Ideal Router setup for Table Saw?

[LancsRick]

Evening all!

I've had some good news at work so I'm looking to get myself a present. For a long time I've been planning to replace my home-built router table/cabinet with something that's built into my Startrite 175, so this seems like a prime opportunity.

The question is, if you were in my shoes, what would you be getting? Jess Em and Incra stuff looks nice but the options are bewildering.

Requirements...
- Mounting to the right wing of the saw, so it's clear of the cabinet and is effectively in free space, just bounded by the support bars
- Max length of 715mm or it won't fit between the bars
- Table Saw fence to be used - happy to do a slot-over addon if needs be
- Must have a router lift that enables above-table bit changes

At the moment I'm leaning towards making my own table of 25mm phenolic MDF, buying a lift, and getting some adjustable legs. Better suggestions welcomed - I want to end up with something that will last me for decades and makes me smile when I use it!

Cheers.

 

[Jameshow]

Look at buffalo board same coating as the MDF but the ply is less likely to bend over 700mm than mdf esp I'd there is any moisture in the air.

 

[recipio]

I have a Jessem set up bought before I knew what I was doing. The thing I regret most is not having a split adjustable fence like the Jessem TA. A lot of router profiles take off a mm or two and it's a pain having to find a shim to compensate and stick it to the outfeed fence. I would start with the TA fence and then build a system around it as funds allow.

 

[LancsRick]

Thanks @Jameshow .

Interesting,I'll look into that fence, sure there are ways to attach it to the table saw fence. Thanks @recipio

 

[Lorenzl]

@Jameshow Whenever I look at Buffalo board the first thing I see is "Anti slip". I pressume there must be different types?

 

[Jameshow]

@Jameshow Whenever I look at Buffalo board the first thing I see is "Anti slip". I pressume there must be different types?

Usually one side is smooth the other antislip...

 

[LancsRick]

Cheers.

So at the moment I'm leaning towards a custom top with phenolic ply, jessem router lift, and some form of DIY fence that hooks over the table saw fence and clamps to it. With a micro adjuster.

I really want to avoid two fences as it means regularly removing it to use the table saw.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

You can find the build of my router table and fence here:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered Tools and Machinery/RouterTableAdventure.html

[

Regards from Perth.

Derek

 

[LancsRick]

Very slick, thanks Derek!

 

[Peter Sefton]

@LancsRick you are right the options can be bewildering, this is a short video I put together a couple of years ago showing some of our AUK Tools and JessEm products. We also stock Incra but I have not included them in this video.



Please feel free to email Jim our technical sales adviser I am confident he will be able to give you the best advice. [email protected]

Our Summer Sale finished yesterday but he may be able to put a deal together depending what you are looking for.

Cheers

Peter

 

[LancsRick]

Very kind thank you @Peter Sefton.

I think I've down selected noelw, had some slight awkwardness with the height of my table saw not conforming to typical stands so I'll build my own and just attach some angle iron to the bottom of the router table top to bolt it through to the table saw for lateral stability, with scaffold legs underneath to take the load.

I think I'm going for the Auktools 600x400 top and fence, a pair of auktool flip stops, and splash out on the incra mast-r-lift 2 metric with the Auktools router.

Just need to double check that my idea for securing to the table saw with the angle iron will work and then I'm in business I reckon!

 

[Spectric]

You won't go wrong with the Jessem / Incra lifts and an AUK motor, that part is probably the easy bit. You say you want to keep your existing table saw fence but maybe a better solution would be to use the Incra positioner which delivers a level of precision to match the lift but rather than fix it down make it removable, it is the way I have been looking to progress. I picked this idea up from Dennis in the hooked on wood site but now rather than having to make the detachable part you can just buy it from benchdogs. This video is full of ideas and shows a nice setup.




https://benchdogs.co.uk/collections/incra