Router table top material

[Jon Endres]

Piggybacking a bit on my thread a week or so ago about using a Triton router in a table. My current "router table" is a wing of my table saw that was built out of MDF laminated with a matte Formica, with a plastic router plate of some sort, I don't remember the material or where I got it. Over the years the table has sagged a little bit out of plane with the table saw top, and has also dished a little bit, which makes routing consistent dimensions particularly challenging.

What do you all suggest for material? This will be DIY - I am not buying a phenolic or cast iron table, as much as they appeal to me. I'll probably use one of the Rockler or Kreg plates, but I need suggestions on materials. I'm leaning toward a couple of layers of Baltic birch, with some hardwood "ribs" glued and screwed to the bottom for stiffness. Or, some kind of torsion box for a lightweight version? Whatever I use will be incorporated into a stand-alone table/cabinet and not reinstalled on my table saw, I'm going to rebuild the wing without the router insert.

[Matt Day]

Melamine with a well built and well supported structure below.

[Steve Wurster]

My router table is similar to Norm's New Yankee Workshop design. The top is 2 layers of 3/4" MDF wrapped with hardwood and covered with laminate on top and bottom. It's been that way for years with no sagging thanks to the layout of the cabinet underneath. The top itself has no "ribs" to speak of. I've got a Woodpecker's PRLv2 lift with the big Milwaukee router installed in that, too, so it's holding up a decent amount of weight.

[David Stone (CT)]

I would recreate what you had and what I did when I made my router table: plastic laminate (both sides) over MDF, ideally 1 inch MDF. Much more reliably flat than Baltic birch ply and less work than the options you describe.

[Paul F Franklin]

I used two layers of 3/4 BB glued together, banded with hardwood, and covered with HPL top and bottom. It sits on a Norm-ish cabinet and the dividers for the cabinet provide support within about 6 inches of the insert on both sides and behind it. I lined the tops of the cabinet dividers with rubberized cork and the top just sits on top without being fastened down. This provides some vibration isolation between the top and the cabinet. There are corner blocks that prevent the top from moving relative to the cabinet. I've got the big Triton hanging from the insert and so far there are no signs of sagging or warping; the top is still very flat. Just make sure when you glue the two layers (if you go this route) together, that you do it on a flat surface so you are starting with a flat top.

[Jim Dwight]

The top of my router table is a sink cutout backed by 3/4 plywood and edged by maple. I do not use a router plate, just a hole for the bit to come out that I can close down with home made inserts. The PC 7528 motor is raised and lowered by a home made lift based upon plans from an American woodworker article. The top is hinged and raised for bit changes. I am very happy with this router table, it is my 4th or 5th.

[Thomas McCurnin]

+1 as to what Paul said. You'll have to make a template for the cutout and support the plate with a rabbit in that cutout.

[glenn bradley]

I had an old commercial top sag. Pulled it off, reinforced the supports with a grid pattern, secured the top shimming flat with strips of tape. Stayed flat for years. Used the same method on the replacement top (swapped for larger surface area).

[Tom M King]

The best stuff I've used is modern, phenolic bowling alley surface. If you could catch someone updating a bowling alley, they give the scraps away, which are sometimes the full lane width. I guess the times aren't the best for that though. It's REally HArd, and slick, flat, and it can be machined. Along with the free price, comes a nice fake woodgrain surface. It really is good stuff beyond the way it looks.

[Derek Cohen]

Jon, I went through this recently, building a new router table extension to my saw.

I scrounged a section of discarded bench top from a kitchen maker. This is a waterproof and high density MDF covered in laminate. Around 1 1/2” thick.

https://i.postimg.cc/3RSCMdKT/F9.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/C5RCwS1f/F7.jpg

This is flat, hard-wearing, and unlikely to move with changes in the weather.

https://i.postimg.cc/15scSWMB/RTF7a.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Larry Frank]

Mine is two layers of BB with thick oak edging. The top is light colored formica. I like it because I can write on it with a pencil which I do a lot of times.

[Frank Pratt]

My table is 3 layers of 18mm Baltic birch ply, faced both top & bottom with plastic laminate. No sagging. I would prefer white laminate for the top, but I used what I had on hand.

[Stan Calow]

I used a sink cutout for my first - $2. Local kitchen cabinet shop told me they save them for people who want them. My Home Depot often has large sections of counter remnants for sale. Habitat ReStore or similar places sometimes also has pieces of counter. I don't trust plywood to stay flat.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Mine is a 3/4" MDF torsion box about 4" thick. A rectangular opening for the router lift was framed in the torsion box web and the top and bottom skins cut out to match. More work and more weight than the usual top but I don't think you can get more rigid or flat. Have to think ahead of time about adding any reinforcements to areas where T-track/miter slots will be installed.

The surface is just MDF finished with several coats of poly. This wears very well in my experience, no need to fool with laminates.

[Steve Marcq]

I ordered a sheet of 1 & 1/4 Baltic birch, some contact cement and some scrap almond laminate from a counter place, cake.

[Anuj Prateek]

My router table top was 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF laminated together. I added white laminate/mica on both side. It worked good and did not sag in 4 years.

If I have to do it again I would use single sheet of 1" MDF and would cover it with 1/8 hardboard. A little wax for finish and I will leave it alone.