I used this with an all in one clamp I purchased at another store. I was cutting a 1/4 inch dado into 3/4 oak ply. I made test cuts with and without the plate using a 2 1/4 HP Bosch router. I found the cuts with the plate much easier. Installaton was a snap because there were predrilled holes for my router base. Simple product to use, and it make the job a lot easier. Please take into account that I am a beginning woodworker, those with or experience may not need this type of tool, but for me, this worked well, and with little setup. This makes the dado cuts so easy that I am going to forget using a dado blade in my tablesaw. I would highly recommend. Good luck. XRP 8-Inch by 9-Inch Router Plate, Black
I bought the router plate, the wide jaws and the 50" clamp a few months ago, for a particular project requiring lots of dadoes in MDF. The whole system works as advertised, and is well worth the modest cost. A couple of notes--I probably over-tightened the clamp, causing a piece of the cam-lever to break. It hasn't ruined the clamp, but I assume the overall clamping pressure has been diminished. Second, I used a cheap router bit and pushed it so hard that I melted the router plate. That said, I sent a simple email to the manufacturer inquiring about replacement parts (and explaining the problems, even admitting my responsibility), and in less than two hours, the company responded with an offer to replace the parts (no cost). That's customer service.
Great product, and a great company that stands behind its product.
I've used the 50" clamp for a year, and recently purchased the plates. They are a two piece plastic molding, and while the molding is a little rough the plastic is strong. This type of plastic slides ok but it binds up on the track a bit if the angle of the track isn't exactly normal to the surface. A bit of wax on the track and the plate really improved the sliding action. You could use a teflon or silicone spray but it could interfere with the future finish of the wood. With a bit of cleanup of the casting flash and a bit of wax lubrication of the track it works quite smoothly, and I turn to this system quite often even though I have a large cabinet saw with a 50" fence and a large router table. It is less physically demanding to cut large panels with this guide than with a cabinet saw.
There are other systems on the market that work better but they cost a lot. This one is inexpensive. Just make sure you have good blades/bits that track straight and wax the track, and it will work well.
the router and circular saw slide are hard to attach to the saw in particular. both do not slide on the rail with out forcing them which results in a bad cut or rout job. would not buy these again or recommend them to anyone.
First, none of the many pre-drilled holes fit my very common Porter Cable router. Second, although there is a hole for a screw to attach it to the T-track in the clamp, one is not provided. But thirdly and most frustratingly, the slot in the plastic for the clamp's track to go through is too tight so it gets stuck. I twice got my router halfway through the piece and simply could not budge it any farther. I threw the damn thing away, another $20 wasted.
I don't normally write reviews, but the router plate, and it's sibling, the saw plate are really worthless. The clamp itself works well, but the cheaply made plastic plates will not slide at all on the clamp bar. This could be weather dependent, since my garage is quite cool, but the plates should slide regardless of the temperature. If you take the plate out of the track (gliding only on a portion of the track) then it will slide, but what good is that since it would be easy to cut crooked, if you didn't keep pressure on the clamp side.
Believe me, using your saw or router directly against the clamp bar will work better than using one of these lousy plates. I paid $63.00 for these two plates (including shipping), and this was one of the worst things I've ever bought.
The router plate easily replaced the existing base on my Bosch router. The router plate worked smoothly and without incident on the Emerson router guide. The Emerson guide was a challenge to my patience, but that is a different review. I was apprehensive about using this tool, and did prepare by vacuuming and blowing down the track before and after use. I understand that other people had difficulty using this product but I did not. - Router Accessories - Router Table - Clamps'
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