Buy or build router table

[banjo]

Hi all,
New to the site, and after some advice. Got roughly £200 to spend on a router table to go with my under-used Bosch GOF 1500 router. What would you all recommend? Looking at components at the minute and it is looking favourable but if I construct the table top myself what thickness material etc to use. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers all
Banjo ccasion5:

 

[paulm]

Build your own for sure Banjo, and use any left over cash to put towards a more powerful router better suited to table use.

The Bosch will be useful in a table, but a 2000w plus Triton or Trend T11 1/2" with above table adjustment will do a lot more.

Table top could be two bits of 18mm mdf glued up and faced with melamine, works great.

Lots of storage underneath in drawers for router bits and other accessories.

Cheers, Paul.

 

[woodbloke]

Hi banjo, welcome to the forum. Build a table yourself, plenty of info on this forum. I would make the top at least 18mm thick and use the router insert plate from Axminster along with other goodies you want to incorporate. Fwiw I surfaced mine in Formica for ease of use and to provide a hard wearing surface - Rob

 

[banjo]

Cheers,
Thanks for the quick replies! I was nearly sure that was the route I was going to take, but what about mitre guages, fences etc. Which bought ones are sturdy enough to last?
Happy Days
Banjo :wink:

 

[Scrit]

......but what about mitre guages, fences etc. Which bought ones are sturdy enough to last?

A router table isn't quite the same as a table saw, so a mitre fence is less likely to be of use. You'll most likely find that you need only to profile edges, rebate and make counterprofiles in the ends of door rails (or cope as our American cousins sao quaintly put it) - a job guided just as well by using a piece of square cut MDF (as a sort of push block). If you want an odd angle, then it should always be possible to cut an out of square push block on the table saw.

Scrit

 

[paulm]

Haven't bothered with a mitre gauge or track myself, just use a right angle sled against the fence, and if worried about using bigger router bits and the forces involved occasionally use a trend straightedge clamp to hold the sled against the fence.

Fences are easy to make, couple of lengths of mdf joined at right angles with some bracing pieces for extra support, and a couple of adjustable front pieces to vary the size of the opening, faced in formica ideally, or just left bare or waxed if not.

The fence can be clamped in position either end or use studs and slots for for fore and aft adjustment.

Sorry but haven't got any decent pics to show what I mean, but all fairly straightforwards and very functional when done.

Hopefully someone will be along shortly with some pics to help out !

Cheers, Paul.

 

[banjo]

Thanks all for the excellent advice. Sorry to be a pain but does anyone know where to buy melamine/formica as I can't seem to source any local ly (N.E. England)
Banjo
:wink:

 

[greggy]

banjo, like what all others have said build your own is the way to go. try looking up formica in yellow pages or try b & q. one tip though laminate both sides it will make it a lot more stable and stronger.

 

[Scrit]

does anyone know where to buy melamine/formica as I can't seem to source any locally (N.E. England)

Have you thought about a worktop offcut cadged from a kitchen shop/fitter or about buying a piece of melamine-faced chipboard. I'm surprised you can't get laminate up there, though - both Formica and Resopal (Wilsonart) are made in the area (North Shields and Shildon respectively), as is Egger MFC (in Hexham). If in doubt look for a Montague L. Meyer branch - there's one in Newcastle y'know

Scrit

 

[banjo]

Cheers,
Great site and forum!!!
Thanks for all the advice, off to do some research but initial thoughts are that I could save a wedge
Thanks again!
Banjo :wink:

 

[paulm]

Spent ages trying to source Formica down here without success, gave in eventually and ordered it from the local Jewsons.

Took a week to get it in and only came in 10' x 4' sheets (rolled up though so easy to handle) for abour £40 or £45 as far as I can recall. Seems too much but by the time you do both sides of the top and some on the fence it uses a suprising amount.

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Shultzy]

Banjo, here are a couple of router tables to make, I'm going to make the second one.

http://www.am-wood.com/march98/router.html

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive9 ... rtab1.html

 

[johnnyb]

i tried several places and one that had loads (and loads) was International Decorative Surfaces do formica at £25 for a 10 by 4. they are a large company. i brought mine for my router table and have used it all on other things!!!! i definitely would not use contact adhesive probably pva clamped with a flat sheet, i would also do both sides at the same time.

 

[Scrit]

i tried several places and one that had loads (and loads) was International Decorative Surfaces

And there's a branch in Gateshead, too. :lol:

I'm not convinced about using PVA to bond it, though - EvoStik 528 Thix, waxed battens and a pressure roller (J-roller) work best for me

Scrit

 

[martlewis]

Just finished constructing my new router table, although drawers are not made yet. I would say definetely build your own!!! For the top I used 18mm white melamine from b&q backed with some offcuts of 18mm ply, and edge banded the top with hardwood. Made it really heavy and stable. Not bothered with miter slots, although I did make a fence, as most cuts I use a ball bearing bit and start pin.

Martin.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Banjo

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[j]

Also, check out the Wealden Router Tips
And there's a thread about when I made my router table top a few months back in the projects forum.

And don't forget, take some WIP pics and post them here.

Thanks
J

 

[colinc]

Make your own - its a satisfying and worthwhile project. You also get losts of storage with a homebuilt that noe of the bought in ones have. Here's mine made last year

The top is two layers of 18mm mdf with laminate both sides. The mass of the thing makes it very smooth running and does help the noise levels too.

I have made a clamp-on fence from box section aluminium, I keep thinking I could improve it but have been busy using it.

If you search around the forum there are a lot of good ideas to look at.

regards

Colin

 

[George_N]

I built my router table from the plan in "Woodworking with the router" by Hylton & Matlack that looks very like the one ColinC has posted above. You can make the whole thing out of a single 8' x 4' sheet of birch ply. The most expensive part was the laminate for the top at about £35 for a 10' x 4' sheet (enough for at least two table tops...just in case you damage one). My only other addition was to fit 75 mm locking castors (£2.35 each from Axminster). I was lucky to find a piece of free phenolic sheet for the router mounting plate, so the whole thing cost about £70. Much more substantial than a bought one for the same money and definitely more satisfying to use a tool you have built and can modify yourself.

 

[andy@trend]

Welcome to the forum Banjo,

Good Luck with the table project,

andy@trend