Pros and Cons of Router Extension on the TS

[John Dingman]

Hey all,

What are some of the pros and cons of having your router table as a part of your Table Saw? I guess one obvious pro would be the amount of space that you save. I guess another would be that I could use the Bies fence.

Do any of you have any suggestions for attaching one on the left hand side as you are facing the table saw? I saw one guy in the Small shops book had a fold down one attached to the left side of the saw. I liked that one. If you have it set up on the left hand side of your saw I'd like to see a pic if you have one.

Thanks in advance for the help,
John

[George Summers]

Other than space saving I can't see a single 'Pro' for not having a dedicated router table. I have a small shop (16x24) and have found room for a router table.

You can't really use the ts fence as is. You have to have some type of adaptor to fit it over the bit (for edge treatments) or you have to have a seperate router fence. Either way you have to futch with putting it on and taking it off. Not for me. Then there is dust collection. Yep, you could rig up some jury-rig under the extension to serve for under table collection but what about the fence collection (for edge treatments)? You have to run a hose over the table to get to the fence and where do you put it when you convert back to ts use? With a dedicated router table the fence and dust collection are always there and ready with no attaching, detaching or otherwise futching around. When I want to route something I what to do it now.

I also use my ts extension as additional 'flat' work space. So now, if I am in the middle of a router setup, I have to remove the bit so I can get a flat work space.

Nope, I don't see any 'Pros' in a tablesaw mounted router.

George

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I see the main advantage of a much larger surface to work on like David Marks has on his tablesaw. Sometimes I wish I had more room on my dedicated router table but other than that I think I'd like the separates more.

[Jim Becker]

There is a lot to like about this arrangement, but also a few bad points which include:

Interference with most overarm blade guards
Generally poor dust collection as most folks don't build a cabinet to surround the router under a TS extension. Fence collection only gets a small portion of what comes off the cutter
Inconvenient access when your shop "likes" the TS to have the right side against the wall unless you have a right tilt machine and can use the left extension position for your router setup. If so, one of the cast iron router setups, such as Bench Dog's is a nice way to go
I personally prefer a separate router table because it gives me more flexiblity...the same cabinet can also be used as additional infeed/outfeed surface as well as additional assembly surface when needed. Incidental bench-top tools can also be used on top of a separate router table/cabinet. (BTW I do use an overarm guard and my Excalibur would not be friendly to a router in the right extension)

[Bart Leetch]

John

You can see my router table here.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16123

The T-slot between the miter slot & the table insert is for feather boards.

I am making the fence from last November Wood magazine.

I have a Hitachi M12V & a Sears switch.

I would build a fence for the router table. I have had another saw with the router table on the left & used the table-saw fence & there are times you'll need to cut something small & the table-saw fence will be involved with a router operation.

[Mark Singer]

Mine is seperate....I don't think there is anything wrong with the tablesaw/router.... I think you could get used to it. I am just used to a seperate one I guess.

[jack duren]

for a long time i thought a router in the saw table was a stupid ideal till i did it. its great for cabinet carcass construction dadoing and simple milling but i wouldnt suggest it without a separate router table first....jack

[scott spencer]

The space savings and the extra table surface for your saw are the major pros. DC would likely be the biggest con, but you can actually build a cabinet around the table mounted router and get comparable DC. I think most cabinet RT's tend to be a little larger too.

[markgoodall]

The biggest disadvantage I had with mine was the setup time.

I'm lousy at being able to cut 24 identical pieces on the tablesaw and then mill them on the routertable without having to go back to the tablesaw for some other cuts, and then back to the router table.

When I replaced my contractor's saw with a Unisaw, I definitely did NOT want to have the router attached to the tablesaw. So I built a seperate very solid cast iron router table.

Once I have the router bit installed and the height properly adjusted, and the fence properly adjusted, I hate to have to have to undo all that to get a tablesaw cut done and then try to resetup the router bit and fence back exactly the way it was.

Count me as one who really doesn't like a router in the tablesaw. Way to much hassle for me.

I prefer a dedicated machine for each job. Heck I even have more than one router table and a dozen routers.... all so I don't have to adjust and readjust all the time.

Perhaps this is why I don't have enough space in my shop ;)

[Mike Scoggins]

John,

The link below will take you to one of my postings in a fairly recent thread regarding router tables in table saw wing extensions.

Mike's Table Saw Extension/Router Table (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=168708&postcount=19)

There are several pictures in the thread including the router table top, integral cabinet, and dust collection set-up, among others.

Jim Becker offered some cons to this arrangement, with which I agree, in general. The overarm blade guard interference is a big one, IMHO. However, the one regarding dust collection doesn't have to be so. As I point out in the linked thread, I consider dust collection to be one of the key strengths to my router table set-up.

Another pro is the additional storage space one can find when the space beneath the table saw/router table is maximized.

In general, I'm happy with the set-up. With the additional space of the top, it's convenient to stack the work pieces for "assembly line" batch processes within easy reach. This can, however, be a con as well. For example, stacking pieces to the far right of the table saw after cutting them to size can put them in the way of the next step, routing profiles, e.g. This is really more about working smart. It's just that I do find myself stacking things on the spacious top out of convenience, only to have to move them shortly thereafter in order to use the table saw or router table, all too often.

Hope this gives you another data point or two as you consider your options.

Your shop is really looking good! You'll be making steady sawdust before long.

Mike

[Dave Falkenstein]

Although already mentioned, the biggest disadvantage I found with the router mounted in the table saw extension, was that the router bit frequently got in the way of the table saw fence - on wide cuts. So I had to lower the router or remove the bit to make the table saw cut and then set up the router all over again. Another disadvantage, not previously mentioned, is that you are typically working from the side of the fence when the router is mounted in the table saw, instead of facing the fence as you would usually prefer to do. If you had enough shop space to work from the end of the extension table, you would probably have enough shop space to have a seperate router table. When I sold my contractor saw and upgraded to a cabinet saw, I went to a seperate router table, and I like that much better.

[Douglas Robinson]

I use the Incra LS-TS system with the router table built in on the right. It has a dust collection housing unerd the table and built into the router fence. So dust collection is no problem. The fence is great. As far as an overhead dust collector, I don't have one, but Incra says that Delta's can be adated for use with this product.

Doug

[Frank Hagan]

I have a right-hand side router table that fits between the extension rails on my TS ... so it can function as either a TS mount or as a stand alone. It works well in my one car garage shop. Usually it is "home" between the rails, where I like the extra flat space it provides. If I need to, I remove the cars from my shop and move the RT out into that portion of the garage. But most of the time I can do what I need to do with it between the rails.

Small shops are a challenge; being able to nest the router table between the rails of the TS was a benefit for me. But while that benefit is a biggie for me, I don't see any other compelling benefit to having it there. With a big enough shop, I would have the same size router table, and an extension on the TS.