Sean posted about Bench Dog’s ProMax Cabinet back in 2006, and now in 2008, for a limited time, Amazon is listing the Bench Dog ProMax Complete Router Table System with free shipping for $970. This “system” — really the whole kit and kaboodle for routing — includes the ProMax cabinet, ProMax router table, ProFence, cast iron end cap, Porter Cable router, and four Cab-Loc casters.

The cabinet features integrated router bit storage, pull-out shelves and flip-up doors, and a lower cubby for router storage. Bench Dog makes the cabinet with bolt and cross dowel construction, birch plywood side panels, and steel hardware for vibration dampening.

Promax Complete [Bench Dog]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

When you sign up for the Bench Dog Club you can enter to win your very own Bench Dog system — the only expense is your email address. It’s actually not a bad deal if you’re into the gear anyway, and you get a chance to win a complete rig, even if it’s a bit of a Hail Mary.

One person will win the vaunted prize — a ProMAX Complete (Router Table and Cabinet) with a cast iron top, precision aluminum fence, and pull-out bit storage. Enter at your own risk, but it is good gear. They’re offering the deal through December 31, 2008, so you have some time.

Bench Dog Club Sign-Up and Entry Form [Bench Dog]

Conventional feather boards exert downward force at the point where the bit removes material. This results in the tendency of the panel to tip towards the bit. Bench Dog’s Panel-Loc solves this problem by moving the hold-down pressure two inches away from the fence, where the table fully supports the panel.

The Panel-Loc isn’t just useful for panels — it works well for most router operations on wider boards. The hold-down strip won’t mar the workpiece surface because it’s made from a low-friction, ultra-high molecular weight plastic. The Panel-Loc also makes cutting panels safer, since the wide hold-down doubles as a guard to protect your digits from large bits.

The Panel-Loc comes with a 20″ T-Loc track which mounts to most fences, including all Bench Dog router tables and fences. Expect to pay about $60 for the Panel-Loc.

Panel-Loc [Bench Dog]
Panel-Loc [Rockler]

I can’t count how many things I’ve used as make shift push sticks around the shop: screwdrivers, broken bits of board or trim – almost anything.  Half the issue with a push stick is finding where you put the thing.  When I saw the Push Loc from Bench Dog, it struck a nerve. 

If you have one of Bench Dog’s docking stations, you can mount the push loc keeper to it and keep the Push-Loc on the fence and ready to go.  The “docking station” makes a handy pencil tray and has a clip for a tape measure.

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Did you happen to receive a shiny-new router for Christmas?  What could be better to put it in than its own full-sized router table?  The proMax complete router table has all the bells and whistles you need – housed in birch-paneled goodness. 

The table stands with cast iron rein-forced strength at a height of 35-1/2” with a girth of 27″ and a 20” depth.  Its pull-out storage bins have room for all the routing accessories you’ll need to get that next project underway as well as a 28” Bench Dog ProFence, which is included with the unit.

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Having made my fair share of cuts on crown molding, the cutting jig from Bench Dog looks to me like a good way to make straight cuts on crown molding without the need to do a secondary cut to “fix” the first one. 

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Bench Dog makes a number of slick tools for woodworkers, and we’ve written about a number of them before.  This one’s just as cool: It’s a semi-circular shaped tool that grips your saw blade to simplify changes — and reduce the possibility of warping the blade in the process.

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Bench Dog always seems to produce the simplest yet most intuitive tools.  We wrote about their Pro-Cut portable saw guide before, and now we’ve come across their Trim-Loc casement installer tool.  Slick stuff.

Think of it as a portable jig for trim work.  It lets you quickly mark 45-degree and 90-degree angles and has a slot to hook your tape measure in, which makes measuring by yourself a whole lot easier.

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When you line up a cut with your circular saw, you’re always trying to eye exactly where the blade’s going to cut.  And if you use a guide, you have to be sure of the exact distance between the saw’s guide and the blade. 

The Pro-Cut is a simple plastic guide, but what makes it really slick is that when you make your first cut with it, you trim away the edge of the tool instantly aligning it permanently with your specific saw.  From then on, making a 90 crosscut is as simple as placing the edge of the tool using your measuring tape (its multiple guides automatically align it to 90 degrees on various common-dimensioned lumber) and cut away.

It also includes a built-in 6″ ruler and 45 degree triangle for measuring and layout work.  Street pricing starts around $15, and some distributors offer multi-packs.

Pro-Cut Portable Saw Guide [Bench Dog, Inc.]
Street Pricing [Froogle]