# Router Table Completed - Finally!



## Rutabagared (Jun 18, 2009)

*Router Table Completed*

I finished my router table and wanted to post photos. I always enjoy seeing others shop-built items so here goes. But first let me apologize in advance for not taking in-process photos. My wife was visiting relatives out of town and took the camera along.

My design considerations were fairly simple. I wanted a table with plenty of organized storage and provisions for dust collection. I also needed a table top that would accommodate the 25” Incra LS Positioner System 25" Incra LS Positioner System.

The top is a sandwich of two sheets of ¾” MDF and one sheet of Formica laminate all glued at the same time in a vacuum press using urea formaldehyde glue . When this glue dries it forms and extremely rigid glue line that is not prone to glue creep like aliphatic (yellow) wood glue. Also, the glue has an open time of about thirty minutes. The dimensions are 1 1/2" x 28" x 46 1/2". The bottom has three coats of polyurethane. I trimmed the edges in oak veneer. The router plate is an aluminum model sold under the Pinnacle brand by Woodcraft but manufactured by Woodpeckers. It is positioned so that the center of the bit is 12” from the edge of the table.

The cabinet is 44” long x 23 ¾” wide x 34 ½” high. I mounted 3” casters to the bottom (two total lock and two swivel) from Caster City. The total lock casters lock both the swivel mechanism and the wheel and are the cats meow. They are also very easy to lock and unlock. The casters add 4” to the height, bringing the total height of the cabinet to 40 1/8”. The one thing that always bothered me about my old router table was a lack of organized storage. I put six drawers in this one. The drawer boxes are all identical and are 5” high x 20” wide x 20” deep. I didn’t have enough sheet stock on hand to make the drawers the full depth of the cabinet, but there is still plenty of storage for all of my routers and accessories (for now). Besides, I can use ¾ extension drawer slides (MUCH less $) and still access nearly the entire drawer this way. The drawers are ½” plywood constructed using a drawer lock router bit made by Whiteside. These bits are a bit fussy to set-up, but once set properly, you can crank out drawers quickly. I didn’t put t-track or miter channel in the table and have no plans to add them in the future. I rarely used them with my old table.

The two doors enclose the router “chamber” and electrical connections. The hinges are Blum 170 degree hinges I had left over from my kitchen cabinet remodel. They are reasonably priced if you buy them from A & H Turf. The extra wide opening capacity is always a plus, especially in a shop environment. The router inside is a Porter Cable 892 . I was on the fence a while deciding between this and the Bosch 1617 but bought the PC because you can make above the table height adjustments with an accessory wrench AND you can lock and unlock the motor from above the table as well. I added two dividers on each side of the router plate in order to provide additional support in case I ever mount a 3+ horsepower router. I drilled a series of 1 ¼” holes in the divider to provide intake air for the dust collection. I haven’t cut the hole for the dust collection fitting yet because I’m not sure of the table’s final location - it’ll either be a 4” or 5”. You’ll also notice that I used up some spare melamine I had lying around. The white color will help illuminate the area whenever I need to fiddle around in there.

I drilled ten 1" holes in the outside of the cabinet for air intake. I had some fan guards lying around so I added them. Not really a necessity but they look better that plain holes in the cabinet for the minimal amount of fuss of installing them. I may drill additional holes in the side or in the doors if needed. I’ll wait until the dust collection is hooked up to see if the current set-up will suffice - easier to add additional holes than the alternative.

I’ve been saving up for this set-up for quite a while and I’m really looking forward to putting it through its paces. Thanks for looking.

Joe


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Fabulous job, Joe!

I've never seen the use of fan guards but they add a very nice touch! Do you mind if I copy that part of your design?


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## Rutabagared (Jun 18, 2009)

Jim,

Thanks for the compliments! Please copy away!

Forum Members,
I have about 10 extra fan guards - just pay postage. PM me if interested.

Joe


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## RustyW (Dec 28, 2005)

I really like it Joe. Looks like it was well worth the wait.


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## Billat908 (Jun 25, 2009)

WOW. 

I not only have _Table Envy_, but _Cabinet Envy _and (particularly) _Fence Envy_.


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## Bogydave (Nov 14, 2008)

Very nice. 
Really like the fence.
Fan addition a good addition, gives me an idea that I may also use. Good one


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## bossbill (Jun 15, 2009)

A very nice job, I will have to make myself one of these one day.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

That is really great work, you are to be commended. I will look forward to more of your projects in the future.


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## jmg1017 (Apr 9, 2009)

Great job, first class work. Love the fence too...


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## dustmaker (May 18, 2009)

Hi Joe,

Congrats on an excellent build! I have the older Incra Ultra, but it is also 25" so my table will be about the same dimensions as yours. My table is *almost* finished and I have made slow progress, but hope to have some time this weekend to share my results as well. I really like the Incra fence positioning, but usually end up having to clamp on a notched 2x4 or something when using larger bits. So I am considering building an auxiliary fence which I can remove when doing conventional Incra joinery. It would also be nice to be able to do dust removal at the fence. Do you have any thoughts about doing an auxiliary fence?


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## Rutabagared (Jun 18, 2009)

Gentlemen,
Thanks for the compliments! I appreciate the feedback.

Joe


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## Rutabagared (Jun 18, 2009)

dustmaker said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> Congrats on an excellent build! I have the older Incra Ultra, but it is also 25" so my table will be about the same dimensions as yours. My table is *almost* finished and I have made slow progress, but hope to have some time this weekend to share my results as well. I really like the Incra fence positioning, but usually end up having to clamp on a notched 2x4 or something when using larger bits. So I am considering building an auxiliary fence which I can remove when doing conventional Incra joinery. It would also be nice to be able to do dust removal at the fence. Do you have any thoughts about doing an auxiliary fence?


Frank,
Thanks for the compliment!

I do plan to add subfences. I'm keeping them simple - 3/4" MDF attached to the Incra fence with t-nuts. I'm going to build a pair the height of the fence as well as a tall pair. Also, I'm going to make a pair of 1 1/2" thick to accommodate larger bits. I have no immediate plans for dust collection at the fence. My cabinet dust collection is about 90% effective. That said, there is room for improvement so I may come up with something.

I hope you get time to work on your table over the weekend. I look forward to seeing pictures. Good luck!

Joe


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## Cookie Monster (Jun 30, 2011)

Looks good.


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