Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

One table that I have received literature for is the hinged top table
manufactured by Hawk. There are a lot of interesting features, but is it a pig
in a poke? Before I say anything to Mrs. Claus, is there anyone in this group
who has used the Hawk RouterShop and can provide an unbiased critique of the
unit?

Thank you.


Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

Hi Bill. Why not make your own? Then you can incorporate the features you
want into it . A good starting point is the one that Norm made a few years
ago.Or if you like drop me a note and I can send you a few pic's of a couple
I've made. One along the lines of Norm's and one with the Lee Valley router
base in it. I can't comment on the Hawk one as I've never used nor seen it.
Jim
"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but
nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

One table that I have received literature for is the hinged top table
manufactured by Hawk. There are a lot of interesting features, but is it a
pig
in a poke? Before I say anything to Mrs. Claus, is there anyone in this
group
who has used the Hawk RouterShop and can provide an unbiased critique of
the
unit?

Thank you.


Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

"Bill Waller" writes:

Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but
nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

SFWIW, I built the first version of the one shown on The New Yankee
Workshop.

Didn't have access to a table saw so cut out all the parts proud using a
saber saw, then cleaned up with a router and a straight edge.

It was a fun project.

It's also a better table than I am a wood butcher.

You might like it.

HTH

Lew

"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...

One table that I have received literature for is the hinged top table
manufactured by Hawk. There are a lot of interesting features, but is it a
pig
in a poke?

I cannot help you with experience, but your post got me interested enough to
look at the web page and order the video. There was a shop built router
table in Fine woodworking a few issues back that included mounting the
router in horizontal and over-the-table orientations, in addition to
conventional under-the-table. I was intrigued by the design. It looks like
Hawk has taken that concept to a more flexible commercial implementation.

Bob

My 1st 2 router tables were home made. The 2nd better than the first, but
there was no end to making more parts for it. Some parts were
quick'n'dirty, others time consuming but close to precise.

My 3rd table is a Lee Valley table system (steel table, fence and cross
sled) with all the bonus parts offered during a wood show special. It was
not cheap, but it wasn't more than other vendor systems.

That was 3 years ago. If I have any complaint, it is that (rarely) I find
the size limiting. I find the table and components are accurate, easy to
setup, adjust, clean, and importantly, use. If I had to replace it, I
would buy the same components, but would have to decide about the steel
table vs their new insert plate which would allow me to make a larger table,
but probably stay with their table.
However, most of my work is small parts that easily fit on the table.
For work on big parts, the router leaves the table and goes to the parts.

I like other vendor tables but many of them are wood.
The Lee Valley table has no wood - steel plate table, aluminum fence system,
brass stops and micro adjuster - it can withstand abuse, seasonal humidity
and.

My router is a small one - a PC690. If I had a bigger router, then I might
have had a different experience.


"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but
nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

One table that I have received literature for is the hinged top table
manufactured by Hawk. There are a lot of interesting features, but is it a
pig
in a poke? Before I say anything to Mrs. Claus, is there anyone in this
group
who has used the Hawk RouterShop and can provide an unbiased critique of
the
unit?

Thank you.


Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but
nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

How about a hybrid? I have a Benchdog table and I like it a lot. Easy to
adjust fence with a lot of features. Buying a table is quick and easy, but
you can also build a cabinet and buy a top and/or fence for it.

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Didn't have access to a table saw so cut out all the parts proud using a
saber saw, then cleaned up with a router and a straight edge.

Isn't this a punchline to a "real men don't use tablesaws, they
just...?"

-BAT

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:53:38 -0500, Bill Waller
wrote:

Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I want,
but is lacking in some areas.

So did my first table, so I built another, with improvements. If
I'm going to pay for a commercial table, I'm buying a shaper.

Barry

I'm about to buy a CMT Router Table top from Sommerfield that I saw at the
Woodworking Show last year. I should have bought it last year. It is
slick. You can read about it by typing in Sommerfield or CMT.


"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want,
but is lacking in some areas.

I have bee going over the various tables available from the normal supply
sources. There seems to be only minor differences in the details but
nothing
that jumps out and says, "Buy ME!".

One table that I have received literature for is the hinged top table
manufactured by Hawk. There are a lot of interesting features, but is it a
pig
in a poke? Before I say anything to Mrs. Claus, is there anyone in this
group
who has used the Hawk RouterShop and can provide an unbiased critique of
the
unit?

Thank you.


Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

Wed, Dec 1, 2004, 7:53pm (Bill=A0Waller) mumbles:
Right now, I am using a home made router table. It does some of what I
want, but is lacking in some areas. snip

For me, the solution would be automatic. Modify the existing
table; or, if that wouldn't do it, make a new table that would.

You buy one, you get someone else's version of what you want. You
make one, you get your version of what you want.



JOAT
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont
matter, and those who matter dont mind.
- Dr Seuss