bt300 router table mod.

[master53yoda]

One of my next projects is the new base for my bt3000 the thing I want to get input in is the router table. below are pictures of the prototype that I have on it know, the dust collection works good and the fence collector is built into the router base. This dust design is based on one I saw in some magazine but I don't know which one.
The one thing that I would like to modify but haven't seen a good alternative is that the table length is quite short for many projects. My shop also is only 12' wide but quite long.

[dbhost]

Looks good, the only way I can think to make the table longer though is to spin the orientation sideways at a 90 degree angle so length is no constrained by the fence rails.

[LCHIEN]

"Dust collection works good" statement is a bit at odds with the picture???
Sure looks like a lot of dust in the box not captured.

of course, i should talk, my router table has no dust collection at all. Or maybe I should say Gravity is my dust collector, too.

[dbhost]

And I am still trying to figure out exactly how to hold the recycled kitty litter box to the bottom of my accessory table, add a port, and use it to suck up the dust from below...

[master53yoda]

"Dust collection works good" statement is a bit at odds with the picture???
Sure looks like a lot of dust in the box not captured.

I guess by "good" means that with the door on the box very little to none of the dust is getting air born off the router bit. About an an inch piles up in the square corners of the the box. I have thought about putting the DC port in the bottom with a slopped bottom but that would greatly reduce the storage under the router table portion of the base. If I put larger openings in the door of the box it clears the box better but reduces the effectiveness of the dust collection above the table which is what I feel is most important. I also am only porting a single 3" DC port into the box which is only about 2/3 of a 4" port by putting 2 3" ports it may eliminate the box dust.

[JR]

I have not found table size, limited to the distance between the rails, to be a huge problem. It would be mitigated by having longer fence, IMHO. I believe youi're more likely to tilt the piece in the horizontal plane due to a shorter fence than in longer plane due to the table size.

JR

[master53yoda]

I have not found table size, limited to the distance between the rails, to be a huge problem. It would be mitigated by having longer fence, IMHO. I believe you're more likely to tilt the piece in the horizontal plane due to a shorter fence than in longer plane due to the table size.

JR

I hadn't thought about making a longer fence like i have on the saw fenc it would be easy enough to do. You are right about the fence being the problem because when I've run long pieces I do use my and in-feed and out-feed rollers. In my minds eye the wider table was really providing a longer fence in reality. Thanks for bringing up something so obvious that I wasn't seeing it.

[pelligrini]

My knockdown outfeed table also serves as my infeed table for the router. Before I did that I used a couple of Rigid flip tops. I still use one on the outfeed if needed. I like the stability of the big table a lot better than the stand though. http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=4117

I don't know if you've got the room, but you might consider picking up a set of half rails, especially with the size of your fence. I really liked it when I moved my router away from the saw blade.

You culd also make a long fence that will attach to the one you have now and put it on when needed.