Shop Built Router Table

[Dan Larson]

After debating for a while whether to buy or build a router table, I finally deceided that the self-built option better suited my needs. A flat top, stable base, easy bit changes, and good dust collection were my priorities. Many of the ideas that I incorporated into the design were from Pat Warner's books and website. At some point in the future, I'll need to build a better fence. I'm open to suggestions on fence designs...
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Thanks for looking.

Dan

[Jerry Olexa]

Nice work, Dan..Looks good. Enjoy

[Corey Hallagan]

Nice job and I am sure it will serve you well!

corey

[glenn bradley]

That's a lot better use than I've put some of my old dumb bells to. Looks like a very workable table. Very nice work.

[brett widenhouse]

Any plans for variable speed control?
If yes, where can you get a good unit?
I burned out 2 (super cheapos) building my kitched cabinets.
Looking for a better one.

thanks,
brett w
ps, you table looks great !

[Allen Bookout]

Dan,

Great job. That top is going to remain flat for a long, long time.

Your were talking about a better fence and I was wondering, since you used some of Pat Warner's ideas, why not build his adjustable fence. I got the plans for it somewhere but I cannot remember if it was from Pat or somewhere else. If you want to build that fence and cannot find the plans send me a message and I will look into it and see if I can figure out where I got them. I have not built it yet but it looks like a great fence.

Brett, I do not know anything about the speed controls as I am using a Mil 5625. I am using a foot operated on/off switch that I got from MLCS and it seems pretty good. Have you tried one of theirs? Probably that is where you got the ones that distructed.

Allen

[Peter Pedisich]

Dan,

That is great, nice and sturdy. Is it baltic birch ply? Real nice dust collection design as well.

Thanks for sharing.

Pete

[Dan Larson]

Any plans for variable speed control?
If yes, where can you get a good unit?
I burned out 2 (super cheapos) building my kitched cabinets.
Looking for a better one.

thanks,
brett w
ps, you table looks great !
Thanks to all for the comments!

Brett, I don't have any plans to add a variable speed controller-- the router in the table is a 5-speed. So far, that's all the speed control I've needed...

Dan

[Dan Larson]

Dan,

Great job. That top is going to remain flat for a long, long time.

Your were talking about a better fence and I was wondering, since you used some of Pat Warner's ideas, why not build his adjustable fence. I got the plans for it somewhere but I cannot remember if it was from Pat or somewhere else. If you want to build that fence and cannot find the plans send me a message and I will look into it and see if I can figure out where I got them. I have not built it yet but it looks like a great fence.

Brett, I do not know anything about the speed controls as I am using a Mil 5625. I am using a foot operated on/off switch that I got from MLCS and it seems pretty good. Have you tried one of theirs? Probably that is where you got the ones that distructed.

Allen
Allen, I've had my eye on Pat's fence design, too. Looks like it would be time consuming to build, but well worth the effort. When you get a chance to get yours built, be sure to post some pics.

Dan

[Mark Singer]

That looks like a great table....use it well

[Dan Larson]

Dan,

That is great, nice and sturdy. Is it baltic birch ply? Real nice dust collection design as well.

Thanks for sharing.

Pete
Yup, it is 3/4" baltic birch laminated to double thickness. In hindsight, using the baltic birch for the legs was more trouble than it was worth. I think dimensional lumber would have been stable enough, and fitting the joinery would have easier.

Dan

[Grant Stevens]

Dan

Very nice table! I've been thinking of making something like this along the lines of Pat Warner's comments. Did you do anything special in order to maximize flatness of the table top? I've been wondering about the best way to do it...assemble the frame for the top and then add the top, or do it all at once and clamp upside down to a flat surface...what do you recommend?

Thanks,
Grant

[David Rose]

Hi Dan,

How does the dust control work? If that is efficient, then think about a "tap" for the fence too.

I used a combo of Pat Warner's and Bill Hylton's fences. Kind of a high tech and HEAVY/bulky combo, but I think it is worth it. My pics are already here, but I can show some other views.

Can you hit that switch with your knee? I wish I had located mine that way. Several, many many, times I've wished for hands free off.

It looks really good.

David


After debating for a while whether to buy or build a router table, I finally deceided that the self-built option better suited my needs. A flat top, stable base, easy bit changes, and good dust collection were my priorities. Many of the ideas that I incorporated into the design were from Pat Warner's books and website. At some point in the future, I'll need to build a better fence. I'm open to suggestions on fence designs...
44737

44738

44739

44740

44741
Thanks for looking.

Dan

[Tom Andersen]

Dan, is the tabletop of MDF? I have used that for my router table but I am wondering whether I should glue some wood onto the edges to protect it.

[Ron Blaise]

After debating for a while whether to buy or build a router table, I finally deceided that the self-built option better suited my needs. A flat top, stable base, easy bit changes, and good dust collection were my priorities. Many of the ideas that I incorporated into the design were from Pat Warner's books and website. At some point in the future, I'll need to build a better fence. I'm open to suggestions on fence designs...
44737

44738

44739

44740

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Thanks for looking.

Dan
That ought to meet your needs for years to come. Like the vacuum plenum you built into the table too. How well does it work?

[Dan Larson]

Thanks a lot for all of the recent comments!

Grant, I'm embarrassed to admit how much time I spent obsessing over getting the top as flat as possible. The parts for the plywood support frame for the top were all very carefully edge jointed, and glued & screwed together while sitting on a very flat benchtop. The top is attached to this frame with connector bolts and cross dowels. A minor amount of tuning of the top flatness can be done by adjusting the tension on the connector bolts. My top isn't dead flat (for some reason the front right corner turned out to be ~0.007" low). So far it hasn't affected the performance for any projects I've been working on, but I'd like to figure out a way to fix the low spot.

Tom, the top is MDF treated with several coats of linseed oil. The cured oil makes the surface of the MDF slippery as heck, and hopefully make the MDF a little more stable to changes in humidity. So far, it's holding up well! From a strictly functional standpoint, I'm not sure I see the need to wrap the edges in wood...

My wife is standing by the door waiting for me to finish up here so we can head out for dinnner:rolleyes: ... more later...

Dan

[Ed Blough]

How is it to make bit changes and adjust cutting depth?
I have my router in a fixed table and I find bending over to adjust the cutting depth and such to a be a pain. Plus with bifocal glasses trying to get my head tilted back to see the actual depth on the bit is a problem.

I kind of envy the guys on the router workshop they pop the whole unit on to the top of the table make any bit changes and adjust the height and pop it back in place.

[David Rose]

Ed, a tilt table is nice too. You can just look straight down along the bottom of the top for removal and adjustments.

David

[John Miliunas]

Nicely done, Dan! Looks to be well engineered and assembled. :) However, if you're now working out with power tools hanging off the end of your barbell, please, be sure to unplug them first! :eek: :D :cool:

[Tom Andersen]

Tom, the top is MDF treated with several coats of linseed oil. The cured oil makes the surface of the MDF slippery as heck, and hopefully make the MDF a little more stable to changes in humidity. So far, it's holding up well! From a strictly functional standpoint, I'm not sure I see the need to wrap the edges in wood...

From the picture, it seems that you have not given the edges of the MDF table-top linseed oil. That makes sense to me, because it might make the MDF swell and destroy planarity of the tabletop? How about lacquer?

Thanks for any advice-
Tom

[Dan Larson]

Hi Dan,

How does the dust control work? If that is efficient, then think about a "tap" for the fence too.

I used a combo of Pat Warner's and Bill Hylton's fences. Kind of a high tech and HEAVY/bulky combo, but I think it is worth it. My pics are already here, but I can show some other views.

Can you hit that switch with your knee? I wish I had located mine that way. Several, many many, times I've wished for hands free off.

It looks really good.

David
Your fence sounds interesting. I'd like to take a closer look at it. I've searched around SMC for pictures of your router table, and I've only found a shot of your fence from the front. Could you post some shots of the fence from the side & back (or if they're already posted, please point me to them.)

You guessed correctly... the switch is at knee level... it's really handy to be able to turn off the router while keeping both hands on the stock.

Dan

[Dan Larson]

How is it to make bit changes and adjust cutting depth?
I have my router in a fixed table and I find bending over to adjust the cutting depth and such to a be a pain. Plus with bifocal glasses trying to get my head tilted back to see the actual depth on the bit is a problem.

I kind of envy the guys on the router workshop they pop the whole unit on to the top of the table make any bit changes and adjust the height and pop it back in place.
I don't mind stooping down to adjust the height, since the base of the table is open, access to the router is easy... but if you have creaky knees a tilt top sure would be more comfortable. David Rose has built a really nice tilt top table. For bit changes, I just pull the router out of the base and do it on top of the table.
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[Dan Larson]

From the picture, it seems that you have not given the edges of the MDF table-top linseed oil. That makes sense to me, because it might make the MDF swell and destroy planarity of the tabletop? How about lacquer?

Thanks for any advice-
Tom
I think what you're seeing is just the way that the photo flash hits the edge of the top... the edges were treated with oil, too. As a result, the edges have fuzzed a little, but the MDF has not lost its flatness.

[Dan Larson]

I've taken some photos to help answer the dust collection questions. Generally speaking, the port on my table does a great job catching the really fine dust during all types of cuts. Also, the dust collection is very efficient when I'm doing edge-forming cuts. Below is a shot while using a 1/2" roundover... as you can see, nearly everthing is caught by the dust collector.
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The one type of cut where I've noticed that my dust port is inadequate is cutting dados. Especially during the first few inches of the cut, quite a lot of chips are flung across the left side of the table and onto the floor.
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The way I have dealt with this is to just clamp a hose onto the left side of the fence, just below the surface of the table. With this setup, the chips run across the table and then into the hose.
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At some point in the future, I'll build a nice collection hood that I can attach just below the left edge of the table.

Well, I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, let me know. Thanks again for all of the kind words and questions!

[Dan Larson]

Almost forgot, Howard...

I bought the hose fitting from Oneida, it's a 4" sleeve with flange (part# DLX040000).

[David Rose]

Dan, I just discovered that both sets of batteries for my camera are dead. :( So I'll scrounge some old pics and see if they help. First see if this link to a thread works.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=33902

It is working. I posted a looong post, maybe too long, and lost it. This isn't my day. I think I'll just point you to the links and see if you have questions.

The fence is based on two different ones by different builders morphed together. It got big and heavy, but it is accurate. I wish I had put in a "0" clearance insert between the faces. I'll do that someday. The knobs at the rear allow coarse movement of the whole table, while the mirco adjuster allows thousandths to plus or minus 1". The fine adjustment saves me lots of trial cuts when I get close.

I need to get a couple of sets of batteries anyway, so if you want more details, yell.

David


Your fence sounds interesting. I'd like to take a closer look at it. I've searched around SMC for pictures of your router table, and I've only found a shot of your fence from the front. Could you post some shots of the fence from the side & back (or if they're already posted, please point me to them.)

You guessed correctly... the switch is at knee level... it's really handy to be able to turn off the router while keeping both hands on the stock.

Dan

[Dan Larson]

Dan, I just discovered that both sets of batteries for my camera are dead. :( So I'll scrounge some old pics and see if they help. First see if this link to a thread works.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=33902

It is working. I posted a looong post, maybe too long, and lost it. This isn't my day. I think I'll just point you to the links and see if you have questions.

The fence is based on two different ones by different builders morphed together. It got big and heavy, but it is accurate. I wish I had put in a "0" clearance insert between the faces. I'll do that someday. The knobs at the rear allow coarse movement of the whole table, while the mirco adjuster allows thousandths to plus or minus 1". The fine adjustment saves me lots of trial cuts when I get close.

I need to get a couple of sets of batteries anyway, so if you want more details, yell.

David
Thanks David. Finally had a chance to take a closer look at your fence tonight... you've given me some serious food for thought. You did a really nice job incorporating Pat Warner's micro adjustment mechanism into the design. Looks like you routed T-slots into the back of the fence faces for the T-bolts? Are you happy with the DC port on your fence, or would make any changes if you were to do it over? Thanks also for the heads up on the stop pins-- I can just imagine myself learning that lesson the hard way!

Dan

[David Rose]

Dan,

Dust collection is through the fitting on the fence and through the cabinet housing. My DC is a little 1 horse Delta about 15' away through 4" pvc. Gotta fix that situation soon. But even with that, I pickup maybe 85% of what is generated. I would say higher if not for some specific situations. I think with a decent DC connected, it would be high 90s. I think I probably pick up more through the table than through the fence.

Yes, those are T-slots in the back of the fences. I built them where I could flip them over and go side-to-side. This would give me 4 "0" clearance settings. I could use a stack of inserts 6' high instead of 4!

One thing that is wrong with the fence setup is that the fences don't stay square to the top for too long. After sitting for a while, I end up having to reshim them. I just have strips of masking tape on the uprights for shims. They come off and go on easily, but there should be a "better" way, it seems.

I'm really happy with the Warner micro adjuster mechanism on the Hylton fence. I did put sandpaper on the fence main clamp feet when it slipped once. I might build the main base a bit shorter front to rear next time. After about 5 years of (limited) use, there is only about .005" play in the micro adjuster. And that doesn't matter as reading the dial is 100% accurate. I love being able to make a test cut and reading that it is say ".014" shy" and dial .014" and the next cut is exact. Working with milling machines and lathes for a bunch of years has probably made me picky about that. But the more error I can eliminate, the more the wood can move and not effect things.

David



Thanks David. Finally had a chance to take a closer look at your fence tonight... you've given me some serious food for thought. You did a really nice job incorporating Pat Warner's micro adjustment mechanism into the design. Looks like you routed T-slots into the back of the fence faces for the T-bolts? Are you happy with the DC port on your fence, or would make any changes if you were to do it over? Thanks also for the heads up on the stop pins-- I can just imagine myself learning that lesson the hard way!

Dan

[Dan Larson]

One thing that is wrong with the fence setup is that the fences don't stay square to the top for too long. After sitting for a while, I end up having to reshim them. I just have strips of masking tape on the uprights for shims. They come off and go on easily, but there should be a "better" way, it seems.

Any idea why they fall out of square with the top over time? Doesn't look like the materials that you made the fence out of are all that unstable (looks like Baltic birch ply?) I wonder if this is just a fact of life with making a fence out of wood products of any sort... I notice that Warner has reinforced key areas of his fence with aluminum.:confused:

[David Rose]

Dan,

No, I don't know why the fence changes. It has been a bit frustrating since I am not use to that happening with plywood. You may be right about the aluminum reinforcement.

David


Any idea why they fall out of square with the top over time? Doesn't look like the materials that you made the fence out of are all that unstable (looks like Baltic birch ply?) I wonder if this is just a fact of life with making a fence out of wood products of any sort... I notice that Warner has reinforced key areas of his fence with aluminum.:confused:

[Chuck Hanger]

Hi Dan,
Don't mean to hijack this thread, but this is how I handled my dust collection. After reading many, many threads about router cabinets and dust collection this is what I came up with. Necked dust box down to 3" PVC with 2 1/2" going to fence. Last photo shows how much dust I had missed after about 22' of round over. Hope it helps
Chuck

[Dan Larson]

Hi Dan,
Don't mean to hijack this thread, but this is how I handled my dust collection. After reading many, many threads about router cabinets and dust collection this is what I came up with. Necked dust box down to 3" PVC with 2 1/2" going to fence. Last photo shows how much dust I had missed after about 22' of round over. Hope it helps
Chuck
Chuck,
Looks like you've come up with a good DC solution. I see that you built your own fence... how about posting a few more pictures of the fence? I'm always curious to see how others have engineered their fences. Thanks.
Dan