Thread: Pimp my Torquata router table!

There have been a few threads on the acrylic (thermoplastic) inserts like this and not many people have been happy with them.

I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you would have been better off buying that table with the aluminium insert, I know it is an extra $105, but you are about to spend that extra money anyway. As well as that you are potentially looking at making a new top for your router table, making $220 an expensive outlay for a stand and a fence.

Anyway, you asked where you can get 20mm plus laminated MDF.

I regularly pick this up as off cuts (up to 1200x900) from A&R Salvage on Sydney Rd, an other potential source if Tile Importers out Oakley way.

The stuff I have bought is about 32mm thick.

Have you thought about making an insert for the existing opening, then re-routing it for the new plate?

Good choice on the new plate though, I have one and it is great.

Hi,

There are various reports that the aluminum insert from timbecon is no better - the rings on that particular insert are still plastic, and in fact thats the main issue i have with it!

However I agree, I bought it months ago on a whim when it was on special at $195. And actually I don't believe its that much of a waste as the fence and the stand are both very solid and if I make a table that takes a woodpecker insert and the torquata t-tracks I probably get a pretty decent table, with only $110 for the insert plus whatever the table top costs.

Cheers
Jason

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Have you thought about making an insert for the existing opening, then re-routing it for the new plate?

I thought about doing that, but how would that work? Its basically 3mm each side that is too large for the woodpecker. If I created an MDF insert and glued it in, would it be stable enough to reroute? Is there any way I can somehow create 3mm thick packing for each end or a single 6mm for one end? As the torquata insert is the same size on one side as the woodpecker (the shorter side)

I have now purchased the insert - by accident actually! I was half way through the order process and was thinking about whether I should wait to see if I could modify my existing table when I accidentally clicked the proceed button! Oh well, now I have to make it work.

Probably for the best, the phenolic plate sounds awesome, wish I had done that originally!

Cheers
Jason

I have checked and the current table top from timbecon is 35mm thick, so if I was to replace it would have to be that thick or close to it.

The following post from Chumley indicates he had the same problem with the aluminum insert as I have with the plastic.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/showpo...41&postcount=9

Anyway, its academic now, as I said, I have already purchased the phenolic woodpecker insert with predrilled holes for my triton, I am actually looking forward to getting it integrated into my torquata table - either with the existing hole or else a new table top.

I checked my fence on the torquata and its out on the right side by the thickness of a piece of standard printer paper! So I am unsure if its even worth pursuing the torquata at all, perhaps I need to start again? and build my own from scratch.

What tolerances do you guys expect from your fences? It seems like it might be the aluminum not the MDF that is out, because I swapped the two MDF halfs over and the same difference!

The table base is also not very stable, so all in all the torquata might end up being a waste of time and money!

The phenolic plate is fantastic but its actually too wide and too short long ways for the torquata opening, so I will probably have to build my own table top - might be fun, and I have the ProRouter switch and with a bit of shimming I think the torquata shed will be still useful.

Originally Posted by pellcorp

I checked my fence on the torquata and its out on the right side by the thickness of a piece of standard printer paper!

This morning on a whim - just in case kind of thinking, I turned the fence sides upside down and around the other way, and surprise surprise and its now flat, so it seems it was manufactured to be flat only one side which I guess makes sense, would have been nice to indicate which side was which I would say. Anyway, so it seems the aluminum is straight and within a very small margin (much less than the thickness of paper before) my two fence halfs are now straight too - yippee. Still means that I need to build my own top though to take my phenolic plate. Will post once photos once I get to do it!

Cheers
Jason