Is anyone's Bench Dog ProPlate dead flat? Alternative 8 1/4 x 11 3/4" plates?

[Danny Thompson]

After the first wavy plate included with the Bench Dog ProMax Cast Iron Extension Table, Rockler sent a second Bench Dog Proplate that cannot be made flush with the table top. The corners are even, but there is a dip on one side and a crown on another. The real-world impact is the workpiece either catches or drops as it passes over the seam between the plate and the table top. The table top is beautiful and dead flat.

Am I wasting my time with the Bench Dog ProPlate? I guess for the $20 difference ($329 for the table and no plate, $349 with the plate) I shouldn't expect much. Is there another good, dead-flat brand of plates that fits the Bench Dog ProMax (8 1/4 x 11 3/4")?

[Bruce Page]

Danny, I had similar issues with mine. I ended up modifying the plate by adding 2 more screws in the opposing corners. (I know modifying it isn’t an option for everyone)
I was able to dial it in to within a couple of thousandths after the modification.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...se!&highlight=

[Danny Thompson]

Danny, I had similar issues with mine. . .

It looks like you have a Bench Dog ProLift, which looks like a beauty. I'm working with the ProPlate (plate only, no lift) and, the interesting thing is, I can get all four corners flush to the table. The 10 set-screws help. The problem, though, is in the middle. If the corners are flush, then the middle sections on 2 sides are not. If the middles are flush, everthing else is too low.

Is there such a thing as a flat ProPlate?

[Danny Thompson]

Is it safe to take the lack of reply as a resounding "No" to both questions?

[Todd Davidson]

I have two of the original Bench Dog plates (dark grey with the metal reducer insert rings) that are dead flat. I just picked up the second plate off of ebay after having issues with 2 of the newer blue plates from Rockler. Jessem & Woodpeckers make Bench Dog compatible lifts, but a quick search doesn't show either company making plates that size. So, my suggestion is to keep an eye on ebay. FYI - a couple sellers on ebay show the older style plate in their listing, but ship the newer style with the plastic inserts, so be sure to inquire before purchasing.

[Peter Hawser]

I thought this was just my rotten luck. I have since gone with a Woodpecker lift which fits perfectly and flat. I really enjoyed throwing the out of flat Benchdog plate away - I may have even spit on it before heaving it in the trash. Got to say I do love the extension, but I hope I never have to fiddle with those ten screws again.

[Danny Thompson]

I thought this was just my rotten luck. I have since gone with a Woodpecker lift which fits perfectly and flat. I really enjoyed throwing the out of flat Benchdog plate away - I may have even spit on it before heaving it in the trash. Got to say I do love the extension, but I hope I never have to fiddle with those ten screws again.

I spoke with Rockler again, today. They are sending another and have committed to checking it for flatness before it ships. Fingers crossed. It would be a shame to have to go with a lift after investing in a router with one built-in.

[Peter Hawser]

I spoke with Rockler again, today. They are sending another and have committed to checking it for flatness before it ships. Fingers crossed. It would be a shame to have to go with a lift after investing in a router with one built-in.

That would be a shame. I didn't read carefully above and realize you had a router investment as well. I didn't so it wasn't a big deal for me - just a nice upgrade to the lift. I'd have a hard time not being a smart aleck and tell them, "Gee, I have an idea, maybe Benchdog could have someone at the factory check them for flatness?" It blows my mind how the table itself (and so many of their products) are so well made, but they essentially ruin the experience with these plates. Good luck!

[Danny Thompson]

The third is NOT the charm
Fool me three times . . . what's worse than shame on me?

The third Bench Dog Proplate arrived about 10 days after my last post. It was with some disappointment and, admitted, smirking cynicism that I found it was NOT flat. The corners could be made flush, but the sides were all over the place. After chewing on it for a couple of weeks, I called Rockler Customer Support. The nice lady apologized, checked with Tech Support, and reported:

The Tech checked 23 router plates for flatness and sent me the best one of the lot. Translated: None of the plates in stock were flat .

So the choices are:

1. Return the plate, keep the extension table, and make my own router plate. Does anyone have experience making a router plate that doesn't sag?
2. Sell the Triton and take a risk on the Incra MastRLift for Rockler Tables (cha-ching). Rockler said they would be unable to test these for flatness before shipping. (Feels a bit like shame, shame, shame on me.)
3. Return both the plate and the exension table. Which would be a real disappointment given I spent a good weekend and some expense installing it; plus the table is a thing a beauty.
4. Something else

Got any suggestions?

[Mark Ashmeade]

Flatness is king, as I have discovered.

I'm done pussyfooting around. I ordered the BenchDog lift to go in my BenchDog cast iron extension wing, on the basis that the other lifts also had aluminum plates, which may ultimately sag. I think that's unlikely with CI, although probably not impossible. It was a bit cheaper than the other lifts too. Or less expensive, should I say. It arrives on Saturday, so we'll see how we go.

[Danny Thompson]

I ordered the BenchDog lift to go in my BenchDog cast iron extension wing.

Cool. So the BD lift has a cast iron plate? That sounds like the right answer, here. Please let us know how it goes, whether it comes in flat. Also, I noticed these are oversold at Rockler. Is that where you bought yours?

[Mark Ashmeade]

Amazon. There were only a couple left when I ordered. I can't use it just yet, as I am in the throes of building my router cabinet on the end of my table saw, but I needed to order it to see how big of a dust box I'll need. I'll post pics up when I'm done.

[Bruce Page]

Cool. So the BD lift has a cast iron plate? That sounds like the right answer, here. Please let us know how it goes, whether it comes in flat. Also, I noticed these are oversold at Rockler. Is that where you bought yours?

Unless things have changed the Bench Dog lift is not cast iron. Mine is nickel plated steel and was not perfectly flat - see post #2 above.

[Danny Thompson]

Unless things have changed the Bench Dog lift is not cast iron. Mine is nickel plated steel and was not perfectly flat - see post #2 above.

Interesting. Thanks for the reminder. I wasn't sure if the issue you faced was a set-screw problem or a flat-plate problem. But I noticed at least one other poster mentioned they could not make theirs flush.

To test whether the plates would cause a real-world problem or not, I ran some mdf shelves through a roundover bit, today, using the flattest of the three ProPlates. Sure, enough, the results were inconsistent along the length of the board, but, even more surprisingly, based on the width (not the thickness, but the width) and length of the board.

At this point I'm leaning toward the Incra MasterLift II for Rockler Tables. Comments?

[Steven DeMars]

Cool. So the BD lift has a cast iron plate? That sounds like the right answer, here. Please let us know how it goes, whether it comes in flat. Also, I noticed these are oversold at Rockler. Is that where you bought yours?

I believe Bench Dog is now owned by Rockler . . .