# Distance from miter track to the bit



## skeet1958 (Jan 17, 2011)

I am building a router table. Is there a standard length or distance from the miter track to the router bit. Thanks


----------



## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Skeet,

I personally don't use a miter track in my router table. The biggest limiting factor I can think of is the size of your baseplate. Another thought is what fixture are you going to be using in your track, and how much clearance you'll need between it and the largest bit you're going to use.


----------



## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

skeet1958 said:


> I am building a router table. Is there a standard length or distance from the miter track to the router bit. Thanks


I don't think there is a "standard" dimension, since the size of router plates and/or router attachment methods vary. Consider the reach of accessories you have, such as feather boards, sleds, etc. and strike a compromise.


----------



## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Welcome to the RouterForums skeet.


----------



## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

skeet1958 said:


> I am building a router table. Is there a standard length or distance from the miter track to the router bit. Thanks


Hi skeet - welcome to the forum
I don't think there is a standard distance. Sort of a defacto standard would be what type of commercial accessories do you think you will want, featherboard, box joint jigs, etc. If you are going to want to use those 6" is about the maximum distance. The closest distance would be half the width of the plate, ie 9 x 12" plate would say minimum distance would be 4-1/2" and that's if the plate and mitre track had no table between them. If you plan on making your own jigs and featherboards, the distance would be pretty much immaterial.


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

You don't need to have a miter track 
Many ways to do the job without having slots in your top that fill up with router chips and jam the sled, here's just one of them..

====
http://www.routerworkshop.com/featherbd.html
====


----------



## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Some like to attach store bought feather boards to the t-track. Not have to also use clamps to fasten them. I don't use sleds with the track, but I do use it to fasten feather boards to.


----------



## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

After decades of using my homebrew top without a slot I also saw no need for it.

Finally retired my old top and replaced it with a Kreg setup, which has a dual track, T and miter.

The slot is roughly 6" from center of the bit.

Now that I have the slot(s) I find that I use them frequently. Featherboards and sled (Woodhaven) setup nicely with the track.

Dust extraction at the fence and a dust bucket keeps the tracks fairly clean.


----------



## Slomoe (Feb 14, 2011)

I didn’t install a track slot in my table as I was afraid of compromising the strength and flatness. The fence controls your depth of cut so sleds and jigs should align with the fence face so as you adjust your fence the sled or jig will just go with it. If I need a feather in the front I will use a readymade straight edge board that has a lip like the fence and just clamp it. That way if I need a feather that’s 8” from the fence, it will work. If I had a slot, it would not fit anyway because you are limited to the slot location and size of your feather. Conclusion – it’s a dust collecting snagging waste, just more frills to sell you and more accessories to hook you on. Besides my locking straight edge works for a lot of other things too, like a saw guide or router guide..


----------



## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

I would think that a stiff extruded aluminum track through bolted and epoxied into a tight channel would to little to harm the integrity of well constructed table.

A sled that uses the fence as a guide can be damaged if your bit is cutting flush to the table top, sure one can "jig up" to prevent such a cut (been there done that) but a sled that uses a track can be held away from any cutter with any profile at any depth/height within the limits of the entire rig.... I can swing my 3-1/2" raiser at any height and not damage the sled.

I cut my copes with a single pass using a no-blowout backer board screwed to the sled tight to the fence.
I could see a problem if I needed to take shallower bites, creeping up the the final cope but a slotted/bolted backer board could be used in this case for quick adjustments for the multiple cuts whereas a non track sled would just need to be run along the fence at each position.

Aligning the fence to a track sled can be a pain but if you set the backer board to depth of cut then all one needs to do is snug the fence to the backer board at either end and your set. Both my Kreg and Incra setups are set parallel to the slot and do not need to be tweaked any more than my table saw, which also happens to have those "dust collecting" slots.

Clamping feathers anywhere on the table is a non issue, one is not limited to just the track setup, the old feathers and clamps that were used pre-track are still available.

I would bet that most if not all of the manufactured gizmos put out now are based on woodworkers' home made jigs. One can make or buy, a choice. Quite often I'll see a manufactured jig that makes more sense to make, other times it'll make more sense to buy after considering time, materials and effort/ability to make. 

Conclusion: if one sees benefit with a track then do it, if one doesn't ....don't.
Not a big deal either way in my book.

One of the coolest things going is figuring out how to do with what you have, all the while knowing that everyone else is doing the same. I have no problem with seeing someone else come up with a better/safer way and incorporating those techniques into to my own. No one knows it all.


----------



## Wood Doc (May 11, 2010)

Dr.Zook said:


> Welcome to the RouterForums skeet.


Good one Dave, all mine IS scrap. A lot of the firewood I see now is what the lumbar stores are selling!!


----------



## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

"I didn’t install a track slot in my table as I was afraid of compromising the strength and flatness."

"I would think that a stiff extruded aluminum track through bolted and epoxied into a tight channel would to little to harm the integrity of well constructed table."

In my opinion, which that plus $5 will buy a cheap cup of coffee, that depends greatly on the thickness and material used for the top. 

My top is 1-1/2" thick and (due to the cabinet design) the top is supported in 4 places along its width so the ~1/2" recess in the top has no impact. 

For others who use 3/4" thick stock for the top and only support the perimeter, their mileage may vary.

I agree with Tom though... making the table uniquely yours is one mighty cool thing... as is knowing even as you are completing one top you'll be thinking of things to incorporate in your *next* top!


----------



## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

Foolin' around with pictures, sorry.








Curent setup with a track sled.

Prior setup was similar to what Bob shows but used a dedicated bolt-on fence with aluminum angle attached to hold the sled away from the bits.


----------

