It seems like we are talking about dust collection now more than switches so I will try a comment on both.
For switches, my preferred setup, after trying several, is to take the cord of the router out of the enclosed area of the cabinet and plug it into a metal duplex outlet on the side of the router table. On one side of the box is a 20A outlet and on the other side is a 20A light switch. A metal cover with openings for the switch and outlet covers the front. The advantages are that the outlet and switch see essentially no dust, the cost is low, and it is easy to unplug the router while changing bits (so there is a better chance that I will do it).
The router table setup on my BT3100 has a female cord for the router to plug into within the box around the router. It works fine but I do not like this setup as well.
Dust collection is different on the two setups too. On the BT3100, I have a 4 inch DC connection on the bottom of the box around the router. What I do not like about this is the DC pulls air down while the router fan is trying to push it up. Maybe it is just my imagination but it seems like the cooling of the router is affected.
On my main router table, the DC suction is from the fence and from the top of the moving box that the router is mounted to (the home-made lift). That way it helps pull air through the router. I did not dream this up, it was what was shown in the American Woodworker article I used to build the home-made router lift.
Jim
For switches, my preferred setup, after trying several, is to take the cord of the router out of the enclosed area of the cabinet and plug it into a metal duplex outlet on the side of the router table. On one side of the box is a 20A outlet and on the other side is a 20A light switch. A metal cover with openings for the switch and outlet covers the front. The advantages are that the outlet and switch see essentially no dust, the cost is low, and it is easy to unplug the router while changing bits (so there is a better chance that I will do it).
The router table setup on my BT3100 has a female cord for the router to plug into within the box around the router. It works fine but I do not like this setup as well.
Dust collection is different on the two setups too. On the BT3100, I have a 4 inch DC connection on the bottom of the box around the router. What I do not like about this is the DC pulls air down while the router fan is trying to push it up. Maybe it is just my imagination but it seems like the cooling of the router is affected.
On my main router table, the DC suction is from the fence and from the top of the moving box that the router is mounted to (the home-made lift). That way it helps pull air through the router. I did not dream this up, it was what was shown in the American Woodworker article I used to build the home-made router lift.
Jim
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