wingless' Craftsman 171.25475 Router Table Restoration / Upgrade

[wingless]

Long ago I had a nice Craftsman router and Craftsman router table. Both suffered from long periods of inactivity and were sold. There are some upcoming projects where these tools will be useful, so I found / purchased some nice used examples. This topic shows my new to me Craftsman routers.

 

My (new to me) Craftsman 171.25475 router table was mostly complete and in good condition. It was missing the 29L-202 / 1609441472 2" OD router table insert set that is no longer available for purchase. The cast / machined aluminum table had surface oxidation. The optional / extra Craftsman 25211 right / left steel table extensions had minor paint bubbling up from surface rust underneath the paint. The labels on the table edge and on the blade guard had degraded. That 45A-293 label set is no longer available. 

 

One of the great features for this table is the material used for the legs and the fences. The legs and the fences are molded using glass-filled plastic. The glass increases the strength and stiffness of the plastic.

 

This model router table did not include a sliding miter gauge and did not include a front panel power switch when shipped / configured new from Craftsman.

 

The aluminum table oxidation did not bother me. I used steel wool soap pads to polish the bare aluminum to a very nice finish.

 

The steel table extensions were sanded bare then painted, now they look great again.

 

One thing I didn't like about those steel table extensions was the formed side arms w/ screw holes for attaching to the table have a formed cavity between the arm and the table. That cavity collapses when tightening those screws. I used my shop press to restore the cavity shape, then carefully put small washers into those cavities during assembly, to permit screw tightening w/o collapsing the cavity.

 

Note that final assembly of the steel table assembly is a two person job, at least on my router table. The extensions are loosely attached to the center table. One person pushes the upside down parts flat onto the surface, while a second person tightens the attachment bolts. This method ensures the extensions are coplanar with the center table. On my table, if the hardware is tightened as a one person operation, the side extensions droop down.

 

The label artwork was recreated, then printed, adhesive added and these new labels were applied to the router table and to the blade guard. The biggest butt pain was recreating / cleaning up the old small SEARS logo in the top left corner. I used 3M Super 77 aerosol spray adhesive applied to a masked-off area on the table front and on the blade guard so they would stick to the surfaces.

 

The correct Craftsman miter gauge w/ the optional 9-29504 hold down clamp was located and secured. Same also for the correct Kedu HY75 power switch.

 

The ½" long 10-32 flat head screws that I picked-up at the hardware store to hold the router to the bottom of the bed did not work w/o modification. I needed to cut back the head adjacent to the threads because the table thickness was insufficient for proper clamping. Now the screws work great. Both the really expensive Craftsman MPP010105023 router screws and my modified screws are shown in the images.

 

Now I've got a really nice / old router table. All I'm missing are the 2" OD table inserts.

 

 

 

Router Table As-Received

 

Router Table As-Received

 

Router Table Polished - Original Labels and Original Table Extension Paint

 

Router Table Polished - Original Table Extension Paint

 

Original and New Reproduction Label 

 

Original and New Reproduction Labels

 

 

Craftsman 25211 Steel Table Extensions - As-Received and Sanded Bare

 

Craftsman 25211 Steel Table Extensions - Sanded Bare

 

Restored Condition - w/ Sliding Miter Gauge, 9-29504 Hold Down Clamp, Power Switch and Reproduction Labels

 

Router Attached to Bottom of Table and Power Switch

 

Router Attached to Table

 

 

Operation Manual Cover

 

29L-202 / 1609441472 Unobtainium Table Insert Set

 

Craftsman MPP010105023 Router Table Screw - Showing Undercut at Head / Threads

 

Standard Screws Modified w/ File to Include Undercut at Head / Threads

[wingless]

Here are some more images of the completed router table and the final labels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wingless]

On 3/4/2019 at 9:25 PM, wingless said:

My (new to me) Craftsman 171.25475 router table was mostly complete and in good condition. It was missing the 29L-202 / 1609441472 2" OD router table insert set that is no longer available for purchase.

 

Now I've got a really nice / old router table. All I'm missing are the 2" OD table inserts.

 

 

 

Router Attached to Table

 

 

29L-202 / 1609441472 Unobtainium Table Insert Set

 

 

 

That 29L-202 / 1609441472 Unobtainium table insert set is not available for purchase anywhere.

 

There were searches on Craig's List, eBay and Offer Up. Sellers having those parts with a table would not sell just those parts.

 

The Search All of Craig's List site found a seller on the other side of the country selling a table with those inserts for a reasonable price. I negotiated a purchase for just the inserts, sent him cash and a prepaid shipping label. A few days later I had my parts.

 

Now all is good.

 

 

 

 

[chaz]

Interesting post. I inherited one of these old Craftsman router tables from my father years ago, and recently decided to set it up. Of course, after being in storage so long, parts are missing. The table inserts are problematic, since Sears doesn't seem to care about supporting their vintage equipment. 

 

Wondering if you have any advice about finding/making/doing without these table inserts. I suppose I could try to work without them, but would rather not. 

 

I have searched the internet for them, and yes, they are no longer being made (by Sears at least)

 

Thanks!

[wingless]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Check eBay, Craig's List and Offer Up on a frequent basis. Use generic terms like Craftsman router and examine the pictures, because the seller might not know about this random part.

 

My set was purchased from the other side of the country by searching all of Craig's List and snail mailing cash.

 

Another insert was included when I bought a totally different eBay router accessory, but I've already sold that extra part.

 

Good luck w/ your table. Mine has been working and looking great.

[Safety Joe]

Hello! I spotted one of these same table for sale near me and happen to have my grandfather's router that may fit. I have looked at manuals but cannot find a list of compatible models. I have the 1.5hp 315.17492 router. Any ideas if it will fit? 

 

And no, the extra inserts are not included lol.

[wingless]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Yes, that router will fit. I have the 1¼hp version of that router. Mine is 315.17491 part number.

 

Note there are two versions of that router table. To minimize confusion Sears sold both versions under the same part number.

 

Mine is the early version that only accepts a router, having a circular cavity on the bottom of the table that accepts the router.

 

The later version has that cavity expanded to also include a rectangular footprint that also accepts a jigsaw.

[wingless]

On 3/30/2019 at 8:42 AM, wingless said:

 

That 29L-202 / 1609441472 Unobtainium table insert set is not available for purchase anywhere.

 

There were searches on Craig's List, eBay and Offer Up. Sellers having those parts with a table would not sell just those parts.

 

The Search All of Craig's List site found a seller on the other side of the country selling a table with those inserts for a reasonable price. I negotiated a purchase for just the inserts, sent him cash and a prepaid shipping label. A few days later I had my parts.

 

Now all is good.

 

 

 

 

For any interested party, this listing for 29L-202 / 1609441472 JUST popped up on eBay (not my listing) for these Unobtainium inserts.