Kurt’s Workshop

So I have to retract my glowing recomendation of Rockler’s Drill Press table. I like the surface, I like the size, but I cannot deal with a table that does not have properly operating t-track. Even after securing the tracks with some two part epoxy, they pulled out under minimal pressure. Yes I roughed up the underside of the aluminum, so don’t bother yelling at me for that. I guess it comes down to one thing: don’t trust particle board type products with glue. End of story.

I think Rockler really needs to deal with this known problem. I am currently waiting for their reply to my request for a solution/refund. They were the ones who sent me the glue, so I figure that has to be like strike one. We’ll see how the rest of the count goes down.

Here you can see what the Rockler drill press table looks like installed. Unlike their basic router table surface, this one come with some sweet little clamps to attach the surface to your preexisting iron table. They appear to be identical to the ones they sell in the store for jigs etc. You should note that this drill press comes with an oversized table already, so you can’t really follow Rockler’s enclosed direction sheet (yes this one comes with directions as well) for installation.I also picked up a pair of these Kreg T-slot clamps. This gives you a lot of versatility when combined with the fence that comes with the Rockler table top

Be advised that the Ridgid router DOES NOT fit the Jess-Em router lift fx. I had a motor pulled from a demo unit at the show and tried to fit it to a lift kit at the tool roundup. The motor circumference is just too large, not by much, but enough. The sales guy had never tried the match before either, and was surprised as well. So to all you possible Ridgid buyers out there… BEWARE. It’s a great router, and the base pattern is basically the same as the PC 690 (except for the above table lift key) PC accessories that I have tried have all worked, but beware of the motor.