Router table design decisions

[Alex Yeilding]

I'm ready to build a router table to replace my piece-of-plywood-with-mounting-holes-drilled style of "table". However, I'm planning to deviate from the Norm-style table that is so popular, and want to run my unconventional ideas past this group. I'd rather hear "that's stupid" (and why) here than discover it after the fact!

First, I'm planning to build the top like a workbench, of glued-up on-edge tubafors. That is mainly because I don't like working with sheet goods, but also because I like the mass and rigidity and being able to fine-tune the flatness with planes.

Second, I plan to make my own router mounting plates, and leave a hole in the top just large enough to insert my router (and routers I may consider upgrading to)

Third, Norm's table has a HUGE compartment for the router, with a door. It seems to me that dust evacuation and cooling airflow over the router would be better if the compartment more tightly "shrouded" the router. And if it is easy to remove the router from the top, for instance to change speeds, is there any need for a door? (My router has through the table height adjustment.) I think I will need a supplemental source of cooling air for when I make buried cuts, but shouldn't that come in near the top of the compartment, to be drawn down over the router on its way to the exhaust?

Reactions, ideas, suggestions welcome!

[glenn bradley]

Third, Norm's table has a HUGE compartment for the router, with a door. It seems to me that dust evacuation and cooling airflow over the router would be better if the compartment more tightly "shrouded" the router. And if it is easy to remove the router from the top, for instance to change speeds, is there any need for a door? (My router has through the table height adjustment.) I think I will need a supplemental source of cooling air for when I make buried cuts, but shouldn't that come in near the top of the compartment, to be drawn down over the router on its way to the exhaust?

Reactions, ideas, suggestions welcome!

All else aside, the compartment is sized to drop the motor out of the housing to change bits. You could remove the router and plate through the top, take off the housing and plate, set them somewhere, deal with the bit and reassemble but what a hassle. Now if you can change bits from above the table, you could go smaller but, leave enough air to cool the motor.

[Jason Hanna]

I tried the "glued-up on-edge tubafors" for a bench one time, and I found that the wood eventually moved and it is NO where near flat enough for a router table. It works fine for a heavy duty beating bench, but you need flat for a router table.

For my RT, I built a spin-off on the Norm version, except mine is 6' long on wheels and doubles as one heck of a outfeed table for the TS.

[Alex Yeilding]

Now if you can change bits from above the table, you could go smaller but, leave enough air to cool the motor.

My thinking was that with a DC pulling air through the RT (I plan to always use the DC with it), a smaller compartment would result in MORE air flowing over the router. Am I thinking about that wrong? Also, my router takes cooling air in at the top (bottom in the table). Any sense in trying to direct some clean air to that region to avoid it injesting all taht dusty air?

[Alex Yeilding]

I tried the "glued-up on-edge tubafors" for a bench one time, and I found that the wood eventually moved and it is NO where near flat enough for a router table.

How flat do you need for a router table? My bench, made from construction lumber, is flat enough that a doubled dollar bill will always form a pivot point for a 4' straight-edge. Some companies advertise a crown on their router table plates greater than that.

I guess I've just been lucky, and have a fairly controlled environment. I'd expected to have to take shavings with the #8 periodically to maintain flatness, but two years in, that has not been necessary.

[Jim O'Dell]

Look at this thread for a different idea on the dust collection in a router table. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=65058
Bill's experimentation changed my idea on how to build the dust collection on my table. Even though I already had the box built, I modified it to do an updraft version of Bill's ideas. The intake air to cool the motor is at the bottom of the unit when installed in a table. If we draw all the dust that direction, it only makes sense the the motor will pull some dust into it with the air to cool the motor, or starve the motor of cooling air if the dust collection is too strong. Let the clean air come in from the bottom, and exit to the side at the top. He says he is having good success so far. Mines not hooked up yet. Worth a read. Jim.

[Gary Curtis]

An interesting tilt-up router top is shown in drawings and photos in Bill Hylton's latest edition of Woodworking With the Router. The dust collection chamber stays intact on the frame, while the top and router tilt up for bit changes, adjustments or removing the router.

As far as the top itself being strong enough, a few published authors, including Pat Warner, suggest removing the router nightly to reduce sagging.

Gary Curtis

[John Stevens]

Second, I plan to make my own router mounting plates, and leave a hole in the top just large enough to insert my router (and routers I may consider upgrading to)

I did this, and I think it works very well. I used an inlay bit set to get the plates to fit the hole exactly, and I routed the depth to the inner lip a little bit deeper than the plate, then screwed some drywall screws into the upper surface of the lip so I can level the plates as the seasons change. (The thickness of the top swells and shrinks a bit.) The plates are made from something like 3/8" acrylic, I forget exactly.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

[Doug Rogers]

Alex,

I am working on the design for my router table. I plan to put two routers in one table. My primary use will be for cabinets. One router will have the groove cutter and the second one will have the tongue cutter in installed.

The bits are a CMT matched set. This way I won't have to waste a lot of time changing bits. Size will be 32" long by 24" wide. I am going to use two Jessem aluminum rings for the mounting plates. The rings hold the aluminum inserts which are secured by twist locs. The rings are 5 3/4" in diameter. I also plan to use a 32" Jessem fence.

Doug

[Dewayne Reding]

How flat do you need for a router table? My bench, made from construction lumber, is flat enough that a doubled dollar bill will always form a pivot point for a 4' straight-edge. Some companies advertise a crown on their router table plates greater than that.

I guess I've just been lucky, and have a fairly controlled environment. I'd expected to have to take shavings with the #8 periodically to maintain flatness, but two years in, that has not been necessary.

Needs to be pretty flat for quality joinery. I can see why a guy might want to use your 2x4 method on a workbench. But not for a router table top. I just don't see any advantages. I don't think you are going to save significant money over the standard laminate over MDF route. Construction lumber is dripping wet around here. I wouldn't want a router top that needs to be planed with the seasons.

[Alan Schwabacher]

I would think that the gaping hole for a mounting plate would interfere with convenient flattening with handplanes, and each flattening would need to be accompanied by readjustment of the plate height. A fairly thin sheet good top will stay flat if you use stiffening ribs to support it. Pat Warner uses hardwood, and some have used things like angle iron.

I'd also strongly recommend that you consider the DC mode shown in the link above. It works very well to collect dust, and it also helps your router by pulling air through in the proper direction.

[Alex Yeilding]

Needs to be pretty flat for quality joinery. I can see why a guy might want to use your 2x4 method on a workbench. But not for a router table top. I just don't see any advantages. I don't think you are going to save significant money over the standard laminate over MDF route. Construction lumber is dripping wet around here. I wouldn't want a router top that needs to be planed with the seasons.

Looks like the main objection to the glued-up top is flatness, which I am comfortable with based on my previous experiences, unless someone tells me that a couple of thousandths over a 4' span is an unacceptable hollow.

As far as advantages, cost did not enter into my decision (not that I don't care about cost; I assumed it was neutral). I saw one objective advantage--stiffness. While adequate bracing can get to the same place with MDF, with this top I will never worry about sag.

The second advantage I see is subjective, both in building it and using it, I like the idea of working on wood, not plastic and "wood products". That's just me, and I wouldn't suggest it as a criteria for anyone else, but that is part of my rationale.

Your point about wet construction lumber is a good one. These 2x4s have been cut to length and stickered in my shop for about a year. I've now jointed and thicknessed them, and re-stickered to see if I get any movement before building.

[Alex Yeilding]

I would think that the gaping hole for a mounting plate would interfere with convenient flattening with handplanes, and each flattening would need to be accompanied by readjustment of the plate height.

Good points. I hope not to have to reflatten often, but it will be interesting to deal with the opening. I guess I'll skew the plane to keep the portion in front of the iron riding on the top.

I'd also strongly recommend that you consider the DC mode shown in the link above. It works very well to collect dust, and it also helps your router by pulling air through in the proper direction.

Yes, I've already redrawn my cabinet plans with that in mind. Resolves the problem I foresaw about dust being drawn into the router with cooling air.

[Clay Crocker]

Having a router table that only allows you to access the router by pulling the plate out is a great idea......until you get your fence perfectly setup overtop of it with your featherboards in place only to realize that you forgot to turn the router's switch to "ON" first. I guess you could say I learned this the hard way.....oh, wait, that is another thread.

Clay

[Alex Yeilding]

Having a router table that only allows you to access the router by pulling the plate out is a great idea......until you get your fence perfectly setup overtop of it with your featherboards in place only to realize that you forgot to turn the router's switch to "ON" first. I guess you could say I learned this the hard way.....oh, wait, that is another thread.

Clay

Wow! I never thought of that! Thanks. So a hinged top or a door are a must. Glad you posted this.