Lowe's has
Kobalt 1/4" and 1/2" Fixed Corded Router w/ Table on sale for
$129.
Shipping is free, alternatively, store pickup is free.
Thanks to community member
Bluelair for sharing this deal.
Features:
- 12-Amp motor for smooth quality cuts
- Cast-aluminum base and motor housing for longer life and reduced weight
- Router comes with 1/4-in and 1/2-in collets that accept cutter bits with 1/4-in and 1/2-in diameter shanks, respectively
- Rough and micro-fine depth adjustments for fast, precise and accurate setups
- Aluminum mounting plate is pre-drilled for use with a wide variety of routers
- Kobalt's 5-year warranty
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank imitkov17
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank almondtofu
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The prices in the lifts are way too high of a markup (but they spend a lot marketing and hype).
The Bosch 1617 is a great router (the best value in a router, that's for sure). But it's thru-base lift is a pain.
I've built sooo many lifts. But my preferred method is inexpensive, but tough to explain...
I like enclosing the router in a cabinet (makes dust collection easier) and using linear rods and bearings in 3 areas as a guide. The build or buy a clamp that goes around the housing of the router.
I then use a worm gearbox (or make you're own from an old angle grinder lol).
Now you can either turn a handle to raise lower from the side (like a table saw) or I use a motorized worm gearbox and rig it up with a remote control.
It's all on how much tinkering you want to do. It's not a hard process, and it can be done for the price of this Kobalt Table (and it'll last a lot long than the Kobapt Table, or a $300 router lift.)
And if buying a router lift, you will want to buy a higher priced one. The JessEm's styles have a lot of failures on then and require diligence in maintaining them.
So get creative and build one you like. There's sooooo many DIY router lifts out there. (I made most of them in my journey to find what worked well for me. But my needs are high precision. If it's off by 1/16", it will ruin my work.
I have the Craftsman-labeled ones, and they're fine for what they are. My biggest gripe with the router table is the lack of precision on the plastic ring inserts on the table top. When snapped in, they sat below the aluminum surface of the table by enough to bump feeding stock. I cobbled a fix by applying some tape inside the recess for the rings.
Assuming this combo is equivalent to the Craftsman items, this looks like a good deal for the money to me. Sears used to ask this much for the router by itself. Of course it came with another plunge base, which this combo lacks. But if you're leaving it set up on the table...
I have the Craftsman-labeled ones, and they're fine for what they are. My biggest gripe with the router table is the lack of precision on the plastic ring inserts on the table top. When snapped in, they sat below the aluminum surface of the table by enough to bump feeding stock. I cobbled a fix by applying some tape inside the recess for the rings.
Assuming this combo is equivalent to the Craftsman items, this looks like a good deal for the money to me. Sears used to ask this much for the router by itself. Of course it came with another plunge base, which this combo lacks. But if you're leaving it set up on the table...
1) this lower ring insert than the table surface -- I ended up making my own ring insert using some thin handi-sheet, (using a router circular cut jig), then sand it down to flush with the surface.;
2) same as imitkov17's experience, the under-table lift mechanism failed within the first week (could be updated by Kobalt later on, per Bluelair). I finally swapped the Kobalt router with a Hitachi/metabo router (Re: smartdeals) -- need to dril one mounting hole becase the original screw holes don't all align with the metabo router's .
- it's not variable speed. You might have issues with some projects or will need to work slower with larger bits
- The t-track is super wobbly and not standard. I hate the included miter guide thingy and could never quite make it useful
- This is a small bench table with something like a 2 inch bit size capacity,. You'll need get vertical bits if you plan to make raised panel doors. Then the whole RPM issue
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- it's not variable speed. You might have issues with some projects or will need to work slower with larger bits
- The t-track is super wobbly and not standard. I hate the included miter guide thingy and could never quite make it useful
- This is a small bench table with something like a 2 inch bit size capacity,. You'll need get vertical bits if you plan to make raised panel doors. Then the whole RPM issue
I finally glued a pair of T-track on top of the fence so that I can use the JessEm router guide bought from Focus camera. It works.
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