# Re-working the winder for the $3.00 table



## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

The winder that I made for the $3.00 router table worked OK but was a sloppy fit in it's socket because I made it exactly 1/4" to fit the socket, forgetting that the drive shafts have a spring loaded ball and so the square hole is larger than 1/4". This started to niggle me so I decided to re-work it as shown.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

How much did this bump up the cost? :sarcastic:

All I know to do with metal working is bring it over to a childhood friend who has his own welding shop.


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Much better Harry. I do like this one.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

DerekO said:


> How much did this bump up the cost? :sarcastic:
> 
> All I know to do with metal working is bring it over to a childhood friend who has his own welding shop.


Table...............$3.00
Router..............$50.00
Square rods.......$2.00
Bits and pieces from junk boxes

So it's a very cheap small router table, useful for big projects when main table is otherwise engaged.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks Dave, I too think it's better, not only for the good fit into the socket, but the extra clearance between it and the table. I have to take this opportunity Dave to ask when work will commence in your pole barn? The weather must be improving by now.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

harrysin said:


> Table...............$3.00
> Router..............$50.00
> Square rods.......$2.00
> Bits and pieces from junk boxes
> ...


I've found that would be nice to have and hope to get another router so I can keep the ryobi in it's table once I make the table. If weather keeps up like it has been I should be routing out the track this weekend. Then need to either buy or make a plate. Might use the plexiglass or polycarbonate or whatever it is that I have as a temp plate while waiting for what ever I order to arrive.

I remember making my last one out of Hardboard. Not sure if I still have any extra of that laying around or not. I just know this table is getting kind of expensive compared to what I thought it might be...

$25 clearance fence
$20-30 Melamine
$20-?? router plate
$20 or $40 for T-track depending on how much I use
$?? for multitrack, t-track, regular miter track that I still need to order, but can still make table top without it.

Everything came in tiny little bites so it didn't seem like that much until I just started to think about it after looking at your costs. Now I am kind of bummed at how much it is thinking I was making a cheap table.

I still need to get a router for it as I don't want to install the plunge router in it. I suppose I should check out the local pawn shops. Got the card club, horse racing year round by telebet at the track and live for the summer months and 2 casinos so the pawn shops should get decent business.


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## drasbell (Feb 6, 2009)

Harry nice job. look good and plenty of room for finger clearance


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Derek

No need to get bummed out ,you can find the same setup on eBay for peanuts just about every day of the week, no need to go over the end just for a router table setup many come with routers. I see them all the time in garage sales and they go in the car for about 25.oo ..and they are just about new..the norm..

Plus they are right up your alley you can mount it to a pull out and flip up table top from under the work bench..just right for a wheel chair wood worker.


CRAFTSMAN ROUTER, CRAFTSMAN ROUTER TABLE, 10 MIXED BITS - eBay (item 180485180028 end time Mar-28-10 12:53:05 PDT)

CRAFTSMAN LARGE 26 X 16-1/2" ROUTER TABLE 28140 - eBay (item 250599989972 end time Mar-27-10 18:00:43 PDT)

craftsman router table, Home Garden, New. Great deals on eBay!

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DerekO said:


> I've found that would be nice to have and hope to get another router so I can keep the ryobi in it's table once I make the table. If weather keeps up like it has been I should be routing out the track this weekend. Then need to either buy or make a plate. Might use the plexiglass or polycarbonate or whatever it is that I have as a temp plate while waiting for what ever I order to arrive.
> 
> I remember making my last one out of Hardboard. Not sure if I still have any extra of that laying around or not. I just know this table is getting kind of expensive compared to what I thought it might be...
> 
> ...


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

DerekO said:


> I still need to get a router for it as I don't want to install the plunge router in it. I suppose I should check out the local pawn shops. Got the card club, horse racing year round by telebet at the track and live for the summer months and 2 casinos so the pawn shops should get decent business.


Derek,

I can't speak for your area but around here Craigslist often has routers for sale... another choice. I buy *some* stuff from Craigslist but a coworker seems to make a near full-time occupation of it, while actually working full-time. He parses Craigslist with the going in position that his maximum price for a *perfect* item he really wants is half of retail, and few items approach that criteria. He tells me he calls and chats with lots of folks on the list, inquiring as to how firm their price is, how long it's been for sale and how bad they want it gone while never appearing overly eager. 

He's picked up some great deals. I pointed out a deal for 4 Jet AFS-1000B's for $300 total. I bought one, adding a second to my shop and he kept the others. They sell on Amazon for $300 each, and that's before shipping (not paid to Alaska). He got a 80-gallon 5-hp 175 psi Champion compressor with two 60-gallon extra storage tanks for $500. As he says, you can get great deals if you play the game. Carry cash, don't get eager and be prepared to walk away from 9 deals for the 10th. You just never know when secretly somebody just wants to get rid of something, how long its been for sale, how much space they have to store it. Some nearly pay him to take it. 

On, did I tell you? He owns a duplex with a shop on premises. The duplex is 1,600 sq ft per side and his shop is 2400 sq ft with high-bay doors, 16' ceiling, all insulated, sheet-rocked and heated. Yea, I drool... <g>

I've gotten some great deals on Craigslist too... like a Waterloo 46"lX24"x24", 300# empty, professional grade tool box chest for $200. Retail price: $2,000. I'll take a few scratches for that deal!!

Be patient, save your cash and shop around!! Deals can be found!


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

*??????????????????????*



harrysin said:


> Thanks Dave, I too think it's better, not only for the good fit into the socket, but the extra clearance between it and the table. I have to take this opportunity Dave to ask when work will commence in your pole barn? The weather must be improving by now.



Soon Harry, soon.:fie::no::lazy2::laugh::nono:


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

You're now committed Dave, I shall follow you very closely from now on!


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

I have been unlucky finding craigslist deals. Just looked now for cheap sheds and most want 750-1500. Or bought it last year and are willing to sell it for just 50 less.

Whenever I looked for routers or router tables it was either a total piece of junk, too far away or over priced.

Same when I looked for table saws.

Only times I have gotten lucky is with a golf cart last year and possibly with a swap for a scooter this year that I thought was set, but when we tried to set a day for doing it he stopped replying 

I was giving him all the parts from my 4 scooters (in various repair, only 1 can carry me) and getting back a 48v hooverround scooter/wheelchair type.

Doing it and giving the fixed ones to guys like me who can't exactly afford the 8-10grand some cost nowdays is what this guy does.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

I just checked craigslist again this morning for routers, table saws, scroll saws and one other search I already forgot. Most sales were, as always either too far away or too much for what I thought the price should be. It doesn't matters I am on close to the southeast edge of the area covered by this part of craigslist and that it covers at least a 14 county metro area. 

I know things have changed a lot since the Atlanta Olympics, but at that time either there or the area here had the largest local calling area in square miles if I remember correctly. 

I saw a lot of things that would require at least a 50 mile drive and some a 100. Only saw 3 things in the local area.

The guy who is going to help me regarding the scooters is a 2 hour drive each way away from me. He is north of us. I think when I got the golf cart it was 45 miles each way. This was going south of us. The one just like it that was priced a bit higher was only 20 miles away. So the area covered lends to me seeing a lot of good deals that by the time we drive there in the truck turn into bad deals.

Ebay scares me a bit. I am a recovering ebay addict. Things got way out of control one summer. During one month of the time I was using it a lot, I spent over $900 on various palm or other pda's and accessories, most of which ended up unused and by the time I thought of resale, worthless. Since then I have mainly stayed away from it except to add things to our joint account's watch list and add notes to it that my Wife can see.

I do already have the small ryobi table. Right now I am planning on building a larger one out of some mdf I have of unremembered size, but a lot larger than the ryobi table. 2'x4' is the measurement that comes to mind when I think of the sheet I have, but am not sure. At first this was going to be on either a rolling cart or cabinet or just put on saw horses as needed, but now is planned to go in the extra space between the table saw fence rails on the right side.

I had always been thinking I was making a cheap table until I actually added it up after I saw Harry's post about what he had in his new cheap find.

I think once garage sale season starts around here I will have a little bit better luck finding used tools, but just need to make sure I stay in the area I consider the old town and the area built up right after we moved back here. I think the city has come close to tripling in population since we moved back here in 1993 and a lot of what I used to think of as out in the country, but still in city limits, has more people than what was town when I went away to college and then moved out when I got married. It has made the search for 5-10 acres to either build or move a house onto not very easy and stretched the search into areas I would have never thought I would be looking as I considered them out in the boonies. Now they are turning from tiny little towns into regular suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul, just like Shakopee did after the new bridge and highway bypass went through. I grew up just outside of city limits, a lot closer to the main town area than a lot of the new sections are, but the area around there is not built up yet and has been able to resist being annexed. That might change as the farm across the road (not sure if in or out of city limits) has for sale and for development signs along the highway now. I do know that on my parent's side it won't be built as the owner of the land there won't sale. His kids, my childhood buddies might, but I know he won't for sure as we have talked about it a few times. Only thing he might do is be willing to sell me a small (acre or less) lot, but even though I want to live there, still not sure I want to live that close to my parents.

Too late at night/early in the morning, too many pain pills. Should probably hit delete instead of posting, but here it goes as a post.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Don't despair Derek, I know that many members go in for tables and fences with all the bells and whistles but this simply is NOT necessary. A sheet of 3/4" ply or Laminex covered MDF with four simple legs and a one piece basic but preferably tall fence is all that is required in order to carry out most, if not all table operations. Anything that can't be done on such a table is probably better done hand held with a plunge router or with a ski mounted router anyway. In short, find a suitable router and literally, knock together a simple table and fence, total cost, very little to get you up and going. Don't, for heavens sake become uptight getting started, ask as many questions as you like, there are lots of us here only too willing to get you into the wonderful, wonderful world of routing Derek.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

I know a simple really cheap table can be made, I did it before from leftover mdf for the table and fence and used hardboard for my plate.

I am just a little disappointed that what I thought was going to be a cheap homemade table has had it's cost skyrocket on me. My Wife says she knew what it was costing all along when I mentioned it to Her the night after I posted what I had into it so far. 

Right now I am using the ryobi router/table combo for my table needs and a 1.5hp or 1.75hp plunge router from Harbor freight for my hand held needs. 

Originally I was going to put the made table on top of a cabinet of sorts (sort of a glorified box) but that was before all the table saw problems and ending up with a very long fence that goes past the extension plates. So I have thought about not making the table quite as long as I planned, but instead fit it into the spot between the table saw fence rails and be able to use it as an extension table for the table saw and the table saw for the extra length I wanted for some projects. 

One is I need to make some door molding and I thought a longer table would be nice to support the work as I do it. The present brick molding (I think it is called) from the old door left a large gap for some reason I don't know...I didn't do the work, my father-in-law did and he was already upset with me because he couldn't figure out how to get the old locks off, so once I bought new locks and actually got the old ones off the previous door I sort of faded into the background out of the line of fire. He has a temper slightly less mild than mine and I learned early on it was better to just let him have his way than to not have his help. I just argue it before hand to try and convince him to my thinking or stick to discussing other topics besides fixing up his only daughter's house or car. 

It was kind of funny regarding the car...when we both drove my car he had nothing to do with it. As soon as my Wife became the main driver of it he had us coming down there every couple of months for oil changes, tire rotations, brake jobs, clutch repair....almost anything that needed to be done to a car. Since then one we became close friends with a guy who owns a repair shop and just leave it all to him. He sort of got handed down the job when our common friend, our neighbor died several years ago. He even picked out my Wife's latest new used car and it has managed to run for 4 years now I think...though she does park it during the winter months ever since it stalled one cold morning and drives my truck. The real reason is she likes how it heats up faster than her car does. Only my truck in name as normally it is some one else driving me as no one in the family likes me driving anymore with the heavy duty pain pills I take, except my mother who it really doesn't sink into. Plus driving out to see her is only 3 - 4 miles away and Dad always takes over the driving after I get there. I think it has been around 6 months since I drove as we didn't go to the hunting tournaments we normally do and I always get to drive during them as it is ice and snow and mud and lots of bumps and I get stuck less than she does plus she can handle getting thrown around by the bumps whereas I only do well if I can have the steering wheel to help me stay unbounced around the truck.

My, can really tell I have had a lot of pain pills in the last 4 hours as I think I went completely off subject. Good thing my new saw still isn't put together as I don't think now would be a good time to be cutting wood as I might do something stupid like cut a larger piece of plywood I should really have help with and larger sheets are what I need to cut to finish up the project that got interrupted when the whole table saw situation started.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

*The story continues*

I had reached the point of testing the table, but decided that the tiny two piece plastic fence was totally inadequate and decided to make a basic one piece fence similar to the tall pink one on my main table. If for no other reason than to keep Bj happy, (he must like my PINK fence as he often mentions it) I used some more of the 5/8" Laminex covered MDF recovered from our original kitchen. It was at this point that I discovered the top of the table was very convex. What to do now entered my head, scrap the table and make a new one or fix this one, and the latter is what I chose as shown in this photo shoot.
The fence is in the next post.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

*The fence*

Here are a few shots taken whilst making the fence, which is simply screwed together, no glue. I'm sure that there are members scratching their heads wondering why I've devoted so much time to this project which will be used only occasionally, if ever. The answer is simple, I'm ten years into retirement after leading a very hectic working life and have to keep my mind and hands busy, I've seen too many colleagues fall off the perch early in their retirement, no doubt from boredom. I have a very good forum friend who I'm sure will be reading this and I hope that it will offer some incentive to start doing "things"


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

You're $3 table is now in the $100+ range with all the love you've given it! Neat project, love the color of the fence!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Harry

I like it,, and I sure like the mouse hole in the PINK fence but I don't see your vac.pickup tube..... 

======



harrysin said:


> Here are a few shots taken whilst making the fence, which is simply screwed together, no glue. I'm sure that there are members scratching their heads wondering why I've devoted so much time to this project which will be used only occasionally, if ever. The answer is simple, I'm ten years into retirement after leading a very hectic working life and have to keep my mind and hands busy, I've seen too many colleagues fall off the perch early in their retirement, no doubt from boredom. I have a very good forum friend who I'm sure will be reading this and I hope that it will offer some incentive to start doing "things"


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

DerekO said:


> I have been unlucky finding craigslist deals. Just looked now for cheap sheds and most want 750-1500. Or bought it last year and are willing to sell it for just 50 less.
> 
> Whenever I looked for routers or router tables it was either a total piece of junk, too far away or over priced.
> 
> ...


In my experience, getting good deals on CL requires visiting there several times per day, as the best deals are on there for an hour or less. If you know you want it, a phone call will often get the poster to pull the post and hold it for a bit for you.

That said, friends have had people promise to hold it while they drove 50 miles to pick something up, only to be told "I sold it 5 minutes ago". When it works, ya can get great deals!!


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

*Good Luck Harry*



harrysin said:


> I've seen too many colleagues fall off the perch early in their retirement, no doubt from boredom. I have a very good forum friend who I'm sure will be reading this and I hope that it will offer some incentive to start doing "things"



*GOOD LUCK* with your good forum friend Harry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lazy2::lazy::sarcastic::dance3:


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Harry
> 
> I like it,, and I sure like the mouse hole in the PINK fence but I don't see your vac.pickup tube.....
> 
> ======


You will, soon after Easter!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Dr.Zook said:


> *GOOD LUCK* with your good forum friend Harry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lazy2::lazy::sarcastic::dance3:


I purposely didn't, and won't mention the name, but I hope you have taken the advice on board!


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

Harry, 

I wonder what Bj would think of my Pink Blackberry, with it's Pink rubber case? I did add a black outer leather case. I really do like the Pink router fence. 

Did I see that you routed the aluminum table top? I didn't know that could be done with regular router bits. Or are they different bits?

Jim, 

I don't have that kind of time for craigslist. I have another site that is basically what I treat as my job since I can't have one in real life and I could spend so much time doing things related to it I wouldn't have time for anything else in life. Took on a lot of the duties pre-pain pill change back when I was still an insomniac, not the guy who just basically slept from 11:30pm last night until 2m today and will need another nap yet today.

This last deal I found on craigslist, was posted weeks before. Still is in the not happened stage yet, but I have stuff he really needs and he has something I really need. Would have happened by now, but for my Wife and Father being so busy doing taxes that neither one can reliably make any outside commitments until after April 15th. He needs all of my scooter parts and scooters to fix up other ones and I need the heavy duty scooter that he is going to fix up with my spare 24volt motor. The guy finds old scooters and fixes them up and gives them to people who need them as a hobby. So getting the parts from mine, which include 3 complete scooters, 2 of them more or less working, the other taken apart will really help him out.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Derek

The PINK is fine ,Harry and I play a game called Ping/Pong, I will Ping (poke) him and than he will Pong me..  I'm thinking he may be color blind  and the only color he can see is pink and orange .. 

===



DerekO said:


> Harry,
> 
> I wonder what Bj would think of my Pink Blackberry, with it's Pink rubber case? I did add a black outer leather case. I really do like the Pink router fence.
> 
> ...


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Derek
> 
> The PINK is fine ,Harry and I play a game called Ping/Pong, I will Ping (poke) him and than he will Pong me..  I'm thinking he may be color blind  and the only color he can see is pink and orange ..
> 
> ===


Colour blind Bj, nay, why do you think that one of the first things we did after buying this house was to replace the PINK kitchen. Here are before and after shots.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

:jester: Out of the kitchen and into the shop, Harry? :jester:

(See, I borrowed your big wooden spoon!)


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

DerekO said:


> Harry,
> 
> I wonder what Bj would think of my Pink Blackberry, with it's Pink rubber case? I did add a black outer leather case. I really do like the Pink router fence.
> 
> ...


A pink Blackberry, unlike a pink fence is in my humble opinion, a bit on the feminine side, but I will not draw conclusions just because of that and the fact that you like my pink fence! Regarding the routing of Aluminium, I've never found it to be a problem using HSS as well as Tungsten cutters so long as the speed is reduced to prevent the Aluminium from melting and sticking to the cutter.


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## RStaron (Sep 25, 2009)

Harry, nice job on the kitchen! Looks much better!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Whilst I would love to take credit for the new kitchen Ron, I confess that I paid a pro to make and install it. Once made, it took less than two days to fully install including water, gas and electrics. About a year after installation, we replaced the dish washer, only to find that it was too tight a fit, one phone call to the guy and he was back and modified the opening in a most professional way, at no charge, proving that one shouldn't necessarily choose the lowest quote, rather go with one's gut feeling. The chosen quote was close to twice the lowest one.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

harrysin said:


> A pink Blackberry, unlike a pink fence is in my humble opinion, a bit on the feminine side, but I will not draw conclusions just because of that and the fact that you like my pink fence! Regarding the routing of Aluminium, I've never found it to be a problem using HSS as well as Tungsten cutters so long as the speed is reduced to prevent the Aluminium from melting and sticking to the cutter.



I did it just for the opposite reason of it being feminine. I wanted it to stand out a bit, plus very secure in who I am, a very straight, long time married guy whose best friend just happens to be gay. Didn't want to be like the one guy I knew who wouldn't even take a pink 3.5 floppy disk and insisted I go back home and copy it onto a black one.

My Wife says I am color stupid. I can tell the difference between them, just think they are different than what she calls them and think a lot of them look good together that she doesn't. Which I suppose might be one of the reasons I only have a few different colored shirts for times that I need to clean-up and I often don't even get to pick between them before we go out someplace that she cares what I look like. And why I am not allowed to pick out paint colors, just reject the ones I don't like out of a set of choices.

A pink kitchen is just a bit too much for me, too much 50's or 60's.

I thought I had seen posts mentioning routing aluminum, but wasn't sure. I didn't realize it would melt that easy either that the speed of the router bit would have to be a worry.

Just one more thing I have learned from this forum. That would have been nice to know if I would have still had the table saw with the 5/8ths t-track. Would have been able to make some more solid miter slot bars for it. I did just do Bj's suggestion and get a bread board and use it and just made the bars either the friday night before the blade guard attacked me or the friday the week before. They fit just perfectly too.


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