Thread: Challenge to Create the Ideal Router Table

Originally Posted by JNorton

Anyroad, wish you luck with your build, mate! Mine might take a while as The Minister Of War And Finance seems to think moving house takes priority, but it should be rolling soon!

Cheers

Eh......the house or the router table?

Regards
Paul

Hopefully both!

However, in a master-stroke of devious cunning, I have persuaded TMofWAF that any money spent on sheds is returned at a profit on house value, so my current 6 x 9 pokey hovel is going to be at least 9 x 12 in the new place. 3-phase, too!

I've also undertaken to make all the furniture for the new house to her designs. Naturally, this means a nice new panel saw, router table, beer fridge, etc!

I need a bigger grin smiley than at the moment!

Originally Posted by JNorton

Hopefully both!

However, in a master-stroke of devious cunning, I have persuaded TMofWAF that any money spent on sheds is returned at a profit on house value, so my current 6 x 9 pokey hovel is going to be at least 9 x 12 in the new place. 3-phase, too!

I've also undertaken to make all the furniture for the new house to her designs. Naturally, this means a nice new panel saw, router table, beer fridge, etc!

I need a bigger grin smiley than at the moment!

You are indeed a devious example of the male species. 3-phase, if viable, is certainly a good move. It opens up a whole new sphere of second hand equipment too.

I think this is the way we do bigger smileys: "" or "."

Regards
Paul

Hi all

Has this thread run out. I wish to build a router table. Just a normal one. I'm on a pension like a lot of people on this forum and need to work in cents sense) and not dollars.

Its a pity all the photos are gone, as they were a vital part of many of the posts.....

Originally Posted by Islander

Hi all

Has this thread run out. I wish to build a router table. Just a normal one. I'm on a pension like a lot of people on this forum and need to work in cents sense) and not dollars.

What sort of stuff do you want to do with it?

The photos are still in this thread. Cliff's CBG build.

I built a small router table for instrument building, it will give you a few ideas of what you can do on a budget.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

What sort of stuff do you want to do with it?

Hi Cliff

Just general woodwork. Often I need to create my own arcy's as I live on an island and am then stuck. General router work but I'd like to have a larger surface for whatever work may come my way. I have a small Aldi router table for the small stuff.

Thanks

Roger

I'll some photos of my set ups & post them back here, it'll take me a day or two.

I also have some plans from a certain business that has since changed hands & they no longer have the plans on there site 'cos now they want you to buy the table from them.

Also worth a look for ideas.

3 Free DIY Router Table Plans Perfect for Any Purpose
9 Free Router Table Plans

Very simple one here...
Free Plan: How to Build a Simple Router Table - Fine Woodworking

Very flash one here.
Ultimate Router Table

OK, I have some photos now.

First table is a home made job made from a piece of 38mm MDF bench top from a kitchen cabinet builder out of his off cut pile.
It has masonite top & bottom, Meranti edging, an Ali frame underneath & the router plate is made from a sheet of thick (6mm I think) Ali.

Masonite is from Bunnies, Ali is from the scrap bin at the local Ali supplier, you pile out the bits you want & they sell it by the kilo.

Fence is from a piece of square Ali tube & a couple of pieces of nice (very old) pink silky oak that was run over the planer & through the thicky before being screwed to the Ali.
The Ali hold is nice & square.

The top is sat on a Triton Router Table base that can cheap in a clearance sale.

The top has slots for long blots to lock the fence in place but they are in a safe place somewhere so I'm just using clamps til I find them again.

The top also has an insert routed in it to fit a couple of 600mm steel rulers to help set the dept of cut.

Good BIG Hitachi variable speed 1/2" router mounted permanently in the table with 3mm ply & a bought dust extractor fitting to clear the waste.
Dust extractor fitting is supposed to be a floor scoop for sweeping your dust into works fairly well, some chips do get wedged up one end of the ply but it doesn't stop it from getting most of the rest of the waste.

The Triton base has a power switch on it so you don't have to reach right under the table or switch it off at the wall.

The next one is a dual router table &, because I had the room, it also has a jig saw mounted upside down in it between the routers for detail sawing jobs.

I scored a 10mm thick piece of Ali that is 1080mm x 650mm. It used to be a base plate for a set of security gates in a library, fairly heavy & nice & flat.

I made a cabinet for it with about 90mm overhang all the way around to allow for clamping on the edges.

I drew it all up upside down, drilled all the holes & mounted the routers & jigsaw & then covered the top with an off cut bit of bathroom lamipanel.

There are doors to allow for changing the height & the whole top is on hinges to give better access to the machines should I need to.

There are a couple of holes in the top for long bolts to hold one end of the fence & the other end is clamped in place once it is set at the right dept.

I have several different fences, most of them will hang on the end of the cabinet.

The spanner & a couple of push sticks also hang on the outside of the cabinet.

The back of the cabinet has a dust post & a 'T-Bar' for winding up the power cables when not in use.

The power cable a fed through a notch at the the top of the back wall with a bit of packing stuffed in around it to save the vacuum from the dust extractor.

The air flow down through the hole for the bit draws the dust away & also keeps the router cool.

There is a foot operated floor switch to control which ever machine is being used at the time.

What did I forget?

Any questions, fire away.

Cliff

I like that. I'm inspired. I have had all the component parts for more than three years but still nowhere to put it. One day .

Regards
Paul