Thread: Steel Inserts

Strewth, that sounds pretty reasonable to me. I'm currently making a router table extension for my table saw and have been fiddling around with some 6mm perspex. Maybe I should track down something similar as I'm worried about the strength and flexibility the perspex.
Good luck with it Jedo

Originally Posted by Tex79

Strewth, that sounds pretty reasonable to me. I'm currently making a router table extension for my table saw and have been fiddling around with some 6mm perspex. Maybe I should track down something similar as I'm worried about the strength and flexibility the perspex.
Good luck with it Jedo

Howdy Tex...
(sorry - couldn't resist...)
Nah - perspex is too flexy...
The big boys swear by phenolic resin plates or ally plate
except it cost$ . . .
Dunno why I've never seen steel plate mentioned before
maybe I'm doing the wrong thing - as usual...
Either somebody'll tell me - or I'll find out the hard way...
Bugger it - if the idea don't work - they'll make nice wind chimes...
Are ya going to the wwshow, Tex...
Jedo

Hi Jedo,

I can't see why steel won't work, the only thing which comes to mind is surface rust but thats no issue if treated.
Yep, I'll be at the WWshow with bells on. I think we'll have to have another get together for dinner on one of the nights like last year.

Hi Tex

Don't think surface rust will bother me... or anyone...
TS and Jointer, morticer, etc are all cast iron - LOTS more porous than milled steel...
a good buffing with beeswax (or your preferred) ought to kill that one...
Other thing I thought of was the weight...
Advantage of steel - it will sit more heavily in the recessed table
Why haven't the big boys opted for steel. . .
(somebody's gunna drop a bomb...)
Jedo

'Tis a good idea Jedo, nice & stiff & thin for minimum plunge loss.

I want to upgrade mine to steel at some point, I currently have a homemade phenolic one but it is 10-12 mm thick & I would prefer a thinner insert.

I think most inserts are made of other materials because they are easily machined with woodworking tools.

BTW, Veritas make a round steel router table insert, I think Wongo has one, and of course the Triton one is steel.

Originally Posted by Jedo_03

Hi Tex

Don't think surface rust will bother me... or anyone...
TS and Jointer, morticer, etc are all cast iron - LOTS more porous than milled steel...
a good buffing with beeswax (or your preferred) ought to kill that one...
Other thing I thought of was the weight...
Advantage of steel - it will sit more heavily in the recessed table
Why haven't the big boys opted for steel. . .
(somebody's gunna drop a bomb...)
Jedo

I may be wrong here but as far as I know Cast iron is self lubricating and MIld steel is not (It is because of carbon content in it) threfore it will rust without care (External lubrication). Mild steel has the lowest carbon content apart from Wrought iron that is the reason you will not see Mild steeel in machine parts.

Dust Maker

Hi Jedo,

I have tried 6mm polycarbonate (too much flex) and two 6mm Al plates (for two different routers) for my router table. The Al was not expensive from memory about $12 for one and $20 the second - not sure why the difference as they were both the same size (220x300 from the same supplier. The Al worked out OK, but it was cut on a guillotine and it was not quite flat near the egdes so had to do some work to get it flat. I can't see why steel should be a problem as you can polish and wax it to keep it smooth and slippery (I did the same with the Al), and if it is laser cut you should not have any issues with it remaining flat in the cutting process.

I've been using a 800x800x3mm mild steel plate as a router table for over 5yrs, it rusts way less than any of my cast gear! A coat of wax is all it takes.
When you obtain your steel plate make sure its been guillotined, not heat cut.
As for laser cutting its not really needed, take off the router's plastic slip base and use it as a pattern. With a hole saw cut the hole, then drill the holding bolts and chamfer the holes so the screws sit nicely. If you leave the plastic slip base off you will loose no height at all... unlike using MDF or similar, I can use my collet spanner above the table too.
I've cut the main hole slightly bigger so I can use 3mm ply/mdf as a zero clearance insert.

I have plenty of support under mine, a square frame made from 190x45mm pine there's about 600mm square for the router to fit in. Plus bolted two 400mm lengths of 50x3mm ally angle bracing that just touches each edge of the router base.
Its stayed flat(just checked it today with a veritas steel straight edge... .001"!) and has no flex.

When I have installed routers into tables I always leave the plastic base off to regain the lost plunge, I thought everyone did it this way. There is nothing the matter with steel and some of it doesn't rust surprisingly. I have a trailer that has never been painted or treated in any way and it hasn't rusted at all. I don't know the name of the particular steel but it is good stuff. My only concern with making a table out of steel for placement in a table saw is be aware it may change the centre of gravity to such a degree that the whole saw may tip with very little help. I know mine would and will need outer supports to prevent it happening. This is most probably true for any router table insert in a saw. Has anyone else found this?

Nah - the two routers are going to sit in a sturdy-made timber bench-box bolted onto the top of my workbench. The bench-box is about 80mm taller than the routers - so C of G is way low down... won't tip I'm thinking...

I used to use a piece of 2mm steel for my first plate and found it great except for when i started to use larger dia bits and it had to be cut out further and i was constantly changing back and forth with bit size... I ended up buying the wood peckers phenolic place with the different sized rings that twist in, soooo much easier and soooo much less effort than making your own plate, even at the $100 now rather than the $70 odd i paid a few years ago I think its still great value!

Steel is fine but if you use Ally plate you can cut/shape it with any HSS or Carbide tipped wood working tools. All you do is rub candle wax onto the the blades and just take it slowly. You can use a router or TS etc no worries. If its a long cut you can stop and add more wax or add wax to the cutting line. Before I cut I light a candle and dribble the wax along the cutting line.

I made a zero clearance insert for my TS using 6 mm Al plate by taking the old one out and placing it on top of the Al plate, traced around with a pencil and then cut to approx shape using a TS/BS. The final snug fitting was done by using a belt sander. I then screwed the insert into the table and very slowly raised the TS blade till it penetrated the width I needed.

For the Router, you could cut the centre hole in the Al with a waxed hole saw and then use the router to rout a 6 mm lip on the edge of the centre hole which you could use to attach various insert zero clearance inserts. Doing all this in steel would be a PITA without access to a metal shop.

Mini: FWIW I have my router in a cast iron extension wing attached to my TS. counterbalanced on the other side by another cast iron wing there is no way this thing is going to tip

Bob, with mine the lip for the ZCI is the router base no need to cut a rebate/lip in the steel. Its the same spot a template guide screws into on the router base.

Originally Posted by Harry72

Bob, with mine the lip for the ZCI is the router base no need to cut a rebate/lip in the steel. Its the same spot a template guide screws into on the router base.

Nice. Is it standard for all routers?