Bench Dog 40-001 ProTop Contractor Benchtop Router Table

Other products by Bench Dog

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Don't let its compact size fool you. The award-winning Bench Dog 40-001 ProTop Contractor Benchtop Router Table makes use of a unique forward offset router location and the dual-position ProFence to provide as much usable work surface as most full-size router tables. Designed to be durable, easy to move around the job site, and ready to accept any router, it provides the versatility, stability, and guidance you need to complete precision projects safely.

The ProTop Contractor Benchtop Table adds versatility and precision to your router setup. View larger.

Versatile Design for Precision Work
Whether you're a professional craftsperson or a serious do-it-yourselfer, a router table like the ProTop Contractor lets you tackle jobs that would be difficult or impossible to complete precisely with a handheld router.

A top-quality fence is critical to the performance of any router table system, and this system relies on the feature-loaded ProFence. Its heavy-duty, one-piece aluminum frame is fully machined on the front and bottom surfaces to ensure it's flat, true, and square. Easy-adjust sub-fences and bit guard are also included.

The ProTop Contractor provides a flexible setup that can be adjusted to project-specific needs, with an aluminum miter accessory track that is adjustable to fit all standard miter gauges, plus accessory T-slots on both the table and fence that are perfect for mounting featherboards, stops, fence risers, and switches. This allows you to accommodate the full range of router applications, from cutting dadoes and slots to crafting precise joints. For work with large panels, this table also offers dual fence slots, so you can flip the fence around quickly and easily.

An integrated 2-1/2-inch dust port fits standard shop vac hoses to help keep your work area clear of debris for safety, visibility, and operator comfort.

Dependable Construction for Tough Jobs
The non-marring laminate top is built using stress-skin construction for strength and flatness, and it measures 24 x 16 inches to provide a large work area. Exclusive twin steel rails support your router, while the enclosed birch plywood cabinet reduces dust and noise, and its solid panel construction makes it stronger than cheap plastic or stamped steel stands. The cabinet's rubber feet prevent table slippage and double as isolation mounts for dramatically reduced vibration.

This table's setup will accept any router, and the included router plate is predrilled to make installation extra-easy for most popular routers from leading brands like Craftsman, DeWalt, Fein, Hitachi, Makita, Ryobi, and Skil. The 15-inch inside-cabinet height provides plenty of space for whatever router you use, plus room for Bench Dog's ProLift and other accessories (not included).

This portable router table weighs just 40 pounds, and it requires assembly. It is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

About Bench Dog
Bench Dog offers a growing line of router tables, safety accessories, and tools for everyone from building and woodworking professionals to schools and serious beginners.

The company began in 1995 with Norston Fontaine, Karen Slatter, and the simple idea that great tools are the result of great design and solid engineering. Since then, Bench Dog tools have received an enthusiastic response from customers, trade publications, and the woodworking community at large.

What's in the Box
Table top, fence, dust port, bit guard, miter track, pre-drilled router insert plate, mounting screws, and cabinet.

Product Description

Bench Dog 40-001 ProTop Contractor Router Table The Bench Dog 40-001 is the best job site router table on the market. It's also one of the most versatile portable power tools you can find. The 40-001 converts a portable router into a stationary, mini-shaper. Its unique forward offset router location and dual position fence give it as much usable table surface as most full-size router tables. Weighing approximately 35 pounds, the router table can easily be moved around the workshop and stored away when not needed. The 40-001 allows you to perform a wide variety of routing operations including: routing dadoes, rabbets, grooves, slots, mortise-and tenon joints, and raised panels. Includes top, fence, predrilled router plate, and cabinet Precision machined aluminum fence with easy adjust subfences Perfect for the job site or home shop Fence converts into a vertical jointer Adjustable

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Product Details

Product Manual [506kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 43.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B00002242E
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 40-001
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,832 in Home Improvement (See Bestsellers in Home Improvement)

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• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent portable router table, January 8, 2000

By A Customer

Absolutely no complaints about this table. It arrived in A1 condition, carefully packed. Assembly was simple thanks to both the clear instructions and the quality of the components. I doubt that constructing the table took much more than 15-20 minutes after reading the instructions.

The fence is a solid aluminium extrusion. Being a one-piece fence simplifies setting-up when working compared to some 2-piece fences. The sub fences adjust easily making zero clearance work straightforward.

The Lexan table insert supplied with the table has to be drilled and countersunk to accept whatever router you are using, which means a bit of care is required when aligning the centre of the router baseplate with the centre of the hole in the insert. Once this is done and the plate marked, the Lexan drills easily. The Lexan plate is fairly solid and shows no flexing when the router is attached (I use an ELU OF97E - now appearing as a European version of the Dewalt 621) and it works well. This router has the on/off trigger on one of the plunge handles on the opposite side of the router from the fine depth adjuster, which means it can be a bit hard to get hold of once the router is inverted in the cabinet. This can be addressed easily by putting a switch on the outside of the cabinet, if it proves a problem.

At 35lbs this table is portable enough to move around the shop as and when you need it. If I want to use the table I stand it on a Workmate and secure it with four spring clamps. This has provided plenty of stability and a comfortable working height whilst requiring minimal set-up time.

I looked at a lot of tables before reading about this one in a magazine review. I have seen nothing that comes close in terms of solid build and quality/robustness of fence for the price.

120 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bench Dog's Pro Top Portable Router Table, December 16, 1999

By	Leon Berkowitz (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

The Pro Top arrived in excellent condition. Nothing lose, rubbing or parts missing. Assembly was easy as long as you follow directions. The individual components are of a very good quality. I tested the assembled unit using a Porter Cable model 6931 without any installation problem. I am impressed with the results and look forward to getting a lot of use from this invaluable addition to my growing workshop. Thank you folks at Bench Dog for a great design with exceptional features.

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A response from Bench Dog, November 22, 2000

By	Joseph Robbins (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

We would like to thank all of the review contributors for taking the time to share their thoughts and experiences regarding the RT100 portable router table. Feedback in any form is immeasurably important to us. Our goal is to provide woodworkers with the best experience possible - given the variety of user's preferences and applications.

We have modified our manual whenever a customer or someone internally noticed a confusing area. For instance, one writer received a manual that was misprinted. We apologize for that, and the paper loading error was corrected immediately. Our toll free number is printed in each set of directions if there is any confusion, and our manuals are available on our website if you would like to look before purchasing. Ultimately, we feel that assembly will be easier if a customer follows the photo-illustrated steps provided.

The RT100 was designed to provide the same proven, award-winning features of our larger models, but also offer portability. Our goal was to create a system that was light enough to carry, yet heavy enough to remain stationary during use. We recommend clamping the table to another surface for heavy use, but the mass of the unit greatly benefits the user.

The one-piece machined aluminum fence with adjustable subfences features a reversible, adjustable bit guard, which rides in our 1/4" accessory "T"-tracks, that are located on both the front and back of the fence. The removable, reversible, and replaceable subfences allow the user to enshroud the router bit profile, offering a nearly continuous plane to slide the work piece against. This helps prevent the stock from catching on the outfeed side of the fence. The fence also features a 2 1/2" dustport, which supports most shop-vacs as well as 2 1/2" - 4" evac reducers.

Our miter track, the Titer Miter, is adjustable to accommodate any standard 3/4" x 3/8" miter gauge. This adjustability yields miter gauge use with no slop, or side-to-side play. Titer Miter also has a 1/4" accessory "T" track. The RT100 thereby offers "T" tracks on both the miter track and fence.

The table surface is easy to level with our twelve point insert plate leveling system. We have found that most users have no difficulty in leveling their insert. For those who have difficulty, experience makes the process quick and painless. A trick to a quick set-up is to work from the corners first, then adjust the remaining eight screws to make contact with the plate. After that, quick micro adjustments finish the process.

The enclosed cabinet design was incorporated to cut down on noise and dust - two issues that nobody likes. To alleviate sawdust build-up, we recommend installing either a 2 1/2" or 4" dust port to attach a shop-vac or a larger evac. We chose to leave dust evacuation within the cabinet up to the individual user, given that both the degree of importance, and placement of the dust port vary from customer to customer.

The RT100 is shipped with an undrilled acrylic ProPlate - it has a 2" bit hole and hold-down holes, but it is not drilled to accommodate a router. This is left to the purchaser, and is easily accomplished through following the illustrations provided. Bench Dog offers a wide variety of pre-drilled ProPlates made either of acrylic or phenolic, each offering distinct benefits. In addition, we offer different sizes of bit holes as well, to insure the use of a variety of router bits, including raised panel bits, in a safe manner. Acrylic ProPlates are great for smaller routers (1 - 2 h.p.), and for situations in which the router will not be left in the table for extended periods of time. Acrylic ProPlates are also great for increasing the size of the router sub-base in free-hand use. Phenolic ProPlates are strong and highly flex resistant. For extended table use and more powerful, heavier routers, phenolic is the choice.

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