Creating a Practical Simple, Low Cost Router Table

[Bosham]

Treecycle pens aka Dallas has been PDG chatting advice and comments since I ditched my Triton gear and bought a super Hitachi Router to replace the Triton. That introduced the question of a new Router Table. There is a thread "Challenge to Create the Ideal Router table" 14 pages long full of advice comments and innovative ideas ...if you are like me and want it the table to be a practical means to use the Router upside down its a great thread. If you are a Cabinet maker ...different story. I'm just a retired Seafarer who would have been a cabinet maker if I hadn't gone to sea, still got the Seagrass stool I made as a 12 year old at secondary school in UK so my table is evolving as fairly basic .... Treecycle Pens aka Dallas has told me to put the makings on a thread ...so ... here goes.

First off SWMBO controls the purse strings and, like any other devious Male I have various means of slipping the credit card here and there or embarrassing her by telling everyone I only get $5 pocket money per month. Generally I win ... but y'gotta be careful. http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/sad/cry.gif

So that apart I want the table according to my experience and wants. Most folk seem to think a through table height adjuster a must and my experience with the Triton modified my thoughts....I came across a video on You Tube which showed a tilting top, giving great access to the Router .. so why have a lifting device when easy access negates it. That generated the basic idea for my simple Router table.

A trip to the local woodworker/builders premises produced a nice large 950 x 550 x 32mm MDF offcut already laminated with a light shade of laminate. Also gathered from them was a super offcut of powder coated Alloy Angle 75 x 50 to make the fence out of ...total cost $20.

To make the base unit I got a 12mm 'Special' of double side sanded ply and 11 metres of 75 x 50mm dressed 'finger jointed' kiln dried and prepped pine. $75.

The insert plate is 3mm Alloy cut to size by the engineering shop ... $18 ( twice as I stuffed up the first).

I edged the MDF with Macrocarpa I had in the 'shop' this to stiffen the MDF and put a nice edge on the table ... 2 pot epoxied that. The insert plate and router opening was done and the Hitachi M12V offered up and screwed to the alloy insert plate ... all fits nicely.

The last week I have dutifully taken SWMBO into town, The Quacks and Nelson to see our new born Granddaughter who arrived prematurely .... interrupting the morning's work on the table .... its called offering no resistance, Brownie Point gathering or just plain crawling. http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/blush-anim-cl.gif Needs must as I have a shopping list which actually needs money. http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/mf_wink.gif

Thus the base has taken time to get to assembly stage but we progress. Gluing the framework to take the Ply sides caused a few thoughts. Epoxy is my preferred sticky stuff but I bought a tube of 'Elephant'/ Gorrilla polyurethane stuff some time ago for a job. Weird stuff as it expands as it sets .... not my cuppa tea really but it has to be used so ... thats done the job under the constraints of cramps everywhere. Seems to have done the job ok. Has anyone else used the stuff??

Yesterday I offered up and hinged the top to the base, tried the Hitachi in place to see if everything cleared which it does. At that point you ruddy Aussies shoved a whole mass of freezing cold wind, rain and SNOW over the South Island so I packed it in and retreated to the Coal Range.

One thing I had contemplated was using gas struts from a car's window/boot lift to hold the table top in the raised position .... Boy! are they strong ... so I have given that idea away. Tried a super hatch stay in SS with a neat gizmo which locks open and by lifting the top a touch trips the latch allowing the lid to close ... too small unfortunately so a wooden prop seems simple, cheep and effective.

I can now bolt the Hitachi in place to once again check and review how bih to make the cupboard which the rear supports have been cut and routered ready for as per photos ... they are not fixed in to allow the partitions to be adjusted to best suit.

Thats where we are at for the time being...I will attach some pics to illustrate the job at present. Comments will be greatfully received, read and either rejected or inwardly digested and suitably regurgitated later as my ideas.

David in Westport NZ.... http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/standard/biggrin.gif

[Opelblues2]

I liked reading this post, it was like sitting down with a mate of mine and talking about tools and projects and tiring to get awa with spending's. O that's right I am single I win every time

[Bosham]

I liked reading this post, it was like sitting down with a mate of mine and talking about tools and projects and tiring to get awa with spending's. O that's right I am single I win every time

:- Gee thanks for this Opelblues2 ..... shucks, there are editing and gramatical errors ... but I enjoyed writing it down, it helps too.

I didn't mention that there is considerable cleaning up to be done, glue marks and such and I suppose I am 50% through. The fence is basically thought out its just a couple of decisions need to be made before I start cutting and boy do I hate cutting anything in the way of a nice piece of material...... it sure slows production down!

Shopped around for an on off/ emergency stop switch this afternoon (after having done more "dutiful errands" for SWMBO and brownie points) .... not very successful here in Westport and the Carbatec phone in Auckland was u/s (par for the course with Aucklanders, think they have only just stopped using smoke signals :rolleyes: .... because of the Greenies up there spouting Global Warming? :roll:) so had to revert to e-mailing them to see about a Triton switch all same they use in their router table.

David

[Bosham]

Bolted the Hitachi M12V in this afternoon to test opening and shutting the table top, ease of adjusting router height, clearance and positioning of cupboard sides and any faults I had over looked.

Had to drill the bolt holes first ....Measured up the plate for the bolts, centre punched the holes, put the drill in the big solid restored Tanner drill press and started her up .... just pulling for the first drilling and ...out went all the lights!! We are not averse to the odd car nudging a power pole here and there ...tree branches falling on power lines along with lightning zapping the supply... any of those events panics me and SWMBO into switching of the computers before the surge comes and blasts hell out of them. Duly did that, after a 30 metre sprint indoors from 'The Shed'. Tried a light switch to find the power on..... back to 'The Shed' flicked the power supply back on as the RCD had tripped, lights on ok ... switch on the Tanner ... out went all the lights:((
Then it twigged ..... steeeyewpid boy!! the belt drive wheel at the rear of the tanner is unprotected ... one of those rainy day jobs!! The wheel had chafed through a dangling wire ...oh well at least it proved the worth of RCD's and has prioritised the adding of a hinged cover for the belt drive.

With the Hitachi secured in position all seems ok .... changing bits is easy as its all accessible, fine adjustment is right to hand.

Selected the best position for the side partions to the Hitachi, tomorrow I will router the slots for them and secure them in place.

The best way of holding the table top open, after all my bright ideas comes down to a simple prop all same as a car bonnet. Safe and secure ...its either open wide or shut so I will now proceed with that .... KISS :B

Having searched all the fancy Electrical provenders in town for safety stop switches yesterday and arrived at around $100 and not the best ideas I got an e-mail back from Carbatec in Auckland and they had one from the older Triton Power Saw bench at $55 and exactly what I wanted so thats on its way down.

Took a couple of photos .... thats it for now.

[Treecycle]

Looking good David. Is that black knob on the right in the first photo for adjusting the depth or something else?

[lesmeyer]

David, that older Triton switch is better than the new ones. Not in quality, but due to that the new ones have the green 'ON" button light up when power is connected to the switch. Just a waste of electrons imho. I have both the older and newer ones and prefer the older ones.
A great table you have going there. One thing that has me curious, is the fixed fence. Would that not get in the way for some operations?
Les

[Bosham]

Looking good David. Is that black knob on the right in the first photo for adjusting the depth or something else?

Morning Dallas ... I will take a close up photo and describe properly what the little black knob does later in the day if thats ok? You are on the right track anyway.
David

[Bosham]

David, that older Triton switch is better than the new ones. Not in quality, but due to that the new ones have the green 'ON" button light up when power is connected to the switch. Just a waste of electrons imho. I have both the older and newer ones and prefer the older ones.
A great table you have going there. One thing that has me curious, is the fixed fence. Would that not get in the way for some operations?
Les

From one bloke in "The West" to another bloke in "The West" ...G'dday. Here, on the West Coast of the South Island we are variously called 'Feral' and 'Inbred' by a certain ex Prime Ministers but we like the term 'Coasters' ... no doubt you will be familiar with the problem? Thanks for your kind comments, my table does npot and will not have the beautiful finish of yours but, I'm enjoying myself which is part of the game as I am sure most will agree.

Glad you tell me the switch is fine as its been bought sight unseen but with the experience of the Triton Router table which I thought was pretty good.

The fence is just a piece of powder coated alloy angle which will become the fence Les, just placed for the photo. I'll put a couple of adjustable wood facings on it, cut some slots for bolts to slide in or maybe not and just use clamps on either side of the table as it seems a lot of chaps do.....work in progress in a space in my head where the brain is supposed to be.....comments on the pro's and con's welcome.

David

[Bob38S]

Looking good.

Just a thought, the strut holding the top open, sooner or later the strut will get knocked, I would notch the bottom with a "V" cutout to make it more secure.

You could use one of the toy box struts which cam over straight to have a form of locking strut should you be that way inclined ie lift with one hand, reach and cam the strut with the other, I have also seen a type which has a sliding ring which slips over the centre pivot point which is even more secure.

[Bosham]

[QUOTE=Bob38S;1858512]Looking good.

Just a thought, the strut holding the top open, sooner or later the strut will get knocked, I would notch the bottom with a "V" cutout to make it more secure.

Thanks Bob ... that strut is just a handy bit of alloy of the right length 'just to hand'. It is not what I will eventually use But you have given me a thought .... we used to have a Chandlery shop full of all sorts of items you could use for uses they were never dreamt of for.... still got a few items and you have jogged my memory so I'll go out and have a look. A length of nice s/s pole/rod sliding in and out of a ring through which I can drill and use an "R" clip, the other end will utise a canopy fitting to hinge on....summat like that anyway.

Good idea Bob :2tsup:... watch for a photo.

David

[Bosham]

Looking good David. Is that black knob on the right in the first photo for adjusting the depth or something else?
OK Dallas ....attached is a close up photo of the depth setting Gizmo on the Hitachi M12V.

I think you can work it out without me having to describe. Plung the router with the bit in down to touch the workpiece and let the depth stick down to the turret stop so you have a zero. Wind the knob up the amount you want to cut and lock it. Plunge away.

Still collecting Brownie points most of the day (got to pay for the safety switch!) but have found the perfect prop to hold the table top up. ... needs only a little bit of work. A length of s/s pipe with a Canopy fitting on the end which will be screwed to the underside of the table. The Pipe slides neatly inside a yachting handrail fitting which needs a s/s bolt to attach it to the base of the table allowing it to swivel as the table top is lifted. In the 'Up' position I will slip an 'R' clip through a drilled hole.

Photo tomorrow.

David

[Bosham]

Just a thought, the strut holding the top open, sooner or later the strut will get knocked, ....................... I have also seen a type which has a sliding ring which slips over the centre pivot point which is even more secure.

OK Bob ... here is what I have dug up from all our store of 'goodies' to make a 'prop for the table top when hinged upwards.... thanks to you jigging my thoughts.

Nice length of s/s tube which will eventually be cropped to the length required to prop the table top very near vertical. It has a Canopy fitting at the lid end, to hinge on. I found a 'handrail' fitting which allows a nice sliding fit for the tube to locate in. The base I will drill and tab to take a suitable s/s bolt which will be located in the side to allow the action and clearance needed. In the open position there will be a 'R'' clip to slide in a drilled hole and thus prop everything up.

Hope you can figure it out from the photo????

David

[Bob38S]

You are welcome.

The proof will be in how it works out.

[Bosham]

You are welcome.

The proof will be in how it works out.

I have drilled and tapped the sleeve which the s/s tube slides in and offered the prop up. The sleeve will rotate on the bolt to accept the angle as the table top is lifted. Problem is the length of the tube. Could be it will be too short to hold the top up at the angle I want it to be.

I will also look at the same arrangement as a car bonnet prop. By folding the prop so it stows across the 3 compartments I get a decent length. I can easily put a chock with a socket for the prop to sit in .... simple and easy.

Took yet another photo ....

[Bob38S]

Length of he tube....like a bonnet prop - I thought "hiding" the length could be a problem.

Going back to the box / hatch stay idea, they are compact as when closed they are folded in half, only extending to full length when open, either cramming over centre or the sliding ring to lock the open. Running on memory here, some of the older English cars had this idea as a bonnet stay.

For some other ideas check out the suppliers of toy box lid stays or a yacht chandlery for hatch stays.

[Treecycle]

One of our club members made the desk in the link and used a pneumatic strut to hold the lid open as seen in the second photo. They would be a lot less aggressive than the nitrogen filled bonnet struts, but I'm not sure how much strength they have. http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=194328 It was about $12 here.
On the other hand, if you put the anchor point on the frame closer to the hinge pivot point then there is not as much travel required. As you are only locking the strut when the table top is in the fully elevated position you shouldn't need enormous strength to retain it in position. You would need to do a bit of testing to get the geometry right.
You could also have a look at these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lift-Hydraulic-Gas-Strut-Lid-Stay-Support-Kitchen-Cabinet-Door-Hinge-Open-Close-/131064240261 or the folding type as Bob has suggested. Googling "Toy box lid stays" brings up lots of compact options.

[Bosham]

One of our club members made the desk in the link and used a pneumatic strut to hold the lid open as seen in the second photo. They would be a lot less aggressive than the nitrogen filled bonnet struts, but I'm not sure how much strength they have. http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=194328 It was about $12 here.
On the other hand, if you put the anchor point on the frame closer to the hinge pivot point then there is not as much travel required. As you are only locking the strut when the table top is in the fully elevated position you shouldn't need enormous strength to retain it in position. You would need to do a bit of testing to get the geometry right.
You could also have a look at these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lift-Hydraulic-Gas-Strut-Lid-Stay-Support-Kitchen-Cabinet-Door-Hinge-Open-Close-/131064240261 or the folding type as Bob has suggested. Googling "Toy box lid stays" brings up lots of compact options.

Thanks Dallas ..... these look to be very much the ideal. What you say about holding it in the upright is quite correct however the lid is now quite hefty, especially so once the router is attached. If the stay is not overly capable then the whole lot would come down with quite a wallop. I have got the S/S strut fixed in with a socket as first suggested, it seems the simplest and certainly holds the table top up.

I have been doing the minor fiddly things these last couple of weeks which don't show much progress in photos but will take some more photos tomorrow morning and then post them. Casters, Switch, Fence hole and so on.

In keeping with the theme of a Practical, Simple, Low Cost Router Table I have created what I think is an alternative front instead of the more usual hinged doors, it incorporates more Teak finger holes which add that nice look and also a couple of "Titty" catches.

Soon be ready to 'Fire up' the router and run some wood past it.

Until tomorrow......

David

[Bosham]

These photos show the "Front Door" ....keeping things simple and using materials I have to hand as much as possible I have now done the door to close the front. I had a nice bit of Pine which provided enough wood to span the gap and by inserting s/s pegs at the bottom to fit into receiving holes at the bottom of the shelf the panel slots in. To hold it in place I have used a pair of what we named as "Titty" catches in the Chandlery. Nice Bronze castings which gravity holds in the downward position just as it does with the female items!! A 'Finger Hole' just under enables the panel to be pulled out and lifted clear. I have had to add a span of Rimu across the front to stiffen the Pine .... it will also provide a nice contrast of colour.

Now to do some cleaning followed with sanding before some varnish and paint can be spread around.

David

[Treecycle]

Looking good David. It looks like your router bits have already moved in.
Interesting little catches, they remind me of Madonna.
Shouldn't be long before its pushed into action now. You might need an oven to put it in when you put the varnish on if your weather is like ours at the moment.

[Bosham]

Sorry I have been dragging the heels a bit this last month a) The Aussies have been shoving the most putrid weather over here, cold and very wet b) I have had to tow the line with SWMBO (Pay back for letting buy the Hitachi Router) but joking apart she was getting ready for an op on her spine ... she's a shrinking asset as we have measured her losing 2" in height this decade of which 3/4" was in this last year!! We went down to Greymouth and getting back in the Rav she suddenly sat still and said "I think I've dislocted my Hip again!!" So I toddled her round to the hospital and left her there. Finally we got her over to ChCh and she has had her spine op. ... The surgeon reckons he has straightened her up ... wonderful as I've been trying to do that for years!! Anyway she has increased in value ... we get boned about the cost of our nuts bolts and screws ... the ones he put in her were $1,000 + tax each and they are not very big....ok thats my excuses.

Just before she went into hospital my eyes lit up at a Veritas Router Table Plate being sold on Trademe .... so now SWMBO has more leverage!! This of course altered the whole table top as its pretty big 610mm x 480mm. But what a piece of kit. It is very very slightly domed so that it wont sag under the weight of a heavy router....its 5mm steel plate and I defy any Router to even begin to bend it. However thats the way of it. Underneath are two clamps to hold the Router. You have a centering insert which when you pop in a 1/2" router bit or steel round positions the router dead centre. You can then push the clamps up neat to the routers plate and secure the nuts to hold them in position. The router is then held in position by two hold downs either side. Hence if you want to remove the router or, put it into the table its a matter of undoing two thumb screws and ... bingo its done ... a minutes job.

I finally got the new plate in and offered the router up. I was eager to see how things were going to work out changing bits. Not to worry the spanner fits in quite well and with the collet lock its a breeze.

One of my wants when I set about making the table was to have ease of adjustment of the bit height without a Router raiser or the much vaunted Triton ( and good) system. Hence the hinged table top .... it sure leaves lots of working room around the router to fiddle and do whatever ... I'm pretty pleased all round.

One word about Veritas in Canada. Somewhere else in this marvellous web site someone mentioned how good Veritas are. I just have to confirm that statement. Here I am having bought a second hand Veritas table plate, which they don't make anymore and asked them if they had any instruction manual ... they are posting one down free of charge including the centering insert which had been lost by the previous owner.....overnight reply!!

What a piece of kit and what service.

Oh yes ... a final point. Weight .... this table top weighs 10 Kg + the Router at 5.6 Kg its not a light weight job!!

David

[lesmeyer]

David, a great result. The Veritas plate is second to none. I am sure it will provide you with excellent routing results for many years. Their service is also second to none.
Regards
Les

[Bosham]

David, a great result. The Veritas plate is second to none. I am sure it will provide you with excellent routing results for many years. Their service is also second to none.
Regards
Les
I would have liked to buy the fence as well Les .. it was in a seperate auction but I think I really chanced my arm with SWMBO as it was .....but I am really pleased with the unit. It would have cost a pretty penny to ship it down from Canada and I don't suppose there are many in NZ. have you got any experience with it?

David

[spokeshave]

Came up great Bosham.

The Veritas plate and clamping system looks interesting, i've never seen it before. Looks like it's strong and well built.

Steven.

[Bosham]

Came up great Bosham.

The Veritas plate and clamping system looks interesting, i've never seen it before. Looks like it's strong and well built.

Steven.

Thanks Steven :B .... you are not wrong its bullet proof, 5 mm steel plate!! I'll add the photos from Veritas which expand on how it works. I asked what the two steel pins were for ... you screw them in to the plate when free hand routing without a fence ... I'll await the instructions before and if I ever try that. Most impressed with the whole thing.

I wil post more when I get the instructions and complete the dust port.

David

[Treecycle]

Looks like Trademe has been very good to you. First a bargain on the router, then a great buy on the insert. It is certainly a large plate, but at least where the work is done around the bit it will be nice and flat with no catch points with the plate not being quite level with the table top. Should be a user friendly table which will last you for years. Been worth the wait.

[spokeshave]

When i first started, I had a Triton router table which used a clamping system to hold a 'non Triton' router, a Makita 3612 in my case.

Due to the Makita not having a soft start, every time i cranked it up the torque of the router would cause it to move slightly, ruining any attempt at a carefully set up cut. Caused much frustration and swearing. A new home-made router table and soft start router solved that problem.

Not sure if your router has soft start, but it would be interesting to see if the Veritas plate and clamps hold the router firmly in place during use. You'll have to keep us informed after your table has a few miles under it's belt.

Thanks for the pics too.

Steven.

[Bosham]

When i first started, I had a Triton router table which used a clamping system to hold a 'non Triton' router, a Makita 3612 in my case.

Due to the Makita not having a soft start, every time i cranked it up the torque of the router would cause it to move slightly, ruining any attempt at a carefully set up cut. Caused much frustration and swearing. A new home-made router table and soft start router solved that problem.

Not sure if your router has soft start, but it would be interesting to see if the Veritas plate and clamps hold the router firmly in place during use. You'll have to keep us informed after your table has a few miles under it's belt.

Thanks for the pics too.

Steven.

Yes I too had a Triton router table for the Triton router .... different kettle of fish because as you know they have a tailor made system to accept their router. However when I bought the Hitachi I was somewhat wary as people said they were big beasts, some said they were heavy to handle and so on. I sat it on the bench, plugged it in, firmly gripped it as though life depended on it and flipped the switch. Pause then it whirred into life got going at about slow ahead and then smoothly built up to full ahead just like a Rolls Royce pulling away from the Kerb. Very little torque at all, its super ... makes the Triton 'soft start' non existent.

I understand what you mean about the Veritas clamping but I seriously cannot see them slipping. The Clamp guides are bolted to the steel plate with 4 x s/s nyloc nuts. The sliding bolts in the guide slots are spring loaded as are the knurled nuts that tension the router clamps. The clamping guides will not shift once positioned and so as the router has been centred in the positioning sequence even if the router does twist round within the guides it should not alter the settings as it would revolve around the dead centre. The previous owner had no problems at all and he had a DeWalt 625 in it.

Certainly will give some updates ... not at problem.

David

[Bosham]

Just recieved the "Back up" envelope from Veritas this morning. After buying the router plate second hand on Trade Me I saw on the Veritas web page there was a manual for the table and I e-mailed them to ask if there was an electronic copy ...... they said sorry but we will send you the manual foc in the interests of getting the table set up for you. Today the BOOK arrived along with a centering insert which I did not have with the deal on Trade Me. ALL FREE from Veritas. Now thats what you call service and looking after your product.

The booklet is fascinating and answers the question I had in the back of my mind ..."Why have a 'manual' for what is essentiallly a steel plate with a hole in the middle.

Well all is explained now I have had a read through .... for a start there are some etched lines at the dead centre of the top and bottom edges and also the left and right edges, they intersect at dead centre of the router bit. ..... reference points for measuring exactly. You have to look for them but once you know they are there ...they stand out.

The inserts are fiendishly clever. To get them to stay put the edges of the insert and the plate are cut so that there is a cam action. The insert holes are drilled so that recognition is easy. Place the insert in and turn it clockwise an eigth of a turn and they lock. The inserts also take the Veritas brass inserts.

The setting up of the clamps is the most important and Spokeshave asked about the security ..... well you will see on the diagram I have scanned ( shows how well the manual is printed ... detail) that there are some little square friction pads. ie self stick sandpaper applied to the router base for the pressure pads to sit on and have resistance to movement.

Anyway .... I am mightly impressed and now have a "Wish for Santa" ....please may I have the Veritas fence system for Xmas. Promise to be a good lad forrever and ever. Thats described in the manual too along with other good sensible tips .... just buy a Veritas router plate to get one!!

David

[lesmeyer]

David, just like all things Veritas - one is never disappointed and that goes for their products and their service. Those who are should not be woodworking :D.
Les

[Bosham]

Well, here we are in 2019 and its been three and a half year since I last posted anything about my Router Table ..... not to say nowt has happened because as usual with blokes on this site we are always improving ... not that SWMBO thinks that of course!

So Happy and very Healthy New Year to all those reading this posting ... David aka Bosham

So what has happened? The original top had a fault in that it was not wide enough around the edges making it not easy to clamp the fence or anything else just where you wanted. Brainwave, had a lovely bit of native timber jealously propped up waiting for "That" job, I hate cutting timber up and this bit was so lovely I had it 'put by' for 4 years. Measured it and by just one cut it would make a new table if I also cut up another chunk of Oregon and glued them all together then I would have the bigger table top and it would be nice and solid. So thats what has happened but with the Veritas plate in it its bloody heavy!! add the Hitachi M12V Router and it needs a strong pair of arms to lift. Problem solved by trotting down the wreckers and buying a pair of gas Struts for $5, one is quite sufficient for a one handed operation to lift and lower this wonderfull table top. One thing I have not done is add a slot to take the fence but I find the deep section alloy channel bar I screwed onto the front edge takes a dressed timber section and does as good a job more or less as a finely machined proprietory item.

Anyone guess what the red timber is ? its easy to saw and sand, heavy and no knots very red in colour. Got to be NZ or Aussie and I reckon it was previously a mantlepiece.

Latest photos attached ...hopefully.

My apologies to treecycle for not having painted out the pink ...Ive become rather attached to the colour now....!

David