Hi Craig,
This is something I can really use. I'm so tired of dragging out my router table and putting it away so I can drag something else out. So it looks like I'm going to save my chump change or my income tax comes in..
Thanks
Rik

Hi Craig,

First, I want to thank you for the video and review of the Peachtree Woodworking router extension table for the tablesaw. I have been researching a new tablesaw and new router table for quite some time now.

My initial contact with woodworking was as a child - sitting on a board and waiting while my father would cut it to length - very boring and disinterested me in ever wanting to do anything with woodworking.

However, necessity demanded that I learn something about woodworking when I bought my current house - do it myself or pay someone to do it. I'm to cheap to pay someone else so I started to buy various tools as needed or the project demanded and made the repairs and modifications myself. There are always maintenance and repairs to be done somewhere. As time progressed, I found that I wasn't half bad at woodworking, did a better job than many "professionals", could make changes if needed as the project demanded and the work progressed, we could design the project ourselves, save tons of money, and it gave me alot of self-satisfaction.

I'm an attorney by trade (basically a legal aide type attorney so I don't make that much money) - so I can read and write. I found myself buying "How-To" books (lots of them),reading them, studying them, and then "going" for some project (whatever that was to be). As our/my projects got larger, more demanding or different - I purchased tools that I thought would do the job without doing alot of research before I bought them. Some of those tools were expensive - the tablesaw being one of the most expensive. Although I bought a decent saw - it is a portable unit (Makita) that does what it's suppose to do. However, it definitely has it's limitations and I wouldn't part with it because it is so portable - it does do a basic job. I have made a number of cabinets with it so it's not unreliable nor totally unprecise. I does work very well within it's limitations. The biggest problem with it though, is the miter slot - it's not the standard size but much smaller and definitely limits what you can do with it (jigs and such).

I now find myself wanting to expand my woodworking ability on projects which demand better tools but I don't want to (actually can't afford, don't have the available space, and my wife won't let me) dedicate my whole garage to woodworking.

First, on my list of upgrades is the tablesaw - I don't want to make the same mistake I made before and get something that won't do the job for whatever is needed in the long run. I have decided and put a down payment on the Steel City hybrid cabinet saw with 1-3/4 hp which I should be receiving in January 2009. I'm totally excited and can't wait for it to get here. With that table saw I will be able to (hopefully) make/use all the jigs and do all kinds of new projects. Eventually, I want to make the cabinets when I remodel my kitchen.

Second, on my list is to attach the router table to the tablesaw. I have been researching router table extensions for the table saw and want a cast iron extension table if possible. I had been looking at the Bench Dog but the insert plate size is special to their cast iron table and I therefore didn't want to be "stuck" down the road with not being able to make changes or use someone else's products with their table. I knew that Peachtree Woodworking also sold a cast iron router table extension but until recently they, too, had basically a proprietary router insert size. Now that they make a cast iron extension wing with the standard insert opening (for inserts made by almost all manufacturers) I have really been looking at that. After watching your video and reading your review - that's the router table extension wing I'm going to buy! Now I'm doubly excited and can't wait till everything gets here to assemble it all and start making something - anything!

I don't have a jointer (I plan and using my router within it's limitations) or planer (maybe someday if I'm allowed to take up more space or I get more creative in how I store things in the garage) so I will be limited to projects that don't need those tools.

Third, I really appreciate a good website that's informative and gives an honest review - all the pluses and minuses of whatever your then discussing. That gives me reason to come back and see what else your reviewing or discussing because I believe that I'm getting an honest opinion. I want to thank you for your effort and this review of the Peachtree Woodworking cast iron router table extension for the tablesaw. I hope to be watching or reading many more reviews in the future.

Thank you.

Fred,

Thanks so much for your kind email about our site and the cast iron router table top review. I'm excited for you on your purchase of the Steel City table saw. I think you made a great choice.

I appreciate your trust in my ability to make honest reviews of products, and I will always try my best to keep earning that trust.

Just keep building useful pieces of furniture that your wife wants. She'll come around to letting you have that whole garage space before too long! Worked for me (-;

Regards,

Craig Stevens

Craig, thanks for the video. I had searched for a good while and finally came to this Peachtree cast iron router table. Am glad to have found this. I plan to mount this as a standalone with the incra router fence. The table I had bought from incra warped, but the fence is excellent.

Right now I'm pondering how best to mount the peachtree cast iron router table (pcirt) in front of the incra fence. The old incra table is the same 27 inch width as the pcirt, but the incra table runs 43 inches long to accommodate the fence. A 28 inch wood base that matches up to the 15 inch pcirt would probably work, or I could screw the pcirt into a "spare" cast iron table saw wing to give some additional cast iron works area, etc. Am open to any suggestions. Thanks again for the video!, I'll be checking out others...Ed

Ed,

You certainly have a great fence in that Incra. If you already have a spare cast iron table wing that you could use, that would be my pick.

If not, the wood base would work just fine. Of coarse, if funds aren't a problem you could buy two cast iron tables from Peachtree and mount them back to back. This is great if you use rail and stile bits or any combination bit sets like that. One can be set up in one router, the other bit in the second router. What a sweet set up that would be!

Of coarse money always seems to get in the way of those kind of dreams.

Craig

Craig,

I went ahead and purchased the Peachtree cast iron table. Not yet mounted to a table but it looks ideal. A friend suggested using marble instead of a cast iron table wing for mounting with the Incra fence, so I'm planning on that (I happen to have some marble top for this). I'll let you know how that works out.

I'm now looking at router lifts. Any suggestions?

Hey Ed,

I don't own a router table lift (at the time of this writing : )) but I have spent some time looking. There are two that I've researched and will probably pick one when I bite the bullet.

Take these recommendations for what they are, just my own research, I don't have first hand knowledge with either of these products.

The first is the Rousseau 3002 Router Lift LS.

This is the least expensive of the two but I've read good things online about it.

The next one is Woodpeckers Precision Router Lift.

This one is about $100 more but is solid as a rock from what those that own it tell me. Very well made.

Do you're own research, but I don't think you'd be unhappy with either lift.

Good luck in your search.