# Building my first router table



## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

Now that I've got my new router and bits, I'm ready to get them dusty. I've realized that most of the things I want to make, I really need a router table for. I've considered buying a cheap Craftsman, but think I'm going to pass on that as it seems too small, and building one sounds fun. As I was looking at other ones, I saw that the Kreg one advertises using the split fence as a jointer, I watched a couple videos of other people jointing with it, so I think I'm going to incorporate that in my fence design, but that's later. 

As I was reviewing dozens of different tops and their layouts, It seems like most people have one of two different layouts. Either the Oak Park design, w/ the router off to the side, and the plate mounted perpendicular to the top, or the Norm's Ultimate Router Station type design. I think I read his design was modeled off of a ShopNotes design, but I can't recall for sure and couldn't find the reference. That one being more like 24" x 32" with t-tracks and a miter slot. Of course there are other layouts too, some massive, some smaller and fitting into a table saw, but the ones that would seem to suite me are the first two I mentioned. 

Being the cheapskate that I am, I started looking around for what I could scavenge from the basement to reuse. I found a piece of melamine from an old Ikea desk hutch that I'm not using, that I think I might repurpose into a top. The problem is, it's 16"x32", so I was afraid it was too narrow. I was planning on doing the Norm/Grizzly top design w/ T-Tracks and a miter track added at some point. 

After looking at the Economy Top plan that Mike posted, that top is 16" deep, but that one uses clamp on fences as opposed to the t-tracks. Why is the Oak Park table off-centered like that? 

For those of you that have the dimensions closer to the Norm/Grizzly type top, isn't the back half of the top pretty much wasted space? I see Norm's fence goes way back to presumably provide a lot of support, but is it really needed? I see his fence is super tall, which may be why his base goes back so far. I'm thinking a good 4-6 inches of the tabletop back there is wasted space that only gets used to hold the fence when you're not using the fence. (I may sound like a complete idiot here, as I've never used a router, just watched a bunch of videos and read some books). 

I'm not overly concerned w/ shelling out a few bucks for some new top material, or scavenging a different Ikea coffee table, but more concerned with the amount of space in my small basement shop, so rolling the table out of the way would take up less space if it was 6-8 inches narrower. If there's a good reason to make the top that much deeper, please let me know. 

I might do something a little different and push the plate farther to the back of the top, but in the center width-wise. That would give more support for the work piece. Are there times when you need a lot of work piece support behind the bit? 

Now some other details. I'm debating on whether to add the t-tracks and miter track on the top. I've seen some good fence designs that just clamp onto the side of the table, like Steve's from WWFMM or the one from woodsmithshop (sorry can't link yet). It seems Mike is against the t-tracks as in several posts he recommends to keep it simple. But it also seems there are a lot of commercial tops that include the t-tracks. What are the advantages and disadvantages to the t-tracks?


Finally, the miter track slot. I don't have a miter gauge yet, so I might not put it in yet, but just wondering if I should save room for it and order the track from Grizzly while I'm ordering the base plate. It seems the time to use the miter gauge is when you're trimming, rounding, or shaping end grain. Since most of the time I'll be doing that on 90 degrees, I might just make a mini perfect 90 sled for now. My question is, how much use do you get out of your miter slot on the router table? Would any of you make it a must-have feature? If so, when do you need it? What can you do with it that you otherwise could not do?

Also, for those who have built tables, what are some things that you wish you would have done differently? Are there any features you never use? What things have you added (to the top, fence, or stand) that have opened up your options or you'd highly recommend on a beginner table?

Thanks in advance.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Best thing to do is use that melamine for a top, see how it works for you, then build another, more permanent top. My first one was a sink cutout. My third one is the keeper.
http://www.routerforums.com/axlmyks-stuff/5103-router-table-cabinet.html


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## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

AxlMyk said:


> Best thing to do is use that melamine for a top, see how it works for you, then build another, more permanent top. My first one was a sink cutout. My third one is the keeper.


Thanks, Mike. I guess it goes back to a saying I once heard. "A dumb person doesn't learn from their mistakes, a smart person learns from their mistakes, and a wise person learns from other people's mistakes." 

So I know I would be smart in using the melamine and having it work for a while, but I want to be wise and find out what went wrong in your first two tops. What didn't you like about them? Why is your third one better than those? Thanks.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Always a fan of people making their own router tables. That way they get what they want and need, and not what someone else thinks you want and need. Here is an excellent thread for ideas. http://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/17212-wanted-pictures-your-router-table-76.html And, if you go down a few posts on that page you'll see my post on my table. Mine is rude and crude, but it does just what I need it for, and want for that matter, so I'm very happy with it. Once I get a few other things out of the way will be adding an extension on the top.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

First table was a POS. Too small, no insert. 
Second (in the thread I linked to) was too thin. Couldn't add miter tracks. 
And I DO use the tracks in case someone wants to start a pissing contest about them, again.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

I agree with Mike, the miter tracks on mine get used all the time. However different applications have different needs, and what works for me may not be good for you at all. That is one reason it's sometimes best to just start out inexpensive/basic until you have a better idea of what _*you*_ ate going to use your table for primarily. Then you will have a much better idea of what features are important you. I or no one else can really tell you that. The sticky thread on "show your router table" has more ideas than any one of us can use!

http://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/17212-wanted-pictures-your-router-table.html

Many, many, good ideas and info there. The Grizzly $139.00 or what ever its going for this week is a fine table to start out with as well. By the time you outgrow it, you'll have a much better idea what is important to you.

Best of luck!
Duane


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Darren, there is no wrong way to build your router table. The whole idea is to find your comfort zone and enjoy it. In a perfect world you could meet with Bob and Rick Rosendahl from the Router Workshop, Marc Sommerfeld of Sommerfeld tools, Craig Sommerfeld of Kreg Tools, Martin Godfrey of Woodrat and any other professional you care to name and try their products hands on to see which works best for you. Each has different schools of thought on "how to" and yet they all work.

When I say I prefer not using T tracks I explain why. Does this mean it's wrong? By no means. Two of the tables I own have T tracks in them and two do not.

Table size? What ever works best for you. If you are working on material that is 3' in length the Router Workshop size table provides plenty of support. If you are building cabinets in a production shop then a much larger work surface like Sommerfelds table makes things easier. Plain and simple: there is no one size fits all router table.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

I think you guys are correct in saying you make the router table the way you like it. I make my tops out of 3/4" plywood. I make a wooden fence with a dust port over the bit. I set the fence about where it will be used and drill a hole through a board on the back and through the table top. I insert a bolt. This must be a tight fit. The fence pivots on the bolt and the other end I lock down with a clamp. I make them for holding 1, 2 or 3 routers at a time all lined up for speedy work. I make portable and floor mount. Several years later I may disassemble some and change the configuration. Several have miter slots. For power I either mount a power strip or an switch box for easy access. I lock the router power to on and control the on/off with the power strip. I haven't figured out how to send photos on this site so I can send samples of my tables. Malcolm


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Darren, i do beleive you are ober thinking it. I would suggest YOU pick a size then build you a table and a fence and see hoe it works for YOU. as has been said there is no perfect for everyone table out there. If you don't like it do as many of us has done, scrap it and build another one. Just mho.


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## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

Thanks for the replies, AxlMyk's especially. I hadn't given any thought to the thickness of the tabletop. My melamine alone is probably too thin to add the tracks. I think I'll add something (MDF or plywood) underneath and cement the two pieces together to thicken it up. After seeing a few designs for clamping the fence on, I'm leaning that direction, but I think I will add the miter track at some point. 

I know it seems like I'm over-thinking this, especially for just a hobbyist, but I'm lucky to get a few hours a week in the shop, so hopefully this table works for a long time. I don't want to spend a bunch of time making this, then at the end have a POS that I can't use, want to rebuild, or isn't safe.

Thanks again.


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## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

*Some pictures and thoughts*

I've finally got my router table put together to a point that it's easy to use and thought I'd share some experiences for those just starting out. 

On the usage of it - Thank you to those of you above on your input, you really need to use it to figure out what you like and don't like. For a long time, I just used it sitting on some sawhorses, which worked fine, but took a while to setup. Now I've got this on a stand with wheels that my brother scavenged from a Nordic track at the dump. I've got it open for now, just so I can use it quickly without messing w/ the sawhorses. I will likely enclose it to help w/ dust, and give me a place to put the bits, accessories, etc.. 

So far, I'm happy w/ the usage, though I haven't used it for much. I wish I just bought the grizzly one right off the bat to use for a while to see what I liked and didn't like. I did learn a lot while building it, but would have rather spent the time building other things than building something to build other things.

On the building - way harder than what I thought. I'm glad I asked for advice before doing this. My melamine was too thin to add miter slots, so I thickened it up by adding 3/4 MDF underneath...turned out to be a Godsend later. I watched several videos on how to install the insert and goofed up as I had never routed anything before. I can't recall the exact details, but I plunged the hole to the right radius and shape pretty well. I took off the double sided tape boards, and when I put in the insert, I realized I didn't plunge deep enough. Oops. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal, but after cutting out the center hole with a jigsaw, it was difficult to get the insert realigned and the wood strips lined up again. I figured I would just free hand to add the extra depth. Oops! So much for a snugly fit insert anymore, as I took extra slivers off here and there. Back to the drawing board.

I flipped the top over, and then glued some dry erase board material on the top to be my new top. I saw someone on here had done that successfully. This time I watched about 37 videos of people from all over the world installing inserts first to have a good plan before starting. Went about 100 times better than the first try, until I popped the wood stuck with double sided tape off. Apparently my tape was a little too strong as some of the dry erase board came off with the tape. (the brown spots on the top now). If you go the dry erase board route, make sure it's high quality stuff, not the hardboard stuff at the big box store.

I added trim, spent some time building a fence, and it works pretty well. I still have not used it as a jointer like I planned, but the capability is there and will likely do so at some point. The dust collection on the fence works great when I'm using a smaller bit and can have both the yellow and red rings in. When using a roundover bit with the red one out, a lot of dust and chips fall below, so I do plan on enclosing a box around the router and pulling the dust out below. Unless I can figure out how to make some custom ring closer to the size of the bit. Hmm.

Another issue I ran into is centering the insert on the router. I bought a centering pin, but somehow it didn't come out perfect. I don't plan on using bushings, so not a huge issue, but for the beginner, I'd recommend finding some good instructions on how to center it. I think I read something on here from Bob J that was a good write up, but it may have been from someone else. My mistake may have been from sloppy drilling by hand instead of using a drill press, but I can't recall exactly. 

Another mistake that I made was in making the fence. I planned on using some Harbor freight toggle clamps upside down to quickly clamp the fence to the top. It sort of worked, but the rubber stoppers seemed to allow too much play in the fence. Then, I made the mistake of adjusting them too tight and it blew out the MDF spacers that I had glued to the fence. (I guess the mistake was also using MDF spacers) So much for that idea, back to the carriage screw/knob/wingnut approach I'm using now. Quite a bit slower, but it is more accurate. 

Next feature to add is an outlet, switch, and extension cord so the shop vac and router turns on with the same switch. Also a shelf for the bottom to store the router and bits. Then I'll be adding the t-slots to the fence and miter slot the top.

Sorry for the sideways pictures. Thanks again to all those who gave advice directly as well as indirectly by posting pictures and instructions.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It looks perfectly functional Darren and that's all it has to be. I like the salvaged wheels. I like to recommend to someone that they not get carried away when building their first table so that they have time to figure out what they need and what they don't. One small change I would suggest is to replace the wingnuts with through threaded knobs like items A or K . Wing & Bar Knobs (5/16-18 Thread) - Lee Valley Tools You'll find them easier to use and you'll be able to tighten them more.


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## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

Thanks for the reminder, Chuck. I was going to make some knobs, but haven't gotten around to it. (I'm cheap, $5 for a knob seems insane). That should go to the top of my list as it is hard to get the right torque on the wing nuts. Also, the top is pretty slick, so the fence tends to deflect a little. Not sure if the knobs would completely solve it, or if I should put something soft/grippy on the bottom of the fence.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Looks like you did a yeoman's job on it. My first one didn't look nearly as nice.

I know this is probably more money than you want to spend but I really like the rockler cam clamps:








$10 for 2. They'd make it super fast to lock down your fence which should translate into better accuracy. I'm all about fast, accurate set up.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Mike (MTStringer) made some very good looking knobs by drilling between spokes with a Forstner bit and using tee nuts. That gets your cost down to the 10-20 cents that a tee nut is worth. Or for a few more cents use threaded metal inserts.


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## OttoW (Feb 13, 2016)

DarrenWK said:


> Thanks for the reminder, Chuck. I was going to make some knobs, but haven't gotten around to it. (I'm cheap, $5 for a knob seems insane). That should go to the top of my list as it is hard to get the right torque on the wing nuts. Also, the top is pretty slick, so the fence tends to deflect a little. Not sure if the knobs would completely solve it, or if I should put something soft/grippy on the bottom of the fence.


Just so happens I got lost on Youtube and found this video that might be of interest.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Consider making the base cabinet like Norms. The extra space in the back side is useful if you are going to cut a slot in the middle of a wider piece. You can build the cabinet so that it is solid, but has a replaceable top. Build it for what you have available, and change it out later if you wish. I want a thick top, and I want it to be about the height of the table saw so that I can use it as a support if necessary for my table saw infeed. Doesn't have to be perfect height, just very close. My shop is about half a garage wide (in a 12x24 shed), and the router table is right next to the infeed side of the table saw. That makes the top of the router table about even with the TS a very useful thing.

Making the cabinet will be a great use of your space, and it will really help you learn a lot about cabinets in general. Soooooooo many projects are actually variations on basic "cabinets."

I bought a table top and fence, but if I were doing it again, I'd just buy the flattest piece of ply I could find then glued it to a chunk of very flat MDF. I'd probably either apply a layer of laminate to the ply, or finish and wax the heck out of the top. The fence design I'd use I saw not long ago. It was a long box, partially closed on one end with the dust collection hose on the other. 

If you go to YouTube and look up videos by Marc Sommerfeld, you'll see something like what I suggested, but you will also watch for technique. He is clearly a master of cabinetry and I learned a lot just watching him do his thing. 

I just recently ordered a new mounting plate, like Sommerfeld's, from Woodpeckers, which has that twist lock insert so its easy to change router bits from the top. I have to cut a wider opening for it, but what a convenience compared to undoing three tiny screws every time. Hope this is helpful.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

OttoW said:


> Just so happens I got lost on Youtube and found this video that might be of interest.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxE_cejdZ0g


those knobs, wholesale, are 30 to 65¢ each...


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## OttoW (Feb 13, 2016)

Stick486 said:


> those knobs, wholesale, are 30 to 65¢ each...


Well at that price it wouldn't be worth my time to make them, are they easy to find or have I never looked?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

think you have never looked...


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## DarrenWK (Jul 2, 2013)

Thanks, Stick. I would appreciate a link. I've tried googling for some, but can't find any under a couple dollars each. (maybe I'm searching for the wrong thing? I've been searching for star knobs) How many do you have to buy to get down to the $0.65 range? 

One day I decided to check out the local hardware and they had them, but were $5 each. I thought that was insane for a piece of plastic and a nut, so I bought a couple of t nuts instead with the plans to make some like MTStringer. Several months later and I'm still using the wingnuts.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

I get them in town from a supplier...

here's what they are called...
also referred to as clamping knobs...
Clamping Knobs, Star Knobs, Metal Knobs, Wing Nuts, Wing Screws, Thumb Screw and Rim Knobs – Section 8


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## OttoW (Feb 13, 2016)

Stick486 said:


> I get them in town from a supplier...
> 
> here's what they are called...
> also referred to as clamping knobs...
> Clamping Knobs, Star Knobs, Metal Knobs, Wing Nuts, Wing Screws, Thumb Screw and Rim Knobs – Section 8


Some really nice fasteners available. I've seen a few in stores but not at those prices or options.


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