Like other Rousseau products the unit is well conceived with all holes and bolts lining up as they should. The instructions are a little on the weak side but OK.
Problems I encountered:
1. length of time to assemble. To cut the platform boards, drill and countersink holes in the wood , assemble, etc , I spent over 4 hrs. Not something I'd want to repeat. I'd rather be working on a cabinet. I image you'd cut this time in half by spending the additional $200 and buying the metal shelf unit by Rousseau.
2. The unit once assembled seemed to rock back and forth as if it was not level. I re-checked all sides to make sure they were square but it still seem to be slightly uneven. I spent over an hour trying to get the 'darn' thing square and level as there are so many bolts to untighten. The instructions do advise you to square up each side prior to final assembly, which I did!!!!. The leveling problem seemed to self-correct itself once the unit encountered the weight of my Dewalt Miter Saw on top and my Makita planer on the bottom. The unit now rolls around nicely with no rocking.
3. Top platform adjustment. As different miter saws and planers have different feed heights vs the 'fixed height' of the side wings, you are going to have to affix you miter saw and planer to dedicated MDF or Particle Board platforms and then affix these platforms to the top shelf of the unit. Each of my platforms are a different height to align the side wings with the miter saw or planer's feed platforms. My Dewalt is 5/8" and my planer is 1.25". Note: Rousseau did provide several adjustment holes for different heights of the top platform but to adjust it you have to undue 8 bolts and move the platform down or up and reinsert and tighten the 8 bolts each time. I found it easier to affix the saw and planer to different dedicated platforms.
All and all the unit exhibits good production quality, nice powder coated finish, good stability, well priced and should hold up for many years of use. By the way, to finish it off, I added some peg board on the back and the sides to hang up some of my hand tools, levels, clamps, etc....now it looks like I know what I'm doing!
This is my 3rd Rousseau product...
By the way, Mike's Tools is great to work with and provides excellent service.
Robt Schoeffler,
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