Monday, October 22, 2012

Router table

There is a lot of routing that I plan to do, and I always wanted to mount my router under a table. While I toyed with the idea initially of adding it to my own table saw table, the post by Indranil made me realize that building a router table was not that difficult.


The table : Rather than make a whole table from scratch, I decided to start with an existing table. I used a singer sewing machine table that costs about Rs 1500 or so. It is really advantageous as it  has a square cut out on the top for the machine. This square was just big enough for my Black & Decker KW 900 EKA router. I needed to two wooden beams to support the weight of the router however as the existing knobs were not made for this kind of a situation.


The surface of the router table. The square piece was already cut out.

Fixing the router. I removed the plastic base plate and drilled four holes arbitrarily on to the metal part of the router. Placing the router on the underside of the wooden piece I marked out the holes and drilled the holes in the wood. I also traced the outline of the base plate of the router and routed out a depression of the same area on the underside of the wood. This decreases the effective height of the wood and also helps the router sit snug in the wood. four nuts and bolts were placed from the top to hold the router in place. In this configuration the router is attached to the piece of wood but the wood can be removed.

The under surface of the router table. The router base fits into a grooved area to decrease the height lost.

Fixing the base : I fixed the base on to the cross bars with two bolts to make sure the base does not move.


Router lift : I use the diamond shaped car jack, that gives me remarkable control of the router. There is a small ledge on the table on which the lift sits. a slight rotation of the car jack and the router blade goes up or down as you wish. Before I rout I lock the position of the router.Shown in the picture is a temporary fitting. I plan to fix a car jack below and place a small wooden piece above it to provide a uniform force. 


Car jack used as a router lift : Works very well for fine adjustment.  The router has to be locked before use though.
Fence : Made from water proof ply, reinforced to keep it squre. I still have to perfect this.

The Finished  Assembly :  I have yet to attach a small hole for the vacuum assembly. Attaching a normal Eureka Forbes vacuum cleaner prevents dust flying all around the room. Routing without a vacuum is very dusty. The lower shelf will need some support in the middle as it will warp downward with use. I have to make that sometime. In short this was a nice project to make as I already had the table, and all that was required was  a little drilling. 
Final assembly of the router table. Fence not shown. 





21 comments:

  1. Great idea and execution. How easy is height adjustment?

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  2. Thanks Indranil. The height adjustment is very easy actually . I just rotate the jack and the router moves up or down. I lock it before I finally rout so the force is not on the lower shelf but on the upper shelf.

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  3. Superb stuff Vinay. Looks neat. Appreciate if you could share some details on some applications where this can be handy :)

    See if you can use a Bottle Jack instead of the car jack. They are available for under Rs.1000 for a 1 Ton capacity.

    Here is a link to a detailed build of a bottle jack press, you could draw some parallels :)
    http://www.woodblockart.ca/bottlejack/index.html

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  4. Thank you,
    The information you shared is very informative.

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  5. Thanks for posting the info. I have the same router as you and my problem is the safety button you need to push to operate the machine. I see you used some sort of clamps, but I can not figure out how to do this. Can you provide some more information on that part? Thank you in advance.

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    Replies
    1. Hi. The ON button can only be pressed when the safety button is pressed. But once the ON button is pressed, the safety button can be released and the machine will continue to run until the on button is released.
      I make use of this feature. I press the safety button first and clamp the on button (you can use a cable tie or C clamp for this) while the safety button is pressed. I then release the safety button and the ON button remains 'on'. Thereafter the machine will run automatically as soon as you switch it on. ( A bit dangerous).
      If the clamp slips you will have to do the same thing again.
      This works for me.

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  6. Nice article! I like the way you make use of the sewing machine table.

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  7. Router tables are terrific for cutting your personal moldings. Using a router table is simplier and easier and faster than utilizing a router alone; you don’t need to clamp the panel. And slender boards that tend to be hard to shape having a router are a cinch on the router table. Make use of feather boards and a drive stick to safeguard your fingers.
    Bench Dog Router Table

    http://sharewoodworking.com/best-router-table/

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  8. Looks really nice. Nice job man, I think I'll made something similar. Nice.

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  9. That's interesting idea. I only used the router for my woodwork. How does it work? I want to make somthing like that.

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    Replies
    1. It works very well. However it is not very precise. But very useful in term of coarse work

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  10. Great Job vinay.. I have same router and your trick to turn on the router is awesome !!..
    Basically i use router to cur the wooden circles.. I am also making wooden legs/ stands for my table clock.. I have embeded the image focusing wooden legs.. here is the link = https://scontent-sin1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/12096429_10203778745468099_7432050331292572881_n.jpg?oh=926fbb0fac0196e92e659187af7994c2&oe=5695AE42
    could you please help me on how to make routing templates to get the clamps done with router... i have only trim bit with bering on bottom of the bit.. :)

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    Replies
    1. I have never used templates. I have now just purchased a template cutting router bit. I will try that out and post.

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  11. Great job on this one! I saw a number of posts around the Internet for DIY router tables and gave one a go and it was really easy (and cheaper, too!). I might make one again but this time, a little bit bigger.

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  12. Thanks tom. It has been a few years but the table is going strong. The adjustment is not so fine though.

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  13. Yes I agree your post router table is so nice and good helpful for wood working but the other more info of wood router visit my website http://bit.ly/2qHq5Ge

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  14. How does it work? I want to make something like that. anyway great post.

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  15. Thanks for sharing these insightful tips on woodworking routers! It's like having a woodworking coach, preparing us to understand the intricacies of this powerful tool and how to use it for precision in our projects. 🌟🔨 #CraftsmanCoach #RouterPrecision

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  16. I recently upgraded to the Top Notch Sew Vac sewing table with lift, and I couldn't be happier! The convenience of the lift mechanism has truly elevated my sewing experience. It's sturdy, functional, and beautifully designed. A must-have for any avid sewer looking to streamline their workspace

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