# Canadian Router Table



## angus (Oct 14, 2004)

www.rt1000.com

The above link is a Router Table made in Canada - does anyone have any info good or bad on the table - they have a special now for 269.00 US plus 90.00 freight. It includes the bottom drawer
Angus


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Angus, this table is the same as the most recent version of the New Yankee Workshop router table minus the goodies from Rockler woodworking. You can watch Norm use it on the show on PBS. It performs very well.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi angus

I can't say anything bad about this setup, I know they are sold on eBay all the time and it's a copy cat of Norm's (NYWS)
If you are thinking about this type it would be best if you make your own with Norm's plans.
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?0301

But that's just my 2 cents, you would save big time ,if you make your own not to say anything about the pride by saying I made this.

Many menbers have made one like Norm's and they are all great router tables.

Bj


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## angus (Oct 14, 2004)

Thanks for the input on the table in Canada - there is two versions of this on ebay - I guess I'll' try to build one - maybe the cost of the material will be easier to explain than the cost of a table. - I'm a self taught novice just don't know if I have the ability to do. The wife says I just enjoy the smell of wood and making sawdust. She gets mad when I say I'm not capable.

You may enjoy this latest blunder of mine - I came home last week and there was a food processor on the counter - I asked where it came from and why and was told it was to chop her walnuts for the fruit cakes - I replied by saying that it's not that we can't afford it but do we need a 50.00 food processor to chop nuts? She smiled and said no, and said she'd take it back. As she was putting it into the box she looked at me and said "just wondering do we need a planer. tablesaw, band saw, 4 routers etc etc."
Being quick on my feet I said, honey what I meant was do we need a 50.00 food processor to chop nuts or should we have a more expensive model that will do other things. We now own a 325.00 food processor, sausage stuffer, etc etc.
There are times it is wise to keep your mouth shut!
Angus


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Angus

Silence is golden they say ,,,,
But it sounds like home, the boss has 3 sewing machines and they all took a a crap 3 weeks ago and I said no big deal I can fix them , "Silence is golden" well she now has 4 sewing machines 3 that don't work and one new one ( 400 dollar computer type) that Fedex dropped off 5 days late.
It was going to be a Xmax. gift for her but that didn't work out right because we got SNOW in Colorado and closed DIA airport for a day or two.
It was funny because she said I think I'm going to pickup a new sewing machine and I had one on the way .

Had to talk fast on that one  then she bugged me for 6 days, day and night when it didn't show up on time for Xmax. 

Silence is golden, have a good one

Bj


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## Router is still my name (May 3, 2006)

They sell them on eBay all the time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROUTER-TABLE-RT...6QQihZ012QQcategoryZ75680QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/RS-500-Router-T...3QQihZ010QQcategoryZ75680QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Router-Ta...6QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20781QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Angus, the premise of The Router Workshop is "simple is better". Mind you the above mentioned table is very nice and has lots of storage. There are many other excellent plans out there to be considered. The first table I built was with a plan from ShopNotes #1. This was my first "Major" project and it came out great. So great in fact that my buddy came by while I was putting the wipe on polyurethane finish on the oak trim and told me it was going home with him. I laughed and thought he was kidding but he took out his wallet and gave me many reasons why I should let him take it; all those reasons had presidents on them. Trust me when I say you can build your own table and will be delighted with the results. I like the ShopNotes plans because they have step by step instructions, jigs you can build to help with the project, multiple ways to build and best of all they are practicle and perform.


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## rout-on (Sep 13, 2004)

bobj3 said:


> Hi angus
> 
> I can't say anything bad about this setup, I know they are sold on eBay all the time and it's a copy cat of Norm's (NYWS)
> If you are thinking about this type it would be best if you make your own with Norm's plans.
> ...


I'm curious.......I am from Nova Scotia...just what does this pretain to ......something that was posted on ebay site regarding Norms' table or replica....I don't see the original thread ...............OH,BTW.....it wasn't me.
I have since viewed the ebay listings,and while they are pretty damn close to being Norm clones.....why isn't it possible for someone to develop a similar-look product......I mean almost all router tables are similar in style and technique......I did make one of Norm's tables,but it was his first one(most popular) and I do have the plans.




Dave


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Dave, if you click the link in Angus's first post you will see the table mentioned. It is the same as the NYW deluxe router table without the Rockler aluminum mounting plate and power switch. As far as building a table that is similar in appearance, more power to the person who does it. Even making your own copy of a table is fine.


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## angus (Oct 14, 2004)

To aniceone2hold and bobj3

First of all I want to thank both of you for your comments and advise. I guess what I really needed was a little push and encouragement for a one eyed woodworker to get the courage to try it. I've purchased rhe NYW video and the 2 tables from Shopnotes and after studying them I figure why not! I think I'll start with the open shopnotes table and move on to the enclosed shopnotes version.
My only confusion is in the table top - I made a mistake in reading other sources and they all seem to have different ideas. 
Anyway thanks for the"push" when they are completed I'll post on show and tell.
Angus


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

You're Welcome for my small part Angus

By the way how are your eyes doing ?
You don't know what you have until you lose it .

Bj


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Angus, There are many ideas on how to make the best router table top. Ready for a revelation? They all work. The Router Workshop table top is 3/4" thick baltic birch plywood with laminate on both sides. The close supports provide enough rigidity to keep the table from flexing. The ShopNotes #1 table plan I first built uses 1/2" plywood topped with two 1/4"(or one 1/2") layers of hardboard covered both sides with laminate. Both of these designs are wrapped with hardwood trim. I prefer having the laminate covering since you can make lay out pencil marks on it that stay reasonably well, and they clean off easy when you wet them. Other members prefer different methods but they do all work.


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## RT1000 (Jan 9, 2007)

Hi my name is Joe and am new to this forum but I am the guy you are all talking about. Would like to clarify a few things. I built my first router table in 1989, sold my first dozen in 1990. The original idea came from the "wood magazine". In 1993 "American Woodworker" came out with their ultimate router table. From these two I took both ideas and combined them into the RT1000. Sometime in 1995 or 1996 Norm from the NYW copied the router table from the "American Woodworker". You people that are stating that I stole his plans are misinformed. I was building and selling these table while Norm was still working with Bob Vila "This old house" and have invoices to prove it. The NYW has been aware of my table and site since 1999 since I went online. Before calling people "horse thieves" I recommend you check your history. I would have gladly responded to any questions. Thanks Joe


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Joe

It sounds like you and Norm need to thank wood magazine for the plans and the help they gave you and Norm to make tons of money with one of the plans. 

BUT I don't think anyone on the FORUM called you a horse thieve, Russ said he recalls some history in the salty isle,but he didn't say it was the RT1000 maker.

I have a hard copy of the Norms plans for the router table ,it must be 10 to 12 years old by now,I didn't dig it out to check the date on it because it's no big deal,because every thing is copy write now days.

"Russ Morash traces his ancestry to that salty isle and is sure his folks would be shocked at the theft. He recalls some horse thieves in the Morash history but no intellectual property crooks."

So the bottom line is ,good luck with your sells on the router table. 
-----------
Just for kicks I did dig out the old set of plans and the copywrite date is 1996.


Bj


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Joe, I owe you an apology. When I am in the wrong I admit it and in this case I seem to have put my foot in it up to my neck. I am very sorry and will edit/remove any negative comments at once. Please forgive this blunder and continue to interact with our members.


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## jgremlin (Jan 27, 2011)

Hello all, forgive me for digging up such an old thread, but I stumbled across it while doing research for adding a table to my shop and I have a question that fit with this thread.

I have been considering all options for my first table including Norm's NYWS table which I have already purchased the drawings for. I also really like the looks of the Kreg precision system and I have considered doing some sort of hybrid that combines Norm's table with Kregs fence and plate systems.

Anyway as I said I found this thread and I have to say I'm wondering whether or not the post I've quoted below still holds true.



bobj3 said:


> Hi angus
> 
> I can't say anything bad about this setup, I know they are sold on all the time and it's a copy cat of Norm's (NYWS)
> If you are thinking about this type it would be best if you make your own with Norm's plans.
> ...


The RT1000 and RS-500 are both still selling on for around $400 shipping included. As I'm considering building my own version from Norm's plans I sat down tonight and did some quick calculations for materials cost based on prices listed on website. And by today's prices I come out between $350 and $400 for materials. to get this thing built to plans.

So I'm really wondering about the saving money big time comment if I build it myself. Now I do understand that if I build myself I'll end up lumber and material left over that I can potentially use on other projects. But $400 out of pocket is still $400 out of pocket. As far as I can see, my choices are instant gratification for buying one built verses pride of building myself, being able to modify as I build if I desire and having extra material left over. But either way I'm going to be out the same money.

So my real question is am I correct in my assumptions here or am I missing something? I realize this is an old thread but was plywood significantly cheaper 3 years ago than it is now? Because I'm not really seeing where building would be much cheaper than buying. So what am I missing?


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Your math is probably correct. If the RT1000 and RS-500 manufacturer has an assembly line or established methodology, he should be able to build the product much cheaper than you, especially, when you include manpower. However, if you're like lots of us, with various bits of material around your shop, you can pull together a good table in short order and have the satisfaction of building it.

It's just a matter of perspective and the urgency of your need.

Have a good one,

TTG


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Most enjoy making their own shop equipment but, if you decide to buy a table I'm sure you will have many more shop projects to be proud of.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Angus
> 
> Silence is golden they say ,,,,
> But it sounds like home, the boss has 3 sewing machines and they all took a a crap 3 weeks ago and I said no big deal I can fix them , "Silence is golden" well she now has 4 sewing machines 3 that don't work and one new one ( 400 dollar computer type) that Fedex dropped off 5 days late.
> ...


LOL. I'll bet you were hiding out in the garage for a while.


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## jgremlin (Jan 27, 2011)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> However, if you're like lots of us, with various bits of material around your shop, you can pull together a good table in short order and have the satisfaction of building it.


Yeah, that's the problem. I am like most in that I would normally have plenty of material laying around to use for fabrication. But our last house didn't have much workshop space so my projects there were extremely limited. And then we moved several states away last year so a couple short scraps of baseboard molding and some small pieces of 2x4 and 1/2" ply are all that made the move in terms of lumber.

The good news is the new place has a nice heated pole building for me to play in. But I'm really starting from square one in getting things set up in terms of spare material (and wood working tools). So in my case, I would have to buy 100% of the materials new for any project I wanted to do at this point.

That kind of skews the scale in favor of buying a pre-built table for me. But I'm still mulling over how badly I'd want to make modifications during the build so the jury is still out. I do appreciate the input though. It validates what I was thinking.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

One thing about buying a table is you can start on projects right away. I will build shop equipment if I have the extra time, but when time is limited I will buy the equipment & spend the time on other projects that make money for me. One router table I have is still a simple stand I made to mount the top to so I could build the cabinet that will be it's home when finished. It gets used all the time in it's present state. When I have some down time I will someday build the cabinet (maybe).


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

I think Norm Abraham said that you need a router table to build one. 

That Canada deal is very good in my humble opinion. I don't have one, but I called up there and the guy was super helpful. In my little conversation I learned a whole bunch of things that you would only know if you had build a ton of router tables.

KR


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Have you looked at the Oak Park table? Made in Canada, AND sponsors of this website.
Oak Park Enterprises Ltd. - Router Table, Router, Router Bits, Router Jigs, Router Accessories: Home


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## jgremlin (Jan 27, 2011)

AxlMyk said:


> Have you looked at the Oak Park table? Made in Canada, AND sponsors of this website.


I have looked at it but I really like the idea of a free standing floor unit with its own storage. I realize I probably don't need a big floor unit. But my shop is not about what I need (I don't need a shop at all), its about what I want.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

jgremlin said:


> I have looked at it but I really like the idea of a free standing floor unit with its own storage. I realize I probably don't need a big floor unit. But my shop is not about what I need (I don't need a shop at all), its about what I want.


Hi Joe - I've got the RS 500. Nice table with a couple of serious, IMHO, issues. None that can't be corrected. First is the casters, ~1-3/4" furniture and they are threaded into t-nuts installed in endgrain. Might work OK for awhile on a perfectly smooth floor but I rebuilt that part of the base and installed 3" casters before I completely assembled the thing. The other issue I'm still working on. The dust collection system pulls all the dirt from the router spindle and the fence into the box where the router is housed. Subsequently, after very few passes the router vents are plugged with sawdust and chips. The vac plugs into the end of the cabinet and has a 2" pipe leading into the router box. There is a 2" hole in the table top behind the fence also leading into the box to purge the fence. I plan to seperate the fence dirt and pull it seperately. Other than that, it's a nice table. The light is nice but more of a "gee-whiz" thing for me as I put a solid aluminum plate in instead of the lexan one that came with it so the light is in a closet so to speak. One other item I will be changing is to put a paddle switch on it. The standard light switch is difficult to reach and easy to confuse with the light switch as they are right next to each other and somewhat hidden. :sad:


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