructions. They also did not include the tools that they said were enclosed ( Allen wrenches and open end wrenches).
Nothing wrong with the subfence itself, it just doesn't match the book and makes it unclear how to put it together. All in all, this is a great table if you don't have to deal with benchdog and you actually get all the parts that are supposed to be included. I recently purchased this table from amazon and the shipping was quick and it arrived timely and in great shape. It is well built and is a very good table for the $. Its been a week now and I have yet to hear anything from them at all. There are several steps in which the picture does not match the parts. Its like they updated or changed parts on this model and didn't bother changing the instructions.
So I emailed benchdog from their website requesting the missing parts and also included some suggestions for the manual. The dust port was missing as well as the whole set of bolts used to attach the router plate to the router.
First, the instructions are not accurate. The hex wrenches that are supposedly supplied were not included; no big deal since I had plenty.
There are plenty of good reviews here to read so I won't go into a lot of detail about the table itself. Most importantly, there were a couple parts missing from the box I received.
This may be an isolated incident for all I know but I just wanted to share my experience for what it's worth. I will just share my experience with the table since it arrived.
Particularly, the bit guard in the box does not match the one listed in the manual and the subfence construction is completely different.
No complaints here. Rubber feet secure it well enough so that it doesn't move with large stock. The edge mounted track works well with miter gauges. This is for sure one of the best small router table packages on the market. Amazon has very competitive prices on Bench Dog gear. I have it coupled to a PC 7518 with Bench Dog's nickel plated adjustable insert and there is no deflection. The cabinet is heavy constructed laminated lumber and the top appears to be phenolic. The fence works very well and is easily adjusting - you can couple it to a dust collection system fairly easily.
This isn't the router for that, but if you have a home shop and wanted a router table, get this. Everything I make with it turns out very well. Let's say it again, a $200 router table. Have you seen $700 - $1000 router tables, like the Jessem.
It only takes a minute. I read all the 3 star and below reviews here and I think they aren't to be taken as accurate or fair. Maybe you will go on and buy something else or make your own. It can't handle the match in features, size or materials. It has a great fence and even comes with a jointing feature that works well with a good bit. The top is nice and though you probably shouldn't profile an 8 foot long board on it, you can do a lot - you can even flip the fence for a larger working area and wider pieces (it's in the manual).
This is not that table and can't be compared. (P.S. Why push it. If you are looking for a router for this, the Porter Cable 690 fits very well. Sure, putting it together had shades of Christmas Eve - the instructions weren't perfect and I admit it, I put the feet on the wrong side of the bottom panel due to a lousy picture and cursed a little while I switched them. It is solid, has very good dust management. No, I am not making raised panel doors. Great, but while you use this table you will make nice things all while learning what you may or may not need in your ultimate dream table.
It is not particle board, it is finished plywood, actually nicer than I expected). However, taking that all into account it is a great deal and if you are just getting into routing this is probably the best low cost router table you could get. Again, if I had a $1000 table with a steel or phenolic plate and a lift, then okay, but I don't.When all was said and done I have used this table and it is great. This is a $200 router table okay. I take the motor down to prevent any sag in the plate. none match this little gem. You should. Kreg, Freud, Bosch, Pinnacle.
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