J.R. Rutter
03-29-2007, 3:01 PM
There is always talk about router tables vs shapers, and one issue that often comes up is the cost of a RT being almost as much as a shaper. I recently built a new table for our shop. It has all the functionality that I need, and saves space since it has 2 routers in one top. I'm sharing it as an example of a shop built solution for <$400 for a single router setup. The total cost for my version was still <$700.
The top is approx 24 x 36 x 1. The cabinet base was built from misc. stuff that was in the shop not being used. I wanted plenty of table hanging over the edges for clamping, but wanted the stability of a wider base, so I built a skinny cabinet open on both ends, and hung it between fir 4x4s. The fir is just dense enough to screw the caster stud bolt into an undersized hole in the bottom.
I got the routers, top plates, and router raizers from Amazon last year when they were on sale. It took a while to get around to building the table! The casters are 3" from Grizzly. They are quite nice and fairly inepensive. The bottom cavity holds 2 tubes of sand to add mass. It could also be bit and accessory storage, but I leave these 2 bits set up 95% of the time, so stability was more important.
I wired it up with a $5 12-ga. garage sale power cord going to a J-box, where it splits to the 2 switches. There is a single duplex outlet inside with one half wired to each switch. I wasn't sure where the table would end up, so I left the cord long and screwed some hooks on to hold it. The dust port is half of an old plastic gate screwed over a hole with weatherstripping to seal it.
The top is approx 24 x 36 x 1. The cabinet base was built from misc. stuff that was in the shop not being used. I wanted plenty of table hanging over the edges for clamping, but wanted the stability of a wider base, so I built a skinny cabinet open on both ends, and hung it between fir 4x4s. The fir is just dense enough to screw the caster stud bolt into an undersized hole in the bottom.
I got the routers, top plates, and router raizers from Amazon last year when they were on sale. It took a while to get around to building the table! The casters are 3" from Grizzly. They are quite nice and fairly inepensive. The bottom cavity holds 2 tubes of sand to add mass. It could also be bit and accessory storage, but I leave these 2 bits set up 95% of the time, so stability was more important.
I wired it up with a $5 12-ga. garage sale power cord going to a J-box, where it splits to the 2 switches. There is a single duplex outlet inside with one half wired to each switch. I wasn't sure where the table would end up, so I left the cord long and screwed some hooks on to hold it. The dust port is half of an old plastic gate screwed over a hole with weatherstripping to seal it.