Thread: Steel plate in Perth

Smidsy,

Might help.
2 Weekends I purchased 2 pieces of 200 x 200 5mm or 6mm for $18.00
and I'm "in the Bush"

I'm recessing the steel into a timber top for a twin router bench.
I'll [most likely] support the steel from under the timber.

Ivan in Oz

Originally Posted by smidsy

Hei Guys,
I want to do a costing on building a router table. Anyone know where in Perth I can get some 5mm steel plate and what I would pay for a 200mm x 300mm piece.
Cheers
Smidsy

Smidy - why not aluminium?

I bought a sheet of 600 x 500 x 6 mm from Robert Cameron & Co. - 96 Goodwood Pde Burswood WA 6100 (08) 9361-2533. They cut it square for me while I waited.

Goodwood is the street that used to get you to Belmont Racecourse, you get to it now from Great Eastern Hyw - or you could take a train to Burswood station - lots of wood in the names here. Robert Cameron is right on the corner of the road that comes of Great Eastern Hyw and Good Wood, on the left as you face the railway line, or West.

I was able to cut the main hole with a hole-saw. I used some big flat knockdown bolts, with 6 mm treads, to fix the router to the table, using the router to mill away a small amount of the table around the main holes to just fit the flat heads flush with the top of the plate. To fix the fence to the table I just tapped two 1/4 treads into the plate. Aluminium is very easy to work with woodworking tools if you use some kerosene to lubricate the cutting, so tool steel doesn't cold weld. You can even plane it if required.

The plate only cost my $40.00 - should have been a bit more but I only wanted 500 x 400 x 5 mm and only had $40.00 in cash with me.

Ring them first before you go - they are more than willing to help the little guy, but it's not their bread and butter work.

p.s. I only just noticed the coincidence with the name of the street and suburb, Goodwood, Burswood!

Hei Guys.
Sounds like you and I have the same plan Ivan.
I want to build a router bench, the greater part of the bench will be timber but in the middle I want steel which I will mount flush in the timber.
The reason for using steel is that being thinner than timber I don't lose half an inch of height off the router and it is stronger - I have a 3/4hp Makita router.

I could use aliminuim but I would rather use steel - partly for cost, and also, from my limited experience ali is a pain. The times I've tried to cut it with a grinder it doesn't cut cleanly and clags up the disc, at least steel is relatively clean to work with.
Cheers
Paul

Smidsy

Ali cuts excellent with a course hacksaw, even cut it with my tablesaw and crosscut blade ( responsibility is yours ) a tennon saw and a crosscut handsaw. HSS and also carbide router cutters with kero lube cuts it easily but to prevent the auto welding, take light cuts.

I bought a RTS-1 router table insert made of some plastic stuff with two removable rings, levelling screws and four rare earth magnets as on page 30 of the 2004 CT catalog for $45-00 for the router table I am making. I also bought an 16" incra jig for it.

Hei Joe,
What router are you using, I've got the Makita 3612 which at 5.8kg is not a light weight.
I saw the RTS matt for $45, but would I still have to make the rest of the table and the only work it would save me is drilling & countersinking about a dozen holes - and while I'm not working I have more time than money.
Cheers
Paul

Di Candilo & Sons
29 Clayton St Bellevue WA 6056
ph: (08) 9274 5777 Steel Merchants

These guys supply places like stratco etc.

I bought steel rounds to make tent pegs out of for half the price stratco sell it and got twice the length.

Hope you haven't bought yet. I'm bored and I'm going thru old threads LOL

Cheers,
Kylie