Mount router table fence to BT3100 rails?

[os1kne]

Hello,
I've got a BT3100 with a router table mounted in place of the accessory table. I use a Rockler router fence, and I've been clamping it - but I think that I'd prefer to use T-bolts and knobs to connect it to the saws rails. Does anyone do this? Any problems with this?

Thanks.

[os1kne]

Nevermind - the more that I think about it, the more I think that I'll either just continue clamping it, or devise a way to attach it to the BT3100 rip fence.

[JR]

FWIW - I use t-nuts to fix my fence to the rails. I found it was better than clamping to fence, which could cause the RT fence to rise up in some circumstances.

Clamping to the rails should be ok, but there is some risk that the clamps could give way, causing the RT fence to slide.

JR

[pelligrini]

JR- How'd you mount to the rear rail? Using small t-nuts in the back?

os1kne- I ended up getting a second rip fence and attached my router fence to the back face. It got to be a pain having to break down a router setup to make a rip cut on the saw.

[JR]

JR- How'd you mount to the rear rail? Using small t-nuts in the back?

Correct. I made a little L-bracket that has two bolts - one to attach to the bottom of the RT fence and one to attach to the small t-nut on the back of the rail. It means I have three knobs to dial whenever I set up the fence, but I'm happy with it.

I should also point out that the bolt on the front rail has a spacer between the rail and the bottom of the RT fence. I found that the bottom of the RT fence was flexing with the result that the bolt didn't get maximum hold down. The fence moved a few times, with results you can imagine. The spacer is just a piece of large-diameter dowel with a hole drilled through it.


JR

[Black wallnut]

About ten years ago Rod Kirby came up with shop made brackets to hold a router fence. He then shipped them to a member, Rainshadow who added his own router fence and the contraption was dubbed Oz-Yank router fence. If you send Rod a request via either email or PM He'd probably repost the pics.

Many years later either Thom2 or Popeye posted a method of using t-bolts to secure a router fence. The back t-bolt only used on half of the "T" so in use it really was an "L" bolt. PM or email either of those two and I bet they would gladly repost pics.

My early fence was one that straddled the rip fence. After I added the wide table kit and an extension table, in which I fit a router plate and router I switched to a system that used two t-nuts (the other kind) and two knobbed studs, with one fixed hole and one arc slot.

[os1kne]

Thanks for the ideas. When the initial post went 3 days with no replies, I figured that everyone thought it was a bad idea and was just being polite.

The whole reason this got started is that a couple of years ago, I found a used Woodpeckers table and mounting plate for a great deal. The size of the table was perfect for using with the BT3100 (I'm pretty sure that the size was discontinued). The table has fence mounting slots routed into it. I received a Rocker RT fence as a gift a bit over a year ago. I just haven't had a need to use my router table much in the past year, and when I did it was for dados. I was setting it up for some edge profile routing over the weekend, and found that the factory fence slots needed to come about an inch closer to the bit to allow the fence to be adjusted around the bit. To get the small job that I was working on done, I just clamped the fence to the rails. I did a bit of fiddling with it last night, and it looks like a 5/16 t-bolt will fit in the front rail (but a proper "t-nuts.com" part would be much better).

I need to order some stuff from t-nuts.com and get things set up right.

Thanks for the help.

[RodKirby]

By request...

This is all I have from 2001 Pics in no particular order...


Router Fence

I’ll take this opportunity to question Ryobi: Why, oh why, didn’t you make those small slots big enough to fit standard hex head bolts? Why, oh why, didn’t you make all the wide slots the same size?

Having got that out of the way, Some construction notes:

1. Front rail mount : Grind 1/16” off each (long) side of a Ryobi “T” nut, and it will fit the top slot – you can still use it elsewhere. I don’t recommend the “home- made” aluminum kind because you will want to tighten this (5/16” stud) down firmly – the Al. would strip.

2. Rear rail mount: The heads of the two ¼” bolts have been ground down to fit the front slot. (3/16” thick x 3/8” across the flats). I have used spacers (called “flat feet”), only because I already had the (ground down) bolts, and they were too long (too lazy to cut them off).

Trim the rail end-caps to allow access to the slots.

Router Fence mounting brackets (Slots allow for 4” of travel) :

1. I completed this process for both front and rear RAIL mounts… The ¼” bolt was centered over the top rail slot, 1” from the end. The counterbore is 11mm dia. (sorry guys – that’s the size of the (Oz) bolt head – ACROSS THE FLATS), and ¼” deep. Then drill the ¼” thru hole. To “permanently” anchor the bolt, insert the bolt in the rail mount as far as it will go, add a thick spacer over the threaded end and attach a washer and a (“wide-wing”) ¼” knob. Simply tighten the knob (much easier than it sounds), until the bolt head is drawn into the counterbore, then remove the knob & washer. No glue needed – the bolt is “fixed” - only a hammer will get it out.

Then I made two identical slotted bases – oversize. Then, for each base…
2. Outer edge trimmed flush with the rail mount – to position the small ¼” plywood guide.
3. Inner edge trimmed the same distance from the slot as the outer edge (to make them symmetrical).


To mount a Router Fence: I’m sure you can figure it out…

[dkerfoot]

I didn't originally answer because my advice would be to not use the fancy fence for most jobs.

My favorite method is to use the angled brackets that came with my 21829 to make a sacrificial fence. They are the same as from the BT3 router package. Throw away the two chunks of wood attached and instead attach a single piece of plywood or MDF. Instant sacrificial fence!

Attach your desired bit and slowly push the fence through the bit to form a perfect zero clearance fence. Even as you go back and forth between larger and smaller bits (not talking monster-sized panel bits here) it maintains a pretty close clearance. Replace when it pleases you to do so.

I know this doesn't directly answer the original question, but I find myself using this method 95% of the time instead of my fancy router-table with deluxe fence.

I bought an extra accessory table and keep my router base permanently mounted on it. One of the things I like about it is you can set it up for much deeper work pieces than ANY router table can handle. My poor router table has been relegated to the garage.

More and more, I have come to find that I prefer simple jigs to the super-deluxe ones and you can't get simpler than a two foot strip of plywood! Need a tall fence? Cut a wider piece of plywood and attach the brackets with two screws. Begin routing.