# Routre Table + Dust Collection Location



## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

Colleagues: am seriously contemplating shop fabricating a new router table. But have question about dust collection location.

1) Been told that routers draw cooling air from the router top, exhaust it from the bottom/bit end. Seen router table designs with the dust collection port at the bottom of the router enclosure with an open space/holes in the enclosure access door to draw in air. This is how my current router table is set up and it leaves some dust and chips in the enclosure. 
Question: does this starve the motor for cooling air?

2) Also seen router tables with the dust collection port and opening to draw in air placed under the table at router plate level. Supposedly, this design is much more effective to remove dust and chips. Question: does this starve the motor cooling air?

3) Would it be better to have the dust collection mounted under the table at router plate level and open space/access holes on the bottom of router enclosure access door? Dust collection would draw in cool air from the bottom with the air pulled by the dust collection system and router fan into the router and exhaust it at the bit where the warm air and dust/chips would be pulled into the dust collection system?

Or am I just over thinking this??


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Located below the router and particularly in an enclosure, even if the enclosure has an air opening, will defeat at least some of the cooling air. Drawing air at the opening, whether above or below the table, will enhance the air flow going through the router. I don't believe in enclosing a router for any reason because it is likely to run hotter if you do, even if the enclosure is ported. Even with the air going through, some heat is radiated away from the casing and the enclosure reflects it back at the router. All the chips are created above the table, none are created below the table. Dust collection at the fence works well with the exception being when making grooves with the fence backed away from the bit. Below the table doesn't either unless you have holes drilled through the table or plate and even then I'm not sure how well as you must have air flow for the vac to work and there isn't mush air flow going through the channel you would be making.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I have an old Bench Dog router table I bought used. The fence has a 2 1/2 inch dust port. Since the port is so small is it better to use a shop vac vs a DC? I don't know as my router table sits idle. I hope to learn it soon.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

there are two stages to this.
First, from a health point of view, you need the dust contained as much as possible and the dust collection enclosure works best if the dust falls straight down to the floor and is then sucked away.

Second. the router needs a supply of clean air to the top casing (bottom of the router when its in the table) to stop the bearings getting clogged with dust and to keep the motor cool.

So a perfect scenario would be a big box with an open bottom, funnelling into the extraction ducting, and a large hose hose attached to the bottom of the router and fed from a clean air area, preferably pumped in at low speed.

Crazy isnt it? So you normally have to compromise somewhere to get it all into the table enclosure.

Overheating of the router is not normally a problem to a home hobby worker, as its rare to have the router running for more than a few minutes at a time, so the pumped air system can be ignored. If youre a small business and the router often runs for a half hour or more at a time, then overheating could become a problem.

For me, the dust can not be ignored, so the router should be enclosed. There needs to be inlet air as well as extraction vacuum, otherwise there is no airflow to remove the dust. So holes at the furthest away point from the extraction tube works best, There should be extraction at the fence as well.

A short fat hose connected to the router base and fed down through the bottom of the box will supply all the cooling air that the router needs. 

And yes, youre definitely over thinking it (lol)


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Bob I don't find that the dust drops straight down. I find that the bit tends to want to throw it because when I'm too lazy to hook up my vac to the dust port on my fence it's all over my top.

I'm trying to figure a practical way to have DC at the fence and attach a half moon shaped collector just below the table but I haven't come up with a solution that still allows me to remove the plate and router for bit changes and that is a deal breaker to me which is another reason not to have the router in a box as that would make the removal more difficult.

Lee I just use a shop vac for my table and I do have a big DC hooked to my other shop tools so I could hook it up to a 4" but I haven't seen a need to.


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## Job and Knock (Dec 18, 2016)

It might be helpful to know that industrial spindle moulders (shapers) extract pretty much everything from the back of the fence - just the sort of arrangement that Chuck is referring to. My old router table did just that, too, but when I build/buy a new one I'll be looking for a second extraction port just beneath the table as well. Last time I did find that running a larger diameter (50mm/2in) hose from the vacuum cleared the waste a lot better than using the standard 35mm (1-3/8in) hose which came with my vacuum so maybe newxt time I'll add a cheap 3/4HP blower and go for a 75mm (3in) or even a 4in (100mm) hose.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Some time ago, I think it was Mike's post, there was a picture of a home made fence that was actually a large box. The box was just about half width of the fence, was about 3 inches or so tall and had a 2.5 inch dust port on top. The fence opening may have been adjustable, but I dont' quite recall if it had a changable insert section or whether the split fence slid to fit--either arrangment would be pretty easy to make. Lots of air flow and pretty easy to make. You'd just have to make certain the fence was 90 to the table. I liked the design for a home made fence because it would really pull in a LOT of dust from the cutter.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Lee I just use a shop vac for my table and I do have a big DC hooked to my other shop tools so I could hook it up to a 4" but I haven't seen a need to.


I guess I will plan on my shop vac for dust control on my router table. It means less fittings to buy for my up coming DC.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

coxhaus said:


> I guess I will plan on my shop vac for dust control on my router table. It means less fittings to buy for my up coming DC.


My solution is simple, I bought several 2.5 inch flex hoses and added up-adapters to 4 inch OD. I just hook the DC to the adapter and voila. On the router, I have one 4 inch attachment point with a Y splitter to 2.5 inch. The 4 inch pulls both top and bottom just fine.


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Herb sent this to me so give him the credit. It is a full discussion of what you are trying to do. I think this method is the best for a router table. Just a comment on the page it was done over 8 years ago and the principles still apply and the guy that is using this is still using it today. It is another woodworking forum

Different Dust Collection for router cabinet....

Herb had me out to his shop and he uses this method. I know Cherryville Chuck will disagree but I have seen it work and I think it is great.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I guess air not getting to your router to cool it might depend on how long you run it at one time. Mine isn't used for long periods. I do keep the dust cleaned out of mine but have never seen much dust in the router. There is also your health to think about and keeping the shop clean. Routers make a heck of a mess. 

So this is what I have done to collect dust on my router table. Others are right in saying you can get most of the dust at the fence. But I wanted more. Looking at the pictures you will notice the sides around the table. They are stuck on with Velcro so they can come off when needed. In the bottom I have one of those plastic pans like you can use when collecting dust from a contractor type table saw. I got mine at Grizzly. This setup works very well and I get almost no dust.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

My router is set into a Paulk workbench. I built a standard fence with dust collection on the back (similar to Don's Kreg fence). I'm in the process of replacing the plate and making a shop-built lift for my router. See the attached drawings. I have most of the initial design built but don't like the play in this version so I need to come up with different materials / method of mounting the router bracket to the box. The basis of my idea for router lift is make the fixed portion of the lift a box that goes around the top end of the router only leaving the bottom (direction as mounted) exposed. This way the business end of the router is all 'above table' with regard to the dust collection.
The router plate and insert are made from 1/2" corian counter top material. The lift materials are made of BB plywood. Not shown in the diagram is the 3/8" threaded rod or the mounting plate on the bottom the rod is anchored to. Also not shown in the diagram is the glide mechanism for keeping the router carriage stable in the lift box. My first prototype used waxed aluminum L channel and UHMW tape but that's not slick enough and too difficult to fine tune. My second prototype is aluminum L riding in a piece of corian. But that's not very smooth either.


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## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

Whimsofchaz: thanks for the link. Think it might be applicable to what I am considering for DC. Agin, thanks.


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Your welcome Ray

Chuck


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