Let's see your DIY Router tables!

[Dissolve]

Hello,

I'm currently tossing up the idea of buying the Dakota router table from Rutlands:
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/DK2009

And mounting the top onto a cabinet.. Or building my own!

Does anyone mind sharing pictures/tips/advice of their own router table building experiences?

Interest to hear what people used as a top, and how successful it was against sagging? and also any recommendations of table inserts and tips on fitting T-tracks/Fences etc?

 

[eribaMotters]

Here is one I made earlier:-

router-table-and-box-t57509.html

Colin

 

[mseries]

Here is one picture of mine


28092012 by mseriesmseries, on Flickr

The top is a very old worktop offcut. It's about 30 years old and served as a shelf in a TV stand before this. The router bolts directly to the underside in a recess. There is a removable disc on the top side and I use ones with different sized holes depending on which cutter I am using. So, there is not plate and there is no sag. There are two channels for a mitre guide but I never use them, it seemed like a good idea at the time but I just use a large square push block against the fence. (My box joint jig uses it actually). The base of the fence has a couple of slots perpendicular to the length and about 3 inches long. The table top has four holes, I use two at a time to bolt the fence down. (The base has warped a little since I moved into the garage so this needs replacing). In all this arrangement gives my fence about 6" of movement which is enough for me. The faces slide left to right to enlarge/close the cutter aperture and the left face has longer bolts to allow a shim (piece of card) to be placed behind to make it stand proud of it's mate to facilitate egde planing. The back of the fence has a doghouse where my vacuum's hose plugs in to suck the cuttings away. This works really well

It was very cheap to make and has served me well.

As you can see it sits on my workmate and thus it's quite compact and easy to store on a shelf.

 

[Dissolve]

Ah I like the fence ideas! I only need a simple side fence but I really want good dust extraction more than anything else!
I've seen axminster do an aluminum insert plate that gets good reviews!

I might have an offcut of 38mm or 27mm beech worktop coming my way soon, any reasons why that would be a bad idea for the top?
If it's 27mm I could always laminate to an 12 or 18mm sheet of ply/MDF? (Thoughts?)

I'm going to make some small drawers/cabinets similar in design to Colin's up there but I don't need a surface quite that big for the top.

I'm going to put the thing of casters and use the top as a go bar deck too for guitar making:
http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/new ... gobars.gif

So if I use four threaded inserts I could make the go bar deck removable to save space and double it up as a moveable router table!

 

[marcros]

have a look for a thread, or on the internet for somebody that has made a box type fence, where the duct extraction runs inside it. I believe that it was based on the incra design, but cant remember where i have seen it.

 

[siggy_7]

Here's mine:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/bench-top-router-table-t66404.html

I cut the parts for my static fence and cross-cut fence last weekend. When I've assembled them I'll add the details to the thread.

 

[Anders K]

Here's my table, built around a Bosch GMF-1400 and an Incra Masterlift II. The table doubles as an extension for my Festool CS70 table saw.
As Formica is hard to come around in Denmark, i have settled with a table top in MDF, braced underneath.

 

[kinsella]

Mine is 18mm MDF lipped in some old hardwood from an external door, built around a cheap B&Q 1/2" router, been going for years. The rise and fall is very accurate.

Happy to share AutoCAD drawing (this was before i discovered sketchup) but i could do PDF is you can't open it.

 

[kinsella]

Just remember i had an earlier version before i built the proper one.

 

[243SS]

Most of the tables shown have a slot...you don't need one. Simply use a push block(s) with an angled tote to provide pressure against the fence at the same time as it's pushed forwards. The fence can then be at any angle to the front of the table using a couple of threaded bolts to hold it down.

 

[Heath Robinson]

This is mine. MDF cabinet, the top is steel on top of ply and mdf. No rails or any of that, just clamp the fence down well. Lots of overhang all round, for just that reason.

Drawer for bits, shelves for little'n'large hand routers underneath. Extraction at back of the router box too. No lift or that kind of funny business, just a stick to use as a lever, works fine.

 

[Dissolve]

Great stuff! Anyone know where you can get the formica laminate sheets to use on mdf as a good surface?

I'm contemplating the idea of making my own aluminium insert and/or laminating a sheet of 1 or 2mm thick aluminium in between two 18mm pieces of MDF.

Anyone think this is a good/bad idea?

 

[marcros]

i wouldnt bother with the aluminium between the mdf personally.

 

[pip1954]

hi would any body like to take pictures of inside there router cabinets so i can see how you fit your routers also do you adjust up and down,as i would like to make a router cabinet.
many thanks
pip

 

[kinsella]

I bought a sheet of melamine type board in B&Q and bonded that to 2 sheets of 18mm to give me a think and sturdy surface, the top is marked and scratch, but its still going. I can't see me replacing this for a good few years yet.

pip.
Cheap home made lift link here, you can spend a fortune on dedicated bits of kit, you'll see mine in an earlier post. But look at this for some ideas.

http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/version1.html

 

[Dissolve]

That lift is pretty clever! I mightconsider building one into the table.

I've found you can get a 6mm plate of aluminum (ground flat both sides) 250mm x 250mm for around £15

Assuming I go with the laminating MDF idea, would it be a good idea to attempt making my own table insert? I like the idea of keeping as much plunge depth as possible and obviously a 6mm plate of aluminum should be better than routing a recess into the MDF?

What would be a good solution to make it level adjustable?

 

[kinsella]

I used bits of veneer and glue, but again you could spend money on metel shims. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say. The best part of this forum is to see how everybody does things to suit their skills and also what they have available in terms of budget and materials.

 

[Dissolve]

I used bits of veneer and glue, but again you could spend money on metel shims. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say. The best part of this forum is to see how everybody does things to suit their skills and also what they have available in terms of budget and materials.

True!

I know I'd be able to make it permanently flat/level but I just wondered if anyone has a solution to an adjustable levelling system?

 

[siggy_7]

Grub screws in the corners of the inserts will enable you to level the plate.