JessEM router table sag

[rmhelman]

I came to woodworking late in life and was really impressed with Festool quality and attention to detail. Unfortunately I elected to purchase a jessEM router package including lift. table and table top through woodcraft. While routing I noted an inconsistency in depth  on a piece used on a reproduction of a beautiful Greene and Greene chest .I assumed I erred in some way only to later note a significant sag in the center of the router table, at least 1/8 inch. My Woodcraft store notified jessEM and they required me to prove the concavity which I did with back lighting and gap measuring. JessEM sent 2 braces and screws . Surprise: upon turning over the table I found the top had been predrilled for the braces. I wonder why??? Could it have been because the problem is well known . I applied the braces but upon reattaching my router found it did not totally correct the sag. I wrote to JessEm directly but was not graced with a reply.
I tossed the top and purchased a large Incra table and have been well pleased. JessEM has such a good reputation but I can not trust a company that knowingly accepts compromise and hides it until a complaint is made

 

[kevinculle]

I suspect that the brace JessEM sent you was an integral part of this table design that was somehow left off the table you bought, allowing it to develop the sag.  That the table was already machined to accept the brace makes this likely.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Yes, many of the Jessem tops are designed with braces as an integral part of the design:

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The Mast-R-Lift Excell II is a particularly nice top, the best I have ever used.

After installing the braces did you experiment with installing shims between the braces and top to achieve a flat surface?

 

[Kevin D.]

What era was that Jessem table top made?

There was a period when Jessem moved their main ops from Canada to the US and were producing tops that were known to crater.  I think this was ten years ago or so.

They were only in the US for a few years and moved their main facility back to Ontario.  No issues that I've heard of since.

I have one of their very early tale top set ups from around 22 years ago.  It has never sagged even with being suspended off the ground with two brackets that hold the outer short edges of the tabletop from the underside and tons of weight added with a custom cabinet integrated in it underneath.

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Here you can sorta see my whole table is about 6 inches from the floor.  It's a nice height to work at for one, but it was also necessary to do this in order to accommodate as many large stationary machines in my one-car garage and to have the top of the router table be at the same level as the tops along that wall. 

The router table is not affixed to the brackets that hold it above the ground which are hard to see as the brackets are fastened to the T1-siding wall as I have a raised floor in my shop where the dust collection and electrical run underneath access panels at various places.  Not affixing the router table top allows me to move it back and forth against the wall for where I need it to NOT be when using other machines along this wall for long items.

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[Steve1]

I used a Jessem table top on my router table.

Seems to be HDF or something like that.  I wasn't expecting high level of stiffness from 3/4" HDF.  Maybe if it was cast iron.  So I got a stiffener front. rear, and mid-span.

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[Joelm]

I'm interested in going the opposite direction rmhelman took. I've got a custom router table with an incra ls positioner/wonderfence and am looking to replace the whole thing with a Jessem router table. Looks like it absolutely needs those braces for long term stability.