How is this for a shipment. Actually, I am very excited about these new parcels. They are
from Jessem, and I just read quite a bit about their products that were a big hit at the
August IWF Show in Atlanta.
It was almost 2 years ago when I installed the then new product, the Jessem
Rout-R-Lift. This time, I will be reviewing and using 4 products: the Mast-R-Lift, the
Master-R-Fence, Master-R-Top and stand. I am told that if you put them all together, you
have a winning router station. So let's find out.
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I start with the
stand. The instructions are fine. The packaging is superb — it is evident that they
want the pieces to have the fine paint job when the stand is totally assembled.
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I have just assembled
one little component and I already want to note that the engineering of this stand is
better than most I have come across. The screws I am installing are into studs welded to
the legs. To me that means that their manufacturing must be very exact.
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It's almost a stand. I
clamped the squares to the one side to hold it in place while I connected it all. As I
start to tighten the assembly, I fully appreciate the precision of the manufacturing
— when everything was tight, the stand was square. I didn't have to use a square and
then tighten, which certainly is the usual way. All the components of this stand fit
together exactly — and it was as square as you could ask for it to be.
If you think I am going overboard in my praise of this simple situation, just
think back to the number of things that you had to force to make square...or holes that
you had to elongate or re-drill. Not here!
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With the stand
solidly put together, I unpack the table top and lay it in position. The instructions
allow this top to be used for the Mast-R-Lift or with any insert plate. I am pleased
to report that the top is made of phenolic, not MDF. Clearly this material is the one to
use for precision routing tables.
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The underside of the
table has a lot of holes. The "A" holes are immediately around the plate opening
and are used as part of plate levelers. The two clips shown in this area are
"snuggers" and allow for the plate to be tightened in the opening and any play
removed. The "B" holes are threaded and are used for fastening the top to the
stand. Note that there 20 of these holes — more than you typically find. When all 20
are tightened, it will minimize the chance of the top flexing over time. The "C"
holes allow for the fence adjustment tracks to be attached.
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I flipped the stand and top
over so that I could add all the screws. All the holes are drilled to be exactly right
— no oversized holes to allow for manufacturing error. I mention this since every
screw fits exactly. If there was a hole in the stand, there was a matching threaded
connector on the top. Assembly went quickly and smoothly.
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I have unpacked the
Mast-R-Lift and inverted it on the table top. Each corner has a leveler. I am just trying
the screws here. There is a hole in the top that allows these adjustment screws to be
accessed when mounted.
Note that the Master-R-Lift has levelers. If you are using a different insert
plate, the table's levelers can be used.
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These arrows point to
"snugger bars." A few pictures ago, I showed the snuggers that are a part of the
table. These are a part of the Master-R-Lift and can be used. I decided to use these to
snug the insert — it does make a difference.
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