Miter Slot?

[Denco]

I'm building a router table and have been working on the table top. The laminate has worked out great and I've put a lot of work in the table top. I'm really happy with it. The hole for the router and throat plates have worked out well, even the shaft to raise/lower the router. All that's left to do on the table top is possibly put in a miter slot.

Here's my question: Should I put in a miter slot? I have a Grripper and saw a demo how it rides well against the fence (which I haven't built yet) thus eliminating the need for a miter slot (supposedly).

I was thinking of laminating a scrap piece and cut a channel to test for tear-out, but just not sure if having a miter slot is that big a deal or not. I believe I'd have to do a really good job or it wouldn't square in regards to the fence.

Maybe even a coping sled instead?

What do you all think? (pls keep in mind I am a novice) Very grateful for any opinions (as always). --Den

[pelligrini]

I put a miter slot and a t-track along side it in my router extension. I don't use it very much, but it is nice when the need arises. I use the t-track a lot more for featherboards and such.

I'll use a miter gauge in the slot with a backer board for coping and similar cuts at times. I haven't built a decent coping sled yet. I mostly make some one time rough jigs for the task at hand. I do prefer using the slot for a jig over having something ride the router fence. Sometimes my fence jigs will hang up at the mouth opening.

When I redo my extension, eventually, I will make the miter slot the same distance as my slots are from the blade on my saw. This is to be able to use a couple jigs on both without a lot of setup time, like my dovetail/miter key jig and an occasional use of my tenon jig.

[LinuxRandal]

Mine has one but it came with it (picked up a top used from someone upgrading, since it already fit my plate).
I like having it for the sometimes featherboard use, however, I have seen others clamp featherboards from the end. I think it is almost 50/50 split as to what people think. I do recommend looking at the book "Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton. It (if I remember correctly, mine has been loaned out for a couple years), has a section on that.

[mpc]

How is your router fence mounted? Unlike table saw fences most router fences can be clamped at any angle. Table saw fences have to stay parallel to a blade... router fences just set a distance to a single point: the edge of the bit so the angle isn't important. If your router fence IS mounted such that it is always a constant angle (or if you are using the table saw fence to support a router fence) then the miter slot should be parallel. I'd just use a straight cutting bit and use the fence to guide the router... let the router make the slot - no need to try to make it with a dado blade stack on your table saw. Should be a lot easier to get perfect parallelism with the router making the cut.

Many folks say a miter slot is not required for a router table. Like the others on this thread have posted, mine gets used mostly to hold feather boards. It's nice having a miter slot like the miter slot I added to my BT3 - so one featherboard works for either tool. I have used it with a regular miter guide too. So even if a miter slot isn't "essential" according to some folks it's nice to have the option when you need/want it.

mpc

[dbhost]

The miter slot is nice for holding feather boards to insure the work piece doesn't try walking away from the fence, and certain jigs, like box joint jigs ride in them... I have a miter slot (2 of them actually) in my router table / extension wing...

[cabinetman]

Like the others have suggested, it isn't necessary, but can come in handy for certain uses. I also agree that if you do make a dado, do it with a router. You may never need it depending on what you use the router table for. There's not much involved in installing one, and would add to the table's versatility.

.

[leehljp]

Another agreement for it. I built one into my router table and used it on occasion. I did not have a coping sled of the hold down clamps to make one while I was in Japan, so the miter slot and a very good miter gauge worked well. I had to leave the table in Japan but I am going to make another in the next year. It WILL have a miter slot, and I will build me a router sled also.

I used the slot several many times for a feather board like device. I made a wide feather board like device that worked well. It did not have "fingers" but was a 18" wide (long) "pressure" board that mounted in the slot. I used that more than a feather board. It kept great consistent pressure over a wide area of the board that was being fed through.

[Denco]

Thank you, All, for your input. You made some excellent points that helped me decide.

I think what I'll do is build my fence first, use the table for awhile, then maybe add the slot in at a later time. Easier to add it later when I'm better at the craft than to mess up my current work now and regret it.

I'm really glad I posted the question. You brought some ideas I hadn't thought of.---Den

[cwsmith]

I use a Rockler table top with my router. It has an aluminum miter-slot track built parallel to the fence. I use it quite a bit actually, especially when routing long narrow molding strips. I use two fence-mounted feather-boards as hold-downs in the in- and out-feed sections of the fence's T-track and also one feather-board with expandable guides in the miter slot. This holds any long work piece firmly in position as it passes through the cutter.

The miter slot is also very handy for using a tenon and other similar jigs.

CWS