Average cost to build "norm's" router table?

[Josh Reet]

Those who have built it, what would you say you had out of your pocket to build "Norm's" NYW router table? If it matters, I'm talking about the newer "deluxe" one (or whatever they are calling the updated design).

Just to keep things even, you might note if your cost includes a router lift or not. As that can swing the price a long way.

FWIW, I'm just trying to get a gauge of how much I'm going to spend to make one of these or if I'd rather build/buy something easier and spend my time working on other projects. It's a nice router table for sure. But I'm not sure if I care enough to throw a pile of money at it when I could get something functional for less. Like this from the sept 09 issue of Wood:

http://site.woodstore.net/Images/192/pr_56l.jpg

[Stan Mitchell]

I'm just finishing up one right now - but I'm going from memory. I didn't buy everything at the same time - rather is was spread out over a month or so and a dozen different shopping trips.

If you have to buy full sheets of ply - that will set you back some considering the plans call for partial sheets of 1/4" and 1/2", plus around a sheet and a half of 3/4". Oh, and a half sheet of 3/4" MDF - depending on how you make the top. Past the sheet goods, you'll need at least a 1/3 sheet of laminate for the top.

The hardware is where you can really put yourself in the poorhouse if you're not careful though. I haven't bought a lift or router yet. But 3 sets of drawer slides, casters (on my version), miter track, t-track, dust control fittings - all this stuff adds up.

Prices vary so much across the country, but I'd guess that I have at least $300 into my router station without a lift or router. I put a few extras on mine (everyone has to customize to personal preferences), so I know it could be built for much less.

It can be a bit pricey to build - but it's also a really nice workstation with some great dust control and nice storage. I'd do it again if I had too.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Before starting on the NYW router table, I would purchase a copy of Kreg's DVD, "router table using pocket screws." Not Sommerfelds, but Kreg. It is much simpler to make. Norm didn't do the original design on his table. He lifted it (with permission) from American Woodworker. Rockler has one of their router table fences on clearance for $29.99 right now, Free shipping ends 09-27. To save on costs, you could use a plunge router, with "Router Razer" and "Extreme Extension Collet."

[Denny Rice]

Before starting on the NYW router table, I would purchase a copy of Kreg's DVD, "router table using pocket screws." Not Sommerfelds, but Kreg. It is much simpler to make. Norm didn't do the original design on his table. He lifted it (with permission) from American Woodworker. Rockler has one of their router table fences on clearance for $29.99 right now, Free shipping ends 09-27. To save on costs, you could use a plunge router, with "Router Razer" and "Extreme Extension Collet."

Very interesting piece of info. I had always thought it was a Norm's design.

[Rick Dennington]

I built Norm's router table(I knew he borrowed it from the "other people") about 1 year ago. I bought the DVD,plans, and kit all at the same time, so that was substancial. I agree with Stan on the rest of the materials, and I also put 2 1/2" locking casters on mine. It's gonna run you around 3 bills time it's all said and done, but it's the best r.t. I've ever built(I've built 4).
One thing I did change was the dust collection he put on his. It's way tooo small. I also built a box at the fence to receive a 4" hose, cut a 4" hole in the back to receive a 4" Y, and ran the hose from the Y to the fence d.c. So that was a change I made in mine. If you build it, I would highly recommend going with the bigger d.c. as it's so much better. Happy w.w.
Ther are other guys out there that have built it also. You'll hear from them.

[Josh Reet]

Before starting on the NYW router table, I would purchase a copy of Kreg's DVD, "router table using pocket screws." Not Sommerfelds, but Kreg. It is much simpler to make. Norm didn't do the original design on his table. He lifted it (with permission) from American Woodworker. Rockler has one of their router table fences on clearance for $29.99 right now, Free shipping ends 09-27. To save on costs, you could use a plunge router, with "Router Razer" and "Extreme Extension Collet."

The Kreg table looks pretty good. But the DVD doesn't sound like it comes with any cutlist or plans. And this guy didn't get any response when looking for some on SMC:

http://70.169.135.35/showthread.php?t=96673

Perhaps I'll PM him and see if he found them anywhere. I suppose I could call Kreg as well. I'm just not real excited about trying to build with at least a cutlist to go along with a video.

[Josh Reet]

Perhaps I'll PM him and see if he found them anywhere.

Looks like the guy doesn't have PM's turned on. Such is life, I'll call Kreg tomorrow.

[Alex Shanku]

Norm didn't do the original design on his table. He lifted it (with permission) from American Woodworker.


I hadn't heard this before. Source?

Thanks,

Al

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

with router, lift plate and casters, I'm into mine for well over $800.

[Fred Hargis]

In the show for the first RT Norm built, he actually did a scene visiting the AWW workshop (he called it a "temple of woodworking") and showing one from a plan they had published some time earlier. It had a crank mounted on the outside of the table that had a flex cable running to the routers screw adjuster, that allowed you to raise lower it from outside the motor cavity. I don't remember him saying he copied their design from that model, but there are some similarities. As for cost, the cost for many of the cabinets are going to be close. Same for the top. I built mine about 8 years ago and don't remember what I spent, but I do remember thinking it was fairly expensive. Since then it's turned out to be worth every penny.

[Stan Mitchell]

with router, lift plate and casters, I'm into mine for well over $800That's what I'm figuring on mine too.


I would highly recommend going with the bigger d.c. as it's so much better.That's what I kept hearing from folks that have built one. I've also put a 4" duct out the back of the cabinet and a couple more vent holes to go with it.

Although I haven't started using mine yet, I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. The overall design is really quite good.

Other variations that I made was using laminate on the drawer fronts and purple heart for all the hardwood trim. The casters get the whole thing up to where you can see what's going on too.

[Brian Kincaid]

If you are able to drop $400+ I would start by talking to Quality Grinding about a router table top. I'm not affiliated but I am a very happy customer.

Brian

[Stephen Edwards]

You can save a lot of money on hardware by buying drawer guides (full extension) and casters from ebay. The double locking casters have a wee bit of wobble but it doesn't seem to matter on my table, it's so heavy!

The drawer guides were around $5.00/pair IIRC. Plenty good enough for a router table or any other shop cabinet.

I have that Rockler fence that's on clearance. Though I like a lot of Rockler's products and am a repeat customer, that fence ain't much to brag about, IMHO. It works but that's about all you can say about it. I had to shim mine to get it square and the melamine faces tend to bulge out at the T-Slots if you apply just a little too much pressure on fence feather boards. Again, it's ok for a starter fence, but I'll upgrade mine with a shop built fence eventually, God willing.

I would suggest that you not even consider the aluminum RT plate that they have on clearance. They shipped me 3 of them. All were bad. They did make it right by upgrading to their newer plate that sells for about $60 bucks. That one is a decent plate. Before they shipped the 3rd bad plate the tech guy there told me that he personally looked at a lot of those clearance plates and that all the ones he looked at had some degree of visible deflection. He shipped me one anyway and said he hoped it would be OK! NOT!

The Rockler feather boards are great. So are the little hardware gizmoes for holding accessories in the miter track. They expand as you apply pressure.

I'll probably have between $300-400 in mine when all is said and done. No telling how many hours. It's been fun building it!

[Josh Reet]

For whatever it is worth:

The Kreg router table DVD is supposed to come with a cutlist and exploded construction diagram. However, some of the DVD's apparently do not have those documents. However, if you call up Kreg, they will email them to you. I talked with a nice gal named Gail and she sent them right away.

Good customer service Kreg.

[Josh Reet]

I have that Rockler fence that's on clearance. Though I like a lot of Rockler's products and am a repeat customer, that fence ain't much to brag about, IMHO. It works but that's about all you can say about it. I had to shim mine to get it square and the melamine faces tend to bulge out at the T-Slots if you apply just a little too much pressure on fence feather boards. Again, it's ok for a starter fence, but I'll upgrade mine with a shop built fence eventually, God willing.



That's too bad. $29 would have been a nice deal. I guess I might as well prepare myself to spend $100+ if I want a nice pre-built fence. I've heard good things about the Woodpecker LE and it's price is only slightly terrifying. http://www.woodpeck.com/lefence.html

Then again, shop built is nice and cheap (if I don't screw it up). Sigh...so many projects to do.

[Bob Haskett]

Is this the product everyone is talking about?

http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?0301

[QUOTE=Rick Dennington;1220521]I built Norm's router table(I knew he borrowed it from the "other people") about 1 year ago. I bought the DVD,plans, and kit all at the same time,QUOTE]

If so, Rick mentioned buying DVD, plans, and kit. I see the DVD and plans on the website, what kit are you speaking of?

[Josh Reet]

Is this the product everyone is talking about?

http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?0301

If so, someone mentioned buying DVD, plans, and kit. I see the DVD and plans on the website, what kit are you speaking of?

I think they mean the hardware kit that rockler sells for building this table:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10446

[Bob Haskett]

I think they mean the hardware kit that rockler sells for building this table:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10446

So with the kit, the plans, and the DVD all I would need from there is the wood? Sorry for all the questions, but how do some have nearly $800 in it? Seems like if the wood + kit is all that was needed it would be well under that price.

[Kirk Poore]

If I was looking at spending $400+ on a router table I'd go look at small shapers. They certainly have more bang for that level of bucks.

Kirk

[Josh Reet]

This stuff can add $$ but isn't 100% necessary (or included in the "kit"). Well, the router plate might necessary:

-New router
-Router lift
-Router plate
-different/nicer wood
-different/nicer fence system
-different/nicer dust collection design

It's all how you count "cost" and "necessary".

[Bob Haskett]

This stuff can add $$ but isn't 100% necessary (or included in the "kit"). Well, the router plate might necessary:

-New router
-Router lift
-Router plate
-different/nicer wood
-different/nicer fence system
-different/nicer dust collection design

It's all how you count "cost" and "necessary".

Ah, looks like I need to do some more reasearch then. I have already run into the discussions on the DC upgrade.

[Greg Peterson]

Gary Rogowski's router table is slapped together with particle board. It's crude, primitive and ugly. But it does everything he needs it to do, and his work speaks for itself.

The single most critical component is the top. So long as that is perfectly flat you're in business. Aside from DC, the rest is bells and whistles.

Not to say that one shouldn't take the time and effort to build a nice router table. It just isn't necessary in order to produce fine results.

[Stephen Edwards]

That's too bad. $29 would have been a nice deal. I guess I might as well prepare myself to spend $100+ if I want a nice pre-built fence. I've heard good things about the Woodpecker LE and it's price is only slightly terrifying. http://www.woodpeck.com/lefence.html

Then again, shop built is nice and cheap (if I don't screw it up). Sigh...so many projects to do.

Josh, to be clear, I don't regret purchasing that fence. It's only $30.00! Look at it like this: It's a good starter fence. With it you can build a lot of things, including your own shop built fence. If I had it to do over again, under the same circumstances, I'd buy it again. My point was just to let you know that it ain't a high end fence. But it works. It's worth, to me, about what I paid for it. It would not be a good value at it's "regular price", IMHO.

As someone else pointed out, You don't need a fancy table full of bells and whistles to build nice things. A lot of people build a first RT and then later upgrade to a nicer one. I have a small Bench Top RT that I started out with. I still have it and still use it, too. If you have the room, it's convenient to have more than one RT.

[Homer Faucett]

I can't complain about the Rockler fence. It has served me well for over 5 years, and done all I've asked of it. My main router table has been a Rockler top, fence, and aluminum plate with a plywood box underneath on casters. Yeah, it's CDX ply with some cross pieces. It isn't pretty, but it's effective! You can spend as much as you want on a router table, but I have $80 in a 3.5 hp Ryobi plunge router, $100 in the rockler top system, and some scrap plywood and wheels. You can build the rest of the components for as expensively or inexpensively as you like.

Good luck!


That's too bad. $29 would have been a nice deal. I guess I might as well prepare myself to spend $100+ if I want a nice pre-built fence. I've heard good things about the Woodpecker LE and it's price is only slightly terrifying. http://www.woodpeck.com/lefence.html

Then again, shop built is nice and cheap (if I don't screw it up). Sigh...so many projects to do.

[Josh Reet]

Josh, to be clear, I don't regret purchasing that fence. It's only $30.00! Look at it like this: It's a good starter fence. With it you can build a lot of things, including your own shop built fence. If I had it to do over again, under the same circumstances, I'd buy it again. My point was just to let you know that it ain't a high end fence. But it works. It's worth, to me, about what I paid for it. It would not be a good value at it's "regular price", IMHO.

As someone else pointed out, You don't need a fancy table full of bells and whistles to build nice things. A lot of people build a first RT and then later upgrade to a nicer one. I have a small Bench Top RT that I started out with. I still have it and still use it, too. If you have the room, it's convenient to have more than one RT.

Hmmm, thanks for the clarification. That's good to know.

[Jeremy Brant]

Yet another option is to buy Norm's table all prebuilt and save yourself the time and extra material cost. I bought the RT-1000XL from this company:
www.rt1000.com (http://www.rt1000.com). I haven't used it a real lot yet, but so far so good. I got an extra plate with the 3.5" cutout for panel raising bits, and have my milwaukee 5625 mounted. I don't have a dust collector, so I bought another hose for my shop vac and mounted it semi-permanently into the fence dust port. It works pretty well that way...some still gets down into the cabinet, but not too much.

[Brian Kincaid]

As someone else pointed out, You don't need a fancy table full of bells and whistles to build nice things. A lot of people build a first RT and then later upgrade to a nicer one.

I'm on my third router table and I still don't build things all that nice :D
Problem is now all the blame is due to the operator. So I got a power feeder. (Yes I'm serious).

Brian

[Rick Dennington]

Dave, the kit for Norm's r.t. consist of a on/off switch with a big red paddle over"off" that you mount on the outside of the table. It comes witha 24" pigtail. You plug your router cord into the pigtail, and the pigtail to the wall outlet(?) You also get a miter track for the table top that's about 36", a dust port to mount to the fence, and all necessary hardware to build the table(i.e. knobs, toilet bolts(most people call them T-slot bolts, etc. You'll get all this in the kit for about $90.
If you take the Rockler ww magazine, look on p. 23 at the top and you'll see it. I fugured this all up, and if you bought them seperate, it would cost you a little more,plus s&h. Hope this helps.

[Bruce Wrenn]

If I was looking at spending $400+ on a router table I'd go look at small shapers. They certainly have more bang for that level of bucks.

KirkNot when you factor in the cost of shaper cutters, which ain't cheap. But if you are doing only raised panels, stile and cope, then three shapers makes more sense.

[Bill Swanson]

Looking for a pic of the Kreg plan. Does anyone have one?

[Jerome Hanby]

"Extreme Extension Collet."
Man I'm glad you mentioned that! I bought an extension for my wife to use routing bowls and that's exactly what I need to help the problems I'm having with setting up and using a lockmiter bit!

[Jerome Hanby]

I hadn't heard this before. Source?

Thanks,

Al

I haven't heard that either, but his table does look nearly identical to the one AW did that had the crank on the front to adjust the router height. I believe it.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Not when you factor in the cost of shaper cutters, which ain't cheap. But if you are doing only raised panels, stile and cope, then three shapers makes more sense.

These guys: http://corobcutters.com/
and Grizzly both have reasonable prices on small shaper cutters. The panel raising and cope&stick cutter sets are what get expensive on shapers.

The problem with shaper cutters is that they aren't available at Rockler or the Borg when you need some profile you don't have to finish a project. I've found that shaper cutters stand up to abuse and can be resharpened easier than router bits, and it is nice to be able to flip them over, run the spindle in reverse, and stack them for more profile options, but there are operations you can't do as safely on a shaper as a router table without a stub arbor or a router bit adaptor.

I have a router table built into my cabinet saw extension table and an old Delta LD shaper with a 3/4 hp motor. I use the shaper far more often than the router table because of the ease of height adjustment, cutter changes, and the smoothness, but I do use the router table for things like cutting dado slots and pattern work. I find that the 3/4 hp motor is plenty of power for the small shaper as long as the cutters are sharp.

I paid $175 for the shaper, fence, stand, and a collection of cutters.

[Jim Kountz]

I hadn't heard this before. Source?

Thanks,

Al

I think its issue #44. Back when AW was still a great magazine.

[Alex Shanku]

I think its issue #44. Back when AW was still a great magazine.


http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/0715/8723/a72f_1.jpg

Sure is!

*edit* thanks for the lead, btw.

[Josh Reet]

These guys: http://corobcutters.com/
and Grizzly both have reasonable prices on small shaper cutters. The panel raising and cope&stick cutter sets are what get expensive on shapers.

The problem with shaper cutters is that they aren't available at Rockler or the Borg when you need some profile you don't have to finish a project. I've found that shaper cutters stand up to abuse and can be resharpened easier than router bits, and it is nice to be able to flip them over, run the spindle in reverse, and stack them for more profile options, but there are operations you can't do as safely on a shaper as a router table without a stub arbor or a router bit adaptor.

I have a router table built into my cabinet saw extension table and an old Delta LD shaper with a 3/4 hp motor. I use the shaper far more often than the router table because of the ease of height adjustment, cutter changes, and the smoothness, but I do use the router table for things like cutting dado slots and pattern work. I find that the 3/4 hp motor is plenty of power for the small shaper as long as the cutters are sharp.

I paid $175 for the shaper, fence, stand, and a collection of cutters.

The shaper vs cutter thing is something I will have to think about for a while. the "not having access to shaper cutters" problem is a non issue for me, as I live quite close to grizzly. But it's interesting that the money once can easily spend on building a nice router table would get you into one of the 3/4 shapers (new) or perhaps less for something used.

But I guess I'm going to have to think about what I need shaping/routing tools for and which tool would best serve that need.

[Chris Ricker]

+1 on the rt1000xl

but if you are in it to enjoy the process of building one, you are going to have a good time:)

enjoy the journey!

[Cody Colston]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/0715/8723/a72f_1.jpg

Sure is!

*edit* thanks for the lead, btw.

Alex,

Ellis Wallentine who runs the Wood Central forum actually designed the Norm router table. Under their archived articles, there is one where Ellis tells about norm visiting the AW shop to get a design for his router table. Ellis is still surprised that norm did not include the one with the integral router lift crank.

I would have included a link to the article but rules are rules I guess. ;)

[Josiah Bartlett]

Building a table certainly does give you a personal connection to your tool.

Feeding a router table or a shaper well is certainly a good skill to have. It took me a while to learn how to use feather boards well. I'd love to have a power feeder. I get terrible results when I try to free hand things.

[Bob Haskett]

Building a table certainly does give you a personal connection to your tool.

Feeding a router table or a shaper well is certainly a good skill to have. It took me a while to learn how to use feather boards well. I'd love to have a power feeder. I get terrible results when I try to free hand things.

For anyone who has built the table what is the skill level required? Would it be a pretty daunting task for complete beginner?

[Todd Willhoit]

For anyone who has built the table what is the skill level required? Would it be a pretty daunting task for complete beginner?

Bob,
Earlier this week I bought $250 worth of material to build the table. I do not have a table saw, so I am using a Skill HD77 wormdrive, a 50" clamp-type edge guide, and an 8' plywood cutoff as edge guides for my rip cuts. I did however make a zero-clearance base for the saw to improve my cut quality. So far, so good.

I am definitely a beginner, but I don't think this project is very difficult. Your workbench project is more complicated than anything I have built. I think you will be fine.

Todd