Thread: Router Tables

I was thinking about buying a table.. then I thought why not make one.. after searching the net for idea's.. one thing was very clear.. most home made tables use some type of plastic or metal plate that is screwed to the routers base..so what did I do.. ( rough n ready test model out of some old scrap stuff )the table top is just a couple of sheets of chip board sandwiched together .. plus a sheet of hardboard for the working surface.... how the router is held in is very simple ..after cutting a hole the same size as the base plate in both the chipboard and hardboard.. two channels have been in the chipboard at the points were the rods for the parallel attachment bars fix on the routers base.. .. so all I do is fix the bars to router and lower it into the table then attach the hardboard work surface.. the bars hold the router in pace very well...works a treat.. I may buy a sheet of new timber and take a little more care with how I make it... I could take a few pic if anyone wants... Col

PS if anyone thinks this could be not safe...don't tell me...:mad:

Col,
Your design sounds ingenious. I would certainly like to see some pictures.
Thanks
SG

Bob T,
I use bits of angle iron which clench my router base to the bottom of my table. the table top is 3mm gal plate which has been laminated on top. I think from memory the router lift post I made should show pix of it.
Regards,
Bob

as I said very rough 'n ready the chipboard was from an old school desk..and the cover sheet was ply not hardboard.. the brain wasn't working that well when I made my post

I like my Veritas drop in plate. It's easy to put the router in and out of the table and you can use it hand-held with the plate attached.

I'm using a 300 x 300 sheet of 10mm phenolic - drops into a recess in the table. The router is held by 4 countersunk screws, same as the standard base would be except the screws are longer. I was going to bolt the plate to the top but I can't see it moving so I haven't done that so far. Maybe if it attacks me....

After building a dead flat table i got one of those $45.00 table inserts from carbatec. The insert has such a big sag in the middle that i have spent two nights sanding it (upside down on a glass table) to get down to the ring inserts. not far to go now. I think it will be fine when finished. I know you only get what you pay for so in no way am i having a go at carbatec.

Originally Posted by triden

After building a dead flat table i got one of those $45.00 table inserts from carbatec. The insert has such a big sag in the middle that i have spent two nights sanding it (upside down on a glass table) to get down to the ring inserts. not far to go now. I think it will be fine when finished. I know you only get what you pay for so in no way am i having a go at carbatec.

G'day Triden,
you say "big sag" ? how big is big? If it is taking a long while to remove the sag - are you going to have enough material left when you use it to not sag under the router's weight?

20/20 hindsight is wonderful but perhaps it would have been better to return it or talk to the blokes at C/T.

As a possible alternative - visit you local Aluminium fabricators - they have all sorts of plate in many thicknesses - flat/straight/reasonably cheap/not necessarily pretty.
Hope you get it sorted - let us know how you get on.
Regards,
Bob

After a considerable amount of trial and error with MDF, plastic, acrylic etc I ended up buying the JessEm MasterPlate, it came complete with insert rings, pin and even a neat tool to remove said rings. And I have no more sag, I'm happy. You gotta use what is comfortable for you, a couple of years ago I watched a demonstrator at a WWW show, all he had was a crappy piece of MDF with a router screwed to it, yet he made perfect raised panel doors on it.

Bob38S
I could slip two pieces of paper under a straight edge on the insert plate. The insert rings were also concave. I started by sanding the rings flat and the marking the insert plate with a pencil screwing a block of wood to the back using the mounting holes for the router and started sanding. As it stands now the whole thing is one plane from side to side and front to back. I hope you dont think i am commplaning about the quality of the product, I did by a piece of lexan 400 by 400 15mm thick but i did want something with insert rings. I am happy with my table top now and i can start making my doors. As for Carbatec they are an hour and a half away and i hate Sydney traffic. As i said you get what you pay for and i'm happy and so are Carbatec, i will by from them again.
Cheers