namluke Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I'm looking to get a router table. I've got it down to two brands. A jessem or a UJK They both seem to have their pro and cons, the most notable is the table tops. Jessem only seem to offer phenolic whilst UJK offer cast iron. I'm preferring the look of the Jessem, but I'm really unsure about the top that they offer. Would phenolic be a deal breaker for anyone or are they just as good? What would you guys choose between the two tables? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I once would have said cast iron, every time. There have been so many cases of cast iron tables arriving out of flat lately, I would probably choose phenolic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Probably phenolic. If it lost its flatness you could brace it flat again with shims and braces. That might be harder with cast iron. Honestly I'd get the less expensive one though. I don't feel that router tables need to be fancy. A simple table and a simple fence works for me 95% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 The Jessum stuff is nice. I don't know anything about UJK. I have a cast iron MLCS one, that someone gave me, and it's nothing special. It would be worth a look to see how the Incremental Tools tops are. Their lifts are from Jessum, with slight modifications, and you can get a 10% discount if you are a new customer, plus they always have something on sale, that changes frequently. I make router "tables' out of leftover phenolic bowling alley flooring, that's usually free for the asking when a bowling alley is being redone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I also have no knowledge on UJK. I bought a Jessem along with a 3.25hp porter cable. I am happy with it. The lift is excellent. Fence very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 It's nice to have at least one good sized flat cast iron top in the shop. But as I recently had to send back a bandsaw table, I'll echo wtnhighlander's remarks. I have a cast iron router table from Bulldog (Rockler), which was my first acquisition. If I had it to replace it I might go with a phenolic top. Cast iron is also a maintenance issue and I now have a larger cast iron table saw top. If I were interested in a cast iron router table I would look at SawStop's model. It's the old General that was highly ranked and I have confidence in their QA program and customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I personally would not want cast iron for my router table primarily because I store my bits and hand held routers in the base. I use the top as a table surface and inadvertently bouncing a bit off a cast iron top would not end well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I have the Incra table with the Incra lift made by Jessum, I have had it for over 5 years now. The table top is Phenolic and I have had no problems or complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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