Kreg Precision Router Table Build-out and Upgrade Part V: The Final Upgrades!

[@edmundnyamupepema]

Thank you Sir! What a wonderful series you have thoughtfully and carefully put together! I have benefited the most and my search is now over, thank you once more. If you should stumble into Johannesburg let me know, you will enjoy free accommodation as long and you want, your tutorials are great. I wish I could like your videos 10k each. Now one of your avid students and follower💯/💯

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Thank you so much. You made my day!

[@shaynesabala]

I have the Kreg set up blocks and they are extremely useful for not only router table but many other tools like the table saw or just a project you are working on. I will say that there are other options that are exactly the same but are a fraction of the price. I found this out when I was looking for a link to the Kreg set up blocks for a friend and came across them. My friend ordered the option, and it was identical other than the storage box it came in.

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Hi Shayne. I totally agree. If I mention a product in a review and or during a makeing video, I try to make sure it is a company with a good reputation and customer service just to make sure people who are new to this kind of work get something that will work for them. You can definitely find alternatives to save money that are just as good in many cases if you know what to look for.

[@MackAttack-bh8po]

Thank you🎉

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Hi Mack. You are welcome. If you have any question, let me know.

[@GodsservantJohn330]

Great series and video production, you're great at this!

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Thank you very much! If you have any questions of the videos, let me know.

[@bigburlymikesmswoodworking]

I'm considering doing the same with my router table and was curious how the dust collection has performed for you so far. Have you noticed any impact to the dust collection with the spacer blocks in place for mounting the dust bucket? Since the bucket is not flush with the bottom of the table I would think it might cause air flow issues, or do you simply adjust the dust bucket vent to compensate?

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Hi Mike I just leave the vent closed and currently just have it setup connected to a rockler cyclone and a shop vac. The cyclone collects a lot of of chips but being a router it is still messy. If I connect it to a larger extractor which is a 750 it works much better. If you have something bigger than that would be even better. What seems a to make the biggest difference is the volume of air you can move and how big of a gap you can leave in the fence. The biggest and best part though is it keeps dust from falling through the table and makes the under area useful for storage. In my opinion adding the bucket was worth the 100 bucks. If you get one let me know what you think.

[@louisgriffin1785]

While the dust collection box will fit with your spacer design, it looks like access to the adjusting screws is pretty marginal. How often have you had to adjust the router base? Once adjusted does it stay put or does it tend to go out of adjustments due to vibration or torque of the router and application of that torque to the piece being routed? Also can you elaborate on the comment of the “awful fence design”? Is it unreliable or inconsistent? Are you now aware of any negative design issues? I am almost done installing the table and fence into a Table Saw/Router Table workbench I am building.

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

I'm not sure why the commenter called it an awful design. There are definitely better ones but they also come with a much heftier price. Maybe he will see this and tell us his experience in more detail. I've had no issue with it though and know other people that use it with no problem. No warping and once it is set it stays in place and works the way it should. The micro adjustment works but that isn't great to use, however I don't need it personally and mostly the stuff I do doesn't require that level of precision. When I have something that does it is fine, but you need to be careful and double check the setting. Once locked it doesn't more. Adjusting the router base through the dust collector box isn't really difficult and the router has no issue holding its position. But the adjustment is really a function of the router itself. The DeWalt can sometime be a pain to adjust because in tend to bind. At least mine does. If I didn't already have the Dewalt router, I'd probably go with something that can be adjusted from the top, like the Triton. Maybe that would be a future upgrade. I am happy with the dust control box itself. It does a good job collecting dust below the table and makes that shelf actually usable to store things without them being covered. Now, I got the Kreg to balance performance verse quality and paid for it out of pocket no discount whatsoever. I am very happy with it. I also looked at Rockler and Woodpecker. If I was hardcore using a router table everyday and it was an important part of my workflow, I think I would have gone Woodpecker. Let me know if you have any other questions. If you have any specific questions on the fence you would like to see tried. I'm happy to run something through and post the video to instagram for you to check out.

[@shaynesabala]

Your point about the adjustment screws is a valid one. I wasn't using my table very much until recently and when I started using it regularly, I had to make adjustments. Yes the screws will indeed move from the vibration. I did have a major issue with my fence. It was working fine and one day the fence would move out of adjustment every time I tried to lock it down. I tried everything, and finally decided to take apart the fence hold down on the right side so I could readjust. While putting it back together I striped two of the holes and I was done. be very careful when putting the fence hold on. The aluminum screw holes on lt have about 3 threads and are extremely easy to strip. I ended up clamping my fence in place to finish my project. Boy I was not happy that my 1200$ table set up was all messed up. I called Kreg expecting to spend money on that hold down and after talking to their tech we figured out the problem. There are 6 nylon spacers that go into that hold down and I was missing two. Maybe fell out, not sure. Kreg not only sent me those spacers they sent me the hold down as well, absolutely free of charge. My table is about 4 years old and out of warranty so I was impressed. Great customer service.

[@jameswalsh4056]

Kreg does a great job of reinforcing the table top to prevent sagging and you're already asking it to support the lift. This beefy Dust Right on top of that is asking a lot.

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Hi James. The Dust Right is a little heavy, but nowhere the weight of the router itself. It screws on right next to the braces are underneath too which is a good place to have the supported weight. So far I have had no warping or sagging of the table and it is stored in a garage. You make a good point though. I will continue to keep a close eye on it.

[@shaynesabala]

I have been thinking about that fact too. I was going to make a box out of wood but thought that might be even heavier. Maybe some 1/4 inch wood would do the trick. Incra has one that looks like its made out of some kind of hard plastic. I now will go compare the weight of these boxes. But if I make my own. I can attach it to the frame of the table to support most of the weight. Just thinking out loud..

[@shaynesabala]

Did you find out how awful the fence design is? If not, give it time, you will….

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Hi Shane soi far I haven't had any issues with what I need it for. There aren nicer fences out there with better precision, It was a little hard to get the exact measurements I wanted at first, but I'm getting used to that. I've been taking some video, maybe I'll make a video soon on using it. Let me know what you didn't like. I'd love to add that to my tests if I haven't tried it yet.

[@shaynesabala]

@@SoWeBoughtaHouse I wanted to update my comment about the fence. I had my fence come out of adjustment and no matter what I did it would not lock down without moving. I took it apart to try to adjust it and ended up stripping two of the 4 screws on the right side that hold it down. It has 3 fine threads in aluminum, accident waiting to happen. Working with aluminum all my life, I stand behind that being poorly designed. So I called Kreg in efforts to order a new one and the guy tells me, let’s figure out why it did that in the first place. Long story short, it was missing 2 of 6 nylon spacers that attached under that piece. I guess they fell out. Anyway, Kreg ended up sending me the parts I needed absolutely free. I did not ask for this. Actually I ask how much it was going to cost after we figured out what I needed. I was pleasantly shocked. What great service. I can say from experience, they’re a great company.

[@edreed5571]

You are so weird lol

[@SoWeBoughtaHouse]

Thanks :) got to try and keep things interesting. Happy Thanksgiving!