Thread: Kreg or beladonia router table

I have the Kreg table, I can't see myself wanting anything more. I'm not convinced that anything is gained by having a cast iron top, unless you want to use magswitch feather boards. The Kreg fence is great, and you can fit the Kreg micro adjuster to it if you want high precision. I'm not familiar with Baladonia, but I see Timbecon sell a phenolic top version which would be similar to the Kreg in price. For $1500, the Kreg plus a Triton 2400w router and some feather boards would give you a pretty useful setup.

Just bought the 27x16” cast iron table from Timbecon a few weeks ago, the fit and finish is excellent. Really feels like something that will last a long time.

Thanks guys
I have already got (not delivered) the Triton MoF001 router. On the timbecon site I could not see any micro adjustment on the beladonia fence.
Michael

The MOF is a good router, that's what I'm using with the Kreg table. I see the Kreg has gone through some improvements since I got mine, with the micro adjust included standard, and twist lock inserts. The Baladonia micro adjust looks to be a $70 option? Quite like the old Kreg micro adjuster, nothing wrong with that.

Either brand of table looks a very good choice. Both look to have PorterCable style insert rings, which is good for compatibility with guide bushes, such as used with Leigh jigs. The table mounted paddle switch on the Baladonia is a good idea, would save reaching under the table to turn the router on and off. Be worth getting one for use with the Kreg table. The Kreg stand has more height adjustment range, but the Baladonia phenolic/mdf equivalent looks to get a caster kit included which would cost an extra $90 for the Kreg.

Originally Posted by MDN

Hi Michael here
i am very new to routing actually any woodworking so please excuse my ignorance.
i have about $1500 to spend on a router table. I am looking at the kreg 1045 or the beladonia delux cast iron router table.

my problem is I can find no unbiased reports about the beladonia one. Both are available from carbecom ?? ( spelling).

has anyone used one.?

thankyou
michael

New to routing.
Michael I'm well aware that most people who start using the router are inclined to think that the best position for the router is in the table mode as there is a great number of articles written on how the router is used in the table mode. In MYHO working with the router in the plunge mode will enable a greater number of woodworking projects that can be achieved.
Spending $1500 on the alternative method will bring greater satisfaction to how the router can be used. Purchase some template guides and this will introduce you to a greater range of cutters that can be used to produce more interesting projects. Very few projects have been written about how the guides can be used more effectively. Search youtube to see the type of projects Projects That cannot be achieved with the router in the table mode

Something else to think about...... don't underrate the insert plate. I used to have a Kreg plate which did sag. I replaced it with a metallic Woodpecker plate (Incra would have been just as good) which has been rock solid, so whatever table you choose don't skimp on the insert plate.

Hi Michael,

I think it depends on the type of routing you intend to do. If it is just roundovers, chamfers etc on larger pieces you can get away with most surfaces phenolic, mdf, whatever as long as the structure of the base has support underneath the top to ensure it will not sag.

If you’re using the router table for fine work such as cutting 0.5mm channels for inlay banding I’d say buy the best you can afford. On small scale work the flatness is critical.

Up front let me say I am a boxmaker so I see things from a small-scale accuracy point of view. My comments may mean nothing to someone working with larger pieces.

I have in my workshop a Woodpeckers table with an aluminium plate, Woodpecker inserts, Woodpecker fence and micro adjust. I also work with a Balladonia (Timbecon) phenolic table with an aluminium insert and in recent days i’ve worked with an MDF top (no plate). All of these do a reasonable job but not accurate enough in my view.

While I haven’t used the Balladonia cast iron top I have used a steel top (Veritas - not made any more, I believe). This table, which doesn’t belong to me, sits on a home-made plywood base and all the fences are pieces of MDF, usually with bits of UHMW polyethylene screwed to them to reduce friction.

Here’s the rub. I would take the accuracy and simplicity of the steel table and MDF fences over my fancy Woodpeckers table, multi-adjust fence and micro adjust any day. A dead flat table and a dead square fence is all you need for most things. If you’re doing regular repeat cuts then an Incra positioner would be great I’m sure.

Bottom line for me (and I absolutely understand that other people will have different requirements) is that if I were doing it all again I would probably buy a sheet of steel, have it ground flat and have a recess cut for magnaloc rings. No plate.

To avoid the ‘edge bumps’ between table, plate and insert rings I’ve also seen someone ds tape an 800x600 piece of 5mm UHMW polyethylene across their entire table. Just a hole in the middle for the cutter.

Happy routing,

Brian

If it's possible that you could make your own table using inexpensive materials it would leave a lot of money for the niceties like a good fence (I like Incra), plate and a lift. If you don't have the necessary equipment to make a table join a local club or mens shed where you can use theirs. As indicated by homey home made tables can be every bit as good as a bought one.
Just my 10 cents worth.

homey, when you say .5mm channels I guess you're meaning the depth not width?

Michael

For what it is worth - I do not use a router table much anymore - I have the Beladonia plate. It was the cheapest decent plate I could find when I was building a new router table recently (new tablesaw and the router table fits into an extension). The plate is aluminium and stiff. I cannot detect any bending. With a bit of careful constriction, along with adjusters, there is no dip between the surround and the edge of the plate.



I added a fence I built out of aluminium square section... because I do not need anything more accurate, such as a Incra. Now not everyone is going to build their own fence, but the point is that you do not need anything fancy to get accuracy. Put your money where you get the most benefit. I would say that the router (stability, run out, above table adjustment, power) is the most important. Followed by the raising system.



The find adjustments may be made with a tap of a hammer. I know that fences like the Incra offer great accuracy via twiddling with knobs, but their real benefit is when you want to repeat a measurement at a later date. If you do not need that feature, tapping into position is as accurate ..



Above table adjustment is more important, I believe. What you save above, you can spend on a better router lift. I went cheap with a Router Raiser for my Elu 177e, but I am so impressed with it. This is combined with a Muscle Chuck for ease of router bit connecting. The combination is just wonderful!


Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks for the pictures, Derek. Also your comment on the Muscle Chuck; i’ve been thinking of buying one of these - any further thoughts on the MC would be greatly appreciated.

Aldav - apologies, I should have been clearer. Yes, the 0.5 mm cuts referred to depth rather than width.

Brian

I have to say I'm surprised to hear of bending with phenolic inserts, at the thickness of these insert plates (~9.5mm to 12.7mm) and load (~6kg of router) neither FR4 phenolic or aluminium should bend by any amount you can measure, let alone see. Even Jessem are now using phenolic inserts in conjunction with their router lifts, a good indication of the suitability of phenolic. One of the reasons for increasing numbers of phenolic router tables is the strength and stability of the material.

I bought a second hand Kreg table top with a phenolic Kreg insert. The previous owner had made up a table for the top and had a Triton TRA001 (7.5kg) installed in it since day 1. There is no sag in the table top or the insert that I can measure.

I don't know how old the table and insert are but the insert has rings which screw on, as opposed to the rotate to lock ones Kreg have made for at least 5 years.

Same with my Kreg, though it's on the Kreg stand which has steel reinforcement to support the MDF top either side of the insert. No sag or warp since day 1. Fence came bent, but that was replaced straight away. No issues with the replacement. That kind of made me a bit wary of aluminium components though, because if Al is bent it tends to stay that way. Phenolics are highly resistant to bending - depending on the type, Bakelite can have a flexural modulus of 13500 MPa. If a phenolic insert or table isn't flat, chances are it was a manufacturing flaw.

the other thing I don't like about aluminium inserts is the wear resistance. It's a relatively soft metal and easily scratched. Phenolics are kind of the opposite, it's what they make grinding wheels with.

Mind you, the Kreg was kind of the default choice for me at the time. There's more options available now. It's a shame the CMT Industrio wasn't available here, that's close to my perfect router table.

I've just built my own stand and put a Kreg table top and Kreg fence on it. I love it. While assembling one of the fence components, I stripped some thread - was my fault. After an email to Kreg, they had a spare shipped to me from US to AU within a week.

I'm looking at adding some of those Jessem 'bearing hold downs' to it to finish it off.