Building a router extension. Any advice?

Mark Rice

Member
Messages
99
Location
Red Feather Lakes, CO
I am building a new shop from scratch, in my garage. What I have for a table saw is a Delta 10" contractor that is about 15 years old.
My experience it limited to basic framing and making an occasional simple home project.
I am replacing the old fence with a Vega Pro 50 rip fence. It shipped yesterday. I want to add an extension to the right side of my saw for a router table. I saw Alan Bienlein's mobile table saw base and decided to steal some ideas from him.

http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22376

I am going to pull the saw off the stand and put it on a rolling cabinet.
I have the top designed but I need to ask if I need to add, change or subtract something before I start cutting up wood. For instance: are the rails right or are they to short/long or in the wrong place? I hate doing anything twice that doesn't need to be done twice. That means I probably didn't learn my lesson the first time.
I want to do this in three phases.
1. Install the new fence and build the router table extension.
2. Build and wire the cabinet.
3. Mount the saw and extension assembly.

Here is a pic of the Sketchup design that I am working on. I am using two layers of 3/4" MDF for the extension. I think am going to cover it with Formica.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark
 

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Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Mark,

Make sure that MDF is very well supported. You don't want to have to make a new top when the first one sags. Don't ask me how I know! ;)

What kind of fence will you use for the router table? Do you have provisions for upgrades?

What are you doing about dust collection?

Thanks,

Bill
 
Sorry Bill,
I guess that information would be helpful. Not much sleep last night so I am running on auto-pilot.
I am working on a budget right now so I am trying to get the most bang for the buck without spending a huge wad. I tried that thing where I buy something and then tell the wife I have had it for years but it didn't work.
The router is a Milwaukee 2 1/4 hourse 5616-20. I am going to mount it with the regular base and use the one that is built into the housing. I ordered a Rockler plate with the wholes already drilled for this router.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LEICFO
I might go to a lift later. I am going to put a door on the front of the area that houses the router so I can get to the adjustment lock.
Dust collection will be a shop vac hooked up to the back for now. I need to finish designing the layout that I want to use for the garage before I get any dust collection for right now.
I am going to design the fence later today or tomorrow but it will be a home built. I was thinking of something similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/DELUXE-ROUTER...2NWLOWWF5G7JX&s=generic&qid=1301668786&sr=1-9
 
Hi Mark,

I did alot of searching on the internet before I decided on this design. I used 2 sheets of 3/4" birch ply for the basic cabinet. I already had the swivel locking casters that are rated for 300# a piece. I didn't do a torsion box like the others as I had a piece of steel tubing I cut to support the front and the back is solid 3/4". If there is anything I can help you with on this project or if you need me to take some pictures of mine to help you out let me know.:wave:
 
Thanks Alan.
Two questions:
Where did you put that 3/4 tube? I can't seem to find it in the pics.
Do you think MDF would be sufficient for this box? The only reason I ask is because I have a bunch left over from a speaker project.
 
Looks basically good. I replaced my top recently (it helped that Rockler was blowing out their old style tops for a song. Saved me the build). I had gone through great pains to make the left and right edges of the RT flush as you are showing. Oops! I rebuilt to add 2-1/2" of overhang on each side for clamping all those one-off, improv and shop made fixtures that come into use. I am now a much happier guy.

Before: Closed-View.jpg After: 5-All-Done.jpg

Also, make your router table miter-slot-to-bit-center distance the same as your table saw slot-to-blade distance. Now your tenon jig, feather boards, etc. all work for both.
 
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Thanks Alan.
Two questions:
Where did you put that 3/4 tube? I can't seem to find it in the pics.
Do you think MDF would be sufficient for this box? The only reason I ask is because I have a bunch left over from a speaker project.

Here are a few more pictures for you Mark. The first is a picture of the steel tubing I used underneath. I did it this way since I had it and thought it would work better for me rather than a torsion box.
4-2-2011 001.JPG
As far as the mdf being sufficient it depends on the span your are planing on having along with a few other factors as far as construction goes. If your going to also include your table saw with this cabinet then I would say the mdf isn't sufficient for this with out some type of torsion box or steel tube like I did to prevent sagging.

Here are a few more up to date photos along with some of the ways I mount my feather boards and my sled I use for the cope cut on the rails for raised panel doors.
4-2-2011 002.JPG4-2-2011 003.JPG
4-2-2011 004.JPG4-2-2011 005.JPG
 
Looks basically good. I replaced my top recently (it helped that Rockler was blowing out their old style tops for a song. Saved me the build). I had gone through great pains to make the left and right edges of the RT flush as you are showing. Oops! I rebuilt to add 2-1/2" of overhang on each side for clamping all those one-off, improv and shop made fixtures that come into use. I am now a much happier guy.

Before: View attachment 55431 After: View attachment 55433

Also, make your router table miter-slot-to-bit-center distance the same as your table saw slot-to-blade distance. Now your tenon jig, feather boards, etc. all work for both.

Both are great ideas! Thanks Glenn. :headbang: Now I have to change all my drawings. :doh: When I was trying to figure out where to put the miter slot my brain started hurting and I just put it in a place where it looked like it would work. Your suggestions helped a lot.
Also, I didn't think about an overhang for clamping. I just have to figure out how I will work that around the fence rail. That shouldn't be much of a problem tho. SketchUp is great.

Alan, Thanks for the pics! Now I know exactly where you put the bar. I am going to go with the birch. It is only about 40 bucks more and I can use the left over MDF on new speaker cabinets. Better to be safe. I will just follow your example so I don't screw up and regret it later. I am thinking about making a base out of steel angle and welding the wheels to it. I get rocks and pebbles on the floor of the shop sometimes and I want to avoid folding the wheels under.

I have all day to work on the drawing today. We cut down 9 trees yesterday and I was going to work on limbing and stacking them today but we woke up to a blizzard. I don't think I want to work with a chainsaw on a mountain side covered with snow. The parts come in on Wednesday so I need to make up a cut list today to get the materials tomorrow.

I will post an update when I get done with the drawing.

Thanks Guys, this is a tremendous help.
 
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Update Router/TS bench

I am about 90% done with this. Put a new rip fence on it, built the cabinet, made the router table top and just have to put in the t-track and miter track on it. Still pondering how I want all of that to work.
I took Bill Lantry and Alan Bienlein's advice about bracing the whole thing to eliminate bowing. I put a 2X2X1/4 inch steel angle down the middle. I don't think it is going to bow anytime soon. It doesn't have much ground clearance but I am not taking it off road.

Here are some pics of where I am at now.
 

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That is coming along nicely. I didn't understand (or maybe I just missed it) that the extension would be on the right. Overhang for clamping would be a problem there. You can work around it; heck you can work around anything eventually ;-) A little plumbing for dust collection and some pointy shoes to reach the wheel locks (DAMHIKT) and you'll be rockin' and rollin'.
 
There is a port in the back for the TS. I still need to put one in the back of the spot where the router goes. I have some galvanized sheeting that I am going to use to channel the dust from the front to the back of the router area. I still need to make a front door for the router area. That will all come after I finally get the router mounted.
 
That is coming along nicely. I didn't understand (or maybe I just missed it) that the extension would be on the right. Overhang for clamping would be a problem there. You can work around it; heck you can work around anything eventually ;-) A little plumbing for dust collection and some pointy shoes to reach the wheel locks (DAMHIKT) and you'll be rockin' and rollin'.

I am still working on that one Glenn. That is one of the things I am still pondering. I have a bunch of t-track, miter track and the mounting plate but I am still trying to figure out a solution. I won't cut into that top until I get it figured out. The blue section is a place where I was working on a possible layout. I don't think what I was laying out is going to work but it is a good way for me to put my hands and eyes on so I can figure out if it is going to work.
The pointy shoes thing.... I am making some little chock blocks for the wheels and hiring really really little guys to put them in for me.. Actually, I really am making wheel locks for it. I hate hitting a moving target while handling a full sheet of 3/4 plywood.
 
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I have some nylon coated wire that is shaped in a "U". They were used to chock IBM mainframe sections about the size of a refrigerator back when a computer took up a room. They work well by slipping around both sides of the wheel. I have seen plywood shop made ones here and there that should work well too.

wheel-chock.jpg

Just speaking from what I like and this may not apply to you. I think your blue area is too far from the standing area. Step up to your router table and set your hands on the surface in from of you; that's about where you should be standing to feed material right to left IMHO. Again, that's just me.

I've seen guys put the router on the right and then put the fence even further on the right so that they have to reach over the extension to feed the material(???), Different strokes for different folks. Keep trying things out. You'll find what your after and it will be just right. . . for you. :thumb:
 
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