Do I need to buy a router plate ?

LarryS. · 22 Jan 2016

Hi all,

So after a few years out of the forum I'm back, and building my new workshop back up, table saw has been delivered (BOSCH GTX 10) (thanks noidea) and I'm planning to make a router extension for it (which worked for me last time).

Question is, why would I buy a £50 router plate, made of aluminimum 8mm thick, rather than just buying a piece of plate aluminium 8mm thick, and drilling through it ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300mm-x-3...196061?hash=item4af793271d:g:RjwAAOSw-nZTnhmQ

Possible a daft question, but what do you think ?

thanks

Paul

mseries · 22 Jan 2016

Yup, I'd make my own if I had the tools

marcros · 22 Jan 2016

the downside of doing that is that you lose 8mm of cutter height, and have to be able to make the central hole larger than many home woodworkers can. Finally, it is worth having the hole as close to the cutter as possible, hence why you normally get a few different rings in the centre, to suit different cutters.

If you can live with the first and are able to do the second, then go for it.

galleywood · 22 Jan 2016

+1 for what marcros said.

The router plate would be anodised - the ali plate not which could lead to discolouration of timber as it it slid accross.
However if you polished it smooth and waxed, varnished or laquered it, that might solve the issue.
Additionally you can position the hold down screws and levelling points exactly where you want them.

monkeybiter · 22 Jan 2016

On my router table I use a collet extender to ease cutter changes, plate thickness becomes less of an issue.
For my first version I used a spare piece of laminate flooring [~7mm IIRC] which worked fine, but my current version has a MFC top into which I routed a large rebated circular hole. I then made a number of inserts [laminate flooring again] which drop into the rebate. Works fine.
Not suggesting that you should do it this way, just saying the bought plates are not the only way.

mseries · 22 Jan 2016

monkeybiter":3kxs3023 said:
On my router table I use a collet extender to ease cutter changes, plate thickness becomes less of an issue.
For my first version I used a spare piece of laminate flooring [~7mm IIRC] which worked fine, but my current version has a MFC top into which I routed a large rebated circular hole. I then made a number of inserts [laminate flooring again] which drop into the rebate. Works fine.
Not suggesting that you should do it this way, just saying the bought plates are not the only way.

sounds similar to mine. If one doesn't want to shell out on a plate, other options not using metal are satisfactory.