Going to build router table

[RickCarpenter]

I've gotten to the point of needing a router table, so I've got a couple of questions.

I've seen threads discussing the weight of the router, so maybe I've come up with a solution. I want to replace the router's plastic sub-base with an oversized steel plate in order to mount the router in a sled sitting below and parallel to the top, The sled will move fore and aft along a guide or in a track or whatever. I'll have a permanently fixed fence and a t-track permanently parallel to the fence on a table top that is either removeable or hinged at the back. The table top will have a cutout for the sub-base with room to move. Any thoughts on this plan?

I'm looking at the Milwaukee 1.75 hp BodyGrip router. Seems to fit with the above plan. Anyone have a router like this? Since the switch will be in the sled and not so easily accessed, can I safely wire a switch in the power cord to make on-off easier?

[Knottscott]

I had a MW 5615 for hand use and loved it...never put it in a table though, but can't imagine why it wouldn't be great. It's very stout for it's amp rating. (unfortunatey I had to sell it to make room for the MW5625 and FT1700)

I plug my table router into a $10 four plug extension outlet and use the on/off switch for that.

http://www.epinions.com/content_209968074372

[wardprobst]

I've gotten to the point of needing a router table, so I've got a couple of questions.

I've seen threads discussing the weight of the router, so maybe I've come up with a solution. I want to replace the router's plastic sub-base with an oversized steel plate in order to mount the router in a sled sitting below and parallel to the top, The sled will move fore and aft along a guide or in a track or whatever. I'll have a permanently fixed fence and a t-track permanently parallel to the fence on a table top that is either removeable or hinged at the back. The table top will have a cutout for the sub-base with room to move. Any thoughts on this plan?

I'm looking at the Milwaukee 1.75 hp BodyGrip router. Seems to fit with the above plan. Anyone have a router like this? Since the switch will be in the sled and not so easily accessed, can I safely wire a switch in the power cord to make on-off easier?

While you are probably capable of safely wiring a switch into the cord, be aware that this will void the UL rating and if you have an electrical fire and the insurance company is looking for a way to deny payment they may focus on this. An alternative is to mount a switched outlet in your table and plug the router into that.
DP

[LarryG]

Any thoughts on this plan?

I'm not sure I'm visualizing your design 100% correctly, but I do think I have the essentials; and I'd have to say that it seems to me like your solution is a heck of a lot more complicated than the problem it is intended to solve.

I have a P-C 7518 mounted in a Rockler/JessEm Mast-R-Lift, a combo that probably weighs at least 25 lbs, and it is doing just fine hanging from a top that is 1-1/2" thick (two layers of 3/4" particleboard). Why not just make the top thicker, and/or move the supporting structure closer to the router opening?

EDIT: I will say, though, that moving the router rather than moving the fence is an interesting concept. I'm going to mull that one over, think about the pros and cons.

[RayintheUK]

I want to replace the router's plastic sub-base with an oversized steel plate in order to mount the router in a sled sitting below and parallel to the top, The sled will move fore and aft along a guide or in a track or whatever. I'll have a permanently fixed fence and a t-track permanently parallel to the fence on a table top that is either removeable or hinged at the back. The table top will have a cutout for the sub-base with room to move. Any thoughts on this plan?

Yes, I have thoughts on this plan, but they all come down to the same phrase: "Don't do it." Having a fixed fence and an adjustable router is not only a far more (and un-necessarily) complex way of constructing a table, I can't think of a single advantage over the more conventional method.

That said, I might be missing something here, but I wouldn't want to work in a table that had a moveable router when I was raising panels, etc. Also, although a fixed fence might not seem a big deal if the router is mobile, there will come a time when it will make a particular task impossible, especially when the task involves a larger workpiece, unless it is a considerable distance back from the front of the table. That can make for poor control.

Sorry to sit on the fence and be so vague!

Ray.

[RodKirby]

On the other hand...

Take a look at this one:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=25016

Also, how about BOTH a moveable fence and a moveable router?

There have been times when I would have liked more room between the fence and the bit.

[LarryG]

I thought about the unintentionally-moving-router issue that Ray mentions. I'm not sure it's all that much different from an unintentionally-moving-fence, however: if one can be secured, the other can too.

You wouldn't want a truly permanent fence, though; even if it didn't move in the conventional sense, you'd want to be able to remove it for freehand work.

Overall, like Ray I can't really think of any reasons why reversing the normal movement arrangement would be beneficial, and to me the additional complexity alone would be reason enough to not do it.

[Stormbringer]

I will say, though, that moving the router rather than moving the fence is an interesting concept.

Sounds like a take on the WoodRat

http://www.woodrat.com/info1.html

Greg