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I am a profesional woodworker and purchased this lift based on the previous reveiws. There is a Jessem lift in the shop and I definitely prefer this one for all the reasons mentioned by your other reveiwers, notably weight to dampen the motor and smooth backlash free adjustment right through the top. The only minor inconveneince are the two allen screws the hold the rings in, you have to tighten them evenly and just snug or they'll lift the ring up on one side, not worth marking it down for though and if bench dog would supply a long T handled 3/32 wrench for this it would be even better.
See my review on the pro-max table for more details. I did it all; BD pro-max cast-iron table, BD pro-lift, PC 7518 router. It all fits seamlessly on my Delta 10" LT contractor table saw. And, yes, it makes for a very expensive router table. We are also talking almost effortless setup for work, and accuracy well beyond the ability of the human eye to detect flaws.
So far we have purchased and installed 5 of these router lifts. 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. 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.
I absolutely love this lift. 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. Bench Dog, if you're listening, is there an easy fix to this. I don't plan on buying another router table in this lifetime. Despite my pickiness, I'd buy this lift again. It's rock-solid; I've run a few 3"+ panel raisers without any problem whatsoever. My personal setup is the ProMax table, with this lift, and the Porter Cable 7518 router. 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).
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. 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. I'm positive that I'll wear out long before it does.
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. This will allow you to avoid moving the fence for height adjustments.I abandoned my factory built table and built my own. Included were three heavy duty insert rings that are easily swapped, using standard Allen wrenches. These are well made units and the two fences can be independently adjusted with the simple turning of locking screws and adjustment knobs. The height adjustment tool can be swapped for a standard ratchet, using the supplied socket, if desired.
Too, dust collection via its head has been good. 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. 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.
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. 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. That is the worth I placed on them. 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. Out of all the units I've played with, I like its ease of adjustment the best. 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).
The system runs vibration free. It's proven very stable and not prone to wandering during use. 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. 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.
Breaking a plastic insert, which runs from twenty to thirty dollars, is easy to do.
Anything smaller would have been sac religious.
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.
They play very well together and there were no complications during installation.
The PC fits the Bench Dog like a glove.
It's a large rolling cart with two locking wheels on the out-feed end.
In building my table, I kept my Freud SH-5 Professional Micro-Adjustable Router Table Fence.
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.
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 SystemPorter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 Horsepower Fixed Base 5-Speed RouterFreud SH-5 Professional Micro-Adjustable Router Table Fence
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