Router table top?

[John Miliunas]

OK, as I promised Jim B., I recently suffered a lapse in judgment and am now confronted with another unforeseen mini-project. After the move into the bigger shop, I found that what I had been using for an assembly table, should lend itself nicely to be converted to a temporary router table, until I get around to making a real good one. I got one of them Plungelift inserts from Woodpecker's and installed it into the top. Looked beautiful. I enclosed the lower cabinet, put doors on and installed a port for the DC system. Worked great. Today, I turned my attention to making a fence for it. Pulled out Bill Hylton's book and checked to see if I had the necessary supplies. Roger! OK, so I brought my base piece of hardwood over to the table and just happened to lay it on edge. I bent down to unplug the router I noticed a LOT of daylight streaming through the center portion of the board. I lay an aluminum straightedge across the table and sure enough: Too much more and you could use this thing for a cereal bowl! Grrrr..... :mad: OK, so I'm a maroon. Shoulda' checked that before I ever mounted the insert. :rolleyes:

So now I'm looking at replacing the top. I have some 3/4" MDF, which is laminated with melamine on both sides. I figure two of them, back to back, should do the trick. First question: Is this really the way to go? Second question: If so, I don't figure yellow glue to be the way to adhere these two pieces. Do you folks think contact cement might be the solution? Last question: If "no" to the first two, any recommendations? Mind you, this is NOT the last router table I'm going to have. I will be building the real McCoy sometime in the future. It's just that I've been spending so dearn much time making stuff for the shop, that I really just want to start making "stuff"!!! LOML is getting a bit antsy for awaiting projects and I too, would like to get a move on. Appreciate any input.... :cool:

[Jim Becker]

"Mine" was far worse...yours is just an itty bitty oversight that most of us make far too often.

Use solvent based contact cement to laminate layers of MDF for this kind of thing...yellow glue will often cure poorly in the center and the moisture in it can cause issues. It should bond the melamine coatings, but be sure they are clean and grease-free first. Do a test with scrap first. If this is a temporary table, you could also screw through from the bottom layer to hold things together...just don't put screws where you might need to cut something. Be sure the table top is also supported well...routers have a bit of weight to them. If the cabinet is just a shell, put some intermediate support under it at intervals to carry the load.

[Mark Singer]

John,
Hardwood is not real good for power tool tables.Router, infeed or outfeed. It won't stay flat. Plywood with lumber core is a good place to start. If you put laminate on one side either put it on the oposite side or paint it. If there is differntial moisture it will warp. I have the BenchDog top and fence...I really like it. You can always make a nice base for that top and I think the lift will wotk but you should check. MDF is also a good core.
Mark

[John Miliunas]

Thanks guys. In thinking about it, I might even check on something else I have laying around: A big chunk of solid-core door! (OK, so I'm cheap!) If it is, I should be able to contact my present top right to it to make it flat and just throw the whole mess back on the base. Not an elegant solution, but it would work, for now and get me back to doing what I started to do! Then, I might even be able to make something! :cool:

[Wes Bischel]

John,
A man after my own heart - "(OK, so I'm cheap!)" I prefer "financially efficient". :p

Wes

[Ken Salisbury]

John,

I plan on making one in the real near future - as soon as I settle on a design. I plan on using Corian for the top :D.

[John Miliunas]

John,

I plan on making one in the real near future - as soon as I settle on a design. I plan on using Corian for the top :D.

Hey Ken, now there's one I hadn't even considered! Great idea! Obviously, not for this particular table, but maybe for the final revision. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I'm sure it'll be cream of the crop! :cool:

[Jim O'Dell]

John,

I plan on making one in the real near future - as soon as I settle on a design. I plan on using Corian for the top :D.


Ken, I have the same thought for the top of my also in design stage router table. It is my project for 2004, design while I save the money to buy the lift and fence, then build as I get close. Let me know how your's turns out. Are you going to look at local counter top installers for the corian, or have you been able to find it on line? So far the largest piece I have found on line is 15' X 23". I'll post back here if I find anything, but it will probably be a few months before I get that far.
Jim.

[Jim Harsha]

John I used 2 pieces of 3/4 MDF laminated together woith solvent contact cement then put formica on both sides. This was 4 yrs ago and I've had a Woodpeckers PRK and PC7518 hanging from it since. NO sag. HTH

[JayStPeter]

John,

How about screwing some angle iron to the bottom of the current table and see if you can persuade it flat again. Or, maybe some MDF strips on edge screwed in a grid pattern with pocket holes. I've used both methods to keep cheap 3/4" ply "benches" flat.
As soon as I learn to weld ...

Jay

[John Miliunas]

John,

How about screwing some angle iron to the bottom of the current table and see if you can persuade it flat again. Or, maybe some MDF strips on edge screwed in a grid pattern with pocket holes. I've used both methods to keep cheap 3/4" ply "benches" flat.
As soon as I learn to weld ...

Jay

Jay, funny you should mention the angle iron! Initially, that was my very first thought! Unfortunately, my "stock" of angle iron is minimal, plus it's still "buried" somewhere in the mess we still have to straighten out in the garage (part of the "post-move stress syndrome"). I already know where the solid-core door is and I already checked it for flattness. As soon as I get past a couple other mini-projects, I'll get on it. Thanks for the suggestions, though! :cool:

[John Weber]

John,

I agree with Jay, some angle (even cheap at the home center), or MDF on edge and pocket screws should be able to take out enough sag to make the existing to usable, then you can put your time and effort toward a good top and not spent it on another half solution.

John

[EliotMason]

John, on angle iron... I have a WoodPecker's table that was installed on the tablesaw. Even though it's 1.5" of MDF they ship it with two pieces of angle iron. So even if that door looks flat you might consider bracing it.

[John Miliunas]

Hmph! That sliding router table from Grizzly, which Keith wrote about earlier, is starting to look better and better! But then, my PlungeLift would be useless! :mad: OK, guess I'll have to look into getting some angle iron. Thanks guys! :cool:

[David Rose]

Ken, are you going to support the Corian? I was thinking of using it for a new table before I used angle iron to pull mine flat. Two different installers told me that it would likely sag. That is even with supports about 14" apart. Keep us posted on this. It looked ideal before I talked to these guys.

David


John,

I plan on making one in the real near future - as soon as I settle on a design. I plan on using Corian for the top :D.

[David Rose]

I think you saw the supports I put under my table. Using washers as spacers, I really easily pulled .020" of sag out of mine. It is two layers of 3/4" ply with plastic laminate on both sides.

David



Hmph! That sliding router table from Grizzly, which Keith wrote about earlier, is starting to look better and better! But then, my PlungeLift would be useless! :mad: OK, guess I'll have to look into getting some angle iron. Thanks guys! :cool:

[Ken Salisbury]

Ken, Are you going to look at local counter top installers for the corian, Jim - I have a friend who has a counter intall operation and his scrap pile has many large pieces in it. I am sure I will be able to find a piece to do the job when I am ready. I would have to think twice about buying a piece for this application since the darn stuff is $20/ft.

Ken, are you going to support the Corian? I was thinking of using it for a new table before I used angle iron to pull mine flat. Two different installers told me that it would likely sag. That is even with supports about 14" apart. Keep us posted on this. It looked ideal before I talked to these guys.

I was planning on using the commercial Corian adhesive to bond some braces underneath. I will have to consider sag when the time comes.

[John Miliunas]

Thanks gentelemen! Upon your advice, I managed to dig out some iron angle and got to work on my existing top. I could only find one piece long enough, but also had some pretty stout aluminum angle handy. Put the heavy stuff on the front, aluminum on the back, a little shim here and there and I'm back in business! Progress was REAL slow, though, 'cuz I tackled this project while watching the playoff game. On to the fence! Thanks again, guys! :cool:

[Ken Dolph]

Ken,

Don't worry about sag. I made a "temporary" table top with 1/2" Corian 8 years ago. It has been in constant use on three different bases. No sag. If you are worreid use 3/4". My Delta/Onsrudd Inverted Pin Router top of mdf and formica with steel beam reinforcements needs to be flattened every couple of months as moisture swells the mdf.

For fastening the top to any support use Helicoils Nothing makes a better mechanical fastener to Corian.

I hope this helps

Ken Dolph

[Chris Padilla]

Ken, are you going to support the Corian? I was thinking of using it for a new table before I used angle iron to pull mine flat. Two different installers told me that it would likely sag. That is even with supports about 14" apart. Keep us posted on this. It looked ideal before I talked to these guys.

David

Phenolic is another excellent material to use for tops that you want to remain flat. (John Lucas: http://www.woodshopdemos.com/smfld-4.htm) Google that product...I've seen sheets of it available before.

Woodpecker's has that nice red-coated baltic birch they use for a lot of their products. It is available in 1" thicknesses.

For laminations, I like to use Gorilla Glue or another product that you might consider is Unibond 800 (John Lucas: http://www.woodshopdemos.com/sstat-4.htm) I haven't tried the Unibond but I was tempted until I found a good deal on Gorilla Glue and stocked up.

Chris