Is there a way to upgrade the router table on the BT3100?

[JLyon]

Hi folks. Some of you old timers might remember that I was a frequent visitor to the old BT3 Central group years ago. After a long absence, I've dusted off my trusty BT 3100 and decided to see if I could upgrade the router table section with the type of capabilities you find on modern router tables, hopefully incorporating a router lifter and a high quality fence. I assume the solution would be to replace the current aluminum plate with either a cast iron or MDF/melamine table top, but I have no idea if that's a realistic possibility. I knew that the people in this forum have probably discussed this topic and maybe met this challenge many times in the past, and would appreciate any pointers and referrals you can offer.

Thanks, and it's great to see that many of my woodworking friends from the mid-2000's are still here.

Jeff

[LCHIEN]

You might look at the BT3 FAQ (linked at the bottom of everyone of my posts) for hints on the use of routers with the BT3's. Its been a while since I looked at it but I recall there was quite a bit.

To be honest, I have a full router table with a router lift and enjoy it greatly.
I think that the BT3 accessory/router table is limited.

It is a bit awkward to use, not that these can't be overcome...

• The table needs to be locked down at the rear because it can swing a little bit from just the front lock.
• There is no miter slot, if you use such a thing
• the rip fence can be used as a miter fence but you need to attach a bunch of stuff to it and lock the back of the router table

I have considered installing an old router into the BT3 table for use with bearing edge bits (like chamfer and roundover) which are used frequently for finishing and don't require a fence or miter slot, but I have not done it.

[JLyon]

Thanks. Yes, I think you're right on most points, with one exception: when routing, I switch the position of the router/accessory table with the sliding miter table, and that does give me the benefit of a miter slot that I can use for feather boards. As you suggested I do use a regular BT3 rip fence with the standard router fence attachments, but I have not modified the fence beyond that, and I doubt I could bring it up to a satisfactory level no matter what I attach to it. . I would definitely like to have a nice standalone router table that could handle my Hitachi M12 router, along with a lift and a first-class fence, but I'm simply out of floor space in my small shop. That's why I started wondering if there was a reasonable way to mount a proper router table on the BT3 stand. I know it's a long shot and probably isn't worth the effort. I may have reached that point where something else is going to have to go

[ballard770]

If you extend the rails all the way to the right (closer to the outlet and switch) you should have about 24” to mount a router table top. Or you could get a full rail or half rail extension to give you room for a larger router table top. There is a guy on eBay selling hinged half rail extensions for about $95. I have in the past made rigid half table extensions that I think are superior to a hinged extension for about $10 less but component parts are getting more expensive. I may be able to put one together and list it on eBay if you are interested, however I have not be3n able to do much of this type of thing lately but I may start up again.

Then, go to the Woodsmithshop.com and search for router table and they have a multitude of plans for router tables, large to compact, that most likely could be mounted on the bt3000 rails without too much difficulty. Additionally, in the same search there is a plan to build a router lift that should not be too difficult after looking at the picture. If you don’t have space to keep it mounted on the bt3000 you may be able to hang it on a wall or put it on a shelf.

It appears that most if not all of their plans have a fence included.

[JLyon]

Thanks for those tips. I will follow those leads.

[cwsmith]

I'm not a proponent of using a router in my BT3100. I realize that I may well be in the minority with this thought, but it just seems to be in the way and it doesn't offer me any advantage even over Ryobi's stand-alone benchtop router that they used to have; and that was pretty basic. I don't particularly care to have to move or remove a 'set-up' just so I can use the saw for its principle purpose. (I don't care for ShopSmith's for the same reason.) My basement shop was pretty small, divided between two 10 x 11 rooms. I've since moved my shop to a 12 x 20, Amish-built shed, but that is just about the same floor space, and isn't overly spacious. Of course it depends on tools you have and the kind of projects you might want to assemble.

Still, having a decent sized separate router table is a real plus, and I can keep my saw setup and my router table set up at the same time. In my basement shop, everything was on wheels, so I could easily move one to the work position and roll the other back into it's corner. I actually had markings on the floor so I could position the tools for maximum infeed and out feed. In the shed, I've got everything lined up so they work well together. For example my drill press is a great feed to my RAS and the router table can, if necessary, extend the outfeed from the table saw. In this manner, I can do a setup on each tool for whatever operation I need and then pass the stock from one tool to the other as I continue the process. And, I can quickly return to a previous tool without having to reset anything. That of course is not always necessary, but having your tools independently available is a real plus if your shop space can possibly afford it.

Anyway, just a thought toward having a self-standing router table.

CWS

[Jim Frye]

Due to space limitations, I have always used an accessory table with my big old 15 amp. Ryobi plunge router installed. In fact it is permanently installed and stays on the saw all the time. I agree with the need to clamp the back side of things, but I only use a 6” Quick Clamp to secure the fence at the rear. I still use the hollow router fence I built years ago (see the archive articles here) with good results. I will use an extra accessory table mounted next to the router table for wide stock. Gotta love those adjustable saw rails.

[Bill in Buena Park]

I don't recall who, but one of our members had a very nice design for a shop-made router table that fit the BT3, that had an adjoining face which could be used as an extension table for the saw when the router face was not needed; IIRC, it somehow pivoted from router-face-up to extension-table-face-up. Hoping one of the long-timers here remembers and can find the post.

I was spoiled with the 21829 clone of the BT3, which came with a miter slot cast into the extension table/router table combo. I've kept a router in it permanently for much the same reasons mentioned by Loring - primarily for chamfers and round-overs. When I started doing work with raised panel bits larger than the opening in the table, I decided to build a stand-alone router table using a router plate (Jessem) with a sufficiently sized opening; I could have mounted the plate in a shop-made table that could be mounted to the saw rails, just a personal choice like CWS to have a separate table so I didn't have to mess with spending time changing the saw from router mode to saw mode.

[aiyou]

I don't recall who, but one of our members had a very nice design for a shop-made router table that fit the BT3, that had an adjoining face which could be used as an extension table for the saw when the router face was not needed; IIRC, it somehow pivoted from router-face-up to extension-table-face-up. Hoping one of the long-timers here remembers and can find the post.

Might it be LarryG's DWEW Dual Width Extension Wing design?

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/bt3x00-related-discussions/30491-dual-width-extension-wing

[ballard770]

I use the accessory table for my router and it meets my occasional use. However, I did have a bad (almost bad) experience one time when I neglected to tighten the Porter Cable router in the attached mounting base after adjusting the depth of the cut. When I turned the router on the torque backed the router out of the base and the spinning router fell to the floor. Fortunately I didn’t react with tendency to grab something as the spinning router bit could cause serious injury. The only damage (other than my confidence) was a broken router bit. I keep the bit in my router bit drawer as periodic reminder to tighten the router after installation, bit Chang/adjustment. Now whenever I use the router on the table I double check that it is secure.