Router Table Build - Completed

[Rob Holcomb]

It took me two weeks, working a few evenings each week to complete my Router table build. It's loosely based on Norm's router table but I altered the dimensions to fit my needs. I used my local Home Depot's version of cabinet grade plywood for the base. I have no idea what kind of wood it is. The front frame is Cherry. The top is an extra large 24" X 36" and made from two sheets of the same cabinet grade plywood with a laminate top and edged with Cherry. The total height is 38" with the wheels on. Under the top are two pieces of steel angle attached to the cabinet to provide extra support just in case sag were to develop. I opted to screw the top to the steel to make the table as flat as possible. If I ever have to take the top off, it will easy enough to remove the four screws I used. The cabinet wheels lock so I can move it around my shop and still keep it from moving around. Instead of four drawers per side, I went with three to accommodate taller router bits. On the left side, all three drawers are for router bits. Two of them have holes drilled for 1/4" bits and one drawer is for 1/2" bits. The drawers on the right side, each have a different purpose. The bottom drawer is for 1/2" bits, the middle drawer is just that. A drawer for wrenches etc. and the top drawer is just a slide out so I can have access to the electrical wiring. The bottom two bins are of unequal width and no that wasn't a mistake. I did that on purpose. The right side will house my other routers (4 of them) and the left side will house odds and ends. The bins had to be of unequal size so all of the routers I have would fit into one bin. Both bins just have doors rather than drawers. The dedicated router for my router table is the Porter Cable 7518 and the lift is the Incra Mast R Lift II. The fence is a Kreg but I had to modify it because of the size of the table. As you can see, I used a piece of aluminum angle to be able to center the fence. For those of you that have a Kreg fence you know it's made for a standard 32" wide table and comes with a metal fence mount which is attached to the lock down section that's mounted to the side of the table. I didn't use that mount because of the placement of the plate in the top. I also added a section of T-Track in the top so both sides of the fence could be locked down. The lock down on the end works pretty well but I didn't want any chance of fence movement. The electrical is just your basic stuff. I didn't want to cut the cord on the router to make the connections so instead, I installed a Heavy Duty outlet rated for 20amps, a 20amp Heavy Duty switch and a piece of 12 gauge romex I had laying around to make the connections. I used a 9' 12gauge cord to plug into the power. Works great. As you can see, I didn't add a dust collection fitting in the back like on Norm's version and many others. I read so many threads where some people thought it was essential while others said very little dust gets in that area below the router and it's just as easy to shop-vac out what does get in there. It's a feature I can add later if I feel it's necessary. In the meantime, my Shop-vac will be connected with the supplied 2 1/2" connector on the back of the Kreg fence. I did add a hook on the back of the cabinet to keep the cord off the floor when not in use and also put three coats of poly on the cabinet and edge of the top. It was fun building my router table and I received a lot of information from fellow users of this forum. Everyone is always very helpful and I hope this description may provide a little insight to anyone thinking about building a router table for themselves. Rob

http://www.robholcomb.com/rtfrontback.jpg

[Sid Matheny]

From what I see, Norm would be proud.

Sid

[Steve Meliza]

Nicely done. I like how you customized it to fit your needs.

[Michael Mayo]

Very nice build. I too am in the midst of building my own router table. I am building one from plansnow.com (http://plansnow.com/dn3105.html) and it is coming along nicely. It is taking longer than I expected it to take but I am really taking my time and making sure everything is perfect as it is my first really complicated build of any type. I have modified a few things in the plan as you did with your build. Mainly the bases didn't strike me as being designed very sturdy so I modified them to include a plywood frame inside of the MDF base boxes which makes them very sturdy and more than capable of handling any heavy load placed on the table.

I am trying to decide now on which lift to get. I am torn between getting the Incra Sidewinder 350 or the MasterLift II. I am now leaning towards the MasterLift II as it gives me some future ability to change the router without having to buy any additional parts. I really like the sidewinder option but to get the sidewinder in a lift that I can put a bigger router in down the road i have to purchase extra parts to allow the different routers. The MasterLift II will take any router irregardless of the size which is nice and adjusting the router from the top mounted crank handle isn't the worst thing.

[frank shic]

looks good, rob! what's next on the agenda?

[Rich Engelhardt]

As you can see, I didn't add a dust collection fitting in the back like on Norm's version and many others. I read so many threads where some people thought it was essential while others said very little dust gets in that area below the router and it's just as easy to shop-vac out what does get in there. It's a feature I can add later if I feel it's necessaryIt's my understanding that the DC allows for air flow, which in turn reduces the chances of overheating.
I made a "twin tower" design I saw in one of the magazines. I left it open with the mistaken idea that the router would run cooler. I run a Freud 1700 in my table.
If I run it for any length of time, it gets quite warm.
On my list of things to do, is adding a back panel with a DC port and a front plexiglass door.

[Bill Huber]

Looks almost to good for the shop, maybe put it in the living room for a TV stand....

On the dust, it depends a lot on the bit you are using and insert you are using how much dust goes down under the router. One think to think about is if you have a lot of dust getting in that area then it is getting into the router motor, the router pulls a lot of air though it to keep cool and the dust will build up and let it get hotter.

Here is a post on the way I did my dust collection on my table.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?65058-Different-Dust-Collection-for-router-cabinet&highlight=different+dust

[Rob Holcomb]

Thanks for all of the compliments. It's always nice to hear from other woodworkers! Frank, I have a shaper (Grizzly G1035) and the table was just too small for my liking. I'll still use it but the main reason for the Router Table was to have a larger surface to work from. I'm going to make kitchen cabinets at some point. Either this summer or next so that will be the the RT's biggest project it will see but now that I have it, I can imagine all sorts of things to do on it. Bill, I like your DC idea. I assume it's still working as well as you had hoped now that you've had that set up for a while?

[frank shic]

kitchen cabinets are fun! let us know if you have any questions :)

[Van Huskey]

Very nice, curious why no miter slot though. Lots of people don't use them but I do.

[Rob Holcomb]

Van, I bought a piece of miter track but haven't installed it. I went back and forth about putting it in and decided to use the same theory as with the dust collection. No big deal to add it if and when I need it but I couldn't think of any reason that it was a "must have" feature right now

[Keith Weber]

Rob,

Good Job -- the drawer layout reminds me of mine when looking at it from the front. I don't have the holes in my main door like you do. I didn't think they'd look very good given my design. Of course, that did present an airflow problem. My solution is a stick inside that holds the door open about 3/4". It works slick. I just turn it diagonal to close the door when I'm not using the table. With my deep design, I couldn't go out the back with the dust chute, so I went out the side. The bottom left small drawer is about 5" shorter than the others, so the air goes out behind that drawer to the left side of the cabinet.

I agree with Van regarding the miter track. I find I use it all the time to hold featherboards. It can be added quite easily from where you are now. Since my router table was the first thing that I ever built, it was a learning experience. I had initially planned on using the blue Rockler T-track to match the router plate. But when cutting the track, I learned a little lesson about bit rotation direction. The leading edge of the bit was turning such that it pulled away from the fence when I let up on the pressure to hold it there. By the time I realized it, the slot was buggered. After a few curse words, I managed to find a track at Woodcraft that was wider than the Rockler one. Wide enough that I was able to re-rout the slot a little wider to completely remove the former blunder. This time, I just clamped a rail on each side so that the router had nowhere to go but where I wanted it to. In hindsight, I like the Woodcraft slot track better than the T-track anyway.

It's kinda late for you now, I guess, but a solution to your different-sized lower doors could have been to not have a center post and just had 2 doors with one cabinet space.

Keith

[Don Jarvie]

I like all the tables here and am working on my own so this is a good spot for my question regarding the dust collection. Seems like the concensus is you need some air flow across the router and see how everyone has done it. My question is how does the DC work with holes in the door or the door open? My thought is that it wouldn't be that efficent, but it seems like the air flow is required.

Any thoughts? This is part of a new assembly table with all new cabinets under the TS and table which acts as an outfeed table. The router is in my extension table for my TS.

[Keith Weber]

Don,

With my router table, I found that the vacuum was choked with my door closed. There just wasn't enough air flowing through the little hole that the router bit fits through. By opening the door slightly I found that I still got some air going past the bit, but it stopped the vacuum from being choked. If you had the door all the way open, you would not get any air sucking down past the bit. There's a nice balance point in there somewhere, and it depends on the CFM of your dust collection setup. You could try it by cracking the door like I do. If you decided that you wanted holes instead, then once you found your sweet spot, you could measure the area of the door opening and work out an equivalent area for holes to determine how many/how large of holes you need. Dust does not blow out the door if you're running suction.

Keith

[Rob Holcomb]

Keith, I wish I would have seen your version before I built mine. I really like the added drawers on the side! That's an Incra fence isn't it? I almost bought an Incra but I wasn't sure about whether there would be room for the slide unit behind the main fence on my table so opted for the Kreg. The bottom drawers on mine are going to end up being temporary. Now that the table is built, my first project is going to be raised panel doors to replace the temporary ones. It will give me good practice for when I do my kitchen cabinets. I think this weekend I'll add the miter slot and the DC connection out the back. I have a Grizzly Dust Collector with a 4" hose and there's plenty of suction to it. Hopefully everything will work out fine. I'm also going to use your solution to the wandering router bit and use two rails to guide the router. I was sweating bullets doing the small slot for the t-track for the fence. At least this one will be routed from end to end and I won't have to worry about stopping at a certain point.

[Larry Browning]

That a really nice build there Rob! I made mine over the Christmas break. It was a really fun project. Mine is made for mostly scrap plywood I had laying around the shop. I Modified Norm's Lower DC plan to be a 4" connection that I can hookup to my cyclone DC system. I enlarged the holes in the door to allow better air flow. It seems to work very well.
Here is a link to the thread about mine. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?179158-NYW-Router-Table-Finished

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very nice Rob!

I am finishing an entertainment center. When it's done, Norm's router table for my shop is my next project.

[Keith Weber]

Rob,

Yes, that is an Incra Fence. It's great for micro-adjustments. If you cut a dado slot and find the fit a bit tight, you can dial it in to take off a few thousandths for a perfect fit. I bought the Incra Fence first, and then designed the table around it to maximize the use of the Incra Fence's capabilities. The wide drawers come in handy for storing papers, notes, and, of course, the Incra Book for when I haven't made dovetails and I can't remember how to do them with the Incra.

I'd advise you to think ahead about what you want to do with your track. The Rockler-style blue T-tracks, are limited to fixtures that use that system, but a wider, non-tee track allows you to use the featherboards that Lee Valley sells as well as a miter gauge. Either style would work, but you'll want to work out which type would work best for you.

I wish I had a router lift like yours in mine that could be adjusted from above the table. Cost-saving was a factor at the time, so I accepted having to adjust it from underneath. Maybe some day, I'll re-rout the top to take a lift.

To go along with the two-rail guide recommendation, I'll also add a recommendation to clamp a scrap backer board to the edge of the table where your slot cut will exit. I ended up getting chip-out in the walnut trim as I finished the slot. I managed a save by gluing the chips back in and touching it up with a file, but if I was smart, I would have clamped a waste board on to prevent the chip-out. Or you could just enter your slot from the far end for an inch or so before starting again from the other side to cut the remainder of the slot.

Keith

[Kevin Gregoire]

alrighty, i need to know how you got the cord through the little hole in the back??
did you pull the router apart and take off the wiring, then feed it through the hole
and re-attach it all again??

the cabinet looks great and norm would like it too!

[Don Jarvie]

I punted on the miter slot since I didn't trust myself on hitting it at exactly pararell to the fence.

As for the cord, I drilled a 7/8 hole and will trim off the sides of the plug so it fits through and get a rubber cord holder 7/8 that will fit in the hole and hold the cord. I'd cut the plug off and put on a new one before I take apart the router. I'd be too afraid it wouldn't work once I put it back together.

Thanks for the info on the air flow.

[Jerome Hanby]

I punted on the miter slot since I didn't trust myself on hitting it at exactly pararell to the fence.



I may not be looking at your picture exactly right, but it looks like your fence can pivot, at least a little (based on that slot I can see). If that's the case, just get the miter slot squared up based on the table and you can build a little nothing of a jig (or use a combo square) to pivot the fence parallel to the miter slot. Again, maybe I'm not looking at this right and someone can correct me. I know I keep complicating my life by forgetting that router bits are much more like drill bits than saw blades and squaring up isn't as difficult.

[Rob Holcomb]

Kevin, The hole in the back of my router base is a 1/2" hole. Just big enough for the cord to slide through. The router plug plugs into an outlet inside the cabinet and cord you see, I bought at Home Depot. It's a 12G cord with a plug on one end and loose wires on the other. I wired that plug to the switch and then from the switch to the outlet so there was no cutting wires or dismantling from the router.

Today I added the Miter track and dust collection. Not real happy with the dust collection. There isn't enough suction but plenty of air flow to keep the router cool during operation. I have a Grizzly G1028Z 1-1/2 HP Dust Collector. Plenty of suction for my planer and table saw but I think because the connection is split at the router table for the router area and also for the fence that it's not efficient. I may have to use the DC for the lower part and a shop vac for the fence connection. Either that or upgrade to a more powerful DC!

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I like all the tables here and am working on my own so this is a good spot for my question regarding the dust collection. Seems like the concensus is you need some air flow across the router and see how everyone has done it. My question is how does the DC work with holes in the door or the door open? My thought is that it wouldn't be that efficent, but it seems like the air flow is required.

Any thoughts? This is part of a new assembly table with all new cabinets under the TS and table which acts as an outfeed table. The router is in my extension table for my TS.

Don,

You will always want some airflow though the router box. To clean and to let in some air for cooling.

The two lower/outer hole on my dust box are always open. The damper lets me control how much air flow I have at the fence but I find that I almost always leave it open or I just restrict total airflow to the DC.

I am planning on adding another damper to the side of the box for when I do (up)plunge dados. With the blast gate to the fence closed and the top completely covered, I find that the DC is restricted.

BTW, I know that the wye is backwards. When I get my hands some some hose that is a bit more flexible I will turn it around.

228837228838

[Chris Tsutsui]

Nice router table. You have a good amount of storage on yours and nice large table top. I posted pics of mine at the bottom of this post. I stuck to MDF only.

You can always add a T-slot to allow featherboards for yours.

Once I have the right featherboard layout I don't have to worry as much about keeping the stock flat and flush against the fence.

A front mounted switch for mine is a cheap light switch I installed for the orange plug that goes to the power source. Having an accessible switch makes it convenient to start and stop the router.

I always prop open the router table door slightly open to allow airflow. If the router door is closed and DC "on" there is a loud whistling noise from air getting sucked in where the bit is.

My router table is over 3 years old and has more stains and dust all over it from use. These pics are from when it was fairly new.

228842228839

[Rob Holcomb]

Very nice table Chris. I did add Dust Collection and the miter slot yesterday. It came out fine although I think the Dust collection could work better on mine.

[Alan Lightstone]

Don,

With my router table, I found that the vacuum was choked with my door closed. There just wasn't enough air flowing through the little hole that the router bit fits through. By opening the door slightly I found that I still got some air going past the bit, but it stopped the vacuum from being choked. If you had the door all the way open, you would not get any air sucking down past the bit. There's a nice balance point in there somewhere, and it depends on the CFM of your dust collection setup. You could try it by cracking the door like I do. If you decided that you wanted holes instead, then once you found your sweet spot, you could measure the area of the door opening and work out an equivalent area for holes to determine how many/how large of holes you need. Dust does not blow out the door if you're running suction.

Keith

I accomplished the same on my router table by making the door shorter than the opening and leaving a gap at the bottom. Simpler than holes, more elegant than leaving the door open. I'm always amazed how strong a suction occurs in the gap, but it is going into a 5HP cyclone via 5" ducting. I have the Incra fence hooked up to the DC too, so between the two, dust collection is pretty solid.