Heavy Duty, Indestructable, Non-Bending, Router Table

[Jeff Duncan]

It sounds like your really wanting to move up to a shaper, but just haven't realized it yet. Sure you can spend a lot of money tricking out a router table....but at the end of the day it's still a router mounted in that table....kinda like fabricating a super fancy table to hold your circular saw upside down to use it for a table saw, instead of just buying a table saw?

Shapers can run router bits, but they do better with the larger diameter bits than the smaller ones. I would never recommend using 1/4" shank bits in a shaper, personally I don't even like them in a router except for the really small profiles that can be handled on a trim router. Shapers are at their best with shaper cutters which will outperform a router all day long. It's just a questions of whether you personally need a shaper or not?

My recommendation is to use a thick piece of ply or mdf or whatever and make up a top yourself with the laminate surface. Getting it flat is not a big deal, nor is machining it yourself for whatever insert you want. If you take your time and do it right you should not even need any adjusting screws, nor should you have a problem with material hang in up. Even if you don't get it exact you can shim it to a perfect fit fairly easily. I started out making doors and everything else on a router table and my version is probably the worst you would see on this site! It's not the quality of the table and how much you spend machining custom steel etc. etc., it's about having it set up correctly and knowing how to use it


BTW, I think plastic or aluminum inserts are the way to go in case of an oops moment! A router bit spinning at 22k rpm hitting steel is not going to be pretty

good luck,
JeffD

[pat warner]

"Fence Construction and clamping "

Fence here tethered to table through slots, with clamp screws into tee nuts.
Could be into tapped holes in steel or Aluminum.

[Mark Ashmeade]

Mark are you just using it as a shaper? Or do you have plans for router bits like Mike the OP mentioned?

Actually I'm just going to use it as a router table. I have the collets for it. What I don't have is the shaper extension spindle. Haven't got the beast set up yet, but the table is HUGE at almost 48" square. Lots of tapped holes in it too for fences, hold downs and the like. If I get the spindle extension, I'll look at a power feeder. Not there yet though.

[ian maybury]

There's probably several objections to steel Michael: (1) rapid rusting, (2) what sort of finish, and (3) propagation of vibration.

The latter can be really bad and very unpredictable - if you are unlucky enough to strike a harmonic the noise and vibration levels in steel fabrications mounting motors can be spectacular.

I built a table recently based (for speed and because having an accurate positioner sounded very worthwhile) from Incra and other bought parts: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...t=router+table

So far it works very well, but hasn't had enough use to necessarily throw up all problems.

Knowing that with a 16in Clear Vue/Pentz based dust system I had plenty of airflow available I spent quite some time thinking about dust collection, but reached no very elegant solution. In that there's such a variety of set ups and hence dust collection requirements - in fence, grooving the bottom of sheet material well away from the fence, free cutting using a template or a guide, maybe even above the workpiece.

You can't pull more air through e.g. extra drillings in the router plate, because it creates suck down. The Incra fence connection works well, but only because I have lots of suction with the big fan as it's only 2.5in dia.

I ended up adding a 4in flex hose with a funnel type intake into the side of the dust box which when used with a clamp on hose bracket can be positioned wherever it's needed. It can also be hooked up to a free hand guard to pull from above.

It collects very well, the high CFM and high pressure drop means that even with the hose open (it acts probably like the bleed holes that some have, but is available for use when needed) the dust system has no difficulty in running what in effect are three connections at once. (though the plate, through the fence, and through the hose) It's stayed very clean on all cuts done so far, and there's no dust hang up in the airbox.

ian

[Peter Aeschliman]

My knee-jerk reaction is that you won't be able to make a thick steel table that is flat (i.e., blanchard ground), stable, and machined for your accessories at a price that is cheaper than the bench dog... especially after you consider your time investment.

I think if you take a hard look at the cost, you'll find that the benchdog price is actually fairly reasonable.

[Greg Portland]

I'm looking for some advice on building a heavy duty router table. I would appreciate any ideas whether they are real experience or "want-to's".

I have been thinking about the following:

1. Top construction - I've read the articles about using ply and mdf faced with laminate and I may eventually go that route, but has anyone considered a 1/2" or 3/8" thick steel top? This would allow me to use magnetic jigs, fingerboards, and even a magnetic fence if I wanted. I would like to mount a router lift directly to the top, without a router plate. I could get the opening machined, then make some steel or hardwood inserts. I want to minimize the ridges and grooves on the top. On my current router table, these always cause me a problem at the worst time.

2. Fence Construction and clamping - I would like to incorporate DC into the fence and clamp it without using slots in the top or T-tracks in a wood top. Maybe it could be clamped from the sides of the table or maybe the mag jigs would work? If using steel for the top, I would likely put an edging under the top and/or around the sides, but could incorporate the fence clamp as necessary.

3. Dust collection underneath the table - I plan to run a 4" duct into the cabinet, but has anyone got any ideas on a hood around the router or is just a 4" duct in the compartment sufficient?

I've seen the Bench Dog Cast Iron top and I like it, but don't like the price. I can get the steel fairly cheap and use some of that money toward machining the opening and inserts.

Any thoughts, comments, or pictures are very much appreciated.

Mike

I have a Veritas (Lee Valley) steel top and it works very well. I used a simple "Router Raizer" which only required a small hole to be drilled into the top. A small shaper + power feeder may be a better option given your requirements. Get one with a router spindle to spin @ high RPM.

[Michael W. Clark]

Thanks Greg, I'm really looking for a little larger top. The Bench Dog is a reasonable price compared to the other commercial top options, but $400+ still seems quite high at this stage of the game. However, it would be a very robust set-up, no doubt.

I need to do some research on the pros/cons of router vs. shaper, I'm sure there is a lot of information avaialable. If you buy the Bench Dog top, lift, and 3HP router, you could get a Grizzly 3HP shaper for the same money, maybe less by the time you add a fence and other accessories to the router table. However, I don't have any shaper cutters and would still need/want the router table for some smaller profiles. At this point, I'm leaning toward the router table concept instead of the shaper.

It appears that I can't get a lift that will bolt to my table, all apparently come with a router plate. I could keep my PC 890 in there and mount it under the top and not use a router plate. The money "saved" from the new router and lift purchase could go toward a future shaper.

If I were to do a steel top, I would put a 3/4" plywood/mdf layer under it (maybe two) for vibration dampening (a 1/2" thick steel top is about 85#, and 3/8" thk is about 64#) so I should be OK on harmonics. I would also put a hardwood edging on to cover the plywood and steel edges. I would use a grinder with wire wheel and other accessories to get the finish smooth. Maybe also a ROS with sandpaper. It would need to be waxed like CI tops and surfaces. I don't think it would be any more prone to rusting than the TS, BS, or Jointer.

All this being said, I think the main advantage to the steel top (other than durability) is being able to use mag jigs. Is there any way to use the mag jigs on a laminated plywood top? A magnetic laminant? Or inlaying sheetmetal into the plywood substrate then covering it with laminant? Do the mag jigs hold well enough? I don't have any experience with them but thought I could use them at the TS and BS as well.

Thanks for all the responses. They are very helpful.
Mike

[Howard Rosenberg]

Depending on the size of router table you're thinking of building, the steel Lee Valley router tabletop is a great value. It'll also save you tons of time you'd spend reinventing the wheel. It's manufactured to a standard of flatness we can only dream about in our home shops. Plus it has a great clamping system for keeping your router(s) in place and the creative minds at Lee Valley offer tons of accessories for it. My 2C. Howard

[Michael W. Clark]

My existing table is 24x32, I wouldn't want to do anything smaller. My router is currently centered, but I may offset it to the back a little to give me more support on the front.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

My existing table is 24x32, I wouldn't want to do anything smaller. My router is currently centered, but I may offset it to the back a little to give me more support on the front.

I just looked up Howard's recommendation of the Lee Valley top. This might right up you alley with respect to plate. You just might want to ask the folks up there if it will support the weight of a lift and big router (you would obviously need to machine mounting points for the lift). Bracing should help.

You say you do not want to go smaller, but Grizzly has a cast iron TS router table extension, also with just a hole machined in the top. However it is only 27 inches wide.

[mreza Salav]

I was at this point about a couple of months or so ago (right now am in the middle of making my router table).
For the top I too was looking for something solid that doesn't bend/sag and is large (larger than what Bench-dog offers).
One idea I had was to buy an old cast iron tablesaw top (with wings) and then top it up with, say, 1/4 fomica laminated ply or something. Basically
the cast iron underneath would work as the sable surface. You'd need to cut an openning in the cast iron but that doesn't have to be accurate as long
as your actual (wooden) top is a perfect fit for your router table plate.
I kept looking for a cast iron top for a while and then gave up as nothing came up in the 2-3 months I was looking.

[Ray Newman]

A Lee Valley steel router top alternative??

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,43053,43885


and http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...,43053&p=43885

[Michael W. Clark]

I just looked up Howard's recommendation of the Lee Valley top. This might right up you alley with respect to plate. You just might want to ask the folks up there if it will support the weight of a lift and big router (you would obviously need to machine mounting points for the lift). Bracing should help.

You say you do not want to go smaller, but Grizzly has a cast iron TS router table extension, also with just a hole machined in the top. However it is only 27 inches wide.

Maybe I am missing something, but the website says "Each Veritas® router table top is a 16" x 24" steel plate", I would need two, and they are only 3/16" thick. This would probably be fine, but I want a couple of 3/4" plywood backers. If it was 16x32, maybe I could inlay it into a top and have 8" of laminant on either side?

I saw the Grizzly and am intrigued by it.

[Tom Hargrove]

I am in the process of making a router table, but not the "ultimate" router table. The top is a "blem" solid core flush door. It is as flat as I need it to be, and once placed on a base, it will not flex or sag. This one cost me nothing, but I have seen them for sale at home center stores for $20. The finished top surface will be a 24X32 Corian scrap I got from a local shop. It's orange, but it was cheap. I would rather spend money on wood for furniture than a router table that few people will ever see.

[Damon Stathatos]

The first thing I ever built in my rudimentary shop was a router table. It has turned out to be the only thing in my shop that I have never considered upgrading. I now have a commercial shop with all kinds of 'old iron,' some pretty impressive machines. It's still my router table that most people bee-line to, asking me about it.

Way back when, Rockler used to have 25% off one item coupons. Walked in one what must have been slow night and asked if I could buy a JessEm set up, three pieces, all for the 25% off. They agreed and I walked out with one of their master-r-lifts which had a phenolic top, a master-r-fence and master-r-slide. Built the base as a modified version of Norm's. The fence is rock solid, the top has never moved, the slide is great for coping, but MOST OF ALL, it is KEY to be able to raise and lower the bit with a simple crank of the FRONT handle. I've used tables that you need to insert a handle into the top of the table to adjust the bit but those are a major pain when you have all kinds of feather boards and or stops clamped down, especially since your 'feather board' is most likely clamped right over the opening for the insertable crank.

I know JessEm has gone through a bunch of changes since my 'old days' but checked their site and it still looks as if they carry versions of this set-up. Probably wouldn't be cheap but, like I said, it's the only thing in my shop that it has never crossed my mind to upgrade, so maybe cheap in the long run.

Below are some pictures of a set-up for some doors I was doing. When length is a problem, I just set the table next to my miter saw table for outfeed and then use some sort of rigged infeed.

front.jpg side.jpg infeed2.jpg infeed.jpg stops.jpg mortise.jpg