Router Table Top

[Mike.C]

I am gathering all the parts together for my router table and from what I have read it seems that Phenolic is the best material to use for the table top.

Is this right, and if so do I go for the solid stuff or MDF in a sandwich of phenolic?

Or is there something better then these two?

Cheers

Mike

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Mike
My top is 30mm of MDF laminated with Formica. It's excellent. The insert itself is the Rousseau one, which I think is phenolic. The material is fine, but they deliberately make them crowned, saying that it gives a more accurate cut. I'd much prefer a dead flat one, the crowning causes me other problems (like making the workpiece catch in a tranverse mitre track).

HTH
Steve

 

[Lord Nibbo]

I am gathering all the parts together for my router table and from what I have read it seems that Phenolic is the best material to use for the table top.

Is this right, and if so do I go for the solid stuff or MDF in a sandwich of phenolic?

Or is there something better then these two?

Cheers

Mike

I used two sheets of 18mm ply screwed and glued together and covered with a sheet of this glue on with evostick

I managed to get one side white, the one in this pic is different coloured granites on each side, B&Q also sell it. I'ts very tough and is perfect for a router table.
Here's a pic of mine.

 

[George_N]

My table top is two layers of 18 mm birch ply, edged with solid timber and laminated on both sides with "Formica". The router mounting plate is 10 mm phenolic sheet set into the top. You need to make a template of suitable size for your mounting plate, that will let rou rout the outline of the plate into the table top (the depth is the thickness of the plate) with a 1/2" straight bit. Cut out the section of table top inside your routed channel with a jig saw and you have a neat ledge for the plate to rest on and the router hangs down through the hole. Some people add leveling screws underneath (Handy if you rout too deep) and others screw the mounting plate into place from the top, you can do both of course. Usually the weight of the router is enough to keep everything in place and if your template was accurate there should be no side -ways movement.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Excuse me your Lordship,

But how many of your minions does it take to clean up?

I've never seen anywhere so clean. :shock:

Cheers
Neil

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Excuse me your Lordship,

But how many of your minions does it take to clean up?

I've never seen anywhere so clean. :shock:

Cheers
Neil

THats an old pic Neil :lol: It's the light grey paint that makes it look good. You want to see it today, well you cant see the floor for rubish. :lol:

 

[johnnyb]

mine is two layers 18mm mdf beech edge and formica top stuck with exramite. no formica underneath but it is still very flat.

 

[Mike.C]

Steve,

Hi Mike
My top is 30mm of MDF laminated with Formica. It's excellent. The insert itself is the Rousseau one, which I think is phenolic. The material is fine, but they deliberately make them crowned, saying that it gives a more accurate cut. I'd much prefer a dead flat one, the crowning causes me other problems (like making the workpiece catch in a tranverse mitre track).

Thats a bit strange don't you think Steve. I mean they must know what they are talking about, but to deliberately put a lump in the top goes against what most people are working to achieve i.e a flat surface?

LN, nice router table. I like your mitre saw station too.

George, thanks for the tip about using a template. I seem to remember that you can buy a template to accompany at least one or two of the mounting plates I have looked, such as this

http://www.woodpeck.com/inserttemplate.html

While on the subject of mounting plates what do you think of these?

http://www.woodpeck.com/aluminsert.html

http://www.woodpeck.com/tlrphenolicplate.html

The cast aluminum one has 8 leveling screws and comes with different size rings which I like the idea of because I often used large router bits, but I am not sure if it is worth the money. What do you think?

The phenolic one also comes with different size rings and is half the price, so that may be a better bet. Has anyone else got one of these?

As for the table top itself, it seems that a sandwich of ply or MDF is the way to go.

Thank you all for the advice.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Paul Chapman]

Steve,

Hi Mike
My top is 30mm of MDF laminated with Formica. It's excellent. The insert itself is the Rousseau one, which I think is phenolic. The material is fine, but they deliberately make them crowned, saying that it gives a more accurate cut. I'd much prefer a dead flat one, the crowning causes me other problems (like making the workpiece catch in a tranverse mitre track).

Thats a bit strange don't you think Steve. I mean they must know what they are talking about, but to deliberately put a lump in the top goes against what most people are working to achieve i.e a flat surface?

Making the inserts crowned has always baffled me a bit. Presumably the manufacturers reckon on the weight of the router pulling it flat? But surely that will only work properly if all routers weighed the same? Maybe I'm missing something :?

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thats a bit strange don't you think Steve. I mean they must know what they are talking about, but to deliberately put a lump in the top goes against what most people are working to achieve i.e a flat surface?

Strange? I think it's bonkers. What other machine in the workshop works best with a table that isn't flat? I think it's much more to do with the difficulty of casting a flat piece. Making it deliberately crowned gets them out of a technical hole. Or am I just an old cynic?

Bah humbug
Steve

 

[LyNx]

i ordered one just after xmas and i'm glad they didn't have any in stock. I don't understand why it's crowned.

I have an 8x4 sheet of phenolic at home and alot of off-cuts so i'm going to machine my own. Would be nice to purchase the inserts, as this will make life easy.

 

[dickm]

Making the inserts crowned has always baffled me a bit. Presumably the manufacturers reckon on the weight of the router pulling it flat? But surely that will only work properly if all routers weighed the same? Maybe I'm missing something :?

Given that having the table dished is a lot worse (I know, my cheapo Bosch one was about 0.5mm hollow, and was a real pain) I suppose the manufacturers think at least they will avoid that by going the other way