I try and get involved with as many tools as I can so I can see which ones I like and which ones to avoid. Since I can't afford to purchase every tool, not do I have the room, I use every opportunity to check out new tools.
In this video I get to help a friend of mine, Bob, assemble his new Kreg router table. Since I have never had the opportunity to really look at this unit, helping to put it together is a perfect way to see the working details.
When I first saw the box, I wondered how they could pack everything into such a small box, but everything was there, right down to every nut and bolt. If you have never assembled one of these before, you really do need to read the instructions. There are a lot of different pieces and a lot holes where things could get installed but shouldn't be. As usual, laying out all the parts before you get started, assuming you have the room is always best.
Putting the legs and braces together is always first and I liked how supplied nuts and bolts that really locked the frame solidly as you were assembling it.
Once the legs are assembled the next thing is to attache the top ...
and Bob and I almost got carried away on the assemble without stopping to film what we were doing because it was all coming together so nicely. In assembling router tables, there is always one thing to watch out for and that is that you don't try to install the base directly to the top where the feather-board slot is located. If you do this, the screws coming through from the underside can actually push the aluminum slot right out of it's dado slot (which is not a big deal, it just means you have to re-glue it back in place ... more work for nothing).
The next thing that Bob and I did was to prepare the router plate insert for his router. What this means is that the plate needs to be marked and drilled with holes so that the router can be attached. Sadly, there are NO standards for router bases, which means pretty much every router or brand of router has different hole configurations.
Of course the router needs to be attached to the bottom of the plate, so we flipped the insert over, and what do we see but target lines on the underside to help us properly align the router holes.
TIP - most routers come with a plastic base cover that is attached to the aluminum base of the router by 3 or 4 bolts. If you remove this plastic plate, you can then use it as a template for figuring out where your holes need to go. BE SURE you orient the router base correctly onto of the insert, remember, the router is upside down in the router table.
Once we marked the holes, Bob drilled them out using the drill press. Even if one hole is a tiny bit off, when you countersink all of the holes from the top of the insert plate, the router should align just fine ... but be as accurate as possible. TAKE YOUR TIME and make it right.
The next step for us was to install the insert in the router table top, and Kreg has developed a great way of securing the insert by bolting it from the top as you can see from the picture below, and by also using alignment bolts from the bottom so the insert can be positioned perfectly in the router table top. A very elegant solution.
Once the insert is in place, the final step is to assemble and install the routers fence. Once again I felt that the fence was of good quality. I like that the back of the fence is one solid piece of aluminum that will go a long way to making setups quick, easy and accurate. Here is a view from the back and you can see the dust port as well.
You will note the little black TABS on the back of the fence and the base of the table. These are the securing tabs (but I'm sure that is not what they are called) despite the fact that they are plastic, they looked quite sturdy and effective for what is needed here.
And here is what the table looks like all assembled from the front. You will note int he picture that one of the reducing rings is installed, and that there appears top be a gray plastic thing around it as well. That is the installation tool for installing the reducer rings. A great idea from the old friction fit methods.
All of the pictures shown are direct images displayed through the Kreg site, they are not our images, and in case anyone wants to know we have no affiliation with Kreg or their agents, we just happen to like their stuff.
We thought this was a great little table for the price, which I believe was around the $225.00 price range.
It was sturdy, well built and easy to put together. If you have any questions on the table you are best to contact a Kreg dealer directly, or Kreg Tools.
Copyright - Colin Knecht
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