Router table/cabinet ideas

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning...

I just decided what I needed in a table and fence and built it from left over scrap (MDF..birch ply base.. birch ply fence.. bought the insert and mounted an already on-board above table adjusting Milwaukee 3 1/2 HP fixed base underneath.. added an insert to run a spring-board and a HTC base for mobility.

About 20,000 linear feet latter, there's nothing I would change as the changes from various others designs were taken care of before I built it. Design is simple.. meets my needs.. cheaply made from scrap and I see no future modifcations to meet my future needs.

As stated, I agree with don't over-think it as it's not necessary!

Regards...

[Veramacor]

Check out Frankenbase Lives! Post in the BT3 related discussions. I just completed it yesterday and posted some pics.

I used MDF through out the cabinet. I used a laminate for the router table top and for the downdraft table. Home depot sells small sheets for like $11 so I used that.

Also check out what I did about a fence. I just used 3x3 inch square tubing and some plastic not too fancy, but the tubing allows you to suck air from within the fence itself.


V

[LarryG]

What a lot of us call a "router table" is really three entirely separate animals, combined into a single unit. There's the top, which supports the router and the workpiece; there's the fence, which locates the workpiece on the top; and there's the storage unit that the top and fence just happen to be sitting on.

For the top, I agree absolutely that simpler is better. I'm in the same camp with Bill Hylton and the Rosendahls: no miter slot, no fence adjustment tracks, and offset the router toward either one end or one side of the top so you can move around and work off the other end or side when dealing with larger workpieces. How the router mounts is mostly a matter of convenience. Bolting it directly to the underside of the top is cheap and simple, but may or may not make height adjustments and bit changes more fussy, depending on the router; and it will almost always preclude the possibility of closing down the opening around smaller bits. Plates and lifts definitely have their drawbacks but overall I think these are offset by their advantages.

For the fence, it can be as simple or as elaborate as you need. Many woodworkers, including myself, have both a simple "stick" fence ala the Rosendahls and a more elaborate, multi-adjustable fence ala NYW or even Pat Warner. In many shops, router table fences are always a work in progress: there's always something that's going to be incorporated into The Next One (this is certainly true in my shop). To me the only critical issues are that the fence be straight, and that it attaches out at the overhangs of the top. This automatically maximizes the length of the fence, and gets rid of the adjustment tracks or slots in the top.

For the storage cabinet all this sits on ... go crazy, build what you need/want. Except for the dust-collection compartment, this part of the table really has no direct influence on what's up top. And it's what's up top that matters most.

[onedash]

I bought a Jessem top, fence and insert and slapped it on a cheap stand. It works great. I need to make a cabinet like pappy's to put it on some day. I always pull my router/plate out to change bits.
I need to wax the top I think. I just rewaxed my table saw and jointer and it made all the difference in the world. It was as good or better than putting a new blade on it.
I was cutting some dados in lyptus with my router and it left some serious build up on the table. It never did that before but this wood had been in the shop a year or so and I dont know what that has to do with it but I had to scrape it off. I couldnt rub it off with my finger.

[lrr]

I really like my Rockler router table. I did not get their leg set -- I bought a base cabinet at HD and mounted the top to it, and added casters in the back. So, I tip it to roll it out inthe open, and then it settles down on a stable 2X4 base I added to inside of cabinet base.

I've seen a lot of really fancy new tables since I got mine, but it is nicely situated between basic and extravagant. The nice thing about the Rockler (and similar) is having T-track in table and T-slots in fence for featherboars. (I bought the Rockler set).

I also bought the Rockler switch, which I really like. I just bought a second one (normally $25, but Rockler always puts them on sale) to mount overhead in shop to turn on shop vac. I used to have a switch on the edge of my RAS, but when I added the TS, I wanted to share the vac, and a centrally mounted overhead switch is convenient.

One thing I plan to do is buy another plate, and set up my second router. That way, I can go back and forth between different bits without constant change -- just lift out one plate, and drop in the second.

Rockler also sells plates for jigsaws, spindle sanders, and Kreg drilling systems -- a pretty versatile line.