Router Table Concerns

[harry strasil]

I have had a router mounted under the left wing of my shopmade table saw since I built it in the mid 70's. I had a problem with router chips all over the place and made a one side open V shaped box that I could mount to my rip fence that I had a hole for my shopvac hose, it got about 85% of the dust/chips. But I was always careful to clean the air intake slots on the router so that it would have plenty of cooling air.

I have tried mounting a container around the router under the table with a shop vac attached, but the air slots plug really fast when using it, so I gave that idea up to save my router from the smoke demons.

My Question is how do those with similar enclosures deal with the router motor inlets closing with dust and chips?

[Rich Neighbarger]

6" dust port. I would refrain from enclosing it without good airflow, which a shop vac will not be able to provide.

[Phil Thien]

I use a shop-made downdraft box around my router.

I use it w/ my Ridgid vac, plumbed through the Rockler 2.5" clear shop vac piping kit.

I've never really had much in the way of chips find their way into the router. I blow it out from time to time, and do get some dust out of it.

Bill Huber had an intelligent solution:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=65058

[Maurice Ungaro]

Jr.,
I too made a downdraft box for my table mounted router. Mine is real simple, with a 4" hose connection on the lower back end, and two 1/2" slots on the sides of the box (towards the top of the box), so the air gets sucked in from the top, and down to the DC hose. Works fine: no chips; no smoke!