Adapting Axminster worktop

[oakhouse]

Hope that someone can advise
I had a nice Christmas present this year of Axminster pro worktop for router table with fence also a router lift for Birthday ( sounds great )
Trouble is a clumsy arrangement of router fitting and congested access to remove router for plunging
I really had eyes on Jessem system with AUK motor and Mast R Lift plate and here is the question
How easy or advisable would it be to adapt the plate aperature as the AUK plate is 6 mm shorter and around 8 mm wider than Axminster
The table top is plywood melamine top and has a shelf for supporting the plate with tapped holes in the ply shel for assorted fixing and levelling purposes. The existing rebate shelf is around 12mm high and wide
If any ideas or adaptors happy for suggestions from all you experts before I commit to AUk and Jessem and try to sell Axi lift

 

[Spectric]

Your problem is that the Jessem / Incra lifts are imperial, 235 by 298mm equivalent whilst the Axminster top has a metric apperture of 305 by 229mm so if you want the Jessem lift you need a top with the imperial apperture. The Jessem / Incra lifts are really good and the router motor clamped round the middle is better than having a plunge router hanging by the base, there has been many threads on the UKW regarding routers and tables etc etc and out of interest why did you not consider a spindle moulder ? Another topic with a lot of debate.

 

[Mikebart]

Unfortunately you would be better off either keeping what you have or if you want/need a better alternative perhaps start again.
I have a UJK router top and insert and have thought about a jessem router lift but I have the same issue regarding the existing insert, the cost to change would be too much expense.

 

[oakhouse]

Unfortunately you would be better off either keeping what you have or if you want/need a better alternative perhaps start again.
I have a UJK router top and insert and have thought about a jessem router lift but I have the same issue regarding the existing insert, the cost to change would be too much expense.

Thanks for advice so far but I was really hoping to make minor adjustments to the plywood axminster pro worktop by widening aperature by around 6 mm at rear edge (or each long edge by trimming off 3mm)
And inserting a shim in timber or aluminium of 3 mm to each short side of aperature

Unfortunately you would be better off either keeping what you have or if you want/need a better alternative perhaps start again.
I have a UJK router top and insert and have thought about a jessem router lift but I have the same issue regarding the existing insert, the cost to change would be too much expense.

shame no real solution
Anyone fancy creating a printed sub frame that adapts for alternative plates in a universal table oversized aperature
Must be a market ?
Secretly I was half hoping someone else had tried a solution other than adding old unused table top and table lift to a money losing sale !

 

[oakhouse]

after conversation with www I have purchased the stainless steel base template ( keeps the base screws from digging into mdf type wood)
I intend to increase the aperature in Axminster worktop from 229 to 235 using guided profile cutter and suitable edge fence and the 6mm increase will likely be 3mm each side
The length is 6mm to great at 305 but as luck has this I have some 3mm aluminium strip so suitable for fillet insert and carefully fixed to Plywood base
Hope this works and redeems the existing top for new Jessem kit
I will chronicle this on pictures and hopefuly this will either work or show others what went wrong !
Wish me luck !!!

 

[Mikebart]

Best of luck should be fairly easy to do ,as long as you are happy with the results

 

[oakhouse]

Sso far so good but Axminster plate has 6 mm radius on corners but when I received the 1 mm thick Stainless Steel plate for woodworkers shop to use as template ( goes beneath the router plate to stop grub screw levellers digging into wooden bed in rebate) I realised the radius on template corners was much larger at around 18mm radius leaving a complex corner to infill when completing this is 6mm radius external corner and 18 mm radius internal quarter segment at 12 mm deep
Task now is to find suitable filler material to make good the 4 corners without permanently glueing router lift in place but robust enough to allow occasional plate removal

Wondering about epoxy putty filler and trying to protect new kit while ‘filling’. The reality so far is good but this was unexpected hitch

Any ideas welcome Hope this all informs others from my experiments !

 

[oakhouse]

Here is pictures so far

 

[oakhouse]

More update on corner filler
Tried several dummy run things including Acrylic laminated sheet hardwoods etc but eventually decided on hot melt glue
Cut a template Radius in mdf strip and protected existing screws in the shelf rebate with cooking foil discs
Tried using raw mdf coated with silicon grease to debond glue from template but first effort not so good but this where hotmelt scores. Using heat to soften the glue in situ I tried again with kitchen foil barrier wraffed around the wood
First attempt foil stuck to glue but third attempt after cleaning again I used Silicon Grease on the Aluminium foil with all creases smoothed out and simply placed loosely in position injected lots of glue and then pressed the template into position while glue still starting to set
This allowed adjustment and then allowed trimming to suit using craft knife carefully sawing flush with table top
None of this rocket science but hopes it informs similar solutions without my mistakes
Roll on delivery of router this afternoon !

 

[oakhouse]

More update on corner filler
Tried several dummy run things including Acrylic laminated sheet hardwoods etc but eventually decided on hot melt glue
Cut a template Radius in mdf strip and protected existing screws in the shelf rebate with cooking foil discs
Tried using raw mdf coated with silicon grease to debond glue from template but first effort not so good but this where hotmelt scores. Using heat to soften the glue in situ I tried again with kitchen foil barrier wraffed around the wood
First attempt foil stuck to glue but third attempt after cleaning again I used Silicon Grease on the Aluminium foil with all creases smoothed out and simply placed loosely in position injected lots of glue and then pressed the template into position while glue still starting to set
This allowed adjustment and then allowed trimming to suit using craft knife carefully sawing flush with table top
None of this rocket science but hopes it informs similar solutions without my mistakes
Roll on delivery of router this afternoon !

Final bits now done and new router and lift in place
I needed to use Dremmel to fine tune the ledge of the rebated table as there seemed to be good logic reason to use the WWW template steel rim this made rebate aprox 1.5 mm deeper
I also needed corner blocks in place at the internal corners of the ledge below the rebate as the four fixing hold down machine screws missed the existing ledge
Levelling the plate was easy but time consuming but perfect facility albeit repetitive
Final use of a cabinet scraper to fettle the acrylic filler strip at outfeed end and razor blade to fettle glue fillet in corners and the deck is rock solid and perfect
I hope the description of trials and errors informs others and allows upgrade to what appears to be a superb motor and lift compared to others seen !

 

[Sundaydriver]

Any updates , I’m researching a router table combo, starting from zero really. Jessem looks amazing, how is it working for you ?