Thread: my makita and its new home.

So i was getting a little frustrated the other night after going to the woodshow, so many idea's so many jobs on the go already, head swimming.

As i walked past my spare bedroom i saw a little steel and laminated chipboard school table i picked up at a seconds hand place years ago, i originally bought it to mount my driving wheel for my playstation whitch served its purpose well until it retired, then it lived another life as a tv stand. it got me thinking.

So given my makita 3600B (not round base dangit) and hard start, and little in the way of mount holes, and no guide bushes, and a table, here's what i came up with.

1. The table, chewing gum was still in place too had to chisel it off...20mm thick lol nominally, edges all around it spreading due to humidty over the years, it'll do for the "can i do it" experiment. can replace the top later so not worried.
2. router on the table in the garage, its a pity i couldn't call just that a router table.
3. The routers base is a bit lifting, the brown stuff i think is thin sheet of fibreglass epoxied to the aluum cast base. Had a look for mounting points and there is NONE!!didnt want to disturb it too much.
4. Measuring and marking out, got centre of table marked out largest bit i own currently and the circumfrence of the template screws (on this model baseplate there is literally nothing else on the baseplate to fix it to. yuk.
5. Drilled the pilot for the max sized bit i have (34mm dia i think) and plunged it thru, also drilled the baseplate screw holes turned it right way up for a look.
6. Turned it back over and marked up the plate fitting.
7. There's the router in its home non kicking rebate, i clamped off a piece of wood to rout out the void (have pic but didnt post it) left myself about 1/2 mm all around the routers base plate edges, took it down 11mm leaving me 9 to the top surface.
8. Right way up, found some old screws from lockwood locks were the same threading and right length, fixed the router in place, took out the return springs and the overextension stop, found a handle and made a fence from a bit of pine, got it right way up and had a play.
9. I grabbed up some kwila/merbau offcuts and had an attempt at a box, broke two thin series bits (chinese 1/4" bargain box of bits) so i need to learn to feed slower and not go as deep, and get a flatter top done (as the timber goes into the cutter its like its being fed into a bowl with the top so cupped. (i think the ends digging in is what got the cutters).

So any comments welcome, i thought about putting this in the top stickied post but i didnt want it buried in pages if i send someone to this post. Things i need to do to it i already know about are,

1. Get a flatter top, perhaps thicker (although with the spanner clearance i have now is just doable).

2. Get myself some triton type clamps, i dont think the guide bush screws were really meant to hold it. Even though its done ok with them temporarily they have a great thread depth on this baseplate.

3. Replace my broken bits with decent shank ones that dont need the 1/4 collet.

4. Perhaps coil the lead up to a switch on the table leg so i dont cordtrip.

5. Gunna get a computer keyboard desk pullout thinger from recyclers and a poly chopping board for router bits and spanner storage if there's room to fit it under 1 end.

So far its cost me a displaced TV, got a bit of furniture out of the house i didnt want, and now i can shop about for a varispeed / lighter / newer router for hand held stuff i'll feel more comphy using.

Neal.