I just bought the Rousseau insert for a router table I am making and was surprised at the “built in crown”. It seems like this would degrade the quality of the cut with the router given that you don’t have a flat surface to move stock across. If flatness isn’t a big deal then why do the high-$$ aluminum plates boast flatness within .001?
I don’t want to install this and then find it is junk and not be able to return it. I intend to make some exterior shutters and then move on to more high quality stuff like some basic cabinetry, but I didn’t feel the need for the higher priced metal insert. What are the thoughts out there.
thanks, Jake
Replies
Yeah, that seems nuts to me too. Years ago I inadvertently built a router table with a curved table, and discovered I'd done it when cuts misbehaved. So when I realized that the Rousseau plate I'd bought was crowned, I sent it back.
The product description for the Rousseau plate states "The base plate is molded with a slight crown to insure the center is the highest point."
If you want "flat forever" you might want to look at the Veritas router table insert plate. A significant advantage, IMHO, is being able to mount any router to it without modification.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
flamedmaple,
I just swapped out my router plate insert. The bench dog clear plastic(cheapie)had a downward slope around the cutter bit in only 1 1/2 years. I wanted metal too at a reasonable cost. I went with the Rockler 1/4" aluminum plate for nearly the same cost as the Rousseau..not sure if it's better but at least it's metal. So far so good but its only been a couple of weeks.
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