Thread: Router Table Top

Good God! They can't be serious with that price.

That does include a computerised router lift as well

Originally Posted by ian

I've just had another look at MandJ's prototype router table.
I think you need at least 2 tops
Both tops should -- on the working side -- be faced with plastic laminate to produce a low friction surface,
one top should have provision for a starting pin and perhaps nothing more.
the other top could have a starting pin and a miter track, or carriage track -- but keeping the carriage track / miter track aligned with teh fence could be a major challenge.
(by "carriage track" I'm thinking a track to carry/steer something like this Veritas right angled sled Veritas® Right-Angle Sled - Lee Valley Tools )

without wishing to side-track your thinking, have you seen this Ready2Routâ„¢ Digital Router Fence System - Lee Valley Tools

Hi Ian, just to be clear, any mitre slot placed in the table top parallel to the fence in my new table will ALWAYS remain parallel to the fence, the only way it can get out of alignment is if the table top is twisted in its mounts, that is imposable if it's fitted and located correctly into the cabinet cavity. The Fence cannot be moved from parallel with respect to the slot unless you adjust one of the screw drives at either end of the fence.

I've also tested a dual bearing slide rail mounted on top of the fence, this allows a mitre sled to positively lock to the fence and therefore absolutely parallel to the fence face, these dual bearing rails are the same rails used for the router lift and the fence side rails in this build, low cost and very strong, smooth as silk running on bearings. A simple mitre sled can fitted to this with ease.

On the subject of dual tops, that is something I was pondering, but it's not really needed when you make insert plates to fit a small recessed opening in the table top such as this early test unit: Yet another Router table build.

Mike.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Thanks Ian,
Thats a nice right angle sled and a reasonable price with all the features it has.
The digital router fence is another story - wow that’s dear even if you can get the stated accuracy from it (0.001”).
Getting that sort of accuracy, consistently, isn’t easy and I’ll be posting in my digital proof of concept thread the adventures i’ve been having with stepper motor drivers, DROs and accuracy. Achieving that sort of accuracy is the reason I would be hesitant to rely on some of the currently available DROs to control a microprocessor.

Using a dial indicator for conformation, I'm able to consistently get 0.001" for movements covering the working width of the bit. The 12" Fence DRO I'm using is quoted as 0.004" accuracy over it's entire length, the 6" Lift DRO is 0.002", again that's for measurements over its entire length. As the majority of adjustments of both DROs is only a small part of the movement, I'm finding an accuracy of around 0.001" to 0.002" easily attainable in these cases. I haven't had a chance, due to my stupidity (accident), to measure them (accurately) over greater distances, but initial basic measurements using my quality steel rulers showed them to spot on with the ruler, which is what I used in the past to mark / measure larger distances with anyway.

I know you were having trouble with the DRO(s) you had and fully understand your delay until you do more testing, but I'm not seeing those errors in the 3 units I have.

I had two problems in the end.
1) Crap Stepper driver
2) Inaccurate Igaging DRO

I’ll post on my thread with a video with the solutions.

BTW all my measurement checks were done with a dial indicator, not steel rules.

My critical measurements were done with a dial indicator, however my dial indicator does not measure distances of 300 mm.

That’s true but could you have used one of your DROs to check accuracy over a long distance? As you say their stated accuracy is 0.004” over 300mm.

I think we were talking about different things. I was trying to verify the Fence and DRO over that distance, assuming the DRO specs are correct then the fence is indeed that accurate over it 300mm of travel.

Just for fun I daily move the fence to the rear of the table and then press home, I sit a razors edge against the fence over the pin point of the centring tool in the router chuck, it's always perfect and the DRO display = 0 +/- 0.01mm almost every time, occasional it's out by 0.02mm.

BTW Pressing Fence Home does not use the DRO for position, the Fence runs up to the Fence home sensor, the display just shows the final position, and can be zeroed if needed.

We are talking the same thing - accuracy over distance.
You are reading the DRO slide via your microprocessor and the touch display and not the Igagings own display - right?
The reason I ask is I’m still not sure whether the inaccuracy of the Igaging unit I had, was its slide or its display.

I use both as I purchased 3 DRO units when they were first released. The slides can use each others display, I swapped them around during testing, they all match, as does my code readout on the touch screen display. I wanted to see if they all used the same calibration factor.

I must have got stuck with a crap unit then

gee I hope so, if it's a bad batch then other recent purchases will also have a problem.

Have you thought about formply? 17mm thick and definitely lighter and more stable than MDF. I'm in the process of finishing off the one I made over 20yrs ago.

IMG_5007.jpg

The ruler rebates are redundant now as 1. I've lost the rulers to fit, and 2. I'm making a pivot fence pinned on one end which is fixed by a bolt.

and all you have to do is router out the mitre slot.

That's a good idea, and not trying to be smart a#$% but how do you plan on keeping the mitre slop parallel to a pivoting fence. Or are you using it in a different way?