Router Insert Plates

[sooty]

Hi again
I have started re-organising my workshop thanks to the help I received on this forum
I have mounted my sliding mitre saw on to 3/4 ply and made a hole in the bench for this to drop into when I need it and I have made a drawer to slide it away when not needed
At the moment I am in the process of making drawer storage for routers, sanders,etc.
When I have finished these I would like to make a Router table top to fit in the space the Mitre saw goes then put that away in a drawer also.
I was thinking of the insert plate I have some 6mm clear plastic sheet and wondered if this would be alright to use for the insert plate or would I be asking for trouble
I would like the routa lift from Axminster but thats way to expensive so I have thought about using one like I have seen on the Woodworking Channel that flips out of the table when you need to change cutters
so do you think the 6mm plastic/acrylic would be strong enough for the job

 

[woodbloke]

Sooty wrote:

6mm clear plastic sheet

You may find this not strong enough to support the weight of a heavy 1/2" router - it may go slightly concave whereas a dedicated router insert is usually made from phenolic resin and is very slightly convex in use - Rob

 

[Colin C]

Or you can get the Trend one, its metal and is already drilled for most routers, you just have to get one for yours

 

[paulm]

I have a Trend one and it's made from phenolic ! :shock:

Good though.

6mm acrylic wouldn't be strong enough imho, although if you doubled it up it might be okay.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Sooty,

6mm Perspex would be indequate, I would say. But this is a good opportunity to discuss the merits of different kinds of inserts. I have the Rousseau/Axminster/LotsOfOthers one. With the Red and Grey insert rings. It is designed to be convex. The manufacturers say this pruduces a more accurate cut.

I don't.

I want a strong, FLAT plate which is low friction. I'm seriously considering getting a steel plate and gluing on some Formica. I used to have an ali plate on my previous table, but that is definitely not low friction.

I think Tony has a steel one. Is that right, Tony? How do you get on with it?

 

[mailee]

I use the Trend extension plate on my table. It is made out of phenolic and is very rigid. It is really for making the signature larger on your router for hand use but I find it works well in the table and was cheaper than an insert.

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Being old & cranky :evil: Iam still tied to inches instead of metric. 6mm(1/4") acrylic is not a good idea because it is a brittle material & can shatter. Do not think I would hang a large router on such an insert. I have been using 3/8" polycarbonate which is much tougher than acrylic and will not shatter. My insert is about 8 years old and has been supporting a 3-1/4hp Ryobi RE600 without problems. Some people warned me at the start that the insert would develope a sag over time....I am still waiting for that to happen :shock:

Lee

 

[dennyk]

I would say go the whole hog, and get a Router lift, a bit expensive but IMHO worth the money, I have had mine for a few years, and have never regretted the money spent, I had a Rouseau plate previous , bit it doesn't hold a candle to the Router lift

 

[Barry Burgess]

From all my research the Woodpecker phenolic plate looks best if only I could get the UK agent to deliver one. It has eight leveling screws so that you can get the plate level from above the table. You can get up to 7 inserts for different router bit sizes and it comes with a tool to fit and remove the inserts.
I don't think perspex would hold my 8 kgs big Triton going at full speed with say a 2" cutter in?
Barry

 

[Jake]

From all my research the Woodpecker phenolic plate looks best if only I could get the UK agent to deliver one. It has eight leveling screws so that you can get the plate level from above the table.

The CMT has these as well, if you can one in the UK (Axminster used to sell them, but may have stopped from a quick browse).

I don't think perspex would hold my 8 kgs big Triton going at full speed with say a 2" cutter in?

I think it would sag, whatever the cutter.

 

[Nick W]

I think it's time I shared the Nick Webb patent absolutely-no-height-loss router table insert. This is based on a plywood plate (18mm or thicker is good) let into the table top.

1) Remove the wear plate from the base of your router and measure its thickness.
2) Go to your local plastics supplier and buy an offcut of cloth-based Tufnol (not the paper based shiny one - its chips too easily) large enough to cover the ply plate and as close the the same thickness as the wear plate as possible.
3) Make a hole in the ply plate that the base of your router will fit into. The hole should be a reasonable fit but it does not need to be tight. N.B. This hole goes right through the ply.
4) Glue the Tufnol onto the ply and trim the outside edges to fit.
5) Put the wear plate into the hole, router side up and mark the location of its fixing holes onto the Tufnol
6) Drill the fixing holes into the Tufnol, the same size as in the wear plate. Countersink from what will be the top side.
7) Attach Router to the assembly using the original screws. Use a pointed router bit to mark the centre of the Tufnol, remove router and drill a hole the size of the one in your wear plate.
8) Use whatever levelling device you built into you table to get the whole assembly at the right height.


That's it, excpet that I made a series of Polycarbonate inserts with various sized holes, which are attached by screws into the base of the router (in my case originally a T9, now a T11). These will almost certainly need shimming to bring them level with the rest of the surface, and here I made a ring of another scrap of plastic I had lying around that happened to be the right thickness.

 

[Guy]

From all my research the Woodpecker phenolic plate looks best if only I could get the UK agent to deliver one. It has eight leveling screws so that you can get the plate level from above the table. You can get up to 7 inserts for different router bit sizes and it comes with a tool to fit and remove the inserts.
I don't think perspex would hold my 8 kgs big Triton going at full speed with say a 2" cutter in?
Barry

Gove Graeme a email, his website is http://www.woodpeckers.com.au/ his service is excellant
Guy

 

[Anonymous]

Sooty

6mm palstic sounds a little flexible to me. I used 6mm aluminium and it is very easy to work. Somewhere on here, there is a link to the CAD drawings (posted about 1.5 years ago)

 

[sooty]

Thanks for the replies, I will abandon the idea of using the plastic for the insert and save it for making templates.

Thanks Nick W I was thinking exactly along the lines you describe for making my plate
Have not seen any Tufnol for years (Electricians working at the local mine used to use it for isolating switchgear) did not think you could still get it?
I will have a think about alternative materials to use as an insert

 

[Nick W]

If you can't find Tufnol locally then try

Engineering and Design Plastics
84 High Street
Cherry Hinton
Cambridge
CB1 9HZ

01223 249431

No connection blah blah ...