New to the Forum.............

[Dinfrance]

.....but not to cutting wood too short for the job #-o

Over many years I have been involved in DIY, mainly because of the cost saving but more recently because of - major cost savings and some unique requirements of the renovation our French home of the past 10 years!

Anyway, I now find myself in the position of being able to do some woodworking as a bit of a hobby and this has prompted me to buy a Router. Like all power tools, I wonder why I didn't buy one years ago................

So, a question;
I am wanting to build a router table but I don't understand the reason for an insert to surround the hole that the router protrudes from.

Can anyone tell me what purpose it serves please.

 

[Grahamshed]

hi Dinfrance. Welcome to the madhouse.

I wondered the same thing when building my table but put one in anyway.
It has benefits, firstly it makes it easy to get the router exactly level and 'square' in the table. Secomdly it makes it very easy to lift the router in and out from above should you need to. Thirdly, ah......... dunno, sure there will be one and many more.

 

[speeder1987]

Router bits come in many sizes, if you didn't have an insert, you have to have the hole for the bit in the table large enough for the largest bit.

With an insert I imagine you can choose the size of the hole to be most suitable for the bit you need to use.

I made a small router table without an insert and I've been reluctant to use bigger cutters .....

 

[Dinfrance]

Which poses another question - what is detrimental about a small bit in a big hole? Is it to do with the holes edge snagging the piece being worked perhaps........

 

[MARK.B.]

Think of it a bit like using a zero clearance insert on a table saw ,its a lot safer if you can prevent unwanted material from getting jammed up around the bit/blade. Stops your pinkies from going where they should not and like you said a insert provides support for the workpiece and should help reduce snagging especially on smaller pieces.
I only use my router table occasionally so could be babbling a load of bull poo but it sounds about right to me :mrgreen:

Welcome to the site

 

[caroleb]

Think of it a bit like using a zero clearance insert on a table saw ,its a lot safer if you can prevent unwanted material from getting jammed up around the bit/blade.

That's it, primarily, but all the other stated reasons too. When using, for instance, a panel raising bit, you need a far larger hole for the cutter to sit through. Afterwards a 4mm cutter in an aperture sized for a panel raiser would leave very little support around the workpiece. Also most router tables will either have, or have provision for, a fence which can be adjusted to support around the cutter also. It does make a difference to the quality of the cut.

HTH

Caz

 

[Dinfrance]

Guess that sorts that one out, thanks everyone =D> =D>

 

[MickCheese]

There is also the loss of depth in a thick table top that a metal insert, being that much thinner, gets around.

Mick

 

[wellywood]

Hi Dinfrance. As Caz has said, the idea is to get as close to zero clearance as possible to prevent the workpiece 'dipping' into the hole around the bit. The different inserts help achieve this from the smallest to the largest bit.
If you're building your own table, I would also go for a fence with sliding faces. These allow you to minimise the clearance around the bit in the fence. It's easily done with mdf faces fixed to the fence with slotted fixings to allow you to slide each side to open and close the gap around the bit.

 

[Dinfrance]

Project on slight hold owning to possible donation of a good workshop table . Need to see it before making any further decisions. Thanks for the info so far. =D>