King Canada Tools

[Jamb]

I am just wondering if anybody has experience with King Canada tools? I would like to get a router but can't afford another $250-350 for a PC or Bosch kit. (I've just bought a BT3100). I found a powerful one around $100-120 but don't know anything about KC quality. What do you think about this?
http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=400&ID=11536

I would get a Shop Vac for the money I could save on this one. Any recommendations on those?

My other questions: what is the story about the accessory table on the BT and other brand routers? They won't fit in it? Why do you need inserts, plates, templates etc. to install a router in the existing hole? Why do people use router tables if they have it on the BT? What else do I need (other than the router) to set it up for basic jobs?

Akos

[bigsteel15]

My opinion

Personally I would not spend the money on the King but would buy the $80 Ryobi from HD and get the router mounting kit either from e-bay or Dixie Sales Canada (1-800-525-2579 but they are in TO).
Don't buy the entire BT3Kit...way too much $ in Canada, at least it was a year ago.

My reason here is that IMHO, all the "house brand" products are POS.
I can almost guarantee that the King is made in the same factory as Canwood, Superior, probably Mastercrap...would you buy one?

Sorry, but I've had too many crappy cheap tools.
I'm not saying the Ryobi router is a great tool, but it will easily fit the table.

The other option is to get the Craftsman router and buy the mounting kit from Sears. At least then you get the customer service support if you have a problem.

[LCHIEN]

My other questions: what is the story about the accessory table on the BT and other brand routers? They won't fit in it? Why do you need inserts, plates, templates etc. to install a router in the existing hole? Why do people use router tables if they have it on the BT? What else do I need (other than the router) to set it up for basic jobs?

The BT3 router table is much better than none, at least as good as the cheapie metal tables but not as nice as a solid, large are table with dust collections. It'll do as a beginner's table or a 2nd or backup table.

Some people have drilled the auxiliary table to mount a router directly. I'm not sure how well that works. The plate gives you something more substantial to mount the router to. Since router manufacturers use different hole patterns, and Ryobi chose only to put theirs (and Craftsman's since Sears sells rebranded Ryobi routers mainly) that accounts for the incompatability. It's easy to fix that tho.
Inserts support the work when the router bit is smaller than the opening in the table. Keeps the workpiece from tipping or getting caught. leading to a dimple.
Read the BT3 FAQ, lots of info there on routers and BT3.

[Roger on the Rock]

"King Canada" are generally fairly cheap and not that good a quality. "King Industrial" on the other hand are good value for money IMHO.

I'd stay away from King Canada and hold off till you can justify the bigger expense of what you really want to get.

[crokett]

People put routers in dedicated tables because they can get larger surface area, better fences and dust collection. Plus it gives them another project to build.
They also have the option of adding above the table height adjustment such as router-raizer. The first three are all shortcomings that can (mostly) be addressed on the BT3 accessory table.

I do not really have room for a separate table. My router has done very well in the acc table, but I've had to make an aux fence and figure out dust collection to be able to do what I want to do.

[jackellis]

I had a Ryobi router in my accessory table and it worked well enough, though the table is small. One way to solve that, if somewhat clumsily, is with outfeed support.

I built an add-on that expanded the BT3 router table and added a better fence, but it was not satisfactory so for the time being, I constructed a simple aux fence that attaches to the saw's rip fence and includes a dust collection port. Seems to work well. I will be replacing the Ryobi router with a Hitachi M12V here pretty soon.

[Roger on the Rock]

Jackellis;

Do you have any pictures of your setup? Sounds interesting.

Roger