Mounting router

[dkerfoot]

I have a 21829 and a PC router. If you have a 21829, things are complicated by the fact that it has deep bosses for mounting the Sears/Ryobi routers.

I ended up buying a used BT3000 accessory table and following Loring's advice I drilled it to mount the PC base directly.

The ridges of the BT3000 table ride a bit higher than the 21829 tables, but for this operation it doesn't matter.

[steve-norrell]

A general comment, FWIW: one aspect of the plate-drilling job that seems to stress out many folks is getting the new holes in precisely the right locations, so the router base will be precisely centered on the mounting plate.

If that's you: relax, because such precision is not necessary. The large center hole is for bit clearance only: there's no critical operational relationship between it and the bit itself. As long as the bit is sticking up through the hole with adequate clearance all around, that's good enough.

Of course, you do want it to be as close to centered as you can get, but that's not difficult. Getting it to within a sixteenth of center, or even closer, is dead easy. But worrying it down to the last thousandth of an inch is pointless.

I agree completely but would raise one concern . . .

While centering the holes might not be a critical issue, their alignment with the router base is, at least to some degree. The taper of the countersink will compensate somewhat and that was (and is) very helpful to a marginal machinist such as I.

Larry's comment about getting it (the router) and the holes for the base attachment (relative to each other) closely aligned -- within a sixteenth of an inch -- are right on. I would, however, hesitate to say it would be "dead easy" for someone with minimal metal working ability.

There was a previous thread (couldn't find it) where someone had filed off the screw head and used the studs as markers for the holes. If I recall correctly, he files the studs to a point and used them to make dimples on the surface that needed to be drilled. Seems to me that this would all but guarantee alignment.

Regards, Steve

[gwyneth]

Gwyneth:

Use the base plate (black plastic) as a template to locate the holes. Attach the router base body directly to the aluminum plate, without the plastic base plate (as you said you did).

Here are some pictures. "Router Plate 1" is the face of the aluminum plate that fits up against the underside of the accessory table. The router mounting screws are circled in blue and the height adjustment access is highlighted with arrows. A corresponding hole must be drilled in the accessory table. The other two pictures show the router base mounted to the aluminum plate.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I've detached the black sub-base but I certainly haven't succeed in mounting anything to anything!

Your picture is very, very helpful. However, as I remember your setup, don't you stand in front of the saw to use the router rather than the end? In my previous setup--and the one that's practical for now--I stood at what would be the right side of the saw, facing the blade. The detachable base release was oriented that way. This was with a homemade plywood router base and no "through the table" hole needed.

The single aspect of this that is complicating things is making sure the "through the table" thing can be reached through the table and the plate. If I didn't care about that, or didn't have that feature, I could have gotten it all attached two days ago.

Last night I did make some progress, figuring out that the countersink side of the aluminum plate faces up, towards the table, and that if the dog-eared end of the plate is facing the back of the table, all holes in the plate align with all holes in the table.

Thanks again for all help!

[steve-norrell]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I've detached the black sub-base but I certainly haven't succeed in mounting anything to anything!

I knew (from a previous post) that you did not leave the black thingee attached. However, you need it to locate the "through the table" adjustment hole.

However, as I remember your setup, don't you stand in front of the saw to use the router rather than the end?

That was correct then and now.

The single aspect of this that is complicating things is making sure the "through the table" thing can be reached through the table and the plate. If I didn't care about that, or didn't have that feature, I could have gotten it all attached two days ago.

Last night I did make some progress, figuring out that the countersink side of the aluminum plate faces up, towards the table, and that if the dog-eared end of the plate is facing the back of the table, all holes in the plate align with all holes in the table.

Since you have to drill the router mounting holes, you can position them where ever it is convenient. After drilling the mounting holes, you can use the black thingee to find the position of the "through the table" hole. Screw it on to the aluminum plate as you would the router base and mark the location of the hole with a magic marker. (Just make sure that it is right side up. Or is it right side down?) Drill through the aluminum plate, then mount it to the accessory table, mark the hole and drill.

Regards, Steve

[Iansaws]

Don't know if this will help, but I have a Ryobi BT3100 and the accessory kit. My old Craftsman router mounted perfectly on the saw. Holes lined-up exactly.

[gwyneth]

Since you have to drill the router mounting holes, you can position them where ever it is convenient. After drilling the mounting holes, you can use the black thingee to find the position of the "through the table" hole. Screw it on to the aluminum plate as you would the router base and mark the location of the hole with a magic marker. (Just make sure that it is right side up. Or is it right side down?) Drill through the aluminum plate, then mount it to the accessory table, mark the hole and drill.

Because of the bosses underneath the 21829 table, I took a slightly different approach before reading this. I figured that the "through the table" hole was the most important and had to line up with an actual table hole (at least partially, with the idea that expanding the actual table hole could be done if necessary.)

I located that, futzing with the black thingie and the aluminum plate. Eventually, I succeeded in drilling some holes that corresponded with holes in the router base.

Thoughts:

1. Bosch does provide plenty of holes to work with. All are tiny examples of German precision. I'm still a little dubious that the combination of my cloddish American workmanship and those tiny screws and holes will actually hold an 8-lb router upside down.

2. Nothing like a countersink to make cloddish American holes in aluminum look better.

3. Thanks to all for describing the ribbon-like effect of a sharp drill bit on an aluminum.

4. The cloddish American (me) is probably more to blame than the Ryobi drill and Ryobi aluminum plate for breaking off a new DeWalt bit pulling it from one of the tiny new holes.

Anyway, we'll see how it all worked later today when I screw the plate and base to the accesory table and gingerly insert the router motor.

Thank you everybody!