Dakota Router Table

[phil p]

Hi,

wonder if anyone could advise?

Ive been looking at the Dakota router table whick is on offer at rutlands for £89.95

a) Is it worth it, does anyone have one

b) In general would a router table be any use to the average DIYer, as what can it actually do that could can't do with the router freehand with the pararell guide?.

I'm basically thinking is it worth going for and would I get much use out of it and what would be the benefits of owning one?

Any advice would be appreciated

Many Thanks

 

[roombacurious]

I think it's really useful and it makes the router much more accurate and safe to use. I very seldom use it freehand nowadays unless there is need to work in the middle of a board.
However I can't really think of something you absolutely need a table to do though I'm sure the more experienced among us will know better.
You don't need to buy one to try it out. You can easily make one yourself with MDF or ply, there are plenty of plans around.

 

[Chems]

As someone who is very new to the whole world I'd disagree a bit with the first statement. I bought my first router to do some rebates for shelfing, and although I got it done it was incredibly hard free hand setting up the guide and securing the work piece with out obscuring the run of the router. As soon as Id finished I made a router table even thou I wasn't aware such things existed and its been fantastic you can do so much and you can do things to tiny pieces you just wouldnt be able to with it hand helded.

But I would buy a router table, make your own. Have a read of this thread which was a guy with some similar questions:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... ht=#280459

 

[Waka]

Phil

The router is such a versitile machine and although you can do a lot with it free hand, it really comes into its own fixed in a table, I would also consider it to be safer used that way.

A lot of people start down this road by buying a small cheap table and then move onto home made ones, my advice would be to make you're own from the start, they are plenty of threads on the forum that will guide you.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[wizer]

Normally I'd agree with the others and advise you make your own. But £90 for the Dakota is a reasonable price if you want to get setup quickly. My observations on it would be that it's of 'mid range' quality and the frame it sits on is a big space waster. Tho, you could build storage into it, I guess.

To make your own router table with a 36mm MDF laminated top, insert plate, fence, t-track, feather boards and sturdy base -would cost you more than £90 (unless you had all the materials lying around the shop of course.

You will learn a lot building you own tho. 'tis your choice.

 

[Corset]

For me personally i prefer to make furniture rather than make jigs and tools. So i for one would buy a half decent router table, use it to see how you operate and then in a year or two upgrade or make your own. I have little spare time and i see it as a time is money value question. I maybe get 7 hours a week to do stuff and if the router table speeds it up then i would go for it.
I bought a top, insert and fence and made the base. Its not perfect but has done all I have asked of it and the time saved allowed me to work on my hand dovetailing skills.
If you love making shop tools then its daft to buy one, otherwise it doesn't seem a bad buy.
owen

 

[toysandboats]

Hi,
I bought the Dakota table top & fence and built a 'Norm' style wheeled table / series of cupboards and drawers underneath with twin dust extraction ports. It worked well with my 1/4 inch Bosch router.

I modified the fence so that the whole fence is micro-adjustable and also the outfeed side of the fence can be adjusted independent of the infeed side.

Followed up by buying the 1/2 inch Triton TRA001, got a new aluminium table insert and it is superb.

I think the basic table is good value for money and lends itself to being modified easily

David Ward

 

[Grinding One]

I bought the Mark Sommerfeld aluminum table....for a few years I played with the phenolic inserts and little adjustment screws,sawdust,crappy fences,then I wised up.This table has a true flatness no inserts to hang up on,and a couple of rings that twist in for different size cutters...with my Triton router its a blast to use.Mark also sells cutters that are matched (stiles&rails)also complete kits for cabinet or windows panes also minuture sets..
Check him out at www.sommerfeldtools.com

 

[Timmo]

G one - that link doesn't appear to work...

Re the Dakota Deluxe router table - I do actually hae this table...Although what I have spotted in the months since I bought it when it was up for £99, reduced from £149 is that it always seems to be on sale...and as you have spotted has just dropped another £10...
It did appear to be good value to me when I got it and I suppose it is not a bad table...
But here are my opinions on it:
1. My biggest gripe is that, whilst the insert plate is easy to fit and set to height and remove I do not like the set up....firstly because the little set screws that you use to level the plate in the table vibrate in use and therefore undo themselves and then the plate is no longer level....
Some might say that I should just set it the once and loctite the scews in place...I could do... Also, I have quite a basic router in my table..its an oldish B&Q performance pro job which works fine for grunt work on the table but it takes a bit of heaving to adjust the plunge depth whilst its in the table...I tried to get around this by installing a poor mans router lift (scissor jack sitting on a shelf under the router) but I need to clamp the afore mentioned insert plate down to stop that just getting pushed out by the scissor jack.....I have seen some insert plates where you have the levelling screws and then another bolt or something to lock the plate down...that is what I would like....
2. The table itself is not actually flat...there is a bow in it lengthwise which is a bit of a pain...its probably not the end of the world for the stuff I do but it still doesn't fill me with confidence...
3. Around the edges of the table there is some sort of rubber type edging...which does protect the edges but isn't the easiest material to slide an edge along if you have any kind of T square..
4. The base seemed sturdy enough and whilst it went together very solidly (although there were a lot of bolts and nuts) because it is only glorified angle iron it seems to have tilted a bit...not sure why because I put all the nuts and bolts on dead tight...might just be the design....
To summarise...its probably not a bad table for the beginner but it is definitely not as good as I was hoping it would be and I am currently thinking about getting a new table or probably building my own..
I was on you tube yesterday and found the Kreg precision router table (they sell it at axminster for £349 which is more than I would ever spend on a router table) but it looked very nice indeed...
There is some good info here:
Ron Fox
and have a look in the new Jigs section at some of Niki's posts about router tables...
I myself am contemplating building one myself and not using an insert plate but maybe usin some laminate flooring on top like Niki has done...
Hope there is some useful info there but let us know what you decide to do.
Cheers
Timmo[/url]

 

[OPJ]

1. My biggest gripe is that, whilst the insert plate is easy to fit and set to height and remove I do not like the set up....firstly because the little set screws that you use to level the plate in the table vibrate in use and therefore undo themselves and then the plate is no longer level....
Some might say that I should just set it the once and loctite the scews in place...I could do...

Is it not possible you can add some nylon lock nuts somewhere? Perhaps below the table and use longer set screws?

 

[Grinding One]

G one - that link doesn't appear to work...

Re the Dakota Deluxe router table - I do actually hae this table...Although what I have spotted in the months since I bought it when it was up for £99, reduced from £149 is that it always seems to be on sale...and as you have spotted has just dropped another £10...
It did appear to be good value to me when I got it and I suppose it is not a bad table...
But here are my opinions on it:
1. My biggest gripe is that, whilst the insert plate is easy to fit and set to height and remove I do not like the set up....firstly because the little set screws that you use to level the plate in the table vibrate in use and therefore undo themselves and then the plate is no longer level....
Some might say that I should just set it the once and loctite the scews in place...I could do... Also, I have quite a basic router in my table..its an oldish B&Q performance pro job which works fine for grunt work on the table but it takes a bit of heaving to adjust the plunge depth whilst its in the table...I tried to get around this by installing a poor mans router lift (scissor jack sitting on a shelf under the router) but I need to clamp the afore mentioned insert plate down to stop that just getting pushed out by the scissor jack.....I have seen some insert plates where you have the levelling screws and then another bolt or something to lock the plate down...that is what I would like....
2. The table itself is not actually flat...there is a bow in it lengthwise which is a bit of a pain...its probably not the end of the world for the stuff I do but it still doesn't fill me with confidence...
3. Around the edges of the table there is some sort of rubber type edging...which does protect the edges but isn't the easiest material to slide an edge along if you have any kind of T square..
4. The base seemed sturdy enough and whilst it went together very solidly (although there were a lot of bolts and nuts) because it is only glorified angle iron it seems to have tilted a bit...not sure why because I put all the nuts and bolts on dead tight...might just be the design....
To summarise...its probably not a bad table for the beginner but it is definitely not as good as I was hoping it would be and I am currently thinking about getting a new table or probably building my own..
I was on you tube yesterday and found the Kreg precision router table (they sell it at axminster for £349 which is more than I would ever spend on a router table) but it looked very nice indeed...
There is some good info here:
Ron Fox
and have a look in the new Jigs section at some of Niki's posts about router tables...
I myself am contemplating building one myself and not using an insert plate but maybe usin some laminate flooring on top like Niki has done...
Hope there is some useful info there but let us know what you decide to do.
Cheers
Timmo[/url]

This is why I bought the Sommerfeld table top it answers all these problems,also changeing bits from the top of the table with the triton router. Sorry Timmo I had too many letters in the 1st post...guess I should try it before posting it..It works now.Try it now I`ve corrected the error

 

[Timmo]

G one...that works now..thanks...I think I might have seen a you tube vid of that table yesterday aswell...looks good too.
OPJ - Yes you are right..I probably could and should do something like you suggest...although I was considering building these improvements into my own router table build.....
I have to admit that I am not 100% sure of the real need for the insert plates anyway...unless its a router lift jobby...
Cheers
Timmo

 

[Londoner100]

Also, I have quite a basic router in my table..its an oldish B&Q performance pro job which works fine for grunt work on the table but it takes a bit of heaving to adjust the plunge depth whilst its in the table...I tried to get around this by installing a poor mans router lift (scissor jack sitting on a shelf under the router) but I need to clamp the afore mentioned insert plate down to stop that just getting pushed out by the scissor jack.....I have seen some insert plates where you have the levelling screws and then another bolt or something to lock the plate down...that is what I would like....

Timmo it is quite easy to remove the spring from the B&Q router and well worth doing if it staying in the table. If you want me to talk you through if just give me a shout.

Ian

 

[phil p]

Hi,

I have decided to go for the router table, should arrive tomorrow.

Thought for £90 quid it didn't seem to bad for the price because for what and how often I'll use it it's about the limit I would want to pay for one.

I have the Dewalt 625EK which is what I'll be using but I hope it's not going to be a load of hassle fitting and removing it, and especially setting the depths when I need to as it's quite a heavy beast.

Anyway thanks for all the replies, us usual all of you have been very helpful.

Phil

 

[Timmo]

Also, I have quite a basic router in my table..its an oldish B&Q performance pro job which works fine for grunt work on the table but it takes a bit of heaving to adjust the plunge depth whilst its in the table...I tried to get around this by installing a poor mans router lift (scissor jack sitting on a shelf under the router) but I need to clamp the afore mentioned insert plate down to stop that just getting pushed out by the scissor jack.....I have seen some insert plates where you have the levelling screws and then another bolt or something to lock the plate down...that is what I would like....

Timmo it is quite easy to remove the spring from the B&Q router and well worth doing if it staying in the table. If you want me to talk you through if just give me a shout.

Ian

Hi Ian,
Thanks for the offer but I have actually removed the spring from the router but even so when raising it with my scissor jack it does still push the insert out unless I clamp it....I do consider getting a proper router raiser, of which the woodpecker unilift seems the best but its not cheap and I will probably make a router table without an insert so that I can use the scissor jack more easily...
Thanks again for the offer..most kind of you.
Cheers
Timmo