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Bench Dog 40-016 ProLift Max Router Top-Adjustment System | List Price: $444.00
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Bench Dog
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - Router top-adjustment system for even the largest fixed base routers
- Three integral bit hole sizes (2 inch, 2.6 inch, and 3.7 inch)
- Blanched ground steel insert plate with electroless nickel surface; cast aluminum housing
- Speed wrench included; adapter to accommodate motors with diameter less than 4.2-inches separate
- 8-1/4 by 11-3/4 by 3/8 inches; limited 2-year warranty
Solid Piece of Equipment [Posted on 2008-02-12]
I had some reservations about paying over $300 for this lift but most of them were eliminated when I took it out of the box. It is a heavy, well machined, professional piece of equipment. Any remaining reservations were eliminated when I put it to use.
I paired this lift with a Porter Cable 7518 router and a Bench Dog ProTop router table for a major raised panel wainscoting project (see my PC 7518 review). This lift is fantastic and eliminates most, if not all, of the negatives of using the PC 7518 in a router table. Height adjustments are simple, precise, and remain stable through extended routing. There was absolutely no drift in the height adjustment at all and the rails and stiles matched perfectly (no sanding required}. Raising the lift also made it easy to change router bits. I am glad I made the investment.
Bench Dog Prolift router lift [Posted on 2008-03-01]
I chose this router lift because everything I read about it indicated it to be a heavy duty, well made unit, and that I could, easily, swap bits from the top of the table. I am, absolutely, positively, not disappointed and anticipate years of quality use.
Changing bits is easier and quicker than on any of my [several] other routers. The entire collet and lock nut is easily accessible from the table top.
My apprehension about what it would take to adjust the height of the unit for bit changes and adjustments, was unwarranted. The lift raises and lowers quickly, but also allows me to tune it to minute fractions of an inch.
If you are contemplating a router table, if you are planning on doing a lot of table top routing over the years, and if you can afford the cost, I would give the Bench Dog 40-016 four thumbs up (I just went over an borrowed my neighbor's thumbs to make sure my opinion was well covered).
I tied my Pro Lift to Porter Cable's biggest variable speed router. They play very well together and there were no complications during installation. A small crane for lowering the lift and router into position during shim adjustments and such (e.g., when mating the insert plate to the table surface) might be helpful (pun intended).
The end ticket price of the combinations of toys, uh, I mean tools, is not insignificant. Nonetheless, I, like many, have a lot of router bits, but no shaper or shaper bits (yet), so the end price is still well below what it would cost me to set up for shaping work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
The Bench Dog Pro Lift came with all the directions and tools necessary to its set up and operation (minus, of course, the table and router). Included were three heavy duty insert rings that are easily swapped, using standard Allen wrenches. The height adjustment tool can be swapped for a standard ratchet, using the supplied socket, if desired. This will allow you to avoid moving the fence for height adjustments.
I abandoned my factory built table and built my own. It's a large rolling cart with two locking wheels on the out-feed end. It's proven very stable and not prone to wandering during use. Anything smaller would have been sac religious. In building my table, I kept my Freud SH-5 Professional Micro-Adjustable Router Table Fence. Out of all the units I've played with, I like its ease of adjustment the best. These are well made units and the two fences can be independently adjusted with the simple turning of locking screws and adjustment knobs. Too, dust collection via its head has been good. When used with a collection hood covering the sides, "bottom" and back of the router (on the underside of the table), it's very good.
After setting up the Bench Dog, I gave away my old stand, table top, and insert. That is the worth I placed on them. Breaking a plastic insert, which runs from twenty to thirty dollars, is easy to do. Tightening the lock-down screws, that appear set too far in from the edges, easily results in pressure which snaps the plastic (at least stay with aluminum, if you can't or wont buy a Bench Dog).
Like many router tables being sold, the Freud's weak spot is the plastic insert plate for the table top. Breaking a base plate isn't going to happen any time soon with the thick, well machined iron plate the Bench Dog lift relies on.
The system runs vibration free. The weight of the combination of the Bench Dog and the 3-1/4 horsepower Porter Cable probably go a long way to contributing to that fact.
Finally, I'm happy with how well the PC 7518 router plays with the Bench Dog lift. The PC fits the Bench Dog like a glove. Too, I haven't bogged it down, even using my larger bits (this thing is, no doubt, powered by a scaled down turbocharged, fuel injected, 327 V-8, modified to accommodate at least sixteen valves, possibly accounting for the pleasing smooth, consistent whine you hear when you power up).
Bench Dog 40-016 ProLift Max Router Top-Adjustment System
Porter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 Horsepower Fixed Base 5-Speed Router
Freud SH-5 Professional Micro-Adjustable Router Table Fence
Can't buy better, could use a few tweaks [Posted on 2008-03-23]
I absolutely love this lift. My personal setup is the ProMax table, with this lift, and the Porter Cable 7518 router. I don't plan on buying another router table in this lifetime. It's rock-solid; I've run a few 3"+ panel raisers without any problem whatsoever. Long story short, it's a big hunk of cast iron that will likely outlast you.
All of that being said, there's one area for improvement that I'd like to see. While I firmly believe this is a better lift than both the Woodpeckers PRL, and the new one from Incra the Magna-Lock, they both have one-up on Bench Dog with their throat plates. Changing the Bench Dog's is an unnecessary hassle, requires several screws, Woodpeckers pop in and out with a quick turn of a wrench, and Incra's are magnetic. I know I'm nitpicking here, but every time I go to change mine out, I'm tempted to leave the screws out, and just let gravity do the work, (a less than safe practice). Bench Dog, if you're listening, is there an easy fix to this? If there's something like this already in the works, as in a new lift, how about a retrofit for all of us Pro-Lift believers?
Despite my pickiness, I'd buy this lift again. I'm positive that I'll wear out long before it does.
I like it [Posted on 2008-05-12]
We needed a heavy duty bench mounted router system to prepare machined samples for an instrument that we sell. The Bench Dog lift sure fills the bill. So far we have purchased and installed 5 of these router lifts. The quality is superb and appears consistent from one to the next. Might be overbuilt for someone that just runs small bits, but for our very large cutting head it is perfect.
Arrg [Posted on 2008-06-18]
I did it all, cast iron table, pro-lift, PC 7518. All fits seamlessly on my Delta 10" LT contractor. See my review on the pro-max table for more details. And, yes, it makes for a very expensive router table.
We are also talking effortless control, and accuracy well beyond the ability of the human eye to detect flaws.
Click here for more details and discount information...
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