Wood Question: Poplar for Router Fence

[Bill in Buena Park]

I had some leftover poplar 1x4 that I decide to use as the "substrate" for a router fence (basically two planed/jointed boards glued to form the right angle base) - to which I will be adding some moveable 3/4in melamine face plates. My question: is the poplar stable enough to be left unfinished, or will environmental factors impact the geometry (straightness, thickness, etc.) and distort the fence?

[LarryG]

I presume you mean a router table fence.

I have a couple rudimentary fences (one for the router table, one for the drill press) that consist of a single hardwood board, jointed straight on the "business" edge and relieved where needed for bit clearance. These work fine, but they don't stay perfectly straight. I have to run them over the jointer now and then, to true them up.

For a built-up fence, I would use either Baltic birch plywood or MDF. Hardwood will be susceptible to cupping, which means the horizontal member of your fence won't sit flat, or the vertical member won't be truly vertical, or both. Either way, you won't be assured of a 90deg relationship between your fence and the tabletop. (And BTW, finishing won't help. The wood is still going to move, if it wants to ... and it will want to.)

[poolhound]

For a router fence construction I would use a good quality ply. Poplar will move if unfinished and probably also if finished. I just milled and cut a Poplar board that had been in my garage for at least 2 years and was kiln dried before that. I can already see that some of the pieces have warped slightly, not a problem in my application as the assembly will straighten them out bu t I wouldnt want any movement in a router fence.

Have you thought of getting some angle iron or extruded Aluminium as a foundation?

[RayintheUK]

Another vote for MDF construction with Melamine or Formica cheeks. I made a really quick setup when I moved house and it's served me well now for 10 years. Details here if you're interested. It's useful to be able to shim the out-feed fence forward of the in-feed fence for even greater accuracy.

Ray.

[JimD]

I also prefer plywood for this application but if you've already made the poplar why not try it and just check it? There's a good chance it will work and if it doesn't stay stable you can just make another.

Jim

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Going against the tide here ...

I like solid wood stock for my simple router fence. Mine is cedar - because that's what I had - with gussets to hold the base and face secure. The bit cuts a relief into the face. No fancy movable cheeks. Clamped to the table with 6"bar clamps. Micro-adjusted with a Router Workshop "fine adjusting tool."

I don't have to be absolutely perfect in my construction glue-up. I make it straight, true, and 90deg after it's glued-up by running the face and the base over the jointer. If the relief for the bit gets too chewed up or too big, I can (although I haven't) glue another face onto the fence, then run it across the jointer again to true it up. I don't think the wood would move enough to cause a problem after it's trued up. If it does - do the jointer-thing.

Here's why I like solid wood better than plywood or MDF for the fence:
Plywood may not be perfectly straight. You may be a little off of 90deg when you glue the base to the face. In both cases, you can't make it straight and 90deg by running across the jointer - the layers of the plywood may splinter, or the MDF will fuzz.

Edit ...
Like Larry, I use a jointed one-board fence for my drill press, too. Jointed on the bottom and the face. It's worked well for 10-yrs. My previous router fence(s) were a simple board also jointed on the bottom and face to be flat and 90deg, with a relief for the bit. Make a new one as needed or for special bits. Only problem is that it doesn't easily work for running stock on edge.


- Lonnie

[LCHIEN]

here's my current router fence. Nothing fancy as you can see. Just a planed and jointed hardwood (Jatoba, I think) board, two quickgrip clamps (one at each end), and a offset hole drilled near the center. A hole at one end to hang it.

I think it works fine, until I need a better fence, then I have the Incra 16 which needs unpacking.

[JimD]

Simple fences work, I have done the same thing, but there is a reason many of us use something else. I have dust collection in the fence, for instance, for less mess. I can bury the bit in my fence with adjustable opening, and have. The last time I did it was making a jewelry chest for my wife where I used a lock bit that makes both sides of the joint with one router setting. You do one side flat and the other side with the board vertical against the fence.

My "fancy fence" is held in place by semi-permanently installed pipe clamps less than a foot long. The movable jaw is screwed to the fence and it just clamps to the edge of the top. Same principle as your "simple fence" but a litle easier to use. I got the idea out of some magazine.

Jim

[Bill in Buena Park]

Thanks for the input everyone. On your recommendations, I may use some baltic birch ply scraps to build a "backup" substrate for the fence, and complete the poplar one (without finish) and see how that goes. I've based my design off a combination of the Rockler fence (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18064) and Norm's fence (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10446) - will post a pic when I'm done.

I've opted to not put DC on the fence at this time, and will let the bits cut their own relief into the substrate between the cheeks when necessary. My as-yet untested table design has DC through the router's DC port below the table, ducted via "pool hose" to a fitting in the side of the table for DC connection - I'll post pics on that when done also.