Mounting Router in Table

Malcolm Webb

Member
Messages
11
Location
Lincoln, UK
If this is a stupid question, I apologise in advance.

I have a hand-held router which I have used for years but I don't have a router table. My router has no lock-on device so if I let go of the trigger it stops.

Is it possible to mount this router into a router table and is there a mechanism to by-pass the trigger? Or are there special routers for router tables?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.
 
No stupid questions here Malcolm.

Many routers sold in the UK will have some sort of dead mans handle switch that needs to be held on to operate. This is a safety feature above the table and a pain below it. Without knowing how the switch works it's impossible to say but you need to find some clamp, band, clip or whatever to hold the switch closed while it is below the table. You also have to find a switch to use to let you quickly and easily shut the router off without reaching around under the table. Something like this (http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=35573&name=switch&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0) is what you are looking for.

Hope that helps
 
Hi Malcolm,

What make/model router do you have? Maybe others with the same one will have a better idea, but here's what I would do. I'd probably tape the router switch closed so it's "ON" all the time. I'd mount a remote switch on the table, in a position you can reach it easily...maybe even with a "knee plate" so you could just tap it "OFF" in a hurry.
 
Not a stupid question at all, Malcolm. Most hand-held routers can be adapted to mount under a table. (And most table-mounted routers started out as hand-helds.) Without a way to keep the router switched on, you'd have to bypass the switch in one way or another (even tape wrapped around the trigger), but you most definitely would need to add a separate switch to be able to turn the router on and off without unplugging it. It can be something as simple as a wall-mount light switch in a box attached to the side of your router table, but you need to be able to shut things down quickly if need be.

If it's within your budget, I'd suggest looking for a router that you can dedicate to the router table, though. It's very handy to have one (or more) of each.
 
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