Best place for a router table on tablesaw

[Matt Wachter]

I'm getting close to making a router table in the tablesaw and was wondering where the best place to put it would be, left extension, right extension, or incorporate it into the outfeed table?

I've often wondered why you don't see it more in the left extension because with my current router table, I'm always standing in front of the table, and not behind it as I would be if it was in the right extension. That seems to make the most sense to me.

Of course if I put it in the right extension I could simply move materials opposite of the direction of the tablesaw feed direction and achieve the same results.

I could also drop it into the outfeed table, although I've never seen that, so there must be a good reason for that. If the table is large enough the router was offset and/or mobie, I don't see a problem if I would need to rip a last minute piece of something.

For the fence, I've considered using the tablesaw fence but decided on making a split fence and clamp it to the table.

If there is one thing that I don't like to do is make things more than once so I'd really like to hear everybody's thoughts.

[Eddie Darby]

Is your saw a cabinet saw or contractors....or new hybrid?
Right tilt or left tilt?

I have a left tilt cabinet saw, and I'm going to put it in on the right hand side of the blade. There is more room underneath on the right hand side of my saw, since a left tilt has the motor swinging out to the left, as you tilt the blade. I can use my table saw fence with an extension unit as a router fence. I have my saw on castors so I can rotate the saw into whatever position I need.

Picture of extesion router fence with vacuum port:

http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/images/m3routerfence.jpg

[John Gregory]

I think that left or right is a personal preference. Depending too on how your TS is situated in your shop. I have often wondered about where to stand, I stand in front of the table like Norm does, but David Marks stands to the side, same side as the TS itself.

[Matt Wachter]

Is your saw a cabinet saw or contractors....or new hybrid?
Right tilt or left tilt?

I have a left tilt cabinet saw, and I'm going to put it in on the right hand side of the blade. There is more room underneath on the right hand side of my saw, since a left tilt has the motor swinging out to the left, as you tilt the blade. I can use my table saw fence with an extension unit as a router fence. I have my saw on castors so I can rotate the saw into whatever position I need.

Picture of extesion router fence with vacuum port:

http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/images/m3routerfence.jpg

Sorry, it's a contractor saw, right tilt.

[Don Baer]

Matt,
Here's a thread talking about just what you are planning.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=28498

In the thread I have two pictures of how I did mine and I show my Router fence that I clamp to the TS Fence. It had a split fence for the router. This allows me the Zero clearance as well as the adjustability of using the TS fence.

[Sam Chambers]

I put mine in the left wing of my left-tilt Unisaw. Actually, I left the cast iron wing in place, and mounted the router table to the left of it. I had to make sure the table was wide enough so the router would clear the motor cover of the saw, but it wasn't too bad.

I did it this way for a couple of reasons. First, I was using a Jointech Saw Train as my table saw fence, and wanted to use it for my router table too, without having to remove it and turn it around. Also, because of my bad back, I didn't want to be leaning over the right side extension table while using the router table. I much prefer being able to stand facing the router table fence - It gives me more control over the workpiece, and gives me easier access to the router under the table.

I'm about to replace my Jointech system with a Biesemeyer this weekend, and I'm not certain what I'll do about the router table setup. I want to keep it where it is, but from the looks of the Biesemeyer rails, I'll have to remove the cast iron wing in order to mount the router table to the rails. That means I'll have to build a new table that's wider than the one I have now.

[Rick Peek]

I put a mule t/s router table in my right extension. I have a ridgid
ts3650 so you can leave all the cast iron in. It fit perfectly
and seems to have met all ny needs so far.

[glenn bradley]

I use mine on the left for a few reasons:

1 - I can; my motor housing is on the right.
2 - My shop layout is more friendly to that feed direction.
3 - The right side of my saw supports my over arm TS dust collector/guard.
4 - The right side of my TS is sort of a no-man's-land for the motor cover, overarm mast, electrical and the DC hoses for the TS (over and under) and the RT (over and under.

In the end it makes sense to put it where it works for you and your shop layout.

Enjoy!

[scott spencer]

Mine's on the right for a couple of reasons. For starters it just seemed more condusive to the layout of my shop. Secondly, the rails occupy that space regardless of whether there's a router table in there or not...it just made sense to give that space a purpose.