New Router Station With Pictures

[Brian Brightwell]

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy11/bebrightwell/DSC_0105.jpg
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I have been working on my first router table. I still need to buy the lift. I already had the fence on an old table saw.I am looking at Jessem or Incra master-lift-2 for a lift. I will make a plate for a smaller router at the end of the top for round overs and such.
This top is heavy and hard to handle by my self. It is flat to less than .003 inch. Hope it stays that way.
I plan on making the base out of oak 2x4s laid flat. I think all the mass will dampen vibration and make it quieter.
Some members remember the bench from my Shop Tour will notice that I dressed it up and put an oak top on it.
Comments and suggestions on router table welcomed.
Sorry my tags to the picture are not there?

[Philip Duffy]

Anyone smart enough to have a beautiful Chessie must be a very good guy! I loved my Tahoe- -the smartest dog in the country, and with huge courage, a great nose and eyes like a hawk! Philip

[Victor Robinson]

Very cool! But I must ask, what's up with the positioner? Looks exactly like an Incra LS but with a custom paint job?

[Paul McGaha]

Brian,

I like your router table a lot. Like the thickness of the top. So that table will hold 2 routers?

Great assembly table. Good looking dog.

PHM

[Brian Brightwell]

Thank You Philip. He is an experienced duck dog now. Otis is my best dog ever. He has one bad habit, every once in a while he wonders down to the river and goes all the way to town. Its about a three mile trip.
I had captions with the pictures but they did not make it. The caption with the picture with Otis was " this is where the project began."

[Brian Brightwell]

No, Vic, its not an Incra. It is a Jointech. I have two of them the other is on my shaper. The one I am using on this router table was on a 1950's table saw that I am going to leave set up for box joints.

[Brian Brightwell]

Yes Paul, One router on a lift will be centered at the fence, this is where my 7518 will be. I plan on putting a smaller router cross-ways at the end of the table. This router will be on a homemade plate.I plan on leaving it set up for round over and such.
For the base, I plan on using 2x4's on the flat, so the walls of the table will be 3 1/2 inches thick. I am hoping with this mass it will make a smooth and relatively quiet machine.
This is the largest rabbit and dado I have ever done. When I cut the top to length on the table saw I used a trick that helped increase the capacity of the saw. That trick was tacking a runner on the under side of the top and using it in the miter gauge.
If I would have had a 12 inch dado set I would have done the dados on the table saw instead I used my router.

[Dan West02]

Wow, people always say I make my work benches etc way to strong, but that thing looks like you could drive a truck over it and it would not give a bit.

[Paul McGaha]

Agreed. Both the router table and the assembly table look very heavy duty and I'll bet a pleasure to use.

I think Brian has a real eye for proportions.

PHM

[Brian Brightwell]

"I think Brian has a real eye for proportions."
I don't know about a good eye but I try to work with what I have on hand.

Speaking of proportion, does anyone use Fibonacci Ratio aka known as the Golden Ratio when designing a project.
It is also used to trade the stock market with Elliot Wave principle. I never learned about it until a couple of years ago.
It is a useful tool.

[howard s hanger]

I have a jointech system and it's very nice and very accurate. Too bad they are out of business. Website is down, the owner told me last fall he was trying to merge with someone else but it doesn't appear to have happened.

[Brian Brightwell]

I heard they went out of business. I would like to see someone bring them back. Lets hope we don't need parts.

[Brian Brightwell]

I finally got this project done. Except for dust collection. I think it looks odd, the proportions. I chose the cantilever design for toe and knee space when standing close. It has enough mass in it that it really makes the router smooth and quiet.
http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy11/bebrightwell/Sept2012074_zpsb8d70afe.jpg
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The access is to allow speed changes to the router.

[Steven Hsieh]

I like it.

[Brian Brightwell]

The old router station.
http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy11/bebrightwell/DSC_0741.jpg

[pat warner]

"Comments and suggestions on router table welcomed."
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Your basic kiljoy here:

Whilst your glueups are perfect for kitchen work and workshop assembly I would not use the surfaces for routing,
that is, router table routing.
Robust, able to suck up vibration and noise? Indeed.
But staying flat? No
Moreover, wood does not slide well on wood whence the finish wears.
For general work it matters little what the substrate is.
For precision/joinery and other close cuttings it may well be a problem.
A bow today, a cup tomorrow. The work will rock and roll with the %RH and temperature, and always near the cutter.
A maple or oak 30" glue up can easily change 5/8" /season or more. How do you manage that
and keep the suface flat?
Flatness plays a big role whether you're jointing, sawing, drilling, sanding or shaping.
Almost all of thses stationaries are surfaced with iron for a reason.

[Brian Brightwell]

Gee, Mr Warner I am glad you told me this before winter so I will have a source of firewood. I guess I better go find some MDF

[Bruce Page]

Looking around your shop it's obvious that you like things built stout! Nice job on the table!

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

Gee, Mr Warner I am glad you told me this before winter so I will have a source of firewood. I guess I better go find some MDF

The base may warp and twist also. You might as well start from scratch. At least you should have enough kindling for the winter.

BTW - I like it.

[Troy Turner]

Definantly an upgrade ;) That is one solid piece. Looks good and functional. Can't ask for anything more. Enjoy!

[Stephen Cherry]

But staying flat? No


If the top wants to bend, it will need to take the bottom with it. It would take enormous force to bend that laminated base. If there were some sort of natural disaster in the area, getting into the base of that router table would be my first thought




Moreover, wood does not slide well on wood whence the finish wears.
.

wax



Almost all of thses stationaries are surfaced with iron for a reason.

Iron is pourable, uniform, and CHEAP. Does it stay flat? Sometimes yes, and sadly, sometimes no. Also, as far as mdf goes, I have a nice commercially made mdf router table that is nowhere near flat, but the router lift is, and that really is where it's important.

My overall thoughts as an engineer? I like the design and mass. Is it way overkill? Of course it is, but way overkill beats marginally sized every time. I wouldn't worry for a minute about setting up a feeder to allow controlled feed rates, particularly for climb cutting for molding. (climb cut most of the material out, with a thin normal cut the other way to finish up). In that respect, this seems like about the best router table I've seen so far.

[Brian Brightwell]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Troy, I always liked the quote " we are all one decision away from stupid". LOL