Would a cast table saw top make a good router table start?

[julianf]

If / when my Wadkin AGS gets sorted, I may have a spare cast iron top.

Someone suggested to me that it would make a good router table part, but did not elaborate any further.

What so you think? Basically it's a lump of cast with a couple of mitre slots and a hole?

I can weld up a stand easy enough (or, indeed, make one from wood!) and I CNC non ferrous for work, so making a custom insert is easy enough, but I'm not sure that really gets me that far?

Apart from the slots, I almost think I would do better with a lump of flat alloy.

Again, id be interested to hear your thoughts!

Thank you.

 

[kevinlightfoot]

I made my router table top out of an old spindle moulder top,I made it about 20 years ago.The only problem I had was I had to do a bit of fettling to get the router to fit.The cast iron drills easily to fit fences etc. and it's virtually vibration free,better than any purpose made top available today and if your top is slotted it is even better.The metalworking facilities you have get you half way there ,I would definitely go ahead and use the top.Mine also doubles as a table saw extension,if I could work out how to show photos I could give you a better idea of my set up but be assured it works very well and as I say better than ones available on the market where you end up buying rubbish fences router lifts and table inserts which are easily made to your own specifications.Regards Kevin.

 

[sunnybob]

Show me a lump of alloy as flat as a wadkin cast top. I want to buy it!

Build the router table.

 

[Jelly]

Show me a lump of alloy as flat as a wadkin cast top. I want to buy it!

I have some scrap aluminium, a surface plate and assorted scrapers... Flat to how many PPI do you say?

I agree with your point though, and Iron has another excellent benefit... Pressed or Extruded aluminium will never come close to the stiffness of cast iron; and Cast or Wrought Alu with Si-C and Graphite additives for damping capacity, is [literally] rocket science.


Julian,
You will get a particularly nice router table out of this if you decide to build it... Very interested to follow your progress on it.

 

[sunnybob]

jelly... did you realise this thread was last october? :shock:

Since then, I have spent the money on an Incra aluminium router plate to replace the Kreg phenolic which has warped (twice!).

The Incra is very impressive in its looks as well as its flatness. Nothing I have can measure any deviance. =D> =D>

My de walt 745 table saw is cast alloy, and is no where near as flat as the incra, although to be fair the incra is only 12" x10".

 

[Jelly]

jelly... did you realise this thread was last october? :shock:

I did not, although in my defense the whole look of the forum has been updated since my last visit, and what [I thought] used to be recent posts is now [Definitely] related posts...

 

[sunnybob]

Definitely "changed" :shock:
Theres quite a bunch that would argue "updated" :roll: :roll:

 

[OscarG]

jelly... did you realise this thread was last october? :shock:

Since then, I have spent the money on an Incra aluminium router plate to replace the Kreg phenolic which has warped (twice!).

The Incra is very impressive in its looks as well as its flatness. Nothing I have can measure any deviance. =D> =D>

My de walt 745 table saw is cast alloy, and is no where near as flat as the incra, although to be fair the incra is only 12" x10".

Bob, your 745 is cast iron?

I'm sure my one has some plasticy type top. :shock:

 

[sunnybob]

Oscar, youve got the wrong glasses on. my post clearly states " cast ALLOY" :roll:
Its some form of ali with a heavy grey painted coating.

Not as perfect as cast iron could be, but then again, its marketed as a site saw. Having put a freud blade in it and made a zero clearance insert plate, its pretty good for my needs.
Once I get around to making a short fence for it It will be adequate. 8)

 

[OscarG]

haha.. so I have!

You got any pics of your zero clearance insert plate?

I'm still using the stock blade it came with, 2 years ago...should prob change it!

 

[sunnybob]

Its just a piece of 9 mm ply, cut to shape, with some bits ground out here and there to allow it to fit flush, and a finger hole to one side for lifting out, rather than that overcomplicated bit of plastic on the original.
I made it long enough for the riving knife as well.

If I want to cut at an angle I put the original back in because so far I havent needed enough angle work to make the effort to make another.

 

[philip sewell]

I've messed about making mods to machines over the years but by far the best is my router table. I bought an old cast spindle moulder off my old boss. I took the spindle and motor out and mounted a 1/2" Elu 177e (now changed to a DeWalt) to a plate which is recessed into the top of the bed (using the rebate for the rings).
I took the base off the router and fitted it straight into the plate so that I didn't lose plunge depth.
I use the spindle fence which is cast iron and it's been incredibly useful over the years, really worth the effort. So I would definitely use the cast top as a router table.

 

[julianf]

So, I've been busy with unrelated things, and have just come back to this idea.

First task, I guess, is to work out how to fit the router to the bottom of the table.

I'm always (maybe foolishly) reluctant to drill additional holes, as plans change and I don't want a load of redundant holes. I would rather use the existing mounts and make up further brackets if needed.

So, I have the large oval hole where the blade was. And 4 holes around this.

I can, if need be, make up steel work under this to mount the router. The whole thing needs a table made up for it, so i can weld in a sub surface for the router to fix to.

The cast table has 4 or 6 M8 ish studs where it used to attatch to the saw body. I would use these to affix to the base.

 

[julianf]

Hmm.. my attatched photos did not load. Let me see what I can do from the proper computer tomorrow.

 

[julianf]

And another 6 months go by....

So the saw is one of these -

But i only have the cast iron top -

It looks right rusty in that photo, but it really isnt. Flash photos and all that.

Of course it has the oval where the blade once was. I cnc alloy all the time, so an insert isnt an issue, however, the slot in the case is not large enough to house a router.

Im wondering if i made a sub surface, and secured it to the underside of the table, using the 4 studs (seen in the photo on the corners) if that would work. Ie mount the router to the sub table, and mount the sub table to the studs.

But would that just all be a waste of time. I feel that maybe i should just machine up an entire part from scratch, and get it to spec, rather than messing about with the cast section.

Ive no real interest in a debate over whats flatter, cast iron or aluminium. Im only even considering using this as its been sat here for ages with no other use. I guess i could try and flog it, or use it as a welding table (outch! : )

...or just leave it behind the door for another year.

 

[sunnybob]

If you make a sub base to connect your router to the table, you will reduce the router plunge depth by that much.
That would severely limit what you could with your router as far as cutting dado's and edge facing.
Projects can often overtake common sense, and final costs can easily outweigh the finished value, so think carefully here.
I would not bother with the effort. A router table does not need to be cast iron. It just needs to be flat. 18 mm melamine faced board mounted on a rigid base will do everything a router table needs to do. Then you can buy ( :shock: ) a router plate with interchangeable inserts.
It is very important to have the support of the table as close to the cutting bit as possible for obvious safety reasons.
I bought ( theres that word again) the set of ventilated inserts for the incra plate and whatever bit I am using, from a 6 mm slot to a 2 1/2" wide specialty bit, the support surface is right where it needs to be.

 

[julianf]

I think that you're right.

I don't fully understand the router table insert things I see for sale. The square metal plates that take the guide bushes...

Why is it that people fit them, rather than just mount the router to the table itself and recess the table to take the bushes directly? I feel as if I'm missing something?

Im wondering if I can't just load a chunk of alluminium to the CNC machine and cut the whole job like that, but I've not got my head around fence options. Id rather buy generic extrusion if I can, but I need to work out things like micro adjustment etc.

 

[sunnybob]

Very few people (myself included) can just "use the cnc and knock something up" :roll:
Us mere mortals have to buy the "router plate" which is roughly the size of A4 paper, inlet that into a table top, and then use interchangeable inserts to match the insert hole as closely as possible to the cutting bit.
Some people just bolt the router to the table top with a "one hole size fits all bits" policy. Thats ok if you only ever use long lengths of wood. But imagine a 6 mm wide bit in the middle of a 60 mm wide hole, trying to feed a 300 mm piece (or smaller :shock: ) across that grand canyon. (hammer) (hammer) (hammer)

Yes, the plate and inserts are up front money, but youve just saved 40 hours labour and consumables.
I have seen home made plates and inserts, but we still come back to money. If you have a cnc capable of doing that, surely it should be doing profitable work for you?

Same with the fence, how much is each hour of your time worth to you? Being retired, I dont worry about that, but after three years of making tables (4 so far) and fences (at least 3 that I can remember) regularly, I've now got a table thats almost as good as one I could have bought three years ago. And even then I have ended up buying the UJK fence because i just could not get that accuracy (did I mention I dont have a cnc?) :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Ttrees]

Has anyone made their own insert plate with depth of cut adjustability?
I've never got a real good look at them to make something similar.
Thanks
Tom

 

[TheTiddles]

I think that you're right.

I don't fully understand the router table insert things I see for sale. The square metal plates that take the guide bushes...

Why is it that people fit them, rather than just mount the router to the table itself and recess the table to take the bushes directly? I feel as if I'm missing something?

Im wondering if I can't just load a chunk of alluminium to the CNC machine and cut the whole job like that, but I've not got my head around fence options. Id rather buy generic extrusion if I can, but I need to work out things like micro adjustment etc.

Been there, done that.... now have the Axminster one, should have bought it years ago

Aidan