Customer Reviews

Rebel W2000 The Rebel Router Table

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The table top was warped, but fixable. Bit changes are slow and painful. The legs are too long for benchtop use and too short for floor standing so a separate table is necessary. I am not at all pleased with the product.

I bought the table about a year ago it is made very well. My biggest complaint with this router table, is there not an easy way to clamp the table down. When you are feeding stock or pushing wood into the table it moves all over the place. The rubber feet on the bottom won't stop it from moving around. The fence takes some time to set up. All in all I wish I had bought another table.

I have owned this router table for approximately 8 years, and overall it has been satisfactory. Once you get it you have to drill out the top to fit your routers base and it is a pain to get the router absolutely centered in the opening. The top is flat and quite stable, but the fence leaves something to be desired. the fence locks into t slot nuts and ends up getting clogged with dust regularly making it difficult to reposition and move the fence. Additionally, the fence is in two parts and I have added an additional solid sub fence to tie the two segments together. The two things I wish this router table had were a better fence system and a way to incorporate one of the new router lifts available from bench dog or jessem.

I purchased the Rebel Router because of table size, solid aluminum construction (not sheet metal) and price. During assembly there are 4 T-nuts that are used to hold the two part fence to the table. One T-nut was oversized and would not fit into table slot. Woodstock sent a replacement that fit the slot, but it had no threads so I couldn't thread the bolt. There are two plastic rings that snap into the plate around the router bit. The outer ring has 4 tiny screws that can be used for leveling the height to be even with the table. No mention of the screws nor how to use to level the ring. By luck, I noted the screw marks under a magnifying glass. After leveling the outer ring, I snapped in the inner ring, only to distort the outer ring so the rings have to be readjusted again. The two part fence does not allow the fences to get sufficiently close to the bit, the spacing is much to large when using small bits.
The Rebel could be a much better product if they paid more attention to quality and encouraged user feed back.

Got a great deal on this table from a brick and mortar who were clearing them out. I wouldn't pay the price they are asking on this or other sites still selling it. Here's some of the pros and cons:

On the pro side, the cast iron deck and cast aluminum legs make for a heavy table that minimizes vibration. However, moving this table is no picnic. I built a rolling stand for it so I can move it to where I need it and then move it back without hernia surgery.

Also, the deck is flat and the miter gauge groove is a perfect 90 degrees from the sides - in other words, the table is square. But it damn well better be, since you have to square each side of the split fence separately.

There are no marks in the deck, not even a mark for the center of the bit. This means extra care must be taken to line up the fence with the work piece and bit. Takes some getting used to, but it can be done fairly quickly once you get it figured out. The split fence is a nice feature for advanced router skills, but I would prefer a single piece fence for most work. However, the design of the table would still make lining everything up a chore.

Before leaving the topic of the fence, mine came with a nice thick piece of MDF attached to the aluminum fence bases. Unfortunately, the bolt holes are so low they won't accept an off-the-shelf featherboard, so I'm out the 20 bucks I paid for that. Also, the bolts for moving the MDF back and forth on the aluminum base end up directly behind the bolts securing the fence arms to the table deck. Stupid.

You have to drill the aluminum top to accept your router, and that can be difficult for the beginner. The plate has 4 leveling screws, and they work adequately, though I still have one side that is less than a 1/64 lower than the table top. But it works.

Something I abhor about this table, and not mentioned in any review I've read, is the mechanism for catching chips and sawdust. It is a 4 inch diameter clear plastic ring that is attached to a swing arm which is attached to the center-back of the table behind the fences. It is height adjustable...and worthless. I was rabbiting some 1/2 inch stock which fit perfectly beneath the plastic ring, and chips flew everywhere but into the vacuum I attached to it. I tried jury-rigging another vacuum underneath with minor...very minor...improvement. Really bad design. Really an afterthought I think.

Overall, I would stay away from this table unless you get a killer deal like I did. Oh, and you have to purchase the safety on and off switch separately. Figures.

I just put my table together yesterday and tried it out. I took a chance on it since there are some negative reviews, but these seem to be pretty old reviews, with a good review more recently. Maybe Woodstock improved the design of the table.

First of all, I'm not a master woodworker; I'm more of a novice. However I know good stuff when I see it. This table is heavy duty with no cheap stamped components. The top is cast iron with a machined top. Keep it oiled when not in use: it will rust if it gets wet. Legs appear to be cast aluminum. With the weight of the table and the rubber feet, you'd have to have a big heavy work piece to move the table around. The only cheap component is the circular plastic insert that surrounds the bit. I just don't use it... this makes bit changes REALLY easy.

There are a few comments and improvements I will point out, however:

1. I don't like the split fence design, but as was pointed out by another reviewer, that's easily fixed by attaching your own piece of wood across the fence plates.

2. You need to find/make a platform for this table if you want to work at normal standing height. If you have a small work piece like a cabinet door, you can set the table up on the floor and sit in a chair to handle your work.

3. Assembly was just a little tedious with all the screws that had to be tightened in slightly tight quarters with an allen wrench. I'd rather have hardware I can put a socket on and drive down with a ratchet.

Overall, this is a nice table. If you're going to work on huge pieces regularly, get a full size table. Otherwise you can't go wrong with this one.

Let me start by qualifying this review:

1. I received the table yesterday.

2. I've only assembled the table. I have yet to install my triton router or run any wood.

3. I'm a professional journeyman cabinetmaker with many years of experience.

This table is hefty. If you want something you can throw in the back of the truck and take to a job site consider something else. (Unless you are the Samsonite gorilla) The table top is where most of the weight is. I was worried that it would be too small for running large rails and stiles. Not the case. The legs are also extremely sturdy.

I don't like the idea of a split fence, but the two fence halves, and the heavy duty hardware that mounts them to the table, is the perfect foundation for a solid, one piece fence. (Really, is there anyone out there that doesn't modify the !@#$ out of stuff like this when they first get it)Someone said they had a problem with chips in the mounting slots that connect the fence to the table top. I would suggest keeping a compressed air line handy. The combination of the triton in base dust collection and a fence mounted dust collection hose should grab most of the debris.

Also, someone complained about the rings that mount in the router mounting plate. They are shabby and not flat. If you have a work shop, some skill and some imagination, I'm betting you can come up with shop made replacements.

For $200.00 you can't go wrong with this table. I plan on purchasing a Bosch gravity stand and mounting it there. I'll come back and give further comments and photos once I fully integrate the tool into my shop.