Router Table Advice

[greg sofranko]

With a new Bosch 1617 router combo, i am upgrading my router workstation. I am planning to build a new router table and have some questions about materials used for the table top.
would two peices of 3/4" MDF with a laminate top be recommended? also, i am having a hard time finding any laminate in my local home depot and lowe's stores. is there anything in those stores that i could use for the top? would a peice of hardboard work??
any help would be great.
also, i was thinking of making it two feet by 40 inches long. is there a recommended size?
thanks,
greg

[Jim Becker]

Two layers of MDF is often used for this purpose. You actually don't "need" any laminate on it, but most folks do use it. The 'borg typically hide the laminate behind the kitchen area...in my local HD, it's buried behind the blinds and shades at the back, center of the store. It's not in building products with other sheet goods.

[Chuck Lenz]

The top that I will be useing on a router table is from a office cubicle, the desktop work surface it is 1 1/4" thick MDF, laminated on both sides and has a rubber edge. I have pondered the idea of a granite top, but I'm not sure how or if it can be machined out for a router plate.

[Jim O'Dell]

I also used 2 layers of 3/4" MDF for my router table. I'm still working on the cabinet part, though it is usuable. I did find some laminate at one of my local HDs, but they only had 1 color and were closing it out. I wanted 1 more piece, but missed by 2 days! Several Lowes did have white, black and about 4 other colors behind the kitchen area. Locally I have access to the same place that the borgs get their supply from, but HD charges 22.00 for delivery. (A HD employee told me where to buy it from to save the fee, but I laready knew where they were.)
So, Chuck, are we talking about a Steel City router table?? :eek: :D I bet the granite counter top people could easily do the insert for you, but at what price?? But you may be able to find a cutoff piece that has already been paid for, if you know what I mean, the right size for cheap. Jim.

[Thom Sturgill]

Two pieces of MDF one 3/4" and one 1/2" or both 1/2" seems standard for pre-made tops, 1-1/8" to 1-1/4" total thickness. I think two 3/4" would be better as I have noticed my 1-1/4" top seems to sag a little and needs shimming. It's about 32"x24" which seems about average size, so yours would be plenty large.

[Chuck Lenz]

Jim, I think maybe a sink cut out might be big enough, but as you say I wonder what the fee would be to round off the edges, machine a miter slot in it, machine it out for a router plate, then drill holes for the fence to mount to. I'm afraid to ask. Granite Country router table ?.

[Bill White]

I work for a cabinet company, so we have off cuts and sink cutouts that go in the dumpster. I made my router top from two sink cutouts glued back-to-back, and edgebanded with 3/4" wood. Put the Lee Valley phenolic insert (round) in the top, and voila...
Stop by the office. I'll give you all the cutouts you will EVER need. N.E. Mississippi is 75 degrees today.
Bill

[Dave Falkenstein]

I used two 3/4" pieces of MDF, laminated both sides with Formica and trimmed the edges with 1/2" maple. That top has been dead flat for several years. If you would Word document describing exactly how I made mine, you can PM or email me through SMC.

[Paul Joynes]

Hi Greg,

When I was building my router table, I went to my local hardware store and asked if they had sections of counter top that were damaged and that they were willing to sell for cheap. I was able to purchase a 4 foot section of counter top and simply cut off the back splash and front edge. I then glued on a 3/4 inch piece of plywood underneath and used a laminate cutting bit to trim it flush with the counter top material. Band the whole thing in hardwood and you are away to the races. This was much cheaper than applying my own laminate but the downside was that you don't get to choose your preferred color.

Paul

[greg sofranko]

great advice everyone. thanks to all.
greg

[Brent Powers]

There's a guy on eBay selling broken up pieces of a bowling alley. Some sort of phenolic laminate. Really. I just built a router table out of it. It's flat, slick, hard, and smooth. Search for phenolic table*

http://i19.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/85/b8/cf3e_1.JPG

http://i22.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/85/b8/d5cc_1.JPG

(Images are not mine, but from eBay)

[Don Morris]

I made two tables like Dave Falkenstein did: two pieces of 3/4" MDF edge banded with 1/2" maple. Put Formica on both sides from HD and had them for years. Only changed because I put them on the right side of the TS and when I changed TS I upgraded the router table too. Each time I made "improvements" like tracks for featherboards or something else. I also like the pictures of the bowling alley table...that looks neat!

[brad kellner]

why does everyone use mdf instead of cabinet grade ply?

[Jim Becker]

why does everyone use mdf instead of cabinet grade ply?

For a router table top, MDF provides a lot more mass and density, not to mention the "perfect" substrate for applying laminate. (both sides!) But the plywood work work perfectly well...

[Craig Earls]

For a router table top, MDF provides a lot more mass and density, not to mention the "perfect" substrate for applying laminate. (both sides!) But the plywood work work perfectly well...


Really ignorant question, but why is it important to laminate both sides?

[Dave MacArthur]

so moisture doesn't absorb at diff rates through the two sides, thus producing cupping or warpage. Same reason edgebanding is applied--not just for looks, but for moisture absorption control. Always treat both sides of a board the same for finish if you want to avoid warping. Many folks advocate this approach to cabinet making also (inside of cabinets being finished vs. unfinished).

[Chris Stolicky]

would a peice of hardboard work??
any help would be great.


I recently bought a Jet Proshop TS and am looking at building a router table on the side. I was thinking of using the basic hardboard, with the smooth white side, on the top and bottom of either MDF or plywood (then band with hardwood) rather than messing around with glue and laminate.

Has anyone had any experience with this?

The stuff is designed for use in areas such as laundry rooms so it does have some moisture control properties. You can also easily put a coat of wax on it to ease sliding material.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Did you check at the borgs in the cabinet/kitchen section? The lumber people didn't carry it in their area so HD/Lowe's "did carry it". WHen I asked for the contact cement, they pointed me right to it, and WOW there was the formica, right under the gallon pails of contact cement.

[Jay Jolliffe]

After seeing the Freud router fence in Brent's post are there other router fences that are split so you can adjust one side or the other ?

[Peter Quinn]

Greg, beware. I put my Bosch 1617 in a table, two months later it quit. Turns out they don't use a sealed rocker switch, and the motor creates a little vacuum that sucks fine dust into the switch. Hanging under a table it can go down real quick. Bosch repair man wanted $65 to look at it...found a Bosch 1617 gripe post on line, turns out its real easy to remove, blow out dust, replace. Seems this happens to almost every bosch 1617 owner at some point. Now I keep a kit of metric torx drivers in my router kit for repairs...have had it quit on installs, in the shop, at the beach....also put better under table dust collection in the cabinet. Great router in every way except that switch. Funny cause they really market it as a good table mount too. Check the switch on a PC or Makita router, both used sealed switches, almost look military.

[Travis Gauger]

You want to laminate both top and bottom and edge around the sides because the MDF will act like a sponge and wick moisture out of the air. If you never used your router table (Yeah Right) your MDF would never get a scratch. It's the scratches where it starts to get the moisture in it. My first top was 2 layers of MDF and then masonite on the top. Worked great till spring when I opened up a few windows. Went to use it one day and it was shot. The edges had gotten Fat. New top is actually made out of 2" thick corian counter top material. Got it from a cabinet shop as a cut out too. Went through a few cheap HSS bits milling it out, but it works great now.

[Travis Gauger]

I would stay away from the hardboard top. I used the white covered stuff from lowes that is actually rated to be used as a shower wall, backsplash, or washdown area wall covering. It didn't last at all. The edges swell right up, I couldn't imagine using this stuff anywhere it would really get wet like they state. Look in your yellow pages for a re-store or some kind of a habitat for humanity store. They are often selling used and recycled building materials for cheap. I just picked up 12- 4'X8' sheets of a walnut print laminate for $10. Not a bad score.

[mike thomas01]

Still kind of green ....Could I ask what a "borg" refers to? Is it an acronym or something?
Thanks

[Brad Townsend]

Still kind of green ....Could I ask what a "borg" refers to? Is it an acronym or something?
Thanks
Big Orange Retail Giant. Also, if you are a trekkie, it refers to that big square evil collective entity in Star Trek - The Next Generation that tries to assimilate everything in it's path. A good analogy for Home Depot.

Also, I discovered that some HDs carry laminate and some don't. I have two within twenty miles of me. One has it, the other doesn't.

[Steve Leverich]

Jay, you asked about individual in/out fence adjustments - several do this. I have the Jessem one

http://www.jessem.com/mast_r_fence.htm

and love it. (bought 3, one for each table I'm building)

Tool corral has 'em for $164.99, most everyone else wants $199

http://tool-corral.com/shopsite_sc/shopping_cart/productsearch.cgi?storeid=*1c368efac09b01d7e12517f a46465763

HTH... Steve

[Marc Prudhomme]

what about this table.I have been trying to finout info on another post with no avail.
www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=894 (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=894)

[Ed Howe]

what about this table.I have been trying to finout info on another post with no avail.
www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=894 (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=894)

I have this table, and it has been fine for me as a beginning woodworker. I've pretty much only made picture frames and simple shelves so far but I've been happy with it.

[Wade Lippman]

I used a Bosch 1617 in a table for 2 years. It was okay, but a larger router would be really nice. If you are planning on using the same router in the table and hand, you will get sick of that real fast. Upgrade now, before you make a mistake.

I just built a new table out of 3/4" corian. The one time I tried it (before burning my router up, but that's another thread) it was very sweet.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Greg, beware. I put my Bosch 1617 in a table, two months later it quit. Turns out they don't use a sealed rocker switch, and the motor creates a little vacuum that sucks fine dust into the switch. Hanging under a table it can go down real quick. Bosch repair man wanted $65 to look at it...found a Bosch 1617 gripe post on line, turns out its real easy to remove, blow out dust, replace. Seems this happens to almost every bosch 1617 owner at some point. Now I keep a kit of metric torx drivers in my router kit for repairs...have had it quit on installs, in the shop, at the beach....also put better under table dust collection in the cabinet. Great router in every way except that switch. Funny cause they really market it as a good table mount too. Check the switch on a PC or Makita router, both used sealed switches, almost look military.


Yep same thing happend to me with the switch. I just took it apart and blew it out. It's funny how people refer to this as a "great router". Oh yeah, except for the switch problems and case corrosion. :)

[Bill Huber]

Greg, beware. I put my Bosch 1617 in a table, two months later it quit. Turns out they don't use a sealed rocker switch, and the motor creates a little vacuum that sucks fine dust into the switch. Hanging under a table it can go down real quick. Bosch repair man wanted $65 to look at it...found a Bosch 1617 gripe post on line, turns out its real easy to remove, blow out dust, replace. Seems this happens to almost every bosch 1617 owner at some point. Now I keep a kit of metric torx drivers in my router kit for repairs...have had it quit on installs, in the shop, at the beach....also put better under table dust collection in the cabinet. Great router in every way except that switch. Funny cause they really market it as a good table mount too. Check the switch on a PC or Makita router, both used sealed switches, almost look military.

I had this same problem, the key word is had the problem.

Check out these post, I have yet to clean my router and I have been using it a lot more then I ever did in the past. I have even done a bunch of MDF.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=65058

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=69349

[Bill Isaacs]

Still kind of green ....Could I ask what a "borg" refers to? Is it an acronym or something?
Thanks


Mike - Thank you for this question! It's been driving me crazy...

Some good information in this thread!

Bill

[Bill Huber]

Mike - Thank you for this question! It's been driving me crazy...

Some good information in this thread!

Bill

A very good list by Joseph N. Myers..

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=27040

BORG - Buying ORGanization, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc
_____- "A group of different races on the Star Trek Next Generation series that ..."
_____- Big Old (Orange) Retail Giant

[Anthony Whitesell]

Prior to building my own, I looked at the Rockler tops and shyed away from them for two reasons.

1. Specific to the Rockler tops, I didn't like the slots cut for the fences to ride in.

2. General to any pre-made top, the top is cut for a specific route plate (and the router plates and router lift plates are NOT all the same size).

In the case of the Rockler top, you HAVE to buy a Rockler lift. In my case, I didn't care for the Rockler lift I liked another lift and did have the "nerves" to take a router to the $120 top to enlarge the opening.

[Ed Brady]

I looked in the yellow pages and found a shop that custom makes counter tops. They have tons of laminate pieces in all sorts of colors. Any time I want to use some in a project like a router table I stop by and pick something out. They usually charge a couple to a few bucks depending on size.

EDB

[Greg McCallister]

How is the corain to work with - did you band it with hardwood?
was it a sink cutout - thinking of building one myself.