Mick's Router Table

**journeyman Mick** · 28th March 2005, 11:55 PM

I managed to make some progress on my router table over Easter, it’s about 95% done. (pic 1) I’m going to put some doors on the back half and on the bottom section of the front. I’ll also fix some solid timber edging to some of the edges. I need to take just a smidge out of the router plate rebate as it sits proud by about .5mm. It’s mostly made of 16mm whiteboard as that’s the cheapest material I can lay my hands on besides cover sheets, and I’ve run out of them.

I mulled over the sliding table mechanism for well over a year, initially planning on using drawer runners. All the options I looked at were either too complex or had too much slop in them. In the end I went with the KISS principal (keep it simple, stupid).

The sliding table is made of three layers of white board pinned, screwed and glued (AV56) together. The centre lamination sits out about 40mm and I made matching runners. (pic 2) These runners were glued and pinned together around a few scraps of board with a layer of paper between as a shim. So the gap in the runner is one layer of board + thickness of 80 gsm paper. I ended up giving the tongue section of the table a sand with some 320 paper to make it slide easily. The runners are screwed on and can be replaced if necessary. The sliding table ended up sitting below the rest of the table by about .3mm so I glued a scrap of laminate on top, which brought it up .5mm proud.
I also had ideas of using a mitre gauge as a fence but in the end made a fixed 90deg fence. If I need to cut angles I’ll cut an angled packer and screw it to the fence.

The rest of the top was laminated up out of my scrap pile. It has a Trend plate with 2 insert rings, giving 3 different opening diameters. This is fitted to my main table router (Casals 2.5hp - a rebadged Freud) and I’ve cut two matching plates out of aluminium for the two GMC $39 specials. I’ve got a power feed unit on top (pic 5) which can be swung up when not needed.

The main fence came off my table saw. It’s a good fence but only had a 550mm rip capacity so was replaced. Fixed to this by cup head bolts sliding in the fence extrusion is a discarded triton router table fence (got two when I bought my Triton gear) with some sliding auxiliary fences. A bit of 100mm sewer pipe has been cut to provide a dust extractor port.

Underneath at the front there’s the section that the router sits in. (pic 3) There’s rails down both sides into which I belted some 3” gal nails to hang all the spanners etc on. There’s also a power point that the router plugs into. This is controlled by a switch I pinched off my DC. Underneath this shelf there’s a storage area for all my routers.

Around the back there’s a section with adjustable shelves. (pic 4) I use this for bit storage plus there’s one shelf for stuff like a dial indicator and base, planer blade setting jigs, verniers etc. This section will definitely get some doors soon to stop stuff falling out when I move the table.

Mick

**journeyman Mick** · 28th March 2005, 11:58 PM

Two more pics:

**gatiep** · 29th March 2005, 12:03 AM

Very interesting Mick, very nice too.
Have a good week

**boban** · 29th March 2005, 12:26 AM

What type of drawer slides did you use, the ball bearing type or common white rollers?

Nice job by the way. I have a Triton table and router. The table is getting the flick soon for something like this. Anyone interested?

**journeyman Mick** · 29th March 2005, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by boban

What type of drawer slides did you use, the ball bearing type or common white rollers?..............

Didn't use commercial slides, too worried about free play and wear, and getting it all accurate. Just used a tongue and groove set up in whiteboard - see the close up pic.

Mick

**bitingmidge** · 29th March 2005, 07:43 AM

Just when I think I know EXACTLY how I'm going to do the new router table, you come up with THIS!!!

The sliding table intrigues me Mick... I hadn't thought of, nor seen the need for one previously.. could you enlighten me further on why you think it necessary, and whether in use you think it was worth it. please?

I guess I just always thought Laminex with a dab of wax was WAAAAYYY slippery enough!

Cheers,

P

**ryanarcher** · 29th March 2005, 08:35 AM

Strong work Mick. Looks like some serious thought went in to the design. Good Idea using the power feeder too. I have seen sliding tables on industrial shapers, but would also like to know why they compliment router tables. Face frames for cabinets?
Thanks for the ideas!
-Ryan

**silentC** · 29th March 2005, 09:30 AM

A sliding table would have come in very handy on the weekend when I was cutting a dado in the middle of a 300mm long board. Good for end grain work too. I think the current version of the Triton router table has a sliding section.

**duckman** · 29th March 2005, 09:33 AM

I love your 'mechanism' for a sliding table, Mick. Consider it 'nicked'.

Do you intend to enclose the base section for dust collection purposes?

**journeyman Mick** · 29th March 2005, 10:44 AM

I think a slide table is the only way to go when doing end grain work, mind you, I grew up with euro panel saws, so i reckon sliding tables are the only way to go anyway!

I wanted the slide table for cutting the cope profile on doors and windows, I'm used to using spindle moulders with sliding tables from my work in joineries but I doubt I'll be able to buy one for a few more years. I'ts hard to do without a machine once you're used to it, so rather than do without I'll make do with this. I haven't used it yet, so i'm unsure whether it will need any dust extraction from underneath. I'll be making all my kitchen cabinet doors soon so that will be a good test.

Mick

**echnidna** · 29th March 2005, 11:10 AM

You probably dont need underneath extraction Mick.
I recently ran a heap of picture frame moulding which generated over 400 litres of shavings through the Dc. There would have been half a dustpan of stuff underneath on the floor.

**Richardwoodhead** · 30th March 2005, 06:49 AM

About 6 months ago I purchased the "top" portion only (not stand) of the latest Triton router table. I then embedded this into a MUCH larger workbench table (about 1m x 2m). It has many of the feautures of Mick's table (including sliding table). It's worked well for me. But doesn't look nearly as sturdy and all-over well made / user friendly as Micks. Embedding a ready-made triton router top into a bigger home-made work bench is kind of the easy way out of building your own router table. I'd rather have Micks table, but if you don't want to take the time....

Anyway, I'm impressed.

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