Router Table

[RorieT]

Hi folks,

Got two questions on router tables

1) I am looking at my options for buying, or making a table. I can get a table for a decent price, but it seems they all have plastic base plates which are of little use, so will likely need to upgrade to a metal one? And if i make a table, i need to buy a base plate…which will still be an expensive metal one. So am i right in saying the main expense and quality is in the base plate?

2) Is there a simple solution for raising the height of the router without going under the table? I gather some expensive tables have a hight adjustment, but are these only for specific routers, or will it work for any? I.e. the one linked below seems to imply it only works on a 'T11' router?
http://www.trenddirectuk.com/crt-mk3.html

 

[mseries]

My router table doesn't use a plate at all. My router simply bolts underneath the table. Works well. The table is a piece of old worktop with various rebates and apertures cut to suit my routers. They are height adjusted from underneath by means of their fine height adjusters.

The T11 has built in above table adjustment.

 

[RorieT]

I was wondering why people bother with these plates at all…. my original thinking was as you suggested.

Do you have any photos of your one for an example?

 

[mseries]

I was wondering why people bother with these plates at all…. my original thinking was as you suggested.

Do you have any photos of your one for an example?

you'll find some pictures at www.flickr.com/mseries12

 

[blackrodd]

About 10 months ago, I bought a cheap Lidle router table, as the safety switch, fence and the dust, waste outlet and also the 2 finger pressure parts supplied were all worth much more separate than £24.99.
As I don't have a router table, My Idea was to assemble the Lidle table and use it and then using a piece of worktop,
recess the router and build another router table customising it from the Lidle model, making any improvements.
Other members have done this, so I thought it was a good idea too,
Unfortunately, The table is still in the original box, The job I bought it for is long finished.
When a job comes along for it, to be assembled, I'll use it.
If you haven't seen it, here's a link to the Trend table you spoke of, It seems a nice strong unit. ,--



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7A5bhLiPXc

 

[JJ1]

Instead of the expense of buying a base plate, why not make your own. It can be done for next to nothing. For my first attempt I used 18mm mdf. This was fine but eventually it did sag very, very slightly with the weight of a Triton TRA001. I made another base plate from 18mm mdf but this time I strengthened it with two short lengths of approximately 12mm box section steel bought for a couple of pounds. Works perfectly and as solid as a rock.

 

[Benchwayze]

I have a Trend, router table from the 'Routerack' system. It's made of 10 mm thick tufnol. It is quite sturdy, and I've never had a problem with flexing. Its only drawback is the small size of non-adjustable cutter aperture; a strange design fault, considering that tables are meant to make safe, the use of the larger, specialized cutters.


John

 

[Eric The Viking]

Plates are handy, because of three things:

1. They are thin, so you get the best cutter height range that's practical,
2. The changeable insert rings mean you can have the most closely-sized hole for the cutter you are using,
3. If the mounting is right, you can lift router and plate out together, make adjustments and just drop it back again.

I bet that's not an exhaustive list, either.

You don't need a plate, but it's handy.

 

[RorieT]

Thanks for the comments folks.

I think i am keen to buy a table, rather than make one. From what i see, i am down to three choices:

1) Trent MK3
£200 - i get: no-voltage switches, finger boards, mitre sled, aluminium plate,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-Mk3-C...8&qid=1442161185&sr=8-2&keywords=router+table

2) Axminster Benchtop
£159 i get a table with storage room, one finger board… thats it
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-premier-benchtop-router-table

3) Rutlands
£99 i get a table, no storage, no finger boards
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodwo...s-deluxe-full-size-router-table-dakota+dk2009

So i am thinking, the Axminster seems better than rutlands as i get a useful (and presumably sturdier) base unit. But the top seems much and such

I am tempted by the trench as by the time i buy finger boards and mitre fence, along with zero volt switch, the price difference will be minimal. and then the metal plate is much better i think.

Any thoughts?

 

[custard]

Personally I'd build something simple, sturdy, and basic rather than buy any of those. But if you insist on buying then be aware of the likely problems inherent to budget tables, so that you can check it and return if necessary for a refund,

1. The insert must be dead flat and flush with the table. Not just when it's freshly assembled but also when it has a router mounted and also when it's operating under full load. It's difficult to test flatness under load, but you should mount your router then lay a straight edge across the table and check for deflection with feeler gauges. If it's out by about 0.5-1.0mm you might still be able to produce reasonable moulding for example, but unless it's flat to better than 0.1mm you'll never be able to accurately and consistently use it for something demanding like tenoning. And it would be a real shame to have a router table and not be able to use it for accurate tenons.

2. The two halves of the fence must be dead straight to each other and at an exact 90 degree to the table at several points along the fence. You can't really tolerate any deviation from this. I'd be surprised if any of these tables passes these tests straight from the box, so the more realistic question is can you reliably shim it to bring it up to this standard or is it twisted beyond redemption?

3. Fit a long straight bit into the router collet and check it's at 90 degrees to the table top/insert. If not, can it be reliably shimmed? Unless you can hit this standard the table will really struggle to be used accurately for jointing applications like lock mitre joints or with drawer corner lock cutters.

4. Grasp the router when mounted and try waggling it to see if it's likely to flex when the cutter's chomping through hardwood. It should feel pretty solid, maybe not Rock of Gibraltar solid, but it should certainly resist moderate force.

To put this in context, I used to work in a workshop that had a good spindle moulder and a fairly expensive (£500+) router table. But the craftsmen there would only use the router table for bits of trim moulding or simple copy routing, because experience had shown they just couldn't trust it for anything more precise. So for really accurate work we all used the spindle moulder...or made our own simple little router tables that suspended the router by the guide rods under bits of 18mm or 25mm MDF and were cantilevered off the edge of our benches. Sure, we lost a lot of potential cutting depth, and there was no above table height adjustment, split fence or dust extraction, but that didn't matter because they were accurate!

Good luck!

 

[Lord Kitchener]

Any thoughts?

Yes. The Trend. Excellent table, flat and straight.

I've got two of them.

 

[custard]

I dug out the Fine Woodworking router table review from 2012. Some of these aren't available in the UK, but the point is that if you look at the price and the degree of flatness of the top you'll see there's clearly a relationship.

Festool, $1200, 0.002"
Jessem Excell II, $1200, 0.002"
Rockler Cast Iron, $1000, 0.005"
Jessem Mast-R-Top, $560, 0.015"
Rockler Phenolic, $500, 0.021"
Excalliber 40-200P, $695, 0.022"
Woodhaven, $596, 0.029"

It all depends on what you're looking for. The top three on this list would handle jointing that would likely satisfy almost any woodworker. The others would produce tenons for example that are going to show small gaps at the shoulders, or a slight twist of a face frame on assembly. Maybe you can live with that, or you just want simple trim moulding and copy routing, fair enough. But if you want something more accurate you're going to have get very lucky with your purchase, or sacrifice a lot of bells and whistles and build something dead simple but rock solid.

John Lloyd, who's a pretty experienced and accomplished craftsman, did a good article that illustrates the trade-off between router table accuracy, convenience (i.e. bells and whistles), and price. That's life, you can have any two of those three, but not all three together!

http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/WebRoo ... ension.pdf

 

[RorieT]

Thanks for the comments.

Custard: I can see your not keen on the cheap table saws haha.

To be honest, i have never had, seen (in real life) or used a router table, so making the perfect one to match my requirements is tricky. I think i really need to see the faults etc and create a desire for perfection. I am just a DIY'er and i have never been excited by joints etc - i am just looking for the basics.

I'll do a bit more reading!

 

[custard]

I can see your not keen on the cheap table saws haha.

Then I've given the wrong impression. They're fine for basic stuff, but they'll struggle to deliver any kind of precision work.

Sadly there are many woodworkers who live in a cloud cuckoo land, where cheap plastic tat can magically transform them into master craftsmen. Consequently manufacturers are competing by adding more trivial gewgaws to their products instead of delivering core, basic quality. There is some real value for money out there, some of it second hand, some of it new. But you need to be on your guard because there are skip loads of rubbish in between every worthwhile purchase.

By the way, full credit to you for pausing. Proper craftsmen seem to do that all the time.

Good luck.

 

[RorieT]

I am just reading that PDF - that home made router table looks robust, yet very simple! You have got me thinking now!

My new AW10 is arriving in the next day or two, so hopefully that will distract me for a while - i am thinking it would be good to build a big working table around the AW10, and perhaps a router table at one end. But i'll need to play with the saw for a while first to see how the layout etc works.

Thanks for the help!