Router lift install - Tablesaw extension

[John Pace]

Warning, this is long...

I just installed a VSCTools table saw fence and made the guide rails for it. I had an ancient Rockler router table that fit between the guide rails on my Grizzly G1023Z. It was old, tired and beginning to fall apart, so I'm replacing it with a new shop made router table that I make, it will be 27" x 24". I have purchased an Incra Mast-R-Lift II - I'm excited to have a router lift! A few questions:

Router positioning: Router center point 9" from the front edge of the table and centered on the 27" width? I have watched a bunch of videos and this distance was mentioned. Any thoughts or advice on router positioning would be appreciated. I bought Incra's template for routing the recess.

Do you see and need for a miter slot on router table? If yes, how far from front edge and why? My old table did not have one.

I am planning (I think) on t-tracks on either side of the router mount/lift plate for the fence to move on, they will run from front to rear. Are there any uses for t-tracks other than those for fence? Thoughts on the spacing of these t-tracks for the fence?

The router tabletop will be mounted on top of an oak frame that will attach to the TS guide rails. I am planning on putting stiffeners under/along the 27" width to help prevent sagging if I go with a single 3/4". I have access to enough excellent 13 ply 3/4” plywood to make the top either 3/4 or 1-1/2. Top thickness: 3/4 or 1-1/2"?

I think the saw/router station might be tippy. I’m adding a good bit more weight on the router TS extension side. The new rails are 3"x3"x1/4" angle and hang off the right side of the saw by 24". I'll be using 3/4 plywood for the table; the new lift will be there and a Milwaukee 5625-20 router. The old rails were 1-1/2 x 3/16 angle.

My TS mobile base can expand another 6 inches or so toward the router. Would this help if I bolt the table saw to the mobile base - so the saw can’t tip independent of the base? How about extend the base and install angled (cantilever) braces from the front of the mobile base up to the table saw rails? Or am i over thinking this... Any advice would be great.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. This will be the first time I have built a router table for my TS. I have also never routed out an opening for a lift to drop into. Thank you! Did I mention that I am excited to have a router lift?

[Lisa Starr]

I had this almost exact setup on my tablesaw prior to selling it. My lift was placed per the dimensions you mention above and it worked well. I didn't have a miter slot, but occasionally would have liked one. I also didn't have t-track as I utilized a 2nd fence on my saw rail for the router. The top was 1-1/2" made of 3 layers of laminated MDF. I also had some support bars mounted between the rails to prevent sagging.

The tipsiness may or may not be an issue. Mine was mounted to the right of my saw between 60" fence rails. It would tip on occasion, if I set a large amount of lumber there while operating the saw side of things. I ended up putting an adjustable leg under it since I rarely moved my saw, though it was on a mobile base.

[Marc Fenneuff]

A miter slot can be handy for featherboards.

[Alan Lightstone]

I wish that I had a larger dimension in front of the router bit. Makes larger work more stable. Mine's cast iron, and not changeable, but I personally think I'd go bigger than 9". I'll have to measure mine later to see what distance is too small, IMHO.

[Jacques Gagnon]

John,

One data point: the center of my Mast-R-Lift sits 13 inches from the front of the table (Jessem top with track about 6 inches from the front).

As mentioned already the miter slot is handy for feather boards.

Regards,

J.

[John Pace]

The tipsiness may or may not be an issue. Mine was mounted to the right of my saw between 60" fence rails. It would tip on occasion, if I set a large amount of lumber there while operating the saw side of things. I ended up putting an adjustable leg under it since I rarely moved my saw, though it was on a mobile base.

Thank you Lisa. The adjustable leg sounds great. Did you do one or two?


A miter slot can be handy for featherboards.

I had not even thought about featherboards!


I wish that I had a larger dimension in front of the router bit. Makes larger work more stable. Mine's cast iron, and not changeable, but I personally think I'd go bigger than 9". I'll have to measure mine later to see what distance is too small, IMHO.

Alan, I sure would appreciate that!


John,
One data point: the center of my Mast-R-Lift sits 13 inches from the front of the table (Jessem top with track about 6 inches from the front).
I am off today and heading to the shop, I will try laying out with the 13" measurement. My Grizzly's motor access cover will be under the router table, will have to check if 13" interferes with the motor cover.

Question: Di you use the front track?

Thanks all!!

[Jacques Gagnon]

John,

I have not used the front track often but found it useful when needed. The Jessem cross-cut sled mounted on the Mast-R-Fence is useful.

[Lisa Starr]

John, I had just one leg on the back, right corner. I considered one in the front, but never needed it and liked not having it in the way on the front.

[mark mcfarlane]

I use a miter gauge in my router table's miter slot frequently to hold boards that need the short dimension routed. Helps keep the boards square to the cutter. Think 'tenons', but there are other profiles where a miter gauge helps.

[Alan Lightstone]

Just measured the distance from the front of the router table to the collet. It's 7 inches. I'm thinking 12 inches would be ideal for that dimension. I think 9" is still a little small to prevent large pieces from tipping.

I rarely use the miter slot because with a cast iron table, I'm usually using magnetic featherboards (which I use all the time), as well as Jessem hold-downs. The combo works great. But with a non-magnetic top, I'm sure I would use the miter slots for featherboards all the time.

[John Pace]

I’m a visual guy so I drew it out… I think I like the 12” or 13” router center from the front edge of the table. I tested this by standing where the table would be and how much I would have to lean over to make the cut. I also bought the Incra CleanSweep dust collector housing you see in the pic. I needed to make sure the housing would not hit the motor door. If I need to open the motor cover door (think a broken TS belt) I will need to remove the CleanSweep housing so instead of using the wood screws to attach the housing to the underside of the table, I will use 10-32 threaded inserts so I can remove it easily without worrying about worrying about stripping the holes… It’s a process!!477669

[John Pace]

I use a miter gauge in my router table's miter slot frequently to hold boards that need the short dimension routed. Helps keep the boards square to the cutter. Think 'tenons', but there are other profiles where a miter gauge helps.


Thank you Mark, I had not thought of the "short" end of things!

[Jim Becker]

I personally would favor the center of the collet to have some generous space between it and the front edge of the surface because that makes working on larger components easier with the extra support. That does require more bending/leaning when processing smaller parts, however. So ask yourself what kind of work you do most of the time with the router table and plan accordingly.

[Patrick Varley]

When I went through his recently, I looked at the Incra table top dimensions and based it off of that.

https://incra.com/tables_stands-table_saw_router_table_tops.htm

If you look at them, it would be centered on the front to back (27" dimension), and I'd probably look to give yourself 10-12" from the working edge to the center of the collet.

As for the miter gauge, I definitely think it's helpful. The Incra tops have the double track, which provides the miter slot and the T-track slot which is also what I used.

With the VSCT fence, you may not need the additional T-track/fence. There are a variety of ways to use the saw fence as the router table fence. The easiest is with no modification. But you could also build a router fence assembly which includes dust extraction and a split fence which mounts to the saw fence. Even easier with a fence that already has the T-slots.

Are you planning to put it on the left or right side of the saw? I previously had a router extension wing on the right of a SawStop ICS (not a light saw), and I found that I did have some issues with stability. It was fine for the most part, but if you had a heavy workpiece and pressed down on the router table, it could tip a bit. One way to potentially solve two problems in one is to build a dust containment cabinet under the router with some casters on it. From the looks of the Griz, there isn't an access door on the right, so you wouldn't be blocking anything and it would roll with the mobile base.

I'd definitely go with 1.5" thickness if you can.

[Marc Fenneuff]

The Incra tops have the double track, which provides the miter slot and the T-track

Rockler sells a Bench Dog combo miter slot / t-track that I installed in my top.

477696

Agree with 1.5" thickness; I used doubled-up 3/4" mdf.

[Alan Lightstone]

+2 for 1.5" thickness. Solid as a rock in my table, and wanted it beafy to hold down that heavy cast iron router table top. Must weigh 40 pounds. Add on the weight of the 1.5" thickness top, it's not going anywhere, or sagging.

[John Pace]

Just measured the distance from the front of the router table to the collet. It's 7 inches. I'm thinking 12 inches would be ideal for that dimension. I think 9" is still a little small to prevent large pieces from tipping.

I rarely use the miter slot because with a cast iron table, I'm usually using magnetic featherboards (which I use all the time), as well as Jessem hold-downs. The combo works great. But with a non-magnetic top, I'm sure I would use the miter slots for featherboards all the time.


I personally would favor the center of the collet to have some generous space between it and the front edge of the surface because that makes working on larger components easier with the extra support. That does require more bending/leaning when processing smaller parts, however. So ask yourself what kind of work you do most of the time with the router table and plan accordingly.

Thank you both! I decided to go with 12" from table front to center of collet. Most of my work is smaller, but I have been mulling over making new kitchen cabinets... Now to think about t-tracks

[John Pace]

Just measured the distance from the front of the router table to the collet. It's 7 inches. I'm thinking 12 inches would be ideal for that dimension. I think 9" is still a little small to prevent large pieces from tipping.

I rarely use the miter slot because with a cast iron table, I'm usually using magnetic featherboards (which I use all the time), as well as Jessem hold-downs. The combo works great. But with a non-magnetic top, I'm sure I would use the miter slots for featherboards all the time.


I personally would favor the center of the collet to have some generous space between it and the front edge of the surface because that makes working on larger components easier with the extra support. That does require more bending/leaning when processing smaller parts, however. So ask yourself what kind of work you do most of the time with the router table and plan accordingly.


When I went through his recently, I looked at the Incra table top dimensions and based it off of that.

https://incra.com/tables_stands-table_saw_router_table_tops.htm

If you look at them, it would be centered on the front to back (27" dimension), and I'd probably look to give yourself 10-12" from the working edge to the center of the collet.

As for the miter gauge, I definitely think it's helpful. The Incra tops have the double track, which provides the miter slot and the T-track slot which is also what I used.

With the VSCT fence, you may not need the additional T-track/fence. There are a variety of ways to use the saw fence as the router table fence. The easiest is with no modification. But you could also build a router fence assembly which includes dust extraction and a split fence which mounts to the saw fence. Even easier with a fence that already has the T-slots.

Are you planning to put it on the left or right side of the saw? I previously had a router extension wing on the right of a SawStop ICS (not a light saw), and I found that I did have some issues with stability. It was fine for the most part, but if you had a heavy workpiece and pressed down on the router table, it could tip a bit. One way to potentially solve two problems in one is to build a dust containment cabinet under the router with some casters on it. From the looks of the Griz, there isn't an access door on the right, so you wouldn't be blocking anything and it would roll with the mobile base.

I'd definitely go with 1.5" thickness if you can.

Thank you for idea about checking out Incra’s table dimensions. Their router is centered 12” from the front edge (their 28x32 TS Router Table Top) – which is what I have done with mine.

I am going with 1-1/2 top – laminating 2 pieces of 3/4 ply.

I was planning on using 2 pieces of t-track running front to rear to mount a fence, but I have scrapped that idea and will make an auxiliary fence the attaches to my VSCT fence. That’s the beauty of bouncing ideas off a group…

The Griz’s motor is on the right side as you are standing on the working side and the router table will be right above it, but I only open the motor cover for belt changes and the occasional trunnion lubing. The motor cover will not interfere with the CleanSweep dust collector housing - will have about 3” in between them. I will mount the housing with treaded inserts (10-32 or 1/4x20) so removal and re-install does not mess up the mounting holes.

Looks like Incra also uses a combo track – the miter portion is about 5-1/4” from the front edge. I think I will go that way too… But a question about the t-track portion, what could I use it for? To clamp a straight edge so a work piece can slide between it and the fence? My old table did not have this.

Thank you!

[John Pace]

Rockler sells a Bench Dog combo miter slot / t-track that I installed in my top. Agree with 1.5" thickness; I used doubled-up 3/4" mdf.

Had not thought of a combo track, thank you! But a question about the t-track portion of the combo track, what could I use it for? To clamp a straight edge so a work piece can slide between it and the fence? My old table did not have this. Looking for ideas...

[Marc Fenneuff]

Had not thought of a combo track, thank you! But a question about the t-track portion of the combo track, what could I use it for? To clamp a straight edge so a work piece can slide between it and the fence? My old table did not have this. Looking for ideas...

Good question. I suppose you could use a shop-made featherboard or a jig to hold a shop vac nozzle. This is my second router table that I've built; the first had a standard miter slot.

477972

Bravo on the VSCT fence, I really like mine.

EDIT:I realized that you could use it for a hold-down in a situation like this:

477973

I've not yet bought any t-track hold-down clamps so I had to improvise this setup, which was to rabbet a batch of shop-made throat plates for my bandsaw.

[John Pace]

Marc F: After your thoughts and others, I'm going with the combo track - it will be here on Wednesday.

About the VSCT fence: I have only been using it a couple weeks now, but I love it. I wish I had not put up with the original Shop Fox fence as long as I did. Money well spent!