Best way to attach router table to table saw fence rails?

[Ben Martin]

Does anyone have any input on the best way for me to attach a router table that I am building to the rails on my table saw fence? I have a TS3650, it has slots in the rails, so I could technically cut a "tenon" on my router table to go into slot. I have also seen people use angle iron and the I would have to cut recesses in my router table for the bolt heads. Are there any other options out there? I am going to laminate 2 3/4" pieces of MDF together to make the top.

I have seen lots of other peoples pictures on this subject, but none ever really go into any details...

[Ben Martin]

Nobody can offer me any insight?

[Steve Clardy]

My fence rail extended past the tablesaw top.

I made a flat top that went in between the rails, attached with screws

[Bob Vallaster]

Ben,
My used table saw (different brand) came with only one wing, which I mounted on the left side.
After installing my fence rails, I built an extended table to fit between the rails on the right. My top is 3/4" ply with laminate on both sides; it has ~3" skirt boards on all edges. The skirts are easily drilled to take advantage of factory holes on the saw's top (for the absent wing) or in the fence rails.

Bob V.

[Wade Lippman]

Presumably bolt heads slide in the slots?
I made a frame of oak and attached that to the rails with bolts; then put the router table on the frame. Might not work with your doubled 3/4 stock though.

[Mike Cutler]

Ben.

Is it possible to post a PIC of your saw. I admit that I don't know what a TS3650 is.

The area that gave me the most trouble when I had a router table mounted in the extension wing was bolting it to the CI wing. As for mounting it to the rails I just clamped the router table in place, drilled through the fence rails and the router table and through bolted everything.

Post a pic, someone has to have some ideas.

[Ben Rafael]

T-nuts (i think that's what they're called) fit in to the ridgid's rails.
Screw some angle iron under your router table, drill holes through the angle iron to put some bolts and t-nuts through and with some adjustment the whole thing should slide on. Before you buy angle iron you need to measure, if your router table top is too thick this will not work. The slots on the ridgid rails are higher than most, this would not allow this method to work if you are using a router table top that is too thick. If I recall correctly a 1" thick top would work, anything thicker and you would definitely need to measure.
That is the elegant way of doing it.
The not so elegant way is by putting screws in to the front and back sides of the router table top and putting t-nuts on those and sliding the whole thing in to your table saw.

[glenn bradley]

Does anyone have any input on the best way for me to attach a router table that I am building to the rails on my table saw fence? I have a TS3650, it has slots in the rails, so I could technically cut a "tenon" on my router table to go into slot. I have also seen people use angle iron and the I would have to cut recesses in my router table for the bolt heads. Are there any other options out there? I am going to laminate 2 3/4" pieces of MDF together to make the top.

I have seen lots of other peoples pictures on this subject, but none ever really go into any details...

My old saw had the t-slots on the insides of the fence rails as I believe your's does. I used bolts through the router table support frame (heads on the outside of the frame to slide into the t-slots on the rails) and tightened via nuts on the inside. Yes it was a tight fit.

My eventual solution was to build a free-standing router table cabinet and rig the RT top so it bolted to the saw's extension like an extension wing. This is not a solution if you want to remain mobile which I do not.

My old saw: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=38380&d=1147485852

The current rig: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=54205&d=1167872143

[keith ouellette]

I'm not sure the best way to do it but I do know it should be very important to be able to make the router table be perfectly in plane with the TS table. So how you attach it should revolve around that.

I am making a router table and cabinet to attach to my TS and designed the router cabinet with legs so I can adjust the height and put the two tables in plane and then screw it to the TS rail.

[Ken Massingale]

Been,
Here's an underneath shot of what I did. The RT is rabbeted to take 1" aluminum angle. The other leg of the angle has holes for bolts (nuts slide in the TS3650 rail slots)
I also have angle on the 'front' of the RT attached to the right cast iron TS top.
HTH
Ken
http://www.scwoodworker.net/images/router%20table.jpg

[Ben Martin]

Been,
Here's an underneath shot of what I did. The RT is rabbeted to take 1" aluminum angle. The other leg of the angle has holes for bolts (nuts slide in the TS3650 rail slots)
I also have angle on the 'front' of the RT attached to the right cast iron TS top.
HTH
Ken


Thanks Ken, that is what I was looking for, I think the problem that I am going to run into though is the fact that with laminating together the 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF, but R/T is going to be the same thickness as the CI top on the table saw. This will mean that I will have to do some rabbeting on the sides of the top, but I like the angle iron idea, it allows adjustability.

I had also thought of putting bolts right into the R/T top and sliding it into the slots, but this doesn't allow for any adjustemnt...

Thanks to everyone else for the helpful pictures, keep them coming if you got any more.

EDIT: In case anyone wanted to know, I am going to be mounting my M12V2, which weighs in at about 17 lbs. I will definitely be attaching some extra legs for support and the cantilevered end of the table.