Katsu Router in Router Table?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MrDavidRoberts

Established Member
Joined
23 Dec 2016
Messages
388
Reaction score
2
I have the very famous Katsu router trimmer, I have used it for a bit ... However Only now I realized that there's no way to mount it in a router table,I guess I just didn't thought about it when I got it and assumed every router can be mounted in table, I wanted to make a simple DIY router table .. however with the base it came with there's no holes on it so you could screw it down to a piece of ply.

Anyone have mounted theirs in a router table? how did you go about doing it?
 
transatlantic":yrbcdv6n said:
I have that router. I use one for these with it

http://www.yandles.co.uk/charnwood-w012 ... able/p3539

It's a small table, but it's a small router. So only good for small jobs.

if you don't want to buy a table, then just buy some plastic plate off ebay.

Or get one of these so you can have a tighter fit around the bit

http://www.yandles.co.uk/kreg-router-ta ... ate/p15385

Yup, I need it only for small tasks 99% of the time(rounding over & routing edge designs) however this time I needed it for routing out grooves for making shaker style cabinet doors, too much to ask from it? fairly positive it can handle that.

How does your katsu mounts in that charnwood table? by some kind of clamping mechanism?

I'm not really sure I want to buy a router table, as I would need it maybe once or twice a year, and I can make one myself out of scrap sheet of ply.
 
MrDavidRoberts":2ulpiu4r said:
Yup, I need it only for small tasks 99% of the time(rounding over & routing edge designs) however this time I needed it for routing out grooves for making shaker style cabinet doors, too much to ask from it? fairly positive it can handle that.

I would probably use a normal router for that kind of task. With a smaller router, you'll just need to take more passes.


MrDavidRoberts":2ulpiu4r said:
How does your katsu mounts in that charnwood table? by some kind of clamping mechanism?

You remove the existing base and mount the plate that comes with the table
 
Katsu1.jpg


Katsu2.jpg


Katsu3.jpg
 
JSW":j6nc4tcz said:


Very Nice Sir, That's what I was looking for. Thanks.

Is it stable enough wedged in like that as the unit itself isn't really lightweight itself,
what are those brown ply lips for?
 
has anyone thought about removing the black plastic base which screws down with 4 screws and using those screw holes ,but using slightly longer screws, screwing it down that way?
 
MrDavidRoberts":1qj8g375 said:
Very Nice Sir, That's what I was looking for. Thanks.

Is it stable enough wedged in like that as the unit itself isn't really lightweight itself,
what are those brown ply lips for?

The Katsu is routed into the underside of the top, it's a snug fit, so the bolt and wingnut clamp just trap the router in place, it's rock solid, won't twist within the recess no matter how much I try. I've used the exact same method with an Hitachi M12v in my main router table, same result, rock solid, and the M12v weighs a LOT more than the Katsu.

The pics are a work in progress prototype made from scrap pieces, the brown 'lips' are just scraps tacked on should the recess for the Katsu be slightly too deep for the wingnut cramp to pinch, spin them over and it would add an 8th" or so additional leverage.
 
MrDavidRoberts":2l4uhb6z said:
has anyone thought about removing the black plastic base which screws down with 4 screws and using those screw holes ,but using slightly longer screws, screwing it down that way?

Yes, I did that.

If I remember correctly because two of the screws go into the case so are blind and the other two go straight through the base. This meant that I could put the base on the board and only mark two of the holes.

So what I did was, make a "brass rubbing" of the bottom of the router to get the position of the screw holes.
 
Update.
I took the routers plastic base off , glued together 2 sheets of scrap ply and attached the router directly through the ply with its original screws which attaches the plastic base to the router. It was a bit of a hassle to drill 4 precise holes without knowing where to drill them, but after several tries it was done.
It's super super stable now and a very tight fit, surprisingly this little katsu router can do almost anything I have thrown at it if you do it slowly enough.
Made the table so I can dismantle it with ease and store it away when not needed.
Much better than those small ready-made router tables for sure + it cost me nothing to make.


5ppTkIV.jpg

0uUgQQ9.jpg

JjENPdI.jpg

hapsZa9.jpg

kBX05TS.jpg

0LFOvKE.jpg

792Jo9w.jpg
 
Are these routers easy to adjust the height when they're in place on the table, I fancy making one of yhese portable setups myself.

Drew
 
drewdt3":2rpkyzxy said:
Are these routers easy to adjust the height when they're in place on the table, I fancy making one of yhese portable setups myself.

Drew


If you're using the plunge base, not really. You either have to duck under the table, or buy a new plate and route an insert so you can lift the router off the table.

If you have the base below (which should come in the kit), it has a rack and pinion setup, which should make it much easier, but I have not tried it.

ba9e15b7-c4b6-429a-9c9f-6769b230192e.jpg
 
I wouldn't touch Pingtek with a bargepole of you want any kind of accuracy - and I currently own one of their mitre saws. On the surface they're fine - cheap and cheerful and do the job, but they're just plain sloppy build quality.
 
You get what you pay for. A trimmer is handy for light work. If you want to do heavier stuff use a plunge proper router. False economy to buy inaccurate tools and the Pingtech is a one trick pony.
 
MikeJhn":3pvi18w8 said:
For £150.00 you can buy one of these with a built in lift, feather boards, fence and 2HP motor: https://www.manomano.co.uk/router-trimm ... er-2726984

Mike

Yes I do, but mine is the Porter Cable version, lots of clones of them around, its fine for hobby use, but it is my second string router table, very convenient to use, no messing around under the table to do any bit changes or to lock the router height.

Mike

EDIT to add link to a bench top router table using a Draper Expert router: bench-top-router-table-t66404.html
 
MattRoberts":30ph5qys said:
I wouldn't touch Pingtek with a bargepole of you want any kind of accuracy - and I currently own one of their mitre saws. On the surface they're fine - cheap and cheerful and do the job, but they're just plain sloppy build quality.

Agree on the build quality, but with a bit of fettling and tightening up of the mountings its fine, as I said for hobby use, not for fine furniture, but adequate for mouldings and picture frames.

Mike
 
Back
Top