PM 66 With Router In Table?

[Jim Eller]

I have a good router table but some times need two.

With way too many routers I began thinking about the PM 66 with 50" extension.

Has anyone(or can it even be done?) put a router in the extension of a factory PM 66 extension? It seems like it would be as simple as drilling the appropriate hole but I really have nothing to base that on.

I guess my biggest concerns would be table sag ans dust collection.

Has anyone done this and is so, DO YOU HAVE ANY PICS?

Thanks,
Jim

[Mike Barney Sr]

Years ago I had a Unisaw with 52" Unifence. Before I got a separate router table, I mounted a router in the extension top and used the Unifence as its fence. I reinforce the top with bracing underneath and had no problem with sag. I mounted the router in a piece of 1/4" plexiglas and made a blank the same size to drop in when not routing. I never did but considered using the fence and routing a miter slot in the top close to the router. This would have to be further reinforced underneath.

[John M. Johnson]

Two? I find 3 to be a reasonable number :) Rail, stile and panel all setup and ready to go. I have the same extention in my 66 with the PM branded jess-em plate. It has been years and the table is still nice and flat (scratched but still flat). I have a PC 3 1/2 HP router hanging from it. To be honest, it is my favorite router table. The large work surface is fantastic.


As for dust collection? PM skipped this step. When I first set it up, it made on hell of a mess. Since then, some quick box work (nothing fancy, just 1/4 MDF and a dust port) and everything runs clean.

[Jim Eller]

Two? I find 3 to be a reasonable number :) Rail, stile and panel all setup and ready to go. I have the same extension in my 66 with the PM branded jess-em plate. It has been years and the table is still nice and flat (scratched but still flat). I have a PC 3 1/2 HP router hanging from it. To be honest, it is my favorite router table. The large work surface is fantastic.


As for dust collection? PM skipped this step. When I first set it up, it made on hell of a mess. Since then, some quick box work (nothing fancy, just 1/4 MDF and a dust port) and everything runs clean.

John,

Do you have any pics? You can email them if you wish.

I was/am worried about cutting a large hole in the top. The PM extension appears to be 3/4" MDF with a laminate on it. My Jess-em router plate is about 9x12 and about 5/16" thick. That doesn't seem like much support but if yours works it must be OK.

How did you cut the hole for the router plate?

Thanks,
Jim

[Chip Lindley]

A hole can be cut in the PM66 extension table same as in any dedicated router table. Earlier "green" PM66 extension tables had only one cross support running beneath. Later "black" tables have additional wood braces that frame in an area for a router plate. Should the table need adjusting for sag, thin wedges could be driven underneath, between the wood brace and the table top. If yours is the earlier version, additional support may be needed to prevent sag. My "black" extension table supports a P-C 7518 on a JessEm lift just fine for over a year now.

Finally photos of my work in progress. An overall look at the heavy mobile stand under my PM66 of welded 3" channel and 3" angle. Swivel caster brackets are below the channel frame so the storage cabinet can be slid into the space cleanly.
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This, the rough carcass of my storage cabinet, designed after much head-scratching, to provide clearance for the saw's tilt handwheel; give access to the router beneath the table; and provide maximum drawer storage. 28" full-extension 150 lb.-rated drawer slides will be used. The center upper space is still to be divided into smaller drawers. Additional storage will be added either side of the router recess on front and back. I am thinking tilt-out storage for router bits, etc. The end of the router opening will be enclosed for better DC.
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The JessEm lift fits neatly in the top. No additional bracing was needed (yet...) on the stock PM extension table. An extra PM AccuFence was gleaned off eBay to use with the router; fence still to be built and bolted onto it.
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I located the back of the drop-in hole in line with the edge of the cross support nearest the outboard end of table for max stiffness. A template was made of melamine particle board exactly to fit the JessEm plate, I cut the hole out 3/4" inside the perimeter of the drop-in hole. That ledge was routed about 1/32" deeper than the thickness of the router plate to allow adjustment flush with the table top. There is one tiny bobble in the edge from inadvertently tipping the router a bit, but I will live with it. Thru holes drilled at each corner to access the allen-head adjustment screws.
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Below is the jig I made for routing the lift hole. The JessEm plate was laid on top of the piece of melamine and four straight pieces of melamine clamped to align to the plate. The radius'd corners were drilled thru to match with Forstner bit with the fixture clamped on my DP table. Then the straight sides were cut out with a pattern bit; the bearing guided by the straight side pieces.
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Underneath, the long side pieces were attached to the jig so it could be clamped firmly to the tabletop. Once afixed, A 3/4" dia. x 2" long pattern bit was plunged in and the perimeter edge cut. Then a saber saw cut out the middle to leave the 3/4" ledge.
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Hope this all makes sense!

[Dave MacArthur]

just sold my delta contractor with 56" extension/biesmeyer and router in extension, today. I measured the table with a DW721 installed (3.25 HP), no deflection after 14 years.

I have a PM66 with wooden extension and one of the original biesmeyer fences, bought from and installed by biesmeyer himself when he started the company. So the extension table isn't "factory", but it does have under table supports. The hole is cut in the regular way via a router and template, and stiffeners are placed below the table. I don't have any sag in the extension.

I attached some pics showing the contractor saw I sold today, and how I built a simple router cabinet underneath to hold bits and control dust, and use the biesmeyer fence as the base for a shop-built router fence on top of it. Then there are two shots of the PM66 showing the cutout for the router plate. I never got around to building a box under there or cabinet, since I kept using the Delta Contractor saw as my main "router table" lol... guess now that I sold it, I'll have to either finish off the PM66 with a router cabinet below it, or put the router in the SawStop ;)

I actually have a Rockler router table with a jessem lift, but I like using the router in the tablesaw extension better for some reason. So I highly recommend use of the extension table as a router table, with just a bit of under-table bracing you won't have any problems and it surely makes good use of wasted space.

[Peter Quinn]

I have a good router table but some times need two.

With way too many routers I began thinking about the PM 66 with 50" extension.

Has anyone(or can it even be done?) put a router in the extension of a factory PM 66 extension?

Thanks,
Jim


My PM66 came with the factory installed jessum rout-r-lift in the extension table. I believe its a standard PM extension table. The phenolic faced plywood top has a box of 3/4" plywood around it from underneath, and 3/4" plywood stringers perpendicular to the rails (or parallel with the rip fence) about every 8-10". At the end of the extension table where the lift is located they put two additional stringers parallel with the rails (or perpendicular to the rip fence) that run just outside of the router plate cut out. I have had a 3 1/4 HP plunge router in this lift for years with no sagging or deflection. I like the location, the lift works great, I wish they had made an accommodation for a miter gauge slot. I'd give you pics, but the ones from below are not easy to get a good perspective on, and the ones from above look like any router in a table you have ever seen. Its really not a very complicated assembly. It looks just like the framing for a toilet closet flange! Build a framing box around the device for support, done. So yes, it can be done, WMH used to do it themselves. And it is basically as simple as routing the hole for the plate if you use one, or drilling a hole if the bit if you don't. A plate with rings or a lift is nice to keep the opening matched to a variety of bit sizes but not essential. You could simulate the same thing with a few pieces of 1/4" MDF with different sized holes that cover the whole table.

[Jim Eller]

Chip - Thanks for the great narrative and pictures.

Dave - Thanks for the additional pictures and support.

Peter - Thanks for the added input and how to.

My PM66 is the newer version with the black extension so I guess I'm ready to start cuttin'. If all else fails, I just have to get out the epoxy and make a big black patch.

Thanks to all for the great input. You've made and old man happy......................for the moment :-)

Jim