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Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax Cast Iron Router Table Extension Review

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Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax Cast Iron Router Table Extension Review

The Bench Dog Tools Router Table Extension is one of the best router table products and extensions around for all your woodworking needs because this isn’t an ordinary table. If a table is all you needed, this special kind of machine table wouldn’t even exist.

This stationary woodworking surface comes with a spindle chuck on which you can mount cutter heads or router bits on it and it can speed up to 3,000 RPM and beyond.

A Versatile Cast-Iron Router Table

The Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax is a versatile cast iron router table you can fit into any brand of router, not just Bench Dog routers. It comes complete with a router plate that you can level perfectly through its ten adjustment points. Your table saw or router’s capabilities can also become versatile through this power tool assistant. Use it in place of the extension wing. Other extensions are too wobbly to be of any use.

With this unit, you have amazing balance, no trembling, and zero noise because of the way it’s designed and its overall size and fit with any router. This table is perfect for shops with limited space.

As such, it’s actually able to maintain portability and space-saving while at the same time having enough weightiness to keep itself and the saw from shaking all over the place when you’re using it. It’s not something that’s so wobbly that it can ruin your every routing attempt.

Taking a Closer Look at This Unit’s Pluses

The Bench Dog Tools Router Table Extension has loads of benefits, which is to be expected of Bench Dog quality. You’ll always be pleased with the consistency of their products in terms of amazing quality. Although it’s portable, it’s also quite heavy for the sake of ensuring that there’s little vibration when you use it. The router with the saw is quite weighty.

Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax

However, this weightiness gives you the stability you need to avoid crooked cuts and routing. Aside from featuring amazing stability, you can’t get from more lightweight table routers, the Bench Dog Tools 40-102 is also longer than the average table since it includes an extension as well.

Its fence has an adjustable width and locks at place too. As for its dust collection, it’s superb enough to assure a clean workplace and a clear view of what you’re cutting and routing.

READ: Best Router Table Reviews

Specifications

Here are the specs of the Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax Cast Iron Router Table Extension:

  • Perfect Router and Table Saw Fit: The Bench Dog Router Table Extension fits all contractor-grade table saws and router almost universally. That’s because it has a 27-inch deep by 1½ inch thick size.
  • Pro Fence System: The unit has a ProFence that quickly dismounts and hangs upon its j-hooks when you use the table saw.
  • Perfect for Limited Spaces: The machine is compact enough to be used in the smallest shops with the most limited real estate available.
  • Portable Yet Weighty: Although it’s definitely mobile, the device isn’t flimsy and it won’t shake all over the place if you were to put a table saw or router on it. It’s weighty enough to hold off vibrations.
  • Accessories: The product includes mounting hardware, fence, router top, and ProPlate (which is sold separately). The plate opening is 8¼ by 11¾ inches in size.

Customer Review

I got a router table cabinet from Bench Dog already but I wanted to try out this table-saw-compatible one to see if I can save more space in my woodworking shop thanks to its compactness. It’s specifically a table I want to use with my Jet Supersaw and my shop has its fair share of Bench Dog routers as well. Thankfully, the table saw fits like a glove with this Bench Dog unit. I didn’t have to dig any extra holes or anything.

The whole setup was already predrilled for my convenience; all I needed to do is put it on with my adjustment wrench. It fits the base of my Bench Dog routers and other routers with little adjustment needed, and it stabilizes my table saw to boot. The huge amount of space I’ve saved with this table has helped with my woodworking needs in more ways than one, allowing for on-demand routing and cutting.

According to 65 customer reviews, the Bench Dog Tools 40-102 has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating (at the time of this writing).

Working With Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax

Cons

The main advantage of the compact yet dense Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax is also its main disadvantage. Yes, it’s a great fit in small shops. However, its heaviness makes it less like a compact box and more like a safe that you have to move around. You need help or a jack stand when moving it around; you can’t do it on your own unless you’re a bodybuilder.

You can also use clamps to make it more mobile, but in general you need a second set of hands to move it around. The Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax is also lacking with the router mounting plate, which is sold separately and at the time of this writing costs $55. Your old model mounting plate might be about a sixteenth of an inch off of a perfect fit as well. When ordering this, make sure you order the top as well.

Conclusion

While the Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax isn’t perfect, it’s still 4.4-star benchtop cast iron router table that can fit both routers and table saws snugly with zero noise and vibration when you use them. What’s more, the fence is movable, it comes with a dust collection port to keep your workplace clean and clear, and the miter slot fits your guides perfectly for extra consistent routing work.

As you feed the workpiece to the power tool, the cutters mold a profile unto it. The unit is able to stand out from the rest of the products out there because of its many benefits, like the proven quality of Bench Dog quality, its super heaviness that ensures its stability and zero vibration without compromising its portability, its fence that has an adjustable fence, and its perfectly leveled router plate. What more can you ask for? For the full list of best router table and detailed buying guide, click here.

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