Freud PKG0026 Ultimate Router Table System with 3-1/4 HP Router
by Freud
(Click here)
Product Details
Manufacturer: FreudModel: PKG0026
Product features:
- Professional grade router table system
- Micro-adjustable fence system for exact fence positioning and built in dust collection port
- Variable-height stand can be easily adjusted to suit most woodworker's heights
- Pre-drilled router mounting plate with snap-in reduction rings
- 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty
- Yukon Tool YTRB24 24-Piece Router Bit Set
- Freud 97-210 Cabinet Door Router Bit Set, 3-Piece
- Freud SH-5 Professional Micro-Adjustable Router Table Fence
- Freud 91-100 13-Piece Super Router Bit Set with 1/2-Inch Shank and Freud's TiCo Hi-Density Carbide
- Freud FB-100 16-Piece Diablo Forstner Drill Bit Set
Description of Freud PKG0026 Ultimate Router Table System with 3-1/4 HP Router
The Freud Ultimate Router Table System with 3-1/4 HP Router makes it easy and affordable for woodworkers to set-up a professional router/table workshop. The 32-by-24-by-1-inch tabletop provides stability for large projects and the 3/4-inch aluminum T-track accepts standard miter gauges and accessories, for easy universal use. The included router mounting plate is pre-drilled and includes snap-in reduction rings for using smaller bits and a starter pin. The premium router table fence system has micro-adjustability for precise positioning of the in-feed and out-feed fences, and a built-in dust collection port. The variable-height stand can be adjusted easily to suit woodworkers of most heights. The system comes with a 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty. What's in the Box
3-1/4 HP variable-speed router, MDF laminated router tabletop, 30-1/2-inch -to-36-inch variable-height stand, micro-adjustable fence with dustport, 2 instructional CDs, and a mounting plate.
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Freud PKG0026 Ultimate Router Table System with 3-1/4 HP Router
Customer Review: The jury is still out on this one. (Update: Not happy with this product)
Summary: 3 Stars
I just picked this kit up last week from the local home center with the big blue signs (it was on clearance after Christmas so I paid less than Amazon's price). Here are my first impressions:
Putting it all together was fairly straight forward but no thanks to the instructions which are weak at best. The box comes with the individual units independently boxed inside of it - so there is a one-page sheet that is supposed to tie together all of the independent owner's manuals, but it didn't really cut it.
Metal tool stands like the one that comes with this kit are always fussy and require tinkering to level and square. This one is no different - a bit of a pain to set up. If you get this, I found it helpful to center, square and mount the stand to the bottom of the table BEFORE tightening up the bolts.
The table itself is large and seems perfectly flat with a very solid miter slot. It's predrilled with sinkers for the fence system - that works great.
The fence system requires some calibration but is very solid and well constructed - also, looks great. The dust collection works VERY well with a standard shop vac. However, the MDF fences themselves are weak and, on mine, the pre-drilled slots to screw the fence in place are sloppy, making the fence really difficult to get true. I'll look into replacing the MDF fence boards with something more accurate but that will, of course, add to the cost.
My big beefs, however, are with the router plunge action and the mounting plate & inserts. The router's power is awesome and more than I'll ever need. The fit and finish is great, the switch is easy to use, and I had no problems at all with the collet on 1/2 inch bits - works great (older reviews of the router show a problem that Freud must have fixed - Kudos to Freud.) My problem is with the plunge action and the micro adjustment feature. The plunge action is just too stiff and it seems to bind and pinch so that there is no way to make a smooth plunge. Under the table the plunge action is nearly impossible to work. The micro-adjustment knob just adds to the problem, binding the plunge rods even more and cocking the router so that the bit is no longer straight up and down - that's obviously a major problem.
The other problem is that the mounting plate and inserts are just not flush with each other which creates a ridge that stock hangs up on right in the critical area next to the bit.
The plate itself can be made to be mostly flush with the table using the included spacer washers. Again, a bit of a pain to set up but solidly in place once flush with the table itself. Now, if you are used to keeping the router attached to the plate and pulling the two out of table to make bit changes, etc, you'll have to teach yourself something new here. The router is too big to come up through the table and with all of the leveling washers to contend with you wouldn't want to remove the plate anyway. There are three screws that hold the router to the plate; you have to remove those and bring the router out from under the table by itself.
I will come back to edit/augment this review after I've tinkered with this setup a bit more but since this package is new on the market, I wanted to post my first impressions.
Update: The jury is back and this thing stinks. The other reviews tell the story... nothing but problems. I have to spend more time fussing with this than any other tool I use. The concept seems good, but having the left and right sides of the fence controlled independently simply makes it too dificult to get true. The router is impossible to adjust because, even with the springs removed, the action along the plunge shafts is choppy and using the micro adjustment cocks it to the side. I so wish that I had spent the money on a PC router in a Rockler table. This is a disapointment all around and I'm amazed, considering the reviews on this site, that Amazon sells any of these things.
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