# Quicky Router Table



## wizer (29 Sep 2007)

Hi Guys

I need a router table to make up my oak Dado Rail. I have the Triton WC but I thought it'd be best to have something dedicated. I snapped up Byron's Axminster table top

I have some rotten old WBP that I am salvaging the good sections from. I made a start today but forgot the camera. Here is the plan. It's a bit rough and ready. Dust extraction and drawers etc will be fitted at a later date







Any comments so far? I'm continuing work on it tomorrow.


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## Waka (29 Sep 2007)

Wizer

Design looks good, are you planning on having it on castors? the reason I ask is because if you are, then wouldn't 850mm as the height be a bit high, if not then its about correct.


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## WellsWood (30 Sep 2007)

Waka":3168n49j said:


> wouldn't 850mm as the height be a bit high,



Not when you're as tall as Wizer :wink:


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## wizer (30 Sep 2007)

yes I am putting it on a trolley base which I have (pics to follow).

As Mark suggests, I am 6'3" and have a herniated disc, so I need to cut down on stooping whilst working. 

Actually I scratched my head for a while over height. I have worked it out to be the distance between my folded elbow and the sole of my feet. I have found that even having the work space a little to high is better than fractionally too low.

More work today


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## Waka (30 Sep 2007)

I guess I should have mentioned "unless you're 6'3""


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## wizer (30 Sep 2007)

:lol:


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## wizer (1 Oct 2007)

Right, bit more work on this over the weekend and tonight.

Let's have a peek at my new workspace:






 forget the cat, I can swing both dogs in there 

This is my high tech solution to holding all the parts together to mark for biscuits  :roll: 






Lots of biscuit slots later and we have this






It's bloody ugly, but it will do. The WBP is terrible, I think i'm going to skip the rest of it.






Doh, forgot to measure the table top, it _just_ fits






I added some 18mm timber batons to beef up the top of the cabinet to take the top






That is where I am at the moment.

BTW the whole thing will be mounted on a trolley I got from work. It comes with the very big HP Printers. Some customers don't want the trolley as it pushes the height up when adding extra paper trays.










Sadly I had to keep it outside over the winter and rust has formed.






Even with this rust, the wheels spin and rotate freely so I think it will be ok?

Right so now i'm thinking about a fence. Any suggestions? How do I fix a fence to the table top?

Oh and what can I use to paint the WBP? Just normal emulsion or a oil based eggshell?


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## MooreToolsPlease (1 Oct 2007)

The guys on the router workshop just use C clamps.
Another design I have seen uses a pivot one end, simply a piece of dowel. The other end is then moved left or right to required distance and clamped


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## ByronBlack (1 Oct 2007)

Nice work Tom - good to see the top and insert going to some use! You can see my alternative arrangement using the MFT in my table thread.

You also seem to have a nice workspace there now.

I would use eggshell personally, nicer finish. Nice use of the trolley that will make moving it about easier - and less stress on your back!


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## DaveL (1 Oct 2007)

Tom,

I think I would of made the cabinet a bit smaller than the top to allow clamps to be used on the edge to hold a fence in place. The printer base looks good with the locking casters, it will be plenty strong enough for your router table.


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## Fecn (1 Oct 2007)

I do like quick and easy projects.. They're so encouraging.


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## wizer (2 Oct 2007)

DaveL":78vijzom said:


> I think I would of made the cabinet a bit smaller than the top to allow clamps to be used on the edge to hold a fence in place.



In failing to prepare you are preparing to fail... :roll: 

I have done a bit of research and I can see 2 options so far.

1. Use this side clamping fence system from Dakota/Rutlands





Not a bad solution at £17.95 (Infact I already have a clamp guide like that without the T-Track and fence)

2. I could route 2 slots in the table top to take a fence like this:





Bit more pricey at £32.95 This has the advantage of having a fence. I guess I could make my own fence similar, but for £33 quid? How easy would it be to rout the slots?


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## WellsWood (2 Oct 2007)

I made mine the other way round, slots in the fence base combined with a series of strategically placed holes in the table with "t" nuts underneath. Works very well. Probably slightly more faff to use since I occasionally need to remove the knobs completely to change holes.
One thing if you do it this way, make sure the distance between the mounting holes is smaller than the available movement in the slot otherwise you'll have "dead" areas where the fence can't be fixed DAMHIKT #-o


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## wizer (2 Oct 2007)

Do you mean something like this Mark? then drilling holes in the table to take a couple of bolts with knobs or wing nuts?


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## WellsWood (2 Oct 2007)

Yep that's it exactly. By having more than one set of holes in the table you can reduce the size of the fence base and length of slots. I used this method 'cos I'm too tight to buy t-track and I din't want the slots in the table - I felt it would weaken it.


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## wizer (2 Oct 2007)

yep I think that's the way to go, very simple.

Thanks very much.


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## wizer (2 Oct 2007)

MarkW":3seaqsfv said:


> One thing if you do it this way, make sure the distance between the mounting holes is smaller than the available movement in the slot otherwise you'll have "dead" areas where the fence can't be fixed DAMHIKT #-o



Thinking about this further. I'm not sure I get this. Should there not just be 2 parallel holes at a point where the fence can be moved right up to the opposite side of the bit?


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## WellsWood (2 Oct 2007)

The extra hole sets are to allow for grooves (housings, dados - insert terminology of choice) to be cut further in from the board edge than the first 2 allow.

This would be sooo much easier if I had my picture uploading software installed on the workshop machine :roll: :roll:

I'm in the workshop till 3:00, feel free to pop over if you get back in time I'll show you what I mean.


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## Fecn (2 Oct 2007)

WiZeR":2hpzbwnb said:


> Thinking about this further. I'm not sure I get this. Should there not just be 2 parallel holes at a point where the fence can be moved right up to the opposite side of the bit?



If you're using a big fence with big slots, yes. Mark was saying that alternatively, you could use a smaller fence with smaller slots, but have multiple bolt positions on the table to allow you the same variety of positions.


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## p111dom (2 Oct 2007)

Hi WiZeR

The stots are definatley the way to go I did it this way and used Trend T nuts from below the table and secured the fence with Trend bristol handels. It was expensive but worth it as a one off purchase. I also took the time to hinge the top to make bit changing easier. The gas strut is off a Fiat Punto.


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## WellsWood (2 Oct 2007)

Gas strut - love it!! Gonna nick that for sure since the Ryobi refuses to die (making it impossible to justify the purchase of the big Triton) :evil:


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## wizer (2 Oct 2007)

That's a lovely Router Table p111dom, though slightly out of my league with regards to this project. Love the gas strut, reminds me of Ian Daziel's tool cabinet.

I change my mind again about the slots. I am going to rout slots now as I realised I have the Triton Router fence.







This'll do, it has the triton fit dust extraction which is handy.






Being Triton it has slightly odd nuts under the fence, not sure if this will pose a problem but I'm sure they can be changed.






I am going to use a straight cutting bit taking multiple passes until I get the full depth. Is the right? Just clamp a guide in the right place?

Had the undercoat paint out this evening so I thought I slap a bit on the router table. 






Now its a big white ugly beast


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## p111dom (4 Oct 2007)

WiZeR":3014hlt7 said:


> That's a lovely Router Table p111dom, though slightly out of my league with regards to this project.



Don't be daft! This was actually my first proper project and I made loads of mistakes on it. For a start I used BB grade birch ply which was massivley expensive and the table is on its third home made insert. The current one is made from 10mm Lexan which is a softer and more routable from of perspects. The gas strut cost £2 from a scrap yard and its hinged on three 2inch square butt hinges which cost less than a £1. The tilting top is the best feature of the table, a close second is the door at the front. Open it and you have direct access to the speed controller. Inside I made a hopper to collect the dust with extraction at the bottom and at the fence. All the ducting is 2.5 inch standard plumbers pipe. I used 2 full sheets of 18mm birch ply at £34 per sheet. 1 sheet of WBP 12mm ply and one sheet of 18mm MDF. Formica was £34, perspects £20. Castors, hinges bristol handels ,NVR switch, T track etc etc meant the total cost excluding the router was around £200 but in retrospect I think I could have made it for £80 less than that. I've used it on every project since and despite it being home made I considder it to be the best and most versitile machine I have. If I ran into money troubles and had to sell all my tools, this would be the last thing to go even over my Jet Supersaw. If you go all out the first time you'll not regret it.


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## wizer (4 Oct 2007)

Cheers P111dom, actually I was eyeing up the struts on my Smart car today... they are about half the size of normal boot struts (I suppose that was obvious). Hmmm Do I really need a boot that opens...?

Oh yes you have also reminded me about NVR switches. Where can I get a very very dirty cheap one? Also, how on earth do you wire them? (see what I did there?)

I am enjoying working on the router table. Between Filling, Sanding, Filling again, Sanding again, etc, etc... It breaks the monotony.


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## Fecn (4 Oct 2007)

WiZeR":34b5iahn said:


> Where can I get a very very dirty cheap one? Also, how on earth do you wire them? (see what I did there?)



CPC (.co.uk) do NVR switches from £9.44 up - That's just for a raw switch with no enclosure. Look in their 'Switches & Accessories > No-Volt release' section.

Having just done my own one, I should be able to help you with wiring it up.


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## wizer (4 Oct 2007)

Is this the beast Fecn?

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/Components+& ... ku=SW02440


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## WellsWood (4 Oct 2007)

Tom, don't rush into anything re NVR switch. I think I may have a spare/leftover one from recent revamping of DE switching. Give me a chance to have a look tomorrow a.m. to see what I've got.


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## wizer (5 Oct 2007)

Cheers Mark, I'll be in painting hell again today, back tonight.


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## Fecn (5 Oct 2007)

WiZeR":1yv8plge said:


> Is this the beast Fecn?



Looks about right to me. 16A switching capacity should be enough for any router you care to throw at it.


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## ByronBlack (5 Oct 2007)

MarkW":3f1bn1ro said:


> Gas strut - love it!! Gonna nick that for sure since the Ryobi refuses to die (making it impossible to justify the purchase of the big Triton) :evil:



Who needs justification for tool purchases? I thought that was a 'right of man'? 

Tom - just a quick idea with regards to your fence. Personally, I would avoid routing two parallel tracks - it's quite trickey getting them perfect. I would fix one side of the fence to the top to allow it to pivot back and forth giving you the depth between the fence and the bit.

All you would need to do is place a threaded insert into the top and drill a hole in the fence and lock with a matching knob. On the other end of the fence, I would route a slot and fix another knob/threaded insert setup, you can then swing the fence back and forth depending on the length of the slot.

This has one limitation though - you are limited in the depth of cut to how long the slot on your fence is, but to get round this you can easily make a very deep sub-base.

Not sure if all that makes sense, i'll see if I can find the .pdf on finewoodworking that features this fence.


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## ByronBlack (5 Oct 2007)

Tom - here's a link to the pivoting fence idea:

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/smfld-4.htm


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## WellsWood (5 Oct 2007)

Tom, I have a spare NVR switch that you're welcome to. I'll be in this eve. from about 6:30. In and out over the w/e, PM or phone me if you want it.

p.s. it's out of an ADE1200 so you'll need to knock up an enclosure for it and wire it up with spade connectors - neither is rocket science.


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## wizer (5 Oct 2007)

Oooops, too late Byron






I actually ran the slots yesterday but forgot the camera. The process was reasonably simple. I used the same guide that I made for the wainscoting grooves, taking multiple passes.

It has thrown up some new problems tho. The Triton fence has these bolts.






They fit perfect in the slot.... But they aren't long enough! So I think I need to find some longer bolts and use a nut and washer on the other end.

I have also misplaced the mounting screws for the router. This may delay things somewhat because as yet I have been too busy to order more.

On the upside, I went to pick up the oak for the Dado rail and Window cill.






mmmm its luvely 

Mark: thank you very much for the nvr switch. I will have to pop in one day next week, maybe Monday afternoon.


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## wizer (8 Oct 2007)

wow, some days are good, other days are better....

Popped round to see MarkW and pickup this








Mark and I were chatting and I mentioned the above problem about the short thread on the locking knobs. He quickly came up with and idea and promptly set about putting it into action. The answer, I guess, was simple. But would have taken me weeks of trial and error.






I think the picture tells the story. A Perfect fit!






To cap it off, I found the screws to mount the router!






\/ 

Just need to wire up the NVR switch and we're ready to rock.

Thanks very much Mark, very kind of you to take the time to help me out.


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## WellsWood (8 Oct 2007)

Glad I could be of help mate, now hurry up and get that decorating finished :wink:


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## Woodmagnet (8 Oct 2007)

WHOO! HOO! Ready to start making dust. :lol:


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## Chris Knight (8 Oct 2007)

Tom,
That's looking great!


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## wizer (9 Oct 2007)

Many thanks guys. I am really enjoying building it. Although I think I should have titled this thread 'Ugly' router table. Still, Mark's knobs improve it somewhat. :lol:

I need to run a length of hose from the fence _and _from the router. Should I join the 2 with a Y Adapter? and if so where is a cheap source? Axminster seems expensive when you add on delivery. The hose is 3".


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