# Horizontal mounted router?



## fireflyva (Aug 7, 2010)

Since I am looking at building my own router table and looking at different plans on the internet, is there an advantage to having a router that can mount horizontally on a router table? As well as mounting in the traditional way, of course.

Is this even feasible? If so, can anyone direct to me such plans?

Thank you for taking the time to respond and share.


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

Hi Mike:

Yes, the vertical table is a reality. It's most effective use is for mortise and tenon jointery but its role can also be expanded to accomplish other things given adequate jigs and fixtures. In my notes, I have paired the vertical table with the template mother board.

I have some pictures in books but you'd be better off with the books. Router Magic by Bill Hylton and "the Router Handbook" by Patrick Spielman. Both are available through on-line used book stores.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

No plans but you may want to check out the links below, they are very easy to make your own.. advantage, to many to count.. 

http://www.routerforums.com/project-plans-how/9782-best-both-worlds.html
http://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/3014-new-toy.html
http://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/3111-horz-router.html

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fireflyva said:


> Since I am looking at building my own router table and looking at different plans on the internet, is there an advantage to having a router that can mount horizontally on a router table? As well as mounting in the traditional way, of course.
> 
> Is this even feasible? If so, can anyone direct to me such plans?
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to respond and share.


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## eccentrictinkerer (Dec 24, 2007)

Here's a HZ table from Canada. Really well planned.

Hope to build one this winter.

Great website, BTW!

Table à toupie horizontale / Horizontal Router Table - Windows Live


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## fireflyva (Aug 7, 2010)

Dear Bobj3,

Thanks for the information - it looks amazing! Are there plans out there for this? I am fairly new to woodworking, have tried to build things before just off of pictures, and have failed miserably. 

Thanks again - what a table!


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## fireflyva (Aug 7, 2010)

Dear eccentrictinkerer - 

Thanks for responding. Are there plans for this available out there? It looks like a great table, but without plans I would be afraid to try and make it.

Thanks for replying.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike (fireflyva)

If you want to make the one that eccentrictinkerer posted you can find the plans in the Router Magic book or you can send off for one that's all done by MLCS , about 10 screws and mount your router and your all set to use it, plus free shipping.

MLCS Horizontal Router Table

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fireflyva said:


> Dear Bobj3,
> 
> Thanks for the information - it looks amazing! Are there plans out there for this? I am fairly new to woodworking, have tried to build things before just off of pictures, and have failed miserably.
> 
> Thanks again - what a table!


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

fireflyva said:


> Dear eccentrictinkerer -
> 
> Thanks for responding. Are there plans for this available out there? It looks like a great table, but without plans I would be afraid to try and make it.
> 
> Thanks for replying.


Hi Fireflyva:

Ok, take a long hard look at that picture. You'll notice that the side closest to you is one board with a hole in one end and a radius groove on the other and the router stuck in the middle. There's your plan. All the rest you don't need. Take your already-made table and lag bolt this board to the side and use a hanger bolt to hold the compression knob on the other end.

Now, you'll notice that the author is not using a heavy router. A heavy router is possible but a light router will function well, if you don't take huge cuts. I'm going to be trying mounting mine with an OakPark baseplate and see how well I can get that to work. I might get lucky. Let us know how you are proceeding.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Guys

Just my 2 cents ,a 1 1/2 HP router work very well you don't need a tank of a router , I have use my setup for panels,molding,picture frames, M & T work,lock miter, etc. any time you need to put the stock by the bit in the vert. the Horz.table will do the job easy.

I will say I use two bits to do the lock miter. one in the standard router table and one in the horz.table setup at the same time..

I use the Porter Cable 690 router most of the time..with a speed control device..and run the router at 1/2 speed most of the time ,no need to cook the bits or over work the router for just one easy job..

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## eccentrictinkerer (Dec 24, 2007)

fireflyva said:


> Dear eccentrictinkerer -
> 
> Thanks for responding. Are there plans for this available out there? It looks like a great table, but without plans I would be afraid to try and make it.
> 
> Thanks for replying.


What bobj3 said!


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> Just my 2 cents ,a 1 1/2 HP router work very well you don't need a tank of a router , I have use my setup for panels,molding,picture frames, M & T work,lock miter, etc. any time you need to put the stock by the bit in the vert. the Horz.table will do the job easy.


My experience has been that one size doesn't fit all. I use heavy routers for all of my in table work, simply because I have them. The difference comes when I'm using big bits. That extra horsepower is vital at slow speeds when using big bits. No 1 1/2 HP router will be able to perform with a 1 1/2" radius round over bit for period moldings. 

Try to match your machine to your requirement. If you're purchasing your first router, you'll find a heavy one more versatile than a light one. That said, you collect routers. You never buy just one.



> I use the Porter Cable 690 router most of the time..with a speed control device..and run the router at 1/2 speed most of the time ,no need to cook the bits or over work the router for just one easy job..


I find nothing wrong with using a bit at the speed at which it will work efficiently. Speed control devices are great but they also reduce the power available to the bit. Remember, a big bit needs slower speeds and more power. A speed control on a small motor reduces the speed and the power available at the bit even more. Careful that you don't fry the motor.

That said, speed controls have their place, especially with single speed routers. But, I would be suspicious if a router and external speed control is more expensive than a even the cheapest variable speed router. I have a lot of difficulty with the Porter Cable products. I find they're overpriced and grossly overrated for what you get. I worked too hard for my pennies so I'll spend them more frugally.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Ron

Once again we don't agree, the PC router has been around for a very long time and is a work horse and will be when your over the pond router is dead and gone from the market place..

" No 1 1/2 HP router will be able to perform with a 1 1/2" radius round over bit for period moldings. "
Once aging your are wrong .

Many have the PC 690 and the speed control device is just the ticket for that router..I have 5 of them (speed control boxes) and use them all the time on many routers not just the PC.

I know you like to takes notes you should check out what a true router is like..

"one size doesn't fit all" Ron

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allthunbs said:


> My experience has been that one size doesn't fit all. I use heavy routers for all of my in table work, simply because I have them. The difference comes when I'm using big bits. That extra horsepower is vital at slow speeds when using big bits. No 1 1/2 HP router will be able to perform with a 1 1/2" radius round over bit for period moldings.
> 
> Try to match your machine to your requirement. If you're purchasing your first router, you'll find a heavy one more versatile than a light one. That said, you collect routers. You never buy just one.
> 
> ...


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

I have one Porter Cable tool. Other than the stationary tools, it is the most expensive tool that I have. It is the Porter Cable 423MAG Left Hand 7" circular saw. I also have a dirt cheap Skil Right Hand 7" circular saw. 

After a few month's use, while we were building beams and the workshop, the safety guard mechanism got plugged up with sawdust. It jammed open and almost took my brother-in-law's leg off. I'll never trust Porter Cable anything again. 

Meanwhile, the dirt cheap partly made in Mexico, China, Taiwan, India, Outer Splobovia and God-knows-where-else Skil, has built a 8x43 deck, a kitchen, a small workshop, a large workshop, pillars, beams, roofs and who knows what else. It got buried in sand, thrown on a pile of gravel from a roof, dropped on concrete floors more times than I care to admit. It is noisy. You swear it's going to fall apart in your hands. It feels terrible but I can one hand that thing while balancing on a ladder set on top of a scaffold while I cut a hole for the peak vent in a gable end. It is as un-fancy as it is possible to get a basic, cheap tool. I can trust it implicitly.

That you have good luck with Porter Cable, good for you. Yes I often recommend a production router (other than Porter Cable) simply because it is the most versatile size that can handle anything thrown at it. I started with a Craftsman 1 3/4 HP pretty thing that my wife bought me. It wasn't long after I got it that I stumbled on the Router Workshop and the first thing I noticed was that my router didn't do what they were doing. It was several years before I got the M12V. I don't like to hear that other guys got caught in the same trap.

For my purposes, I have evaluated routers in the marketplace based on a series of criteria:

1. ½" chuck: Smaller bit shafts can be fit using an adapter.
2.	2 wrench collet: This is getting scarce but search for it. Sometimes it is hidden or it can be retrofitted. This is the alternative to the spindle lock which I consider dangerous. Note, I set and remove bits from a router sitting on a bench. If you use a router lift and leave the router in the table, you have not choice. You have to use a spindle lock. I broke a Craftsman router where the spindle lock attaches to the plastic case. No parts available.
3.	Variable speed: (8,000 rpm to >24,000 rpm.) Nice but close to useless <3HP, but mandatory >3HP. Note that the slower speeds are mandatory for larger bits but you need the horsepower to push them.
4.	Plunge base: This is the most versatile, but a fixed base is fine for a third or fourth router
5.	Bit clearance: Able to accept or modifiable for large panel bits 3½" to 3¾"+. Mandatory for panel bits.
6.	Guide holes: These are used to mount a straight edge guide or for ski and foot use. These need to be a minimum of 12mm or ½". 
7.	Soft start: Is handy especially with the heavier horsepower (higher wattage) routers. Without it, a starting router could be wrenched out of your hands.
8.	Light weight but versatile and powerful. With power you want weight but you also want to pick it up and use it all day long. Sometimes table mounting is a viable solution.
9.	1¾" template guide hole: 1½" hole with a 1/8" shoulder for brass template guides. There is the 1 3/16ths "standard" but it is too small for even occasional use. Makita allows for a 40mm template guide.

It is obvious that your router requirements are different than mine. Perhaps you would be kind enough to publish your list of requirements. I would certainly like to test the validity of my list. Many fellows just starting out would welcome an alternative to my list so they can pick their own likes and dislikes.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

thanks BobJ 

for setting the record straight!

we see your pictures and know of your knowledge. your pictures help lots of us! as does our friend Harry's do.

it does bother me that when a forum member trying to get his point across simply doesnt or doesnt know how to post pictures.

thanks for not only your insightful posts, but the pictures that help so many of us.

i see opinions are nice, but without photos, they are pretty much worthless!


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## fireflyva (Aug 7, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. To be honest, some of this is over my head, but I am picking up pieces of information here and there. 

I use partly what I've been given and partly what I've bought. All my routers use 1/4" bits but none are variable speed. 

One of them is 1 1/2 hp, maybe another is as well, all are older than my daughters, 9 y/o twins, and one is a Craftsman 40+ years old fixed base, a Skil plunge router, and a newer Craftsman fixed base router.

My feeling is that the quality of my tools, at least to this point, has not been the cause of my problems, but my lack of technique, experience and knowledge of how best to use them. I think these forums will help that a lot.

I'm learning on my own, as many of you have, I'm sure, and making mistakes is part of "the learning experience." Also, I have to get the idea that a project can be built in the time of a 30 minute edited TV show by professionals who can do this in their sleep. 

Let's put it this way - I can make saw dust with the best of 'em.

However, the point of this post was about horizontally mounting a router and I've gotten some good ideas.

Thanks again for everyone's replies.


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## fireflyva (Aug 7, 2010)

fireflyva said:


> Thanks for all the replies. To be honest, some of this is over my head, but I am picking up pieces of information here and there.
> 
> I use partly what I've been given and partly what I've bought. All my routers use 1/4" bits but none are variable speed.
> 
> ...


Excuse me - I meant to say _I have to get over the idea that a project can be built in the time of a 30 minute edited TV show by professionals who can do this in their sleep._ 

I know that setting up and getting ready to make a cut takes much longer than actually making the cut.


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