Router table build / thoughts?

[Michael J Evans]

Hi All,
For the last few years I've been piecemealing together a router table. Really for no particular reason than I want one and I seem to be a tool junkie. But I'm not rich so I just bought various pieces along the way. So I'm trying to decide what next best steps are. I can go 1 of two ways, dedicated table or add to tablesaw. I have the parts to do either. Below is what I have so far.

First I bought a used Rt1000 router table (basically for all the bits that came with it). The Rt1000 is basically a norm abrams style table. The top was hollow,dipped (not sure the word). I went about laminating another and that didn't go so well.

Sometime in the last few years I also picked up a 10" wide x 27"l table saw extension wing, because I found it dirt cheap (was going to use as a lapping plate).

A few months ago I bought a Jessem Rout r 2 lift for no particular reason other than I wanted to treat myself and eventually build a table.

I recently just picked up a used / new in box peachtree cast iron router wing extension.

So now I have the Rt1000 cabinet / fence. The Peachtree cast iron router extension wing, and the odd plain table saw extension wing.

I currently have a 52" Unisaw.

I could go 1 of two ways. My thinking as follows

1) Put the peachtree cast iron router table extension wing, together with the plain tablesaw extension wing (in front of peachtree wing) and slap that whole thing on top of the RT1000 cabinet. This gives me a top that is approx 27" wide X 25" deep. The plain table saw extension wing would go in front of the peachtree miter slot. This seems like the best potential option, minus the fact the the RT1000 cabinet / fence was designed to suck dust through the fence and down into the cabinet, through a hole in the top of the table. Not sure how I could replicate that with the cast iron tops. I guess just build a new fence that sucks dust through the fence and out and use a separate hose for dust that falls into cabinet. The other issue is how to attach these cast iron tops to the cabinet base?

2) Add the peachtree wing (and possibly the odd plain table saw wing) to the table saw. Since I have the 48" extension table on the Unisaw. I think I could really only add this to the left side of the blade as I'm not sure how I'd rig it up to the extension table which is 3/4" melamine. If I add to the left of blade then I don't have much real estate in front of router bit.

Ideally I'd like to figure out a way to rig this up to the saw only for the space savings. Officially I have / can make space for the stand alone router table. I just get a little claustrophobic at times, which I feel like hinders my enjoyment and I am trying to make more working space. Some pluses for tablesaw is 1) space savings. 2) I'm sure I could rig up a auxillary fence onto my unifence. This allows me to have a fence that is parallel to router miter slots and also allows me to use the Unifence scale. Downsides are 1) dust collection - I feel like whatever I do DC just isn't going to be great. 2) I have to potentially change tablesaw or router fence settings in middle of a project since they would share a fence. 3) Even if I add to left side of blade I have to rig up some support for the router wing and still have a smaller top.

So with all that jumbled mess said

1) dedicated table or 2) add to saw?

2B if I add to saw, How do I incorporate into saw without changing foot print, building a auxillery support or losing 48" extension table?

Thank you
Michael

[Marc Fenneuff]

I had a router mounted at the end of my saw table for years and one setup (saw/router) always seemed to be in conflict with the other. Separate table if you have the space.

[James Jayko]

Totally disagree with @Marc. I had the BenchDog in a Delta hybrid saw, and eventually added the branded one to my SawStop. If you've got all the room in the world, a dedicated table is great. But if not, the router in the wing is an EXCELLENT compromise, with fences etc already in place...

JessEm lift was a great purchase; you'll love that.

[Jim Dwight]

I agree with Marc. If you are VERY organized and can separate your use of the table saw from your use of the router table then a router capability on the table saw can work. I am not that organized and I was constantly switching back and forth. I much prefer a dedicated table. The top of mine is a sink cut out - a piece of high density particle board with formica attached that was cut out of a counter top when a sink was installed. I backed it with a piece of 3/4 plywood. I have a home made lift in the route table and the top lifts up for bit changes. Works great. The bit storage is Norm Abrams style and the table is except for the route lift part. That came from an old American Woodworker article. My current router table is my 4th or 5th and I do not anticipate changing it. If somebody offered me a "free" cast iron topped table with a lift I would not want it. I like mine.

[Stan Calow]

What's your normal workflow like? For most of my stuff, I go back and forth between the t-saw and router, so separate was the way to go. If I was doing production runs it might be different.

[Michael Burnside]

I have plenty of space and still prefer the router table added to the saw. I like that it gives me the option of having some wide crosscuts as needed and dust collection has one less location to "route" to (terrible pun, I know).

Generally they're never in conflict as the odds of me needing really wide boards/panels that overlaps the router and needing the router at the same time is very rare. I can usually mix/match both for most projects, but I also try to organize my workflow and process things in relative order. I also find that a combination of having a palm router, which I prefer in many circumstances, gives me plenty of opportunity to not clash saw/router too much.

EDIT: Rick below makes a very good point. Just pick one and go with it. It took me 3 years to get my shop in a Zen like workflow. I love it, but it took many iterations and I completely ripped up my first two layouts after doing a couple projects. Don't be afraid to rework things as you go. Nobody here will have the same priorities, workflow or tool preferences, so just start with something and refine as you can.

[Rick Potter]

If your ideal setup is on the TS for space reasons add the Peachtree wing to the TS, and leave off the other wing, it just takes up space in a small shop. Use it for a sharpening station or whatever.

If you decide you have the room do option 1.

In either case do SOMETHING. From your post it seems as if you are in indecision limbo. Stop overthinking and pick one. It's just nuts and bolts, you can try both, but until you use it you will never know which one fits you. DAHIKT

[Derek Cohen]

No one appears to have mentioned one other advantage of a router table in the outfeed of a tablesaw: on mine, the router fence connects to the tablesaw fence. This enables the router table fence to move smoothly, always parallel, and now able to utilise the micro adjuster on the tablesaw fence.



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

There are good points and bad points about either deployment scenario...on the TS means a much larger support table if you're processing big or long things with the router table function, for example. But as someone mentioned, integrated also means potential "competition" for surface space when setup for router work because of the fence, elevated tooling, etc. Your workflow is what you need to consider to guide you.

Example: I had my cast iron router table mounted to my slider at the old shop for years. When I moved here two years ago, I tacked it on to the end of the SS PCS I was using in my temporary gara-shop because the space saving was absolutely necessary. When I sold that saw to make room for the new slider on a big crate that had to exist there until my building was completed, I moved the cast iron router table surface to an independent stand (from Rockler in my case as it was "bolt compatible" with the older Bench Dog surface I had) and that's where it still lives in the new shop building. I do not intend to integrate it with the new slider and I don't use it all that much anyway for my personal workflow.

[Michael J Evans]

I agree with Marc. If you are VERY organized and can separate your use of the table saw from your use of the router table then a router capability on the table saw can work. I am not that organized and I was constantly switching back and forth. I much prefer a dedicated table. The top of mine is a sink cut out - a piece of high density particle board with formica attached that was cut out of a counter top when a sink was installed. I backed it with a piece of 3/4 plywood. I have a home made lift in the route table and the top lifts up for bit changes. Works great. The bit storage is Norm Abrams style and the table is except for the route lift part. That came from an old American Woodworker article. My current router table is my 4th or 5th and I do not anticipate changing it. If somebody offered me a "free" cast iron topped table with a lift I would not want it. I like mine.

Its odd when it comes to my actual job I am extremely organized and particular about things. When I get home it all falls to the wayside. Most of my projects don't start with a cut list or anything thing like that (although I do hope to get there someday). So I basically have a idea of what I want to do then start with the main pieces and just cut the rest of parts to fit. So I could see myself constantly switching.

[Michael J Evans]

What's your normal workflow like? For most of my stuff, I go back and forth between the t-saw and router, so separate was the way to go. If I was doing production runs it might be different.

Stan I am a hack woodworker. so I don't have a normal workflow. The router table idea was basically just because I wanted one for doing raised panels eventually.

[Michael J Evans]

If your ideal setup is on the TS for space reasons add the Peachtree wing to the TS, and leave off the other wing, it just takes up space in a small shop. Use it for a sharpening station or whatever.

If you decide you have the room do option 1.

In either case do SOMETHING. From your post it seems as if you are in indecision limbo. Stop overthinking and pick one. It's just nuts and bolts, you can try both, but until you use it you will never know which one fits you. DAHIKT

Rick you make a dang good point. I think I will just try stop thinking and try the dedicated table option first as that gets me working the quickest. The wife wants multiple projects like yesterday and here I am tinkering.

[Michael J Evans]

No one appears to have mentioned one other advantage of a router table in the outfeed of a tablesaw: on mine, the router fence connects to the tablesaw fence. This enables the router table fence to move smoothly, always parallel, and now able to utilise the micro adjuster on the tablesaw fence.



Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek
That's a very clever fence solution. I actually stumbled upon your original fence build thread while doing some google searching. It even looks like your tablesaw fence is similar to a unifence. Which leads me to believe if I ever try it in the table saw I could directly knock off your idea.
On a side note is your fence just like a unifence? As I understand it they don't make unifence extrusion anymore, but maybe one from a slider could be adopted? If the slots were the same size.

[Michael J Evans]

on the TS means a much larger support table if you're processing big or long things with the router table function, for example.

Jim
How does it offer you a larger workspace? The way I have to approach the bit (if on the left side of saw ) means I would just have the small 27" length (depth of saw top) of the wing x small amount of space in front of miter slot.

I'm at a loss for how to say it. But basically because of using the TS fence, I would have to push the wood against the bit, the same as if I was ripping stock on tablesaw. So I only get the depth of the TS table vs the full width as if I was crosscutting wood??? That probably made no sense, just not sure how else to explain it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Why not do both?
I have a table & I bought a 2nd router I plan on putting in my table saw in the near future.

I also bought a small aluminum plate for a trim router that's going to go in the table saw just as soon as the weather gets warmer.

If you have the room - go for both. A 2nd router can be a God send when doing rails and stiles.

Check out router forums for more ideas. I find that forum to have a little more specifics than here.