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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Leopold, Victoria
    Age
    65
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    4,677

    Default

    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. https://www.woodworkforums.com/f187/davenport-desk-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-Hydr...-/131064240261 or the folding type as Bob has suggested. Googling "Toy box lid stays" brings up lots of compact options.
    Dallas

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  3. #17
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default Struts ... the strong and the not so strong.....

    Quote Originally Posted by Treecycle View Post
    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. https://www.woodworkforums.com/f187/davenport-desk-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-Hydr...-/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

  4. #18
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default More photos ....."The Front Door"

    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
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  5. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Leopold, Victoria
    Age
    65
    Posts
    4,677

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    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.
    Dallas

  6. #20
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default Change of plans ....

    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
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  7. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Perth WA (Carine)
    Age
    64
    Posts
    1,325

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    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

  8. #22
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lesmeyer View Post
    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

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Wodonga
    Age
    53
    Posts
    712

    Default

    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.

  10. #24
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by spokeshave View Post
    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 .... 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
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  11. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Leopold, Victoria
    Age
    65
    Posts
    4,677

    Default

    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.
    Dallas

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Wodonga
    Age
    53
    Posts
    712

    Default

    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.

  13. #27
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default Soft start on the M12V Hitachi

    Quote Originally Posted by spokeshave View Post
    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

  14. #28
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default The Veritas clamping system ... diagram

    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
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  15. #29
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Perth WA (Carine)
    Age
    64
    Posts
    1,325

    Default

    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 .
    Les

  16. #30
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Westport New Zealand
    Posts
    66

    Default

    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
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