Router Table Orietation

[johnny means]

I notice many people orientate their router tables like a cabinet saw with the fence running across the short dimension. I've always thought the fence should run along the long axis. Thoughts?

How do you run yours?

[Bruce King]

Long ways. Table saw fences are long ways too until you add factory or DIY extensions.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The fence on my copy of Norm's Rev.2 is length wise.

[johnny means]

I've never seen a tablesaw without the "extensions". I would consider them just parts of the primary top that breaks down for shipping and production ease.

[Doug Dawson]

I’ve never seen a router table with the fence running along the short dimension. Or maybe I’ve just been lucky. :)

[David Utterback]

Short axis would be worse, it seems to me, since there is less support for longer work pieces and I would have to stretch further to keep the piece against the fence. Are there advantages to the shorter dimension fence?

[michael langman]

I have both on my homemade router table, but the fence uses the long side of the table. I have used feather boards in the short side to push stock up to the fence that runs the long side.

[glenn bradley]

I’ve never seen a router table with the fence running along the short dimension. Or maybe I’ve just been lucky. :)

I agree. The only exception I recall is something like an Incra Positioner type fence that take a lot of room for the mechanism. Where do you find these tables that run the fence on the short dimension?

[Michael W. Clark]

When I had a separate router table, the fence ran parallel to the long dimension. Now that I put the router in my TS extension table, the fence runs parallel to the TS fence. This is the short dimension relative to the TS but is a longer dimension than when I had a separate table.

[johnny means]

I agree. The only exception I recall is something like an Incra Positioner type fence that take a lot of room for the mechanism. Where do you find these tables that run the fence on the short dimension? It is usually in a scenario where a tablesaw fence is being repurposed.

[Michael W. Clark]

If using the router in the extension table of a tablesaw, the fence usually runs parallel to the TS fence. This lets you keep both setups (TS and Router) without interfering with each other in most cases.

If you put the router in the out feed table, it could go either way.

[Jamie Hoskins]

I agree. The only exception I recall is something like an Incra Positioner type fence that take a lot of room for the mechanism. Where do you find these tables that run the fence on the short dimension?

You are correct. I have the Incra system with a short sided table. I got mine from Infinity Cutting Tools. https://www.infinitytools.com/incra-router-table-packages I put mine on a rolling cart I built so I could have drawers and move it around.

[Wayne Cannon]

Sommerfeld's router table extension has its own, independent, 48-inch fence; and it is oriented to utilize the width of the table saw plus extensions (i.e., perpendicular to the table saw's fence). While it means I have to remove the table saw fence to use the extra table length, there are numerous times the extra outfeed length from my router is appreciated over the clone of Norm's router table which originally ran the fence the width of the top until I changed to a deeper top to support a fence positioner (similar to the Incra Positioner Glenn Gradley mentioned).

[Eric Arnsdorff]

447997
I wasn't sure which way would be best so when I put my router table in my Unisaw extension I set it up so I would have a fence in both directions.
It's worked well for me. I have an Accurate Technologies DigiFence on my table saw fence. When I need accurate positioning I use the Table saw fence. When I run long pieces I'll use the router table fence.