Router table design

[Pat Salter]

Well I need a new router table. I've been saving differant magazines for some time and I would like to incorporate some of the ideas. Here are some of the Ideas I want to go with at this point.

Base: I like the design that Norm has on his old yankee show. it's basicly (?) a cabinet across the bottom with two rows (columns) of small drawers on each side of the router area. It has a back on the cabinet with a dust port for sucking up chips and a plexiglass door on the front. I would like to put this on wheels (locking) so that I can roll it around as I need it.

Top: I want to make the top similar to Rocklers but a bit bigger. Approx. 36" wide and 24" deep. I also would like to have the top tip up (hinged on the back) to make it easier to get to the motor etc. I would like the top to have a miter gauge track going across from one side to another and T-track going from front to back for fence and featherboards etc.
I hope to draw this up in the next couple of weeks. should this be on the "design forum"?

I bring this all up with the following questions. What are your thoughts concerning this design? what would you like to see in a router table? What does yours have that you like most?

We have a Craftsman router table at work and it's so light that we have to be careful about tipping it with large pieces. The thing that I like about it is that the switch on the front controls a small power strip where you plug your router and shopvac into and control them both with one switch (yeah, I'm going to put that in mine too).

[Bob_Hammond]

I made one based on Norm's old design, which I really like. I put mine on locking wheels, and it is very steady. Rather then making a fence, I bought the bench dog fence, which has also worked well. Rather then making the top open, I think that I would invest in a router lift, or maybe get one of the newer routers which allows you to adjust the height from above the table.

If you have a dust collector, I think that you are better off putting a 4" port on the back instead of using the shop-vac. My setup collects almost all of the dust. It has the 4" port along with a shopvac hose which goes from the fence to the back of the unit.

I didn't bother making the door out of plexiglass, just used MDF. Other then watching the dust swirl around inside, I'm not sure what advantages you get from the plexiglass. I actually made the whole thing out of MDF, including the top which is 2 layers then laminated.

Bob

[JayStPeter]

When you build your table, you may want to think about possible future upgrades. If you ever want to use one of the jointmaking systems like Incra or Jointech, you may want to design a slightly larger table (27"x36" or so). Jointech sells a plan for a pretty nice cabinet. You can view it at their site. But, if you have any plan, you could modify the size/configuration to suit your needs. If you think you might want to add a router lift down the road, pick a mfr that sells inserts the same size as their lifts (woodpeck is one, but others probably do also). Mostly, have fun.

Jay

[Kent Cori]

Pat,

My concept of a router table was very similar to yours. I designed the base to follow Norm's first table concept. I mounted it on four independent, locking 3" casters (Hartville Tools) and it works great. I made the whole table a little taller to suit my preference for higher working surfaces due to a bad back. It is 40" tall at the top of the table including the casters. I made the banks of drawers tall enough to accept my tallest router bit and my tallest Forstner bit which I also store in these drawers. I used regular drawer slides rather than the wooden guide approach Norm used. It takes 1" out of the drawer width but they operate very smoothly. I used a full extension guide on the lower drawer so it opens all the way. I have been very happy with this approach. I did use plexiglass for the door but anything would really do.

I too wanted a 24" x 36" top and am glad I opted for the larger size. This allowed me to make the table wider than Norm's. I've left about 2" of overhang on the sides and 1" front and back. I added the estra top width the the two rows of drawers which made up for the minor loss in width due to the guides and then some. I figured up the materials cost based on Norm's design and it was only a few dollars less than one purchased prefabricated from Woodhaven. It has the miter gauge track you want but no T-track. The top I purchased came with one of Woodhaven's pre-drilled inserts and I have been very happy with it. I just pop the whole thing out by reaching underneath and grabbing the router motor and then push it up. This is probably much easier than a hinged top which was a concept that I considered but then discarded as unnecessary. I originally had a Bosch 1617EVS motor in a dedicated router base mounted to it. This router worked great but was slightly underpowered for raising panels. I've since bought a Hitachi M12V on sale that I now have permanently mounted to the insert. It is a more powerful (3 hp) unit and works well in a fixed installation. I use the Bosch (fixed base and plunge base) for all my hand held needs so it worked out well in the end.

I built my own fence out of MDF. I cut tee tracks into the face of both the short and tall sacrifical fences using the appropriate router bit (Amana). I also cut tee tracks into the back of the sacrificial fences and use these to mount it to the primary fence with some tee nuts and Rockler knobs. The primary fence is mounted to an MDF base that is clamped at the ends with an L-shaped block and bolt/knob arrangment. I believe I have about $30 of materials in the fence and it works quite well. I made a couple of extra sacrificial fences when I built it so I should be set for years.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. BTW, I have no affiliation with any of the above vendors and manufacturers.

You'll not only enjoy building your router table but will get an added kick every time you use it.

[Jeff Hamilton]

Hello Pat,

This is my go at a router table. It has 2 drawers to store router accesseries, 4 drawers for router bit storage each of these drawers have rubber grommets to hold the router bits nice and tight. It also has two large drawers on the bottom for what ever don't fit anywhere else The top measures in at 44" wide and 30" deep. I mounted a woodpecker aluminum insert in the top to hold my hitachi M12 V. I still need to design a fence and complete the dust collector hook up.

Jeff Hamilton

[Douglas Robinson]

Jeff:

Where did you get the grommets?

Doug

[Pat Salter]

Wow, there's a LOT of stuff here. Thanks guys for the help and pix. Now I need to cut and paste all these tips into a doc to put with my design papers so I can incorporate the ones I want in. (does that make cents? )
I especially like the pictures. except for the fact that my wife wants to know when I'm going to make something that looks that good for the house . I'll take any other ideas too.

[Peter M. Spirito]

James I have been using the Router Workshop vacuum mounting plate for 3 years now and built my table just like theirs. It has worked very well. The dust collection has been great and is fun to watch. The down side is the hole in the plate is only 1 1/2" which limits the bits you can use. I am now building a new table and using the Woodpecker plate with its interchangable inserts. The rest of the table will be like the RW table and will sit on top of a roll-a-round cabinet. Also this time the top itself will be able to be removed/replaced from the RW base. And the RW part and top will come off of the roll-a-round so I can take it to North Carolina to work on "the homestead".

[Peter M. Spirito]

James I have been using the Router Workshop vacuum mounting plate for 3 years now and built my table just like theirs. It has worked very well. The dust collection has been great and fun to watch. The down side is the hole in the plate is only 1 1/2" which limits the bits you can use. I now building a new table and using the Woodpecker plate with its interchangable inserts. The rest of the table will be like the RW table and will sit on top of a roll-a-round cabinet. Also this time the top itself will be able to be removed/replaced. And the RW part will come off of the roll-a-round so I can take it to North Carolina to work on "the homestead".

[scott spencer]

Hello Pat,

This is my go at a router table. It has 2 drawers to store router accesseries, 4 drawers for router bit storage each of these drawers have rubber grommets to hold the router bits nice and tight. It also has two large drawers on the bottom for what ever don't fit anywhere else The top measures in at 44" wide and 30" deep. I mounted a woodpecker aluminum insert in the top to hold my hitachi M12 V. I still need to design a fence and complete the dust collector hook up.

Jeff Hamilton

That's a beatutiful piece of furniture you drop your router into Jeff! Nice job!

[Andy Haney]

Pat,

I have just moved from the design phase into the "commitment" phase of my router table. Commitment means I have already put wood through the saw, and I'm in the joint fitting process.

Mine is also loosely based on Norm's. I'm keeping my top to 24" x 32", and incorporating a combination T-track/miter gauge I got from Peachtree at the woodworking show. That hardware is 32" long. I am also using the Woodpecker Plungelift for the M12V.

I'm using a mobility system I found in a Wood Magazine Idea Shop issue - only two straight casters on the back side that rest slightly higher than the floor when the unit is in place. I'm incorporating two retractable "handles" so it can be moved as necessary, much like a wheelbarrel.

I read many posts about how many and where to put holes in doors to get the cabinets to clean out. I don't know yet if my design will work, but I've put sloping sides at the bottom corners of the router's "house" that feed chips to a center "channel", which has an opening designed in the front of the cabinet. That opening is 3/4" tall and 6 1/2" wide. The combined area of that opening, the hole under/behind the fence (a la Dizzy's design), and the opening in the plate for the router bit will approximate the area of the 4" diameter flex hose I'm attaching to the dust collector. Hope it works to keep all the dust out of the cabinet, but if it doesn't I know I've had several evenings of entertainment designing a failure.

Hope this helps more than confuses. As stated by others, no affiliation with any of these manufacturers.

Andy Haney
Ottawa, Kansas

[Steve Sedeski]

Pat,

I have just moved from the design phase into the "commitment" phase of my router table. Commitment means I have already put wood through the saw, and I'm in the joint fitting process.

Mine is also loosely based on Norm's. I'm keeping my top to 24" x 32", and incorporating a combination T-track/miter gauge I got from Peachtree at the woodworking show. That hardware is 32" long. I am also using the Woodpecker Plungelift for the M12V.

I'm using a mobility system I found in a Wood Magazine Idea Shop issue - only two straight casters on the back side that rest slightly higher than the floor when the unit is in place. I'm incorporating two retractable "handles" so it can be moved as necessary, much like a wheelbarrel.

I read many posts about how many and where to put holes in doors to get the cabinets to clean out. I don't know yet if my design will work, but I've put sloping sides at the bottom corners of the router's "house" that feed chips to a center "channel", which has an opening designed in the front of the cabinet. That opening is 3/4" tall and 6 1/2" wide. The combined area of that opening, the hole under/behind the fence (a la Dizzy's design), and the opening in the plate for the router bit will approximate the area of the 4" diameter flex hose I'm attaching to the dust collector. Hope it works to keep all the dust out of the cabinet, but if it doesn't I know I've had several evenings of entertainment designing a failure.

Hope this helps more than confuses. As stated by others, no affiliation with any of these manufacturers.

Andy Haney
Ottawa, Kansas

hello, I love this table. How is it working out for you and did you design a fence for it?
I am pondering building my own, but I don't really care for the cabinet carcases I have been seeing. This looks like a truly sturdy piece of furnture/shop equiptment.

[Bob Noles]

Pat,


I'll add mine as well if there are any ideas you can use from it. I just finished the thing about a week or so ago and posted pictures of it in this thread.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21330

Be sure to share yours with us when you finish.

[Jerry Olexa]

Bill Hylton has an excellent book w mucho plans/ideas for router tables. Its called "Router Magic".

[Norman Hitt]

Pat, here's one I'm building for a friend that has several of the features you indicated you wanted. It is based on Norm's original RT design, but with most of the dimensions changed and some features added. The top can be both lifted on hinges or Removed by sliding the hinge pins out into the slots provided in the underside of the table, AND the hinge pins can be removed from the hinges on the front door to remove it also. The top is made from two sheets of 3/4" MDF wrapped with red oak, and plastic laminate on both the top and bottom of the table top and beveled 45* all around on both the top and underside of the table top. I've mounted a Woodpecker PRL with a M-12V attached. The floor to table top height is 36 1/4" before installing the castors. The overall cabinet dimensions are 23 1/2" deep x 34 1/2" wide x 34 1/2" tall, and the top dimensions are 1 1/2" thick x 26 3/8" deep x 37 3/4" wide. Large drawer opening is 32 3/4" x 12" deep and the drawer rides on full extension slides (22" deep) and is rated for 100#. There are only 3 small drawers on each side, but they are wider than Norm's and the two bottom ones on each side are also deeper. I have not done any of the DC work yet. If any of this interests you and or you have any questions, just PM me.

Other Pics of this RT can be seen at http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21335