Router table miter slot position.

[Jeff Cord]

What's the typicaly distance from the router bit for the miter slot on a router table?
I just mounted a router plate in my TS extension table and next want to router a slot.
The distance between the center of the colet and the center of the slot would be most useful as that will eliminate any differences in the size of the router plate.
thanks,
Jeff

[Vaughn McMillan]

Jeff, I don't know if there are any hard and fast rules for the spacing. I simply made sure it was far enough away from the bit that both of my miter gauges could clear it. I use extension/sacrificial fences on my miter gauges, so the distance wasn't real critical as long as the metal head cleared the biggest bit I anticipate using. I ended up putting the miter slot about halfway between the router bit and the edge of the table. Since my router table extension is Rockler's 3/4" MDF laminate job, I Gorilla glued a 3" or 4" wide piece of scrap BB ply underneath the table along the line where I installed the miter slot t-track, just to beef things up a bit.

Don't know if that's right or wrong, but it's worked fine for me so far, and in fact the miter slot has been more useful than I'd imagined it would.

- Vaughn

[Mark Pruitt]

Center of collet to center of slot on my RT is 8 3/8". That may be more than you would want it, but it was integral to the design of my RT fence locking system for the slot to be at that distance. (T Tracks are used to lock the fence; fence is reversible for purposes of routing larger panels that require more table support.) Like Vaughn said, using a sacrificial fence attached to the miter gauge makes the distance less critical.

[pat warner]

Experiment with 2 pieces of fiberboard as in pix. (http://www.patwarner.com/images/mitergage.jpg)
You can locate the slot anywhere and find out what's best for you
without making a mistake or insulting your table top.
Fence is still in play with my setup too!
Routers (http://www.patwarner.com)

[Chris Barton]

In my first router table top I put in a miter slot and regretted it. Miter guages can be useful but aren't necessary for any operation I know of and can frequently be a problem (collecting dust, catching on parts, etc.). I made a new top for my table and left the slot off and am much happier now with my table.

[Alan Schaffter]

In my first router table top I put in a miter slot and regretted it. Miter guages can be useful but aren't necessary for any operation I know of and can frequently be a problem (collecting dust, catching on parts, etc.). I made a new top for my table and left the slot off and am much happier now with my table.

Me too. Anything that can be done with a miter gage can be done with a sled riding on the fence.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Me too. Anything that can be done with a miter gage can be done with a sled riding on the fence.

Me three. I'd opt for a sled that rides on the fence, rather than a miter slot. One router table top I had warped at the miter slot, and the top was ruined - and I live in the desert where humidity and warping are not usually an issue.

[Bruce Wrenn]

For a miter gauge to work, the track has to be absolutely parrallel to fence. However a sled riding along fence doesn't care about track being parrallel as fence is in essence the track. Basically one less thing to worry about.

[jack duren]

I ran a sled for a couple years without the use of a miter track even though one was installed. I was just too lazy to make the track sled. Three problems I ran into, #1 dust/chips always getting between the sled and fence, #2 dust chips constantly getting underneath the sled and #3 a tendency to not have the sled against the fence causing irregular cuts in the work or the sled.

A sled in a miter track cured these three problems. Now I cant tell you for the work you will do if a miter track is right for you, but atleast with one installed you have a choice to use it and will have it in the future if a project might just require it ;) .....Rebel

[Vaughn McMillan]

For a miter gauge to work, the track has to be absolutely parrallel to fence. However a sled riding along fence doesn't care about track being parrallel as fence is in essence the track. Basically one less thing to worry about.
At least for the times I've used the miter slot and jigs attached to the Incra miter gauge, parallelism to the fence was not critical at all. For some of the small parts I work with, the miter gauge gives me better control than the jigs I have available to ride the fence. In other cases, I agree that the jig sliding on the fence is a better choice. (I have my choice of Incra fences and a TS-III positioner available on the RT.) I think it all boils down to what works best for a certain circumstance.

- Vaughn

[Mark Pruitt]

As long as I can secure the workpiece with a hold down, the fence does not come into play. But even when I need for the fence to be exactly parallel to the miter gauge slot, it's easy to set by using a combination square as an indexing tool for positioning the fence. I did this just yesterday while cutting some tenons.

[Ben Daniels]

I figured it would be better to refuel an old thread than to start a new one.

I can understand the thinking to go without a miter slot. But what about feather boards? I figure if I'm going to make a channel for a T-Track, I might as well make it big enough for a miter track or a combo track.

Is there an alternative to a miter or t-track for securing feather boards that I am overlooking?

[Bob Carreiro]

A sled run in the miter slot is great for making dato's. Of course there are other ways, but a sled dropped in the slot is quick and repeatable and you can't do it with the fence.

[Mike Hammer]

I wish somebody had answered that Ben. I would like to at least have the option. Always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

[glenn bradley]

Same as your tablesaw. Double use of jigs.

[Alan Schaffter]

I wish somebody had answered that Ben. I would like to at least have the option. Always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

I had one on my first RT top- caught all sorts of crap in it and never used it. When I built my second top I left it off and didn't miss it. I always used a sled running against the fence for rail and stile bits, cutting tenons, etc. I clamped feather boards to the table front overhang, like Norm.

Then, many years later I was testing a new jig that needed a miter slot. I clamped a board to the top for a temporary fence and cut a dado with my router, then glue in some INCRA miter track using Liquid Nails construction adhesive- no screws. Worked like a charm- bottom line, you can always add a miter slot later.

As to position just far enough away so there is no chance a miter gauge with scratch the insert plate.