Best track and placement for router table?

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

This is my first post on this forum. I have been doing contractor type carpentry for many years and decided to step up my game a little by making my own kitchen cabinets next year and hope to move into furniture in the next few years, just for kicks. I've started to accumulate equipment in my garage. It seems that every time I have a question and do some internet research, I almost always end up in this forum and therefore decided to join so I could see the pictures. I have gotten some very valuable advice from you guys. I never expect to get to the level of you experts, and you know who you are, but doing this is better than sitting on the couch.

Now to my question. I have a Unisaw with a 50" Beis fence system. Since I am limited in space with a 2 car garage that also houses a car and two motorcycles, I am trying to conserve space. I bought a router lift and installed it in my tablesaw extension table. I made a router fence that I just clamp to my Beis fence. I made a circle cutter that clamps to the fence also so I could make a DC baffle. Works great. I know I will need some sort of jig for routing the end of the rails for the cabinets, and I am sure there is an assortment of jigs that will be needed in the future. I want to install some kind of track system in the extension table. What is the best track system, ie. easiest to make or buy jigs for, and how far away fron the router center should they be?

I am relying on your years of experience to save me from any regrets. Thanks in advance for your time.

[Joe Scharle]

I used to use a miter track in a horizontal RT for cutting mortises. For cope & stick on rail ends, I use a sled. And for most everything else that needs a backer, I'll use a piece of scrap as a push block.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

I used to use a miter track in a horizontal RT for cutting mortises. For cope & stick on rail ends, I use a sled. And for most everything else that needs a backer, I'll use a piece of scrap as a push block.

Thanks for responding Joe. So your sled rides in a single miter tracK? And if you know, how far is the track from the router bit center?

[John Keeton]

Chaz, welcome to the creek! Here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=92331) is a thread that may be helpful, and here (http://www.infinitytools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=COP-100) is another link.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

Thanks John. I didn't even know it was called a "coping" jig or sled, so I couldn't search it. Did I mention I was new to this? ;) It seems that miter track is the way to go. I guess I'll buy a jig to figure out the best placement for track.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

My question was actually about the track and not the sleds or jigs. There are so many different tracks out there and I was wondering which is the most useful. I have seen t-track, miter track, combo track, double and triple t-track, etc.. Some screw down from the top. Some bolt through the table. Is bolt-through better? Is it overkill? Should I epoxy as well as screw? Any help would be appreciated.

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm sure that you'll get lots of different opinions. Personally, I'm fond of the Rockler miter track and their T-Track kits. A couple of times a year they'll have the T-Track kits on sale.

For my router table, still under construction but using now, I opted for the miter track. It's not a T-Miter track.

I used their T-Track for the RT fence and am also using it on a Drill Press Table that I'm building.

Rockler also has some handy little feather boards and hardware for shop built fixtures that work just fine in their miter track. The hardware kit I'm speaking of is a piece of metal with a screw and a knob. As you tighten the knob it expands the sides of the metal pieces, exerting pressure against the sides of the miter track and holding your jig/fixture, whatever, in place. They come two to a package. Not expensive for the hardware kit.

My RT is 30" deep.
Center of router plate is 14" from front edge of table.
Center of router plate to center of miter track is 5 3/4".

Best of luck with your project! Welcome to the Creek, too!

[John Keeton]

Chaz, this is the miter slot on my extension table.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=97624&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1222540855 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=97624&d=1222540855)
I have yet to use it. However, I do not do cope and stick frames. It seems from the comments I have seen (and opinions do differ!) that the consensus may be that unless you have dead on parallel alignment between the fence and the miter slot, you will have difficulty in getting accurate coped ends. For that reason, many do not use a miter slot, but ride the sled against the fence. Just a thought.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

I'm sure that you'll get lots of different opinions. Personally, I'm fond of the Rockler miter track and their T-Track kits. A couple of times a year they'll have the T-Track kits on sale.

For my router table, still under construction but using now, I opted for the miter track. It's not a T-Miter track.

I used their T-Track for the RT fence and am also using it on a Drill Press Table that I'm building.

Rockler also has some handy little feather boards and hardware for shop built fixtures that work just fine in their miter track. The hardware kit I'm speaking of is a piece of metal with a screw and a knob. As you tighten the knob it expands the sides of the metal pieces, exerting pressure against the sides of the miter track and holding your jig/fixture, whatever, in place. They come two to a package. Not expensive for the hardware kit.

My RT is 30" deep.
Center of router plate is 14" from front edge of table.
Center of router plate to center of miter track is 5 3/4".

Best of luck with your project! Welcome to the Creek, too!


Thanks for the info, Stephen. I was thinking miter track but wondered if the additional t-track is worth it for fingerboards. Only 5 3/4 inches back? I thought they were kind of close. I will have to notch out the iron l-bar that holds my fence and table.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

Chaz, this is the miter slot on my extension table.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=97624&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1222540855 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=97624&d=1222540855)
I have yet to use it. However, I do not do cope and stick frames. It seems from the comments I have seen (and opinions do differ!) that the consensus may be that unless you have dead on parallel alignment between the fence and the miter slot, you will have difficulty in getting accurate coped ends. For that reason, many do not use a miter slot, but ride the sled against the fence. Just a thought.

Riding the sled directly against the fence. I hadn't even thought of that. Interesting. I should be able to get a track dead on with the fence since I can use the fence as a guide for the router when slotting the table. I suppose as parts wear the fence can change, but I could always adjust it back to square using the miter slot. I'm going to try the fence though, it makes sense. Thanks for your help.

[Joe Scharle]

Chaz, I think I see where we're at here. First off, the fence and the miter slot are never used together to guide the work. At least, I can't think of any occasion. It would be like using your TS miter gage and rip fence together. The RT fence has no EW or NS alignment requirements, as the router bit is a dot on a line. The fence can be skewed around and work just fine.
One of my RTs has a miter slot from Woodcraft that matches my TS miter gage exactly. I use that setup for a box joint jig I built that attaches to my miter gage. Other than that, the only use I have for a miter slot on my RT is to mount fingerboards.

[John Keeton]

Other than that, the only use I have for a miter slot on my RT is to mount fingerboards.Ooops! Chaz, I said I never use mine, and I forgot to mention that I also use mine for fingerboards. In fact, I built a "high rise" fingerboard setup to do raised panels with a vertical bit. Flat Forgot!! Sorry!

[pat warner]

Mr Keeton:
You surface: Steel? Part of table saw top' or?
(Very clean & impessive).