I think there is a gap in the market.

[Grahamshed]

It is so good Bob had to say it twice. :twisted: (hammer)

Just saw that after reading your post Graham. How bizarre, no idea how that happened...they both have the same post time on them too?? Spook!

Sometimes you have to click the mouse once ( are you using a mouse ? ) sometimes you have to do a double click. Easy to do the wrong one without thinking

 

[Ali]

I've thought about this too, but then had to ask myself when would you really need to route with a table top on site? Might depend on how you work but would you ever use it?

 

[tbone]

I agree that the CMS system is 'over priced' but my point was that they do exist and this may impact another vendor entering that market.

I do however also agree that there is probably a gap for a decently priced portable router table for site use.

So do people put dewalt rouers and the like into the cms, I thought they were dedicated festool items. I am looking for an independent maker that has a multi fit for all types of routers. Which one do you use shed9 and what types of routers do you run. I think the price point for this mythical creature should be about £550 complete with a split/sliding fence. What do you all think.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

It used to exist...because I own one! Axminster used to make a simple metal framed router table with pressed metal sides and two shelves. The top and fence are melamine faced inch thick mdf. The fence splits, and each side is independently adjustable with Bristol knobs. The insert place is a simple phenolic affair with no lift but I use a Trend T11EK which has a special feature whereby it can be height adjusted from upside down with a tool that ships with it. Its amazingly well designed and works perfectly without the need for any lifting mechanism.

The top has a mitre slot and it came shipped with a cheap but functional mitre guide. It cost circa £200 about 5 years ago. Its been a great little inexpensive tool and has been responsible for all my raised panel doors and a fair few mouldings and tongue and groove boards for various projects. It also has a hole and lead in pin so has been well used for flush trim work using bearing guided cutters against ply or mdf templates. Its sagging a little with the weight of the router some 5 years on so I need to shim it underneath to prop up the weight. The laminate has cracked off the bit of the fence by the cuter too but none of these stop it functioning. It even has adjustable feet for level. I've been really happy with it. Axy stopped doing it ages ago and went with the branded goods. Kreg originally and now UJK technology. They're very sturdy and more expensive bits of kit. I think when this one finally goes to that router table in the sky I'll make my own with decent industrial casters etc.

 

[tbone]

Sounds realy good Bob, I talked to Axminster the other day and told them what I was after. There pointed me at the Ujk bench top which is not a bad price and with the cast top would be a solid bit of kit and would store ok the only but is the weight. I was hoping to get one with an alloy bead as it will get a bit damp and at the end of the day I hate loading up heavy kit.

 

[shed9]

I agree that the CMS system is 'over priced' but my point was that they do exist and this may impact another vendor entering that market.

I do however also agree that there is probably a gap for a decently priced portable router table for site use.

So do people put dewalt rouers and the like into the cms, I thought they were dedicated festool items. I am looking for an independent maker that has a multi fit for all types of routers. Which one do you use shed9 and what types of routers do you run. I think the price point for this mythical creature should be about £550 complete with a split/sliding fence. What do you all think.

I don't have a portable router table. I'm building an alloy table off my table saw with an MFT style top with a UJK tech router lift plate and an Incra positioner - the theory being that I can use the precise fence on the table saw and router insert - the thread is on here somewhere (search Hammer K3 Incra if interested). I have another bench I'm building that is stand alone but again with an insert plate and again with an Incra fence.

I looked at the UJK tables, both free standing and the bench ones and they look okay to be honest, Peter Parfitt did a good review on Youtube on them. But I needed more surface area.

Can I ask why you have not pursued the Trend PRT? You mentioned it yourself earlier in the thread - it's portable and has an alloy top.

 

[tbone]

Hello shed9, you are spot on it's looking good so far. I was hoping some one would sat try the * table but there is no such a table. I have a long thin work space with pallet racks running the full length. That's where I store all my kit. My van is a VW Transporter T5 which is a great van but no good for keeping all my kit in because I do all sorts of building work (Joiner/builder). Ali the term site is as in Jobsite think that comes from the U.S.A. and my jobsite is the shop fit out or house that I may be working at. There seems to be loads of jobsite saw benches,dewalt,bosch,makita etc. When shop fitting, jobsiterouter and saw will get the job done.
Shed9 I think my Makita will bolt into the trend pro but would have to set height by hand.

 

[Shrubby]

Metabo have a table called Flexo which has a router fence. The Mafell router table is part of the Erika system
There used to be a lot of German table systems but they're no longer available - suggests that the professional market is quite small
Have you considered building one from Rexroth/Flexlink profiles ?
Matt

 

[tbone]

Hello Shrubby
Thanks for the reply.
I think it would be a good idea for me to make a project out of it. Thing is I have an idea of what I want which is a mix of the good points that I like but don't no where to get the parts. If it's been done before it would be good to see where the parts came from ?.
Cheers tbone

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Dexion

 

[Woodmonkey]

I would think it would be much easier to justify spending that kind of money as a working tradesman, as it will then pay for itself many times over, whereas a hobbyist might find it harder to justify...

 

[tbone]

Dexion

LOL bob is that the car that went ( Back to the Future ).

 

[tbone]

I would think it would be much easier to justify spending that kind of money as a working tradesman, as it will then pay for itself many times over, whereas a hobbyist might find it harder to justify...

Hello Woodmonkey.
The grass is not greener on the other side, it's longer and harder to cut. I have a t5 transporter which looks and works great but I need a bigger one may be VW crafter or Merc sprinter and that's going to cost a heap of cash but all I will get out of it is more space, its not going to pay me back in extra wages. What I am trying to say is there is always new kit needed and it dose not transform into instant cash back but you have to have all this stuff to keep working. Trade people need trade kit at trade prices. Every job I price people say How much, could you do it cheeper.
Just imagine every month before you get paid your boss sat you down and tried to pay you less than you got last month saying to you how much do you want that seems a lot. LOL.

 

[tbone]

Thanks for all the feedback and links so far I had another good look around using your links and info. Shed9 that table looks very impressive it's a shame that I don't have that kind of space but I do get the rain under the door like you lol.
The Trend PRT PRO is around my price point and though it's for the trend router I may be able to bolt my makita direct to the alloy plate I was wondering if you have seen this done. Another thought was to try a ujk router lift/plate in this table or something similar. I don't no how wide the trend plate is and weather there would be any thing left of the plate if it was cut to take a router insert plate.
Cheers tbone.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Hi tbone
I take your point grass is always greener etc to a certain extent, as I'm also self employed. But each to his own, for example you drive a VW which to my mind are comparable with festool in terms of high quality, but high price. Like Bob I only own one festool and that's the domino, for the same reasons that he stated. But every time I use it I am super impressed by the quality of build and if I were buying tools for work that I knew I would be using daily for the next 15 or 20 years that is what I would be looking at. (I drive a crappy old transit by the way 14 years old now but seems to sail through its MOT every year!)
I know what you mean about wages falling, I put my prices up this year for the first time in 5 years and my regular customers are complaining that its more than normal!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Dexion

LOL bob is that the car that went ( Back to the Future ).

Now that's funny. You're thinking of DeLorean, that was the aluminium bodied car from that famous film

No the Dexion I was referring to is basically "meccano for grown ups". Its pre-drilled and pre-slotted metal angle iron for doing diy assemblies of sturdy metal frames. Its used a lot in industrial shelving. My Dad always used to use it and made his work bench frame from it with a wooden top. He also built a table saw with a chipboard top and old washing machine motor (circa 1972). You just cut it to length and its dead easy to bolt together because its riddled with bolt holes. Corners can be reinforced with special brackets. It would make a simple, relatively light and sturdy substrate for a portable frame for a router table. You would have to improvise a top but 1" mdf with a phenolic laminate coating or maybe melamine faced chip would work.. I like the idea of a Dexion frame that hinges in 2 places from rectangular into a near flat. The top could also hinge down so the whole thing could be leaned up against the van wall when being transported. It would mean dismounting the router each time but it could be done.

 

[tbone]

Hello Woodmonkey & R O Bob
You are giving me good feed back, at this point I should say that I think I may have sent out the wrong signals with regards to quality as I no you only get what you pay for. I only get top end trade kit. I like the festool track saw which I was told was one of there top sellers and I think that they have priced it to sell well and get people on the festool hook (sneaky little sausage eaters LOL ). The festool router was best in the big router top ten test and I think they were spot on with that. The new Makita was a close second. best is £800 and second best is 300 ish that's £500 towards my router table. I did look at the festool system and think it is good but the cost of a cms a table insert and fence a mitre slider and a out table was about £ 2100. That's what made me look around but now I am stuck on what table to get ?

 

[tbone]

Thank you for all you help in getting me to this point in my choice of router table. Here was me thinking there was a gap in the market when there is no market at all for an alloy portable Independant table only the two Manufacturers own table and router set ups for Trend and Festool. There are loads of reviews for the festool which seem to be the best seller. I can't seem to find much about the trend and can't find one for sale to look at.