Thread: Attempting to make a table

I looked at what you are planning to do. I would be a bit concerned about a 16mm melamine top over a raw 16mm subbase, as I suspect that you might have gluing issues in the medium to long term. Personally I would go with two raw layers glued up, then laminate top and bottom for a slick surface that would stay flat.

With the fence system, put plenty of triangular supports into each half to ensure that the fence face stays square to the base and table top, and slot the T-slot bolt holes in the fence base so there is no need to keep the fence close to parallel to the front edge to prevent binding due to the bolts being trapped in their holes.

For the zero clearance insert in the fence, use a compund mitre/bevel setup rather than a simple bevel as planned. By orienting the mitres so the insert is widest at the bottom (only needs a few mm) the inserts are pushed down to the table top and held there, avoiding any tendency to move up and loose their zero clearance status.

When you cut the stock for the fence sub faces, cut some strips the same width at the same time, and make a big batch of replacement inserts at the same time as you cut the sub faces to length. This ensures that the inserts are a very close match to the subfences (thickness and mitre/bevel angles), and that you don't waste time later making indivudual inserts and matching everything. If you will be using a range of bit diameters, a range of insert widths might be less wasteful also, not much point usinga 150mm wide insert for a 12mm wide bit.

Thanks for your comments malb, I am glad I waited to get some feedback.
The top would probably look better and and last longer laminated than using the melamine, I suppose that if I am going to laminate the top part of the router top I might as well laminate the the underside and edges of the top as well. You made some good points and i will use them all when i make the top and will post some pictures when i am finished. The hardest part is going to be trying to get the top routed out exactly so the Kreg insert fits perfect.

Dave

Have you considered using a sled to help you thickness thin timber,Take a flat board,say 18mm thick as long as the piece you want to machine,put a stop at the back end so your thin bit does not slip and then go front there,I have done this several times and found this a bit easier than using the Triton (which I had done also) also quicker tho set up.

I didn't make it exactly like the plan and I never do but it was close and I used most of those good suggestions from MalB . Household problems like burst water mains etc. interrupted the work flow so I rushed that last part of the job such as fitting the drawer fronts just so I could start using it without filling up the drawers with dust.

It is made out of 16mm MDF and I managed to pick up a roll of laminex for $5 from the local salvage. I tried 4 different salvage yards to no avail before trying my local, go figure.

I positioned the front channel guide 30mm too far from the router bit to be able to use the Kregg fingerboard so i will have make something to get around that but I have a few homemade jigs that work well with the extra depth of table in the front. It took a lot longer than i expected but i think it was worth it because it is much easier to use than the old Triton router bench. It will probably take me a little while to get used to re-adjusting the Kregg insert when we have temperature shifts. I have now got the little Makita router to use for hand held work and i am also looking forward to learning more about that side of routing.

Dave