Ideas for fence side table/router extension

[keith micinski]

So here is what I have. A new Grizzly 1023 and a 52" Unifence. I built this mobile base with the intention of making cabinetry underneath the table and adding a router lift on the end of it. I already have the Jessem Master lift and I have a 25" Incra-ts super system. I have a pretty good idea what I am looking for but thought I would see what you guys thought since I am sure people have come up with some good ideas. The first two pictures are of where I am at. I am going to get the plywood now and plan on starting to build the base cabinets tomorrow. The third picture is kind of what I was going for.

[James Malcolm]

I've bought the materials to do something very similar; just haven't gotten to it yet on my list.

One thing I would change about that design is to not waste as much space for the router enclosure. You could fit a column of drawers on either side of the router. I like the small drawers along the side; much more functional than an extra few inches of drawer depth. I'd make a swing out tray for the saw blade rather than just hanging it on a nail; I know my luck. Probably build a power strip or distro box into it. I don't see a router switch. A place to stow the fence would be nice.

You could also run t or miter slots in both directions to allow you to use the saw table for an outfeed to the router if you don't have a big one like this picture shows. It's also really nice for clamping things while glueing. Just double miter then ends to form a perfect joint. Only works if you get a single slot.

Another thing is leave a lip around the perimeter or a t-slot to clamp a fence to or have TS fence rails that extend the full length. Sure is nice being able to do bigger TS cuts.

Let us know how it turns out.

[Brian D Anderson]

I just want to say that is an excellent idea! ;)

Send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you all my in progress pictures from making that router cabinet. I have a Sketchup file of it too if you know Sketchup.

-Brian

[keith micinski]

Thanks Brian, I do use sketchup sparingly but I can use it. James I also agree about the space around the router being to big. I am also going to try and use the space in between the saw and the cabinet for blade and wrench storage. And again I also agree that I am going to put brackets somewhere to mount the fence when it's not in use. I also found this switch I am going to mount on the upper left corner.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C4L3PS/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00153I3IC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1YVYWBED4PJHYG5D1RZ9

[Brian D Anderson]

I've bought the materials to do something very similar; just haven't gotten to it yet on my list.

One thing I would change about that design is to not waste as much space for the router enclosure. You could fit a column of drawers on either side of the router. I like the small drawers along the side; much more functional than an extra few inches of drawer depth. I'd make a swing out tray for the saw blade rather than just hanging it on a nail; I know my luck. Probably build a power strip or distro box into it. I don't see a router switch. A place to stow the fence would be nice.

You could also run t or miter slots in both directions to allow you to use the saw table for an outfeed to the router if you don't have a big one like this picture shows. It's also really nice for clamping things while glueing. Just double miter then ends to form a perfect joint. Only works if you get a single slot.

Another thing is leave a lip around the perimeter or a t-slot to clamp a fence to or have TS fence rails that extend the full length. Sure is nice being able to do bigger TS cuts.

Let us know how it turns out.

You could probably squeeze the enclosure in a little bit. What's not apparent in the picture is that the table top is not attached to the cabinet. I put a rubber seal around the top of the router enclosure. I had 4 cabinet leg levelers, and I raise the cabinet until it makes a seal. The top is bolted into the TS rails. The enclosure had to be bigger than the router plate so the seals had a smooth surface to contact.

The enclosure was kind of dictated by the depth of the 3 wider drawers. The small shelf with the doors above the 3 doors was an afterthought when I realized I could get a little more space for storage there.

BTW, the foot switch on the floor is for the router.

Also the TS blade is just there for looks really, it's not a blade I use . . . hence it's not really protected . . . just something silly I added for looks.

I do wish my TS rails were longer. I'd love to buy the longer rails and cut them to the exact length, but I can't justify that cost for the few times I wished they were longer.

Fence storage would be nice too. I thought about it originally, but couldn't find a good place for it. I have a bench right behind the table where it usually sits.

The one thing I'm surprised about is that I don't use the above table height adjustment on my router. I have it . . . but it's just as easy for me to open the door and use the fine height adjustment on the router.

-Brian

[keith micinski]

Well, here is where I am at so far. I am ready to cut the hole for the router and am getting a little antsy about it. I would have done it today but I decided to do the dumbest thing I have ever done and tried to use the jointer on a piece that I knew was to small. I then compounded the problem but not using push blocks and needless to say I am now missing part of my finger. Easily the dumbest thing I have ever done.

[Don Jarvie]

Sorry about your finger.

My lift has an inside ridge about 1/2 inside of the out rim. I had to cut the hole 1st and then cut the lip around. My rabbiting bit wasn't wide enough so I had to use a straight bit. Once the depth is correct it's just a matter of making sure you hit the line.

You may need to make a few passes to get it right on the line so it fits tight. If you cut a bit too deep you can shim it but your better off cutting it a bit higher and then making passes so it's level.

The key is to take your time and it will work out.

[keith micinski]

Luckily my Jessem lift has leveling screws built into the top so I am actually going to make it a little deep and use those to level it.

[Chip Lindley]

I'm this far along with my heavy duty, roll-around for the PM66. I spent time welding together my own mobile base of 3" channel and 3" angle for maximum rigidity. Swivel casters are below base level so the cabinet box can be slid in, unobstructed. The extension table and rails are fully supported by outboard legs attached to the base by threaded rods in the leg bottoms for exact adjustment.

My storage box will slide into the base and make room for a JessEm lift. A 2nd PM AccuFence is dedicated for router use. (shown here stripped)Since there is a narrow space for storage on either side of the lift (facing the table end) I plan to add end drawers for router bit storage. Storage is always at a premium in a small shop. I want to utilize every cubic inch beneath the extension table. Hopefully drawer pix in the coming week or so!

[keith micinski]

I like the idea of being able to slide a box in but I didn't want to have the caster outboard of the base because I am going to have my router out there and the height of the casters would have made my cabinet even smaller if I would have went that rout.

[keith micinski]

I'm so screwed though. I have had the lift and the Incra fence for months waiting on the new saw and getting this cabinet built but I don't have a bosch router to go into the lift. I thought for sure that I would be able to find one on Craigslist a long time ago but have had no luck. That saw is the first thing I have ever bought new and it killed me since everything else in my shop is worth more then I paid for it but I think I am going to be buying a new router at this rate. I really wanted to try out that incra fence to make some dovetails and box joints for all of the drawers in the cabinet so I could learn and I don't see myself waiting much longer.

[Gene Waara]

I'm so screwed though. I have had the lift and the Incra fence for months waiting on the new saw and getting this cabinet built but I don't have a bosch router to go into the lift. I thought for sure that I would be able to find one on Craigslist a long time ago but have had no luck. ....
Ouch on the finger - reminders to the rest of us are always welcome.
Wow - thought I was the only one. I received a new G690 a couple of weeks ago and had bought the Jessem lift for a Bosch 1617 as well. My thoughts were exactly the same but I have not seen the router on CL either. I am not quite as far along on the extension as you but have also accepted that I will have to buy new. Not really that big a deal, I was just surprised that someone else was in the exact same situation.:(

[keith micinski]

Well, I got the router lift inserted and I am pretty happy with it. Somehow my top has just a slight bow in it so I am going to have to shim it which I am not happy about but I think I will be able to make it perfect. One thing I am really disappointed in is Incra. That fence is a marvel of engineering in all that it can do and yet to square the fence up with the table I have to resort to using tiny shims that require multiple parts of the fence being taken apart, then check it and then take it apart again and reshim. After all of this I was only able to get almost perfect. They really should have come up with some sort of a set screw design. I am also shocked at how big the 25" fence is. If I would have bought this new I would definitely have gotten a 17" since i cant see any reason to ever use anything close to the 25" capacity.

[keith micinski]

So I haven't been able to do to much recently on the router table and dust collection but I did get the drawer's built and installed. Whoever designed the pocket screw and jig is a genius. Conversely this Kreg drawer slide jig is terrible. I am going to make my own that supports the drawer and allows you to to put the whole slide in the cabinet and then you just slide them out and screw them to the side of the drawer. I also found basically the same slides at both Menards and Home Depot. The slides were 10 bucks at Menards and 16 at Home Depot but the Menards one's were much cheaper and one set already broke while installing them.

[keith micinski]

I got the dust collection hooked up and am pretty happy with it except for the cheap Harbor freight Blast gates. They want to close themselves when the dust collection is on. For now until I get better ones I am going to have to figure out a way to make them fit in the slot a little tighter.

[Jim O'Dell]

Keith, you might want to take the wye you have to come up to the hook up on the fence and turn it around. It will work like you have it, but you're making the air turn a 135 degree corner instead of a 45 degree turn to go to the collector.
Cabinet looks nice!! Jim.

[Dan Karachio]

That third picture has haunted me since it was posted a while back. He did an outstanding job. I look at my router table (cabinet under an extension) with pure disgust and shame!

[Brian D Anderson]

That third picture has haunted me since it was posted a while back. He did an outstanding job. I look at my router table (cabinet under an extension) with pure disgust and shame!

Sorry. :)

-Brian

[keith micinski]

Well, the reason I have it turned that way is because when the flexible line goes up and hooks onto the router fence it is actually less of a bend that way. I am going to try it both ways and see which is better.

[keith micinski]

I made these brackets to hold the fence when not in use.

[keith micinski]

So I finished the drawer fronts up and am a little frustrated. I must have missed a measurement some where and I have way to big of a gap on the one side. I am trying to tell myself that it is just shop cabinetry but I am going to have to look at this for the next 40 years so I am kind of disappointed. Now I have to start working on the router side of the table and I am thinking that is going to take me quite a bit longer as I try to figure out the best configuration for storage and dust collection. Jim I turned the fitting around but didn't notice any real difference in air flow. Of course the entire front of the cabinet is open right now so that is affecting airflow more then anything right now.

[keith micinski]

So, its been kind of slow but I have made a little progress. I decided to mount the switch on the backside of the table because this is where I stand to start the cut. I am pretty happy with it so far. Hopefully I will get the rest of the doors made this weekend. I have also found it is kind of nice to slide my tablesaw fence over and use it as the router fence. I am going to make an auxiliary fence that I can slide over the table saw fence for routing also.

[keith micinski]

For some reason they wouldn't let me post the rest of the pics last night. I also decided not to put a mitre slot in top and instead modified my sled to slide along the fence and I am pretty happy with that setup.

[Brad Gobble]

Looking good Keith, I am watching closely!

I agree completely about Kreg pocket screws (love em) and also bought (and hate) that damn drawer slide tool. If anyone has gotten that thing to work post your secret!

[keith micinski]

Unfortunately I am having. A hard to e finding 1/4 plexiglass for the door that goes over the router. I really want to get those things finished because I still have to make the drawer knobs. I hope I can find some purple paint that matches the purple heart so I could just by some small drawer pulls and paint them.

[keith micinski]

Well, I finally finished the router side. The knobs look a lot closer to the purple heart in person then they do in the photos for some reason. All in all this project took way longer then I thought it would but the end result is pretty close to what I was going for. I tried moving the saw for the first time with everything finished up and while it will roll around it is about a pound away from needing a second person to move it. The only downside I see is that I don't think I can ever blame a lack of high quality tools as a reason for having a problem with a project. 6 months ago I had a delta contractor saw and a stand alone little Bosch router table. If I am honest with myself the amount of money that I have spent on this table saw and router setup is pretty absurd considering I am just a hobbyist but man it sure is fun to go out to the garage and see this all finished up and know that if I had to, I could build just about anything.

[Doug Shepard]

Very nice setup. I did something pretty similar a while back
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=115481
The weakest part of the whole redux is the mobile base. The saw is much harder to move now than previously. Wish I had gone with a shop made welded setup with better quality casters than the HTC unit I ended up getting. But overall I wish I had done it way sooner. Getting rid of my dedicated router table freed up a lot of needed space.

[keith micinski]

Well, if it makes you feel any better I built mine out of 2 inch structural tubing and it is still a bear to move. I wish I could have gotten bigger casters but I didn't want to eat in to the storage space of the cabinet any more then I did. I really only plan on moving my saw on a rare occasion. I can cut up to 8 feet in any direction so being stationary 99% of the time works for me.

[Craig Carpenter]

The entire setup is awesome! Great job!

[keith micinski]

Thanks Craig.