Kreg K3 table almost done

[Walt Nicholson]

I bought the Kreg Master kit but did not want to bolt it and the little board support permanently to the workbench so decided to make a table for it. I had an old cabinet carcass laying around so I make a table with a 3/4 piece of ply on top. Instead of having the jig sit on top of the table and trying to decide where to put the board support, I decided to inset it into the top so that the entire table was the board support. I notched a 3/4" piece of melamine to fit the jig and routed out the same shape on the plywood underneath (about 1/4") so the top of the jig (where the board rests) was flush with the top of the melamine. I added some Kreg t-track on either side with peel and stick tapes that measure left and right from the two outside holes on the jig and added an adjustable stop. I did not like the idea of the vac hose hanging around in the way so I added a "garbage disposal elbow" to the jig, drilled a hole in the top and connected it to a small shop-vac below. I plugged the shop-vac into a switchable outlet that I hung on the side of the table and can plug the drill into the unswitched part. I added some oak trim to the top and now plan to add a drawer or two for all the clamps and miscellaneous and then maybe a door and a "holster" of some kind on the side to keep the drill handy. Some 1/4" ply and trim finished the sides. Casters on the bottom and I should be good to go. Thanks for looking.

[J. Z. Guest]

Very nice. It looks like just about everything has been thought of.

The one thing that worries me about this is the question of what happens to the motor heat of the shop vac? It circulates in there and makes a little oven.

I don't believve shop vacs are designed (or tested) to operate in small enclosed areas like this.

If you don't leave the vacuum on, for more than a minute or two, it will probably not be an issue. But otherwise, you risk burning up the motor.

[Walt Nicholson]

Jeremy, you are right. The pictures don't show it but I left some openings at the bottom and back of the cabinet so air could circulate up through. I have run it for about an hour without a door on it and it has been ok as it is a small little unit. I will try it with a door in place and see if it causes a problem with heat. If push comes to shove, I'll just not add a door. Thanks

[Jerry White]

Very impressive, Walt. Some good ideas there! Thanks for sharing.

[Charles Green]

If you are worried about the vac running just get one of the tool activated power switches and hook it to your drill. Unless you use cordless...

[Mike Gager]

i was planning something similar for my kreg jig except i plan on adding something to hang my drill from between drillings. seems it takes me time to carefully place the drill down safely each time making sure i dont drop the drill or bang the drill bit down to hard. would be nice to have something to just drop the drill on real quick while i adjust the jig without having to worry about the bit

[Eric Gustafson]

I wonder if the vacuum could overheat at all. The heat of the vacuum motor is expelled by the exhaust of the vacuum fan. As long as you provide an opening large enough for exhaust air to get out, the vacuum should move enough air to both pick up dust and not overheat.

[Brian Effinger]

That's a great idea Walt. Once you get the drawers in and casters on, it will be perfect. Let us know how it works out, once you start using it heavily. I just might have to "borrow" :p your idea for my shop.

[Grant Davis]

Another one to add to the to-do list. That is sweeeeet.

[J. Z. Guest]

Eric,

Usually, the motor fan is separate from the motor load.

On my Hitachi, they are separate, as the motor fan doesn't move near enough air to serve as a vacuum. Motor cooling is handled separately. If these were designed without their own separate airflow, the motors would burn up when the canister was full. (as there would be no air flowing through the motor either) Also, if there were a hole in the bag, whatever was sucked up by the vac would end up in the motor. (water, small bits of metal, etc.)

[Matt Day]

I bet mounting something like that in my Table Saw outfeed table (next to my router insert) would be a good place. I don't really have the room for it to have it's own table.

[Greg Hines, MD]

That is a pretty smooth idea. My only concern would be making some kind of insert so that you can remove the jig to use the table for other things. I try to multitask most of my shop gear, and would want to be able to use it for assembly, maybe sharpening, etc.

Doc

[Walt Nicholson]

Greg, that's a good idea. 4 screws and pull the hose loose underneath and the whole thing lifts off, so the table can be used for just about anything. You could cut a small insert of 3/4" melamine to plug the hole where the Kreg was and you are good to go. Thanks.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Greg, that's a good idea. 4 screws and pull the hose loose underneath and the whole thing lifts off, so the table can be used for just about anything. You could cut a small insert of 3/4" melamine to plug the hole where the Kreg was and you are good to go. Thanks.


Walt,

If I were making it new, I would probably go with something akin to a dovetail insert, where it would be fairly stable on its own, even without something like a screw or dowel to hold it in place. Seeing as you have already done yours, then creating a blank insert to fill the void would be a good idea.

I have seen these router-table inserts that Kreg sells for using with your router table. Same idea, though I like the T-tracks that you installed for stops and such.

Doc

[Jason Beam]

I've opened this thread at least a half dozen times today and keep lookin' at the pictures. I'm gonna make me something like this, for sure.

That cabinet is pretty good sized and at first I thought it was a little big for the job, but as I think through the way I'd use it, I would want somewhere to stack my pieces while I worked and that extra space behind the jig is perfect for that.

I'm gonna have to find a place for something like this in my shop, now :)

[Jim O'Dell]

Nice job!! I'm going to do something on a smaller scale with mine. I have the 2000, so will have to come up with something different on the dust collection. I will build mine as a shelf that will drop in between my multifunction benches, and hook up to my cyclone. Thanks for some good ideas! Jim.

[Jules Dominguez]

Nice table, Walt. I have a Kreg K2000 (no vac connection) and I opted to attach it to a 13x24 piece of plywood. I clamp it to my outfeed/layout /all purpose table when I use it. This gives me the advantage of a lot of laydown room, which is always useful. Also, the jig hangs on the wall when not in use, so it's out of the way.
The vac hose addition was a good upgrade to the jig. I roll my shop vac nearby when using it and clean up the shavings when they start to get in the way, which means pretty frequently.

[Rob Will]

i was planning something similar for my kreg jig except i plan on adding something to hang my drill from between drillings. seems it takes me time to carefully place the drill down safely each time making sure i dont drop the drill or bang the drill bit down to hard. would be nice to have something to just drop the drill on real quick while i adjust the jig without having to worry about the bit

Here's how I hang my drill. A block of wood with a hole drilled in it. It pulls out like a pistol from a holster. Quick-draw pocket hole;).
Mounting the K3 jig on a permanent cart is a good thing and a real time saver.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=62208&highlight=pocket+hole+cart

Rob

[Paul Johnstone]

I am pretty sure that you could use Kreg's bench clamps in their T-track.
That would be pretty sweet to slide on one of their clamps and be able to use the table for screwing the pieces together as well http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4770