Workbench Router Table

[glenn bradley]

I have been telling myself to setup a temporary mini router table for some time. When I batch things like door frames, box lids, picture frames and such a second profile for the light work could save me some swap over time. We're not talking about anything production level, just a helping hand. I have the making for a second router table but have become selfish with my shop space and am unwilling to commit. A small table for the Bosh Colt seemed like the answer.

I have a spare router fence that dad used to use on his drill press but a shop made would do as well. I need four boards of equal thickness and with at least one perpendicular side and end.

I use a hinge mortising bit. The bit diameter should match the plate's corner radius. This saves a lot of fussy fitting. I am making my own plate so I will just run the 1/2".

Stick your plate on your top in the position you want it. Then double stick tape the boards as shown and remove the plate. This method is shown in many magazines and online sources so I won't get too detailed.

I make my first pass shallow since I don't know this scrap laminated material that I was gifted. It seems to machine well.




Drill some access holes and jig saw out the center leaving a nice rabbet to hold the plate.

Not my best jig saw work but a Shinto rasp takes care of that quick and easy.
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I drill bolt holes at my dog hole spacing and cut dowels. The dowels are drilled slightly off center. This will make sense later.
I meant to mention that you can see I only used the very finest quality "whatever's on hand" plywood for the substrate.
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cont'd . . .

 

[glenn bradley]

I am using a funny shaped washer that I had in the misc. can for the underside of the bench.

The trusty auto-adjust dado jig comes into play.

It uses the material that is going to fit in the dado for setup so things always fit nicely.

Here is an example of drilling the dowel hole slightly off center. This creates an eccentric fit. I twist the dowel untill it drops into the shallow counterbore, then twist back and it locks into place. This keeps them from dropping off while I am flipping the table over.

Here's one of the washers and knobs in place.

There will be a little structure under the table that will fight against the leverage of using the table.

I will come back and show that because I am already late for something.
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I think there is enough here for you to get the general idea.

 

[Rennie Heuer]

Love it! I can see this would be a great time saver.

 

[glenn bradley]

Thanks. I will just drill a hole in it and hang it on the cleat-peg wall when not in use.

 

[Toni Ciuraneta]

I’ve been thinking about making a similar setup for my router, you just gave me some really great solutions.

 

[glenn bradley]

Here's the supporting structure. I had to wait to get the clamps off to get a good pic. I stole this support method from a Paul Manning article in Fine Woodworking magazine.

At any rate, it hangs out here when not in use.

 

[Darren Wright]

I have to agree with the others. Having a smaller space I think I may have to consider this, and maybe even for maybe a work trailer version.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

I'm vaguely reminded of the veritas mini https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...table-system-for-compact-routers?item=05J6710

Although I have to say for convenience, accessibility, compactness, and general utility.. I think your version has theirs beat hands down.

I still have my "3/4 plywood ""router table""" which is really just a piece of plywood with a couple holes drilled into it.. wouldn't be that hard to upgrade it to something closer to this.. handy if I need a second small router hookup.. hmmm..

 

[Bill Satko]

Hmm, I have a small Colt router and a very small space...

 

[Brent Dowell]

Very nice. I had a router table until a few years ago I used it as the base for my OX cnc machine. I don't really have a router table right now. I could really use something like this.

 

[glenn bradley]

Hmm, I have a small Colt router and a very small space...

I was generous with the dimension of the top at 18" x 28". About 5" of the 18" dimension are taken up with support on the workbench top and dogs but allow for fence positioning. The 28" could be less up to the limit of what will work for you.

 

[glenn bradley]

I don't mean to keep peppering this thread but I already have to declare this idea a success. I am batching out a bunch of picture frames which means I have to run a lot of lineal feet of blanks. The ability to run two profiles was really a time and effort saver overall.

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Rabbet at one table and chamfer at the other.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

The ability to run two profiles was really a time and effort saver overall.

That's what I'm talking about!

And a whole lot cheaper than the $7k+ Ruwi multi-spindle solution!

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[Brent Dowell]

Next time I need a router table, I'm totally making a mini table like this.