# Another router table - comments?



## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

Hey there - so I'm reaching out to see what you think. I'm the kind of guy who will research til his eyes hurt, then execute to nearly what he wants with some improvisation along the way. With that in mind, I've come up with a router table plan that I think is fairly simplistic, easy to build, and uses little more than 1 sheet of 3/4" plywood, some scrap 2x4, casters and t-track. 

The main cabinet is an old bathroom sink cabinet that I already have, just sitting in my basement collecting dust and holding my clamps. Why not make it into something useful??? 

I thought of a way to make a guard useful and somewhat flexible. I'm thinking of cutting a stock piece of 1/2" plywood 3"x3" and also make a matching 1/2"x3" hole above the bit. Nothing fancy... it can slide in and out of the fence. If pushed all the way in, it will hide inside the dust collection cubby. Or you can pull it all the way out and hide it somewhere. Only thing is I can't see through it or adjust the height... I can do the same thing out of plexi, which would allow more visibility, but I still can't adjust the height this way.

I'm thinking build a base to raise it up a little bit, and also to make it more mobile. Then build a top out of ply, route some dado's for some t-track, cut a hole for a plate, build a fence out of scraps, and viola! A new table! Let me know what y'all think. Overall dimensions are 36" x 22" x 40.5" (L x W x H).


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Looks decent.
You might want to consider a laminated MDF top. It would be far less likely to warp and loose it's flattness. Thicker top too, because as it is in your sketchup, the miter track almost goes all the way through.
I just built a very basic bench top router table and as i was looking for scraps in my garden shed I found the jack for my old car. It's a small 'half scissor' jack.
It works great as a router lift !! I bet you can get scissor jacks real cheap.
Might be worth thinking about if you're mounting a plunge router in your table.


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

I noticed the depth of the top also. Is MDF a better choice for a top than birch ply? Can certainly make it two ply of either type. The plunge router in the pic is my laziness... I was just surfing for a router and it was the first one I came across. I'm mounting a fixed base.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hi Eusibius,

i see lots of recommendations for a "laminated top" while this is a great idea, and seems to get new members foaming at the mouth, it isnt necessary. 

i see lots more great projects built by members of this forum that were built on a single thickness top. i see this in the older pros here.


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## Walter_Lars (Mar 2, 2010)

I have a couple of thoughts that might help out 

use a double thickness on the table top not only dose it prevent warping 
it adsorbs vibrations and you still have plenty of meat under the grove your gonna route for the combo T track 

add a T track to the fence to add feather boards and hold downs 
add a drawer in the cabinet section to hold router bits and tool and other "stuff" a router needs 
I think you will be more happy if you use a piece of Plexiglas as your safety shield


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

i agree if you want a t-track, you need a thicker top, but lots of us use the kiss method.

if you have that much vibration you must have something wrong with your router. 

i have a single thickness top and dont have a problem, but if i did, id check out what the problem was instead of adding to the thickness of my router table.


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## Soapdish (Jan 18, 2010)

I use 3/4 Advantec for the top on mine. I sanded it and put polyu on it, it's nice a slick. I don't have any track in, but getting ready to order some. I'm thinking of just adding a 3/4 strip of scrap to the underside of the table directly under the t track.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hi Jake,
i think if you glue it to the table, it will work fine. 

i, having my table for 5 to 6 years havent seen a need to add a track yet, but who knows, maybe soon.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

The choice between ply and Mdf or even particle board would probably come down to the quality of all of them from your own supplier.
Personaly I just used laminated particle board which was the sink cut out from a counter top. it's about 30mm thick and I got it for free. I don't have a miter track at the moment but may put one in.
Mines just a small bench top table, but the places that do cnc cutting of counter tops also have larger pieces sometimes from the stove top cut outs.
They usually just throw them in the trash.


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## Cochese (Jan 12, 2010)

I went with two 3/4 MDF with a Formica top. The MDF is great, but I didn't cement the Formica properly and it's coming up in places.

For my second (and smaller) table, I'm going with phenolic-faced ply, since it was on sale for exactly the size I needed. I'll combine that with probably an MDF bottom for again, a 1.5" thick top. I know others have done well with less, but I'd rather go a bit more solid since I'll be moving mine around.

If you don't laminate it, I'd go with MDF for your surface. And +1 on making it thicker if you plan on putting tracks or slots in it.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Of course for starters you could go really basic like this tiny Eagle America one that I bought a few days ago.
I visited the recycling section of our local rubbish dump with my brother in law for a bicycle, they sell them for $10.00 irrespective of condition, and many just need air in the tyres. As we were leaving, I noticed this router table sitting on the ground covered in sand and asked the guy how much, he scratched his head as if trying to work out what it was and, with a question mark in his voice said "$3.00", I couldn't pay him fast enough. My thought is that a second small table could be quite handy, like having several drills on a big project.


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

Harry - that's a great find! I'm always on the lookout for things like that!!

I have thought about a few things:

- the guard could certainly be made of clear plastic or something. I have no experience (ie: zero!) working with plastic except I know it breaks in all the wrong places for my son's toys... so I have no idea where to start looking for that material, what kind to look for, or ever price points... I do like the idea of being able to see my work though!

- storage: yes, I'll be building somehting inside the cabinet, I just don't know what I want to put inside it yet, so I'm leaving that task for later.

- t track in the fence: I've thought of that, actually. I don't know what height to put it at yet, so I think I may leave that for a future add on. Any ideas for a rookie where to put it on a fence?

- tops: wow, seems like quite the variance on preferences... 1.5" thick vs 3/4", ply vs phenolic vs MDF... I agree that it should have a little beef underneath where the miter/t-track combo is going, so I'm leaning towards 1.5" thick. I'm thinking of going scouting to several stores to find what they're throwing away for left over countertops and see if I can score something there and maybe add a little bracing for support underneath... dunno yet...

Thanks for all the ideas. Any one have any experience with the router plate from Harbor Freight? Good? Bad?


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Great find Harry ! You can't go wrong on that for smaller work. Is that a Roberts radio I saw at the back?

Cheers

Peter


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

You've got a keen eye for audio products Peter, and I have endless curiosity.
It's a Gemini 21. 
Right Harry ?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Nice Harry

May I sugest one thing that you hinge it to a board so you can get to the router under the table top..  that way you can flop it over...and get your hands in to switch the bits out..


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harrysin said:


> Of course for starters you could go really basic like this tiny Eagle America one that I bought a few days ago.
> I visited the recycling section of our local rubbish dump with my brother in law for a bicycle, they sell them for $10.00 irrespective of condition, and many just need air in the tyres. As we were leaving, I noticed this router table sitting on the ground covered in sand and asked the guy how much, he scratched his head as if trying to work out what it was and, with a question mark in his voice said "$3.00", I couldn't pay him fast enough. My thought is that a second small table could be quite handy, like having several drills on a big project.


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

*fence / guard idea*

So maybe a guard like this? If I can get a piece of durable plastic, I'm sure I can cut it like wood right? Then fashion something like this. I can have 2 holes in the back of it (to keep it vertically straight) and a matching elongated hole through the fence. This way, with a few bolts and nuts, I can adjust the guard up and down. I like this better, but now I can't adjust the depth like I could before...

I've also added (for very quick reference) some t-notches in the fence so I can add stuff. Still not sure about the height on the face of the fence, but any suggestions would be welcome!


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

Actually - let's do that better, how 'bout making it inset so the face is flush? Now the face of the inset will keep the guard nice and straight.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

You can get a bit guard from Rockler for about 3.oo bucks like below, you need a place for the bit to run free.

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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

Just wanted to say nice idea on recycling the sink cabinet.


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

DerekO said:


> Just wanted to say nice idea on recycling the sink cabinet.


Thanks - that's what started the whole idea.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Yes Eagle Eye! It is indeed a Roberts digital DAB+, not compatible with the UK's DAB. In the 50's and 60's in England, Roberts were the Rolls Royce of portable radios, by appointment to the Royal family. Nowhere on it can I see where it's made, however, in spite of TWO Royal warrants on the carton, I suspect that it's made in China. This doesn't matter because it's finish is impeccable as it's performance. The display not only shows the station name and frequency, but also what music, song etc. is playing


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

gav said:


> You've got a keen eye for audio products Peter, and I have endless curiosity.
> It's a Gemini 21.
> Right Harry ?


Sorry Gav, the name on it is ROBERTS, however, because I suspect that it's made in China, I'll wager that it's available around the world in versions to suit the various digital systems under many different brand names, so I suppose that you could also be right.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

bobj3 said:


> Nice Harry
> 
> May I sugest one thing that you hinge it to a board so you can get to the router under the table top..  that way you can flop it over...and get your hands in to switch the bits out..
> 
> ...


That sounds like a good idea Bob, but I guess that over time it will just evolve, rather like some of your wonderful jigs.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

I was refering to the actual model.
See pic.
Is that yours ?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

gav said:


> I was refering to the actual model.
> See pic.
> Is that yours ?


Not quite Gav. but they do make quite a few different models, all looking similar at first glance, a friend of mine has a third version.


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## Eusibius2 (Feb 25, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> You can get a bit guard from Rockler for about 3.oo bucks like below, you need a place for the bit to run free.
> 
> ========


Bj - I can't find it online, do you have a link?


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Much more exotic than my R600 ! As you say, they were the Rolls Royce of radios in their day. I'd heard the name had been sold, like so many.
Just pulled this
Roberts Radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
R600 (R 600) Radio Roberts Radio Co

Cheers

Peter


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Eusibius

Sorry I don't have a link for that item BUT they do have them in stock on the shelf the norm I have 4 of them. 

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Eusibius2 said:


> Bj - I can't find it online, do you have a link?


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

I can't find the piece when I search Rockler's web site either. But I am pretty sure I have seen it in their catalog.


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## Cochese (Jan 12, 2010)

The only thing close on the Rockler website lists at $14, and I have to doubt that little piece of plastic goes for $14. But you never know.

ON SALE! - Rockler 4-Piece Router Accessory Kit - Rockler Woodworking Tools

$10 - Router Fence Bit Guard
$7 - Amazon.com: ROUTER BIT GUARD - LARGE: Home Improvement
or
Router Table Fence (hit your END key)


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

An interesting read Peter.


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