My Norm Abram Deluxe Router Station

[ShawnE Curry]

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Not sure how Norm got this done in 2 days... Took me a little over a month.

Made a couple minor modifications to the plan - made the cabinet an inch taller to match the height of my stationary saws, and two inches wider to even up the table overhang, and added that amount to the storage drawers. Rockler doesn't sell the hardware kit anymore, so I had to design and build my own dust hood for the fence. I set it at a 37.125 degree angle, to keep it as tight to the fence openings as possible. Instead of using a "false drawer front" for the electric compartment, I actually made it into a pullout drawer and flush mounted the switch to the "false front". Also, perhaps because of the different router plate I chose, I had to make the slots for the fence adjustment a bit longer, to allow the fence to slide back far enough out of the way so I could lift the router plate out of the table without removing the fence.

It works great. The dust collection at the fence works really well - almost nothing ends up on the table. Inside the cabinet however, chips like to accumulate under the holes for the intake air. If I were to redesign it, I'd probably try omitting the holes, and making the door a bit shorter to leave say a strong 1/16" gap at the bottom. Then again, I have it hooked up to a ~200 CFM shop vac; it may fare better with a real dust collection system.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicely done Shawn!

I built one last year and dearly enjoy using it! Mine is hooked to 3 hp Oneida DC. The overhead DC works great and the under table leaves very little to worry about.

Again.....nicely done!

[Bruce Page]

Very nice Shawn. I've always wanted to build one of those but never have had enough room for one.

[Gregory King]

Looks good Shawn. I laughed at the notion of a week-end project as well. Plus the fact I didn't see Norm sweating in the video either. This station is a lot of work but it performs really well because the weight of it keeps it from sliding across the floor when pushing long material through. The sawdust pick-up is exceptional. Greg

[Jerry Olexa]

Nice work, Shawn...Great table....And yes, its more than a weekend project even for Norm.

[John Conklin]

Looks great. Bet you'll get years of good use out of that.

[Larry Browning]

That looks almost identical to mine, except I made the lower dust port 4" and it works very well. I added 3" wheels to mine, making it a bit too tall for my taste, but it is perfect in every other way. I made mine mostly from scrap pieces laying around the shop. The sides and back are made from oak plywood, the front is from cherry the trim is walnut. I had to edge glue 2 pieces for the back, but it turned out great. I have to agree with you about how long it takes to build, I think it took me the better part of 2 months. But it sure was fun to make. I always get a lot of pleasure using it, knowing that I made it.

Here is a link to mine. In looking at the picture in that album, I guess the photos were taken before I added the lower dust port.
https://plus.google.com/photos/116538662290459313764/albums/5694310559992867633

[ShawnE Curry]

Looks nice Larry. How do you like the Triton? I'm considering getting one to dedicate to the table, but my 618 DeWalt has been able to handle anything I've thrown at it, so it would be more of a luxury at this point - so I don't have to change bases when I need to go hand-held.

I used oak ply for the cabinet, solid white oak for the trim and knobs, and maple for the drawer faces. All the wood for the drawers came from a couple remnants I had from a previous project. For the back, I laminated 2 pieces of 1/2" A/C I had laying around that was badly warped: glued, weighted, and clamped them down, and I ended up with a nice flat piece about 7/8" thick.

[Larry Browning]

I really like it a lot. It has a built in lift system, so no need for a separate one. I got it on sale around Christmas time for $199. I think I made the whole thing including the router for around $300. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

[ShawnE Curry]

Yeah I don't wanna think about what I spent on mine, but it was probably well over $300. I think I actually spent more on the hardware than on the wood. But I used the remnant MDF and laminate to make a nice drill press table and a 2-sided resaw fence for my bandsaw (5" & 9.5").

[Matt Krusen]

Shawn that's a great looking router table. Did you follow a plan from Norm? If so, where did you find it? I've been looking to build a new router table and this looks like a nice option.

[Larry Browning]

Shawn that's a great looking router table. Did you follow a plan from Norm? If so, where did you find it? I've been looking to build a new router table and this looks like a nice option.
Matt,
Have a look at this site:
http://www.crestonwood.com/router.php

I think it will have everything you need to build it.

[Matt Krusen]

Fantastic. Thanks Larry, appreciate it.

[ShawnE Curry]

I bought the plan and DVD from newyankee.com, but a PDF of the plans, and the entire video can be found online. Search "norm abram deluxe router station PDF" and you should find it.

[Joe Cowan]

I built this router table about 10 years ago and have used it extensively. Now I want to upgrade the fence to a Jessem, Incra or something similar and have not figured out which one may fit. Anyone installed a manufactured fence on theirs? I actually bought the Jessup rollers for my Norm fence and have not installed yet, as it seems the fence is not a good design to use them on.