Benchtop Router Table: Done!

Ned Bulken

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Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
Decided it was long past time I built a router table for the shop. So I dug out my copy of 'Router Magic' and picked the benchtop router table design. Followed it pretty close so far:
rttoptrialfit.jpg
The tabletop is 16x20, but I think I need to cut another piece out of the countertop I've had kicking around forever. I forgot about the edge treatment which I left on, and now it 'fits' but is offset to the right, which means very stingy clamp spacer for the simple fence I'm going to put on there.
routerbase.jpg
Here is the 3/4" thick bottom of the table, which will fit into my newfangled workbench, and get clamped in here:
nfbbench.jpg
above that is a 1/2" piece of borg ply, and then 3/4" side and back walls, plus gussets on the front edge:
wiprt2.jpg
I took a break to cool off, and now it is a bit late to be cutting and what not out in the shop, so I'll get up tomorrow and finish it. I'm going to simply dedicate a fixed router base to it, and it will have a small opening, about 1 1/8 or so. I've only got a PC 690, so no panel raising bits for me.
 
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Looking good Ned :thumb:
Thanks Bob!

Very nice Ned! :thumb: Are you planning on adding a fence? If so, how are you attaching it? T slots?
Darren, thanks, It's long overdue...

Fence is going to be very simple, just an L and then using clamps to line it up. I've got t-track and all that, but I'm going to save the fancy fence and whatnot until I build either a bigger/better table or a wing extension on my tablesaw.
 
Perfect for what you want Ned. Don't bother with the T-track, IMHO on a small router table like that they are a waste of time, just the L fence you are talking about will work good. You might think about putting a threaded insert in it and then add a starting post (look it up, I'm sure it's covered in your book!)

Cheers!
 
Perfect for what you want Ned. Don't bother with the T-track, IMHO on a small router table like that they are a waste of time, just the L fence you are talking about will work good. You might think about putting a threaded insert in it and then add a starting post (look it up, I'm sure it's covered in your book!)

Cheers!

Stu, Thanks! and being a fan of the KISS principle at its finest. I'm going to use a clamp'd down starting block... essentially a rounded over long triangle that will reach near the bit, which is what Bill Hylton recommends for this table.
 
Cool router table Ned. Funny co incidence you doing this. I was in my shop yesterday looking at how i will fit my router table top into the side of my table saw. Took out the existing insert and working on a plan to secure the router table top.
Seems like a summer of shop fixes for many. :)
My router table is actually a portable top got the plan from one of the magazines, its 24 x 20 so it just fits the 27" table saw width. If you ever want a copy of the plan let me know and i can scan it and email to you. I used a LV insert for supporting my PC router. Cheap and works well with starting post included.
 
Cool router table Ned. Funny co incidence you doing this. I was in my shop yesterday looking at how i will fit my router table top into the side of my table saw. Took out the existing insert and working on a plan to secure the router table top.
Seems like a summer of shop fixes for many. :)
My router table is actually a portable top got the plan from one of the magazines, its 24 x 20 so it just fits the 27" table saw width. If you ever want a copy of the plan let me know and i can scan it and email to you. I used a LV insert for supporting my PC router. Cheap and works well with starting post included.

somewhere I have a router plate from rockler... swallowed up in the move somewhere. For now though I'm just going to hang mine from a fixed base screwed to the bottom of the table.

Rob, thanks for the offer, I have a pretty good plan in mind, just of two minds for the extension wing table... currently I'm leaning toward 'if you're set up for routing, the TS is isn't useable, and vice versa' camp. However, in such a small shop, I may wind up going for it eventually. My big stopping point on executing that is mostly finding the hardware at this point. I was going to say 'and adding hardwood ends to the table surface so I can mount it to the TS'... however my current project is requiring that. I just came in to check on which orientation to cut splines. Which is cross-grain to the board in question. (In this case it is particle board on one side and maple on the other). Now I have to go find a thick enough board to get a 1" spline out of it. I think I have a piece of maple I can trim a strip off of, though I might go with cherry just for looks.
 
Ned Bulken;33997 Rob said:
I don't believe in that line of reasoning. My router is setup in the wing of my table saw and never had a problem using the saw if the router was setup our vise versa. There has been many a time I have had to route a piece and rip it and route it again to get what I needed.
 
I don't believe in that line of reasoning. My router is setup in the wing of my table saw and never had a problem using the saw if the router was setup our vise versa. There has been many a time I have had to route a piece and rip it and route it again to get what I needed.

Alan,
Thanks for the viewpoint, however I simply know my limitations and foibles. I'm doing my best to a) clean up my act and b) keep it that way, but I'm certain that if I were to build a router fence that relied on the tablesaw fence (which makes a certain amount of sense since the Ridgid Fence has slots for hanging attachments off of it) and I got into doing something on the router table, I would be loathe to remove the router fence to make a rip cut. Your mileage may vary of course.
 
I don't believe in that line of reasoning. My router is setup in the wing of my table saw and never had a problem using the saw if the router was setup our vise versa. There has been many a time I have had to route a piece and rip it and route it again to get what I needed.

couldnt agree more with alan.alan, isnt your fence on the wrong side there for the router?
I have my second fence in the middle of the table and work the router from the edge.
 
couldnt agree more with alan.alan, isnt your fence on the wrong side there for the router?
I have my second fence in the middle of the table and work the router from the edge.


Technically yes, and No. For TS use, and with a left tilt saw such as my 3612, the majority of my cuts are made with the rip fence on the right side of the blade. If I put the router insert on the Left side of the table then it would be on the wrong side. However I would put it to the right of the main body of the saw, out where the rails (as I have them set up currently) hang out about 2' or so. That being the case, and since router work on a table goes 'right to left' I could hang a fence/jig off of the right side of my fence (there is a slot there, plus two on the top to secure it) and use the micro-adjuster on the TS fence for the router fence as well.

I just glued up two maple 'wings' for my router table, cut a piece of 1/8" plywood for a spline (it was handy) and glued them onto the chunk of countertop which I wound up trimming down a bit. I'll let them set up overnight (I know with TB3 I could use it in a couple of hours, but no sense in hurrying... I've waited this long, a few more hours will be ok. )

I've got to run downtown in a bit and empty out all of my photo gear into storage (no room at the house, I rent a 5x10' space for my work equipment), and then stop by the hardware store and pick up a few pieces of hardware. I should have photos by tonight of the finished table!
 
couldnt agree more with alan.alan, isnt your fence on the wrong side there for the router?
I have my second fence in the middle of the table and work the router from the edge.

The fence is not on the wrong side for the router. With it setup this way I have my out feed table for support along with the top of my table saw plus it's out of the way for when I do need to use the saw. I can cut up to a 36" wide rip without having to remove the fence for the router.

When I first got my saw I tried to set it up the so called traditional way of the router fence between the saw blade and the router but it just didn't make sense and sure didn't feel right. My setup also has the benefit of far fewer steps to work between the saw and the router for those operations that require both versus walking around to the opposite corner each time I need to use one or the other.
 
I didn't get as much done today as I thought I would:

routertop.jpg


I cut the maple sides to length (just a tad short, but it doesn't matter function-wise)

Cut a slot down both the maple and the counter top, then cut some 1/8 ply to width and glued up the top.

I'm letting them cure overnight.


routertopfit.jpg


I picked a couple of 3/4 maple pieces and mocked up the fence (didn't cut it to length yet)

fencemockup.jpg




Alan & Allen:

here is where I got my terminology for 'right or wrong' side of the fence:
feeddirection1.jpg


feeddirection2.jpg


feeddiagram3.jpg


these images copy-write Bill Hylton from his book 'Router Magic'

I suppose it is a moot point at the moment, since I'm not using the wing mount on my Tablesaw at the moment.
 
I'm so happy that I decided to 'sleep on it' and start fresh today. Everything went well in the shop today, I threw together a quick and simple fence:
tabledone.jpg


And I drilled the main hole in the table (which of course was limited by the size of my drill press from the front edge of the table)Those new forstner bits are incredible, best tool $ spent in a while by far!

ahhhnewbit.jpg



linedup_edited-1.jpg
fencehole.jpg

I kept the fence basic, just 3/4 maple screwed together (not glued, in case I want to change it down the road)... all of the appropriate edges are 'broken' and sanded to 220, so it feels 'good' in my hands. I drilled holes to mount a Feather board from Rockler, including inset holes on the back for the t-bolts supplied with the jig.

routertabledone.jpg
 
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Looks good Ned, remind me again how you're gonna attach the router? I need to make something similar.

I'm going to use a fixed base to hold the router, I just have to pick up some shorter screws (don't want to break through the laminate, and everything I have is longer than 3/4"). In the book, Bill recommends a pair of deStaco hold down clamps, I decided that I could do without that, since I have more than one fixed base.
 
Looking good, Ned. :thumb:

A bit of advice based on my own "learning the hard way"...

Seeing the consistent burn marks on the edges of the holes you drilled with your new Forstner bits, I suspect you're running them way too fast. In the future, I suggest running your drill press in the 450 - 550 RPM range, and I'll bet the burning problem goes away. This will also prolong the life of the bits. ;)
 
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