Router Table Top drop in extension for TS, with Vega PRO 50 fence.

[Mike Fusick]

Hi All,

Need some opinions and advice. I recently upgraded my old contractor table saw. It's a 12" contractor style, with a 2.5HP motor. I adjusted the blade perfectly straight to the fence, added dust collection, some zero clearance tape, and a VEGA PRO 50 fence. I love the new fence, it's wonderful. Very accurate, with 42" rip capacity.

But my problem now is it's a lot longer than the stock fence (30") and I'd like to fill in the extra between the fence rails and extend my table top surface. Originally I was going to just use MDF. The process seems pretty simple, the fence has bolt holes and a mount plate. I bought a sheet of MDF at HD last week, and I bought some folding table legs, which I plan to make a support fold down feet to hold it up better and take the weight off the bars.

But now, I am thinking I probably should make it a router top. Right? I have a table top router table already. But I think I would like a bigger space, and might as well use this new space and kill two birds with one stone.

I have about 27.5" between the rails. Anyone have a suggestion? A link? Or a picture?

Advice and feedback is appreciated.

-Mike

[allan kuntz]

you can purchase router table tops that fit between the rails. Check out incra
http://www.incra.com/product_routertablestands_tsrttabletops.htm

[John TenEyck]

Here are a couple of pics of my shop built router table on the right side of my ganged TS's with 50" Vega Pro Fence.

304913

304914

I made it from two pieces of 3/4" MDF covered with Formica. Pretty simple process. It's at least 3 years old now and works fine. I also made another fence with vacuum port that I can attach to the Vega fence or just clamp to the TS or router table.

John

[Brian Henderson]

I did mine many years ago, double layer of 3/4 MDF, topped with melamine, it worked fantastic, I had a fence that straddled the regular table saw fence and was very adjustable. However, a couple of years later, I made a full-size router station, took the router out of the table saw and haven't used it since. It's still there, it's just unused.

[Mike Schuch]

I hated my router in my table saw extension table. I am 6'3" tall and always had an awful back ache if I was routing more than a stick or two. When I built my router table I made it about a foot taller than my table saw table. I can push wood through my router table all day and not feel like I am crippled when I am done.

My shaper table is the same height as my table saw table but I use a stock feeder on my shaper so it isn't nearly as bad as routing on the router table.