Routing for beginners (and routing tables)

[Paul M]

Thankyou, I would recommend buying Bill Hylton book. It is a very useful reference aid (A to Z of routing) and will give you a better understanding of your requirements.
For example the Axminster compact tables could be a pain changing router bits !!. I have hinged my top to allow access which is great. Good luck

 

[XH558]

I have just looked through this thread. Loving all the ingenuous strategies used.

 

[DBT85]

I looked at buying the axminster benchtop table and also the professional table. The cost of the table and all the ancillary bits was £500 min. Therefore I decided to build my own, I bought Bill Hylton "Woodworking with the Router" and used this for reference.
Phenolonic laminated birch ply (610mm x 610mm x 18mm) cost £12 from timber merchant and Trend insert cost £50. I used 2 x 1 for frame and put together using pocket screws. Fence is 18mm MDF and I got a piece of T track from Aximister (£10). Clarke NVR plug £25
I have made my own feather boards and currently making cross sled & other jigs etc.
Total build time including plans approx 2 days plus 1d practice for insert cutting. Total cost £100 and I have achieved functionality of the Axminster benchtop router. Plus great satisfaction and better understanding

This doubling as an outfeed table appeals greatly. Nice!

 

[custard]

On the Trend website there is a list of authorised trainers who run one-to-one and group training sessions (Covid restrictions allowing).

Trend courses

I spent a day with Tony Chalk near Southampton in his workshop.

The cost was £180 for a one-to-one day of hands-on experience using the most basic router through to the very top of the line units, with routing bits that I never knew existed and created a lot of different things on the day, ranging from basic round-overs, various joints using the Trend Jigs through to panel doors and stencilled name plates.

Smart move.

Nothing turns you into a competent woodworker faster than investing in training.

Plus routers are pretty intimidating machines, it doesn't matter how many Youtube videos you watch, the fact is that teaching yourself to use a router means you'll probably only utilise a tiny fraction of the machine's capabilities.

 

[Nelly111s]

Here's mine. An old offcut of oak worktop on two sawhorses, so I can move it/hide it when I need to move stuff around in the shop. A Trend T11 under it. T-track and extrusion both bought from eBay, some from China which arrived in about 3 weeks. I can put auxiliary fences on to the aluminium extrusion depending on what I'm doing, also a guard can go over the cutter also located on the extrusion. I use the dust extraction built in in to the router from below.

I'd agree with Custard about training. I went on one of Andrew Crawfords' courses and the small bit of router work on the course was very educational/ informative, despite me using a router for about 20 years. One trick was using a piece of copper pipe as both a stop and dust extraction when routing stopped slots/grooves

.

 

[greenfingers2]

Hi Guys - totally OT but a number of posters have mentioned buying items from Banggood. Having never done so, yesterday I saw a drill that I'd like to buy but am unsure about import duties, VAT, taxes etc... Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Jester129]

Hi GF,
I've been buying from Banggood for at least 10 years but have never bought one item over £30 to be honest. Most expensive thing was a trim or palm router which cost about £20. Didn't pay any import duties in all those years. HTH.

Edit. But I AM looking at the 3D printers they have, one that has sold over a thousand on Amazon for over £250 is on offer on Banggod for around £180!

 

[DBT85]

My Ender 3 Pro came from banggood but it was a UK warehouse. Only £195 I think in the end.

Hi Guys - totally OT but a number of posters have mentioned buying items from Banggood. Having never done so, yesterday I saw a drill that I'd like to buy but am unsure about import duties, VAT, taxes etc... Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

Legally you absolutely must declare the imported items and pay up the extra tax which everyone absolutely does all the time.

It's rare for me to have something come from china and it get charges applied automatically. You might get hit with ParcelFarce wanting £8 for the pleasure of them collecting it from the airport for you, but evne then its not even half the time.

 

[Yojevol]

I've just read through this thread for the first time and I've only had one thought that nobody has mentioned.
I built a very substantial table and used chipboard kitchen worktop for the surface. I had my big 2kw Ryobi hanging underneath. I noticed that after a time the centre of the table had sunk under the weight of the router. I had to reinforce the underside with some steel to get it level again.
Now I realise that chipboard is not the best material for taking loads but I assumed that the thickness would be sufficient.
I therefore recommend that if you're planning a table self-build make sure the top is man enough to take the weight of the router with no discernible deflection.
Brian

PS table no longer in use as replaced by SM with router shaft.

 

[Austin Branson]

Ni

I looked at buying the axminster benchtop table and also the professional table. The cost of the table and all the ancillary bits was £500 min. Therefore I decided to build my own, I bought Bill Hylton "Woodworking with the Router" and used this for reference.
Phenolonic laminated birch ply (610mm x 610mm x 18mm) cost £12 from timber merchant and Trend insert cost £50. I used 2 x 1 for frame and put together using pocket screws. Fence is 18mm MDF and I got a piece of T track from Aximister (£10). Clarke NVR plug £25
I have made my own feather boards and currently making cross sled & other jigs etc.
Total build time including plans approx 2 days plus 1d practice for insert cutting. Total cost £100 and I have achieved functionality of the Axminster benchtop router. Plus great satisfaction and better understanding

Nice table Paul. Aren’t the feather boards on the wrong way around? Austin

 

[billw]

Here's mine. An old offcut of oak worktop on two sawhorses, so I can move it/hide it when I need to move stuff around in the shop. A Trend T11 under it. T-track and extrusion both bought from eBay, some from China which arrived in about 3 weeks. I can put auxiliary fences on to the aluminium extrusion depending on what I'm doing, also a guard can go over the cutter also located on the extrusion. I use the dust extraction built in in to the router from below.

I like the idea of using that 4 sided track to slot different fences and guards on. Have never seen it for sale though.

 

[DBT85]

I like the idea of using that 4 sided track to slot different fences and guards on. Have never seen it for sale though.

Do you mean some 2020, 2040, 2060 or 2080 extrusion? Readily available.

 

[Paul M]

Ni

Nice table Paul. Aren’t the feather boards on the wrong way around? Austin

Hi yes but I placed on table for photo

 

[NickVanBeest]

Planning to make a version similar to this: AW Extra 2/7/13 - Mobile Router Center | Popular Woodworking Magazine

Footprint will be only 600 x 350 when folded away, which is great in a small shop/shed

 

[pe2dave]

I've a table and Incra fence I'm willing to sell?

 

[Jameshow]

Nice saw and router bench here.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254779069373
Cheers James

 

[DBT85]

Today solidified my desire to build, at minimum, a basic "router nailed to scrap board" router table. I was attempting to make my first table saw insert and with my template a perfect fit and some thicker material ready to take the template bit I set to work. The initial templating was ok. My little bosch has the dust collection parts for such a task. Allied with my new 7m hose hanging from the ceiling it wasn't too messy, though it was a pain constantly doing a bit, unclamping, doing another bit, unclamping etc. A table would have been much faster.

Next came removing the material around the edge and for this I had a little fence that came with the router, no problem. Except there is no facility at all for DX. An absolute farce of a mess.

Eugh.