I need to make a decision about a router top on my saw table.
My routing needs will be quite limited and specific. I own a WoodRat, so that machine powered by a DeWalt 625 will do all mortise, tenon, dovetail, dowel and mitre joints.
Dismounting the DeWalt to move it to another location would be cumbersome. Largely because of re-calibration needed when I move it back.
So I want some kind of a routing bench. I plan to do long edge jointing for about a year, and all Dado work on it. I plan on doing a lot of tall shelving with dados. The shelves are for an aircraft hangar, and I don't relish crosscuting Dados in 9-foot cabinet sides on a table saw.
There are three choices open to me:
1) Dismount the DeWalt and move it to the table each use.
2) Mount my 1hp (20-year old w/ 1/4 bits only) Makita 3606 in the table and leave the WoodRat alone
3) Buy a new router dedicated to the table.
It doesn't seem to me that one lift will work for the different routers. What strategy would save money and serve my needs. Name brands, models, sizes if you feel strongly.
Gary Curtis