# Lots of good ideas, some misses



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

Side Note: i had to go thru a verification process to post this review. I wonder if this is a new security feature?


----------



## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

It would seem to me that the fan on the router blowing up would largely negate any suction from that port off to the side (if I am seeing that right). I think that the only good way to make under the table suction work is to add a box or plenum to corral the chips as they fall and keeps the router's fan from blowing them in all directions; otherwise, it is more like a dust sampling system.

I've gotten that random captcha verification from time to time, though not lately. I cannot seem to figure out why it pops up when it does. Seems kind of random.


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

great review earl looks like a real nice setup.ive never had to do a verification before.


----------



## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I love the detail and honest evaluation of good/meh/bad Earl!

Seems pricy (not surprising), but the utility of these tools is fantastic and money well spent IMO.

Eventually they will develop a system that looks much like a Bridgeport milling machine 8^)
The crank for bit height is something that has been ignored by many of the other vendors, I've been tempted to buy a "sidewinder" for my woodpecker PRL since on occasion the table top crank hole gets covered with my circle jig and I need to rotate the insert 180 to allow access.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

In retrospect, the total cost of this set up is in the small CNC range, or the Shaper Origin at Rockler. I hadn't considered that before Splinter's comment. That opens up an entirely new line of thought/discussion - CNC set up or high end router table?


----------



## Peteybadboy (Jan 23, 2013)

That is a great review, Thanks for that!


----------



## JoeFuture (Aug 31, 2020)

Thanks for the great review. It looks like the current version of the package includes the switch now but still not the full insert rings set. I'm still waffling between this and the Incra setup and you've given me a lot more to think about.


----------



## chem (Jan 2, 2014)

This is a wonderful review because:

1. It is detailed and honest.
2. You describe why you score it the way you do.
3. It saves me the time of finishing the review I was working on for the same tool.

I agree the dust collection is not good below the table (above is fine), but much better than I had before. The lift mechanism is superb and coupled with a digital gauge removes all guess work. The lack of a router mount insert is fantastic because it removes a common source of unevenness (this was my main motivation in replacing my steel Craftsman router table because small parts were always getting caught up).

What impresses me the most is the build quality and how solid everything is. I have a lot of Festool gear and it is always disappointing how you pay premium prices for something that is lots of plastic and feels cheap (function makes up for this in general). The JessEm router table is light years ahead in build quality compared to the vast majority of tools in my shop and probably tops overall. That part of it is a pleasure and pushes me more to the 5 star category.


----------



## kajunkraft (May 7, 2012)

I have the Incra Clean Sweep under the table. In theory it seems like a good setup, especially with the metal(magnetic) inserts with lots of slots. In fact it does seem to collect a lot of dust, because every time I look inside there is not a lot of dust laying around.

However, my "complaint" is that my router lift gets really tight fairly often.

To remedy this I have to pull the router out and thoroughly clean & lube the lift & slide bars. Just seems to me that it builds up too quickly.

Although I have pretty serious central dust collection I run my router tables with a Rockler Dust Right which is dedicated the whichever router table I am using at the time.


----------



## JoeD2 (Feb 20, 2021)

I am in the midst of assembling the Jessem Excel II router table/lift/fence/stand, etc as purchased from Lee Valley. Just wondering if anyone has taken a shot at creating a dust box for this setup. Attachment to the table is the part that is puzzling me so far. I would like to avoid drilling into the tabletop, maybe some sort of adhesive caulk or tape would be the way to go. Does anyone have insight on a potential method or attachment?


----------

