My Router Table Blog: Lots of pics and Loooong...

[NiteWalker]

For the past two weeks I've been working to get my router table complete. I used
these plans as a starting point and then modified the plans to fit my needs.
 

So starts construction. Click on the thumbnails for the full sized pics.

Here's most of the materials used to build it. In the first pic are the 2x4's used for the legs, rails and stretchers. The second pic is most of the hardware used for mounting the router and assembling the base and top. In the third pic are the two plastic laminates I used. The blue I special ordered for the top (and for a few other projects I have planned for it) and the gray pebblestone pattern I bought as damaged a while back for $12 for a 4'x8' sheet. I used this as backer for the underside of the table because it was cheap. Not shown is the baltic birch plywood for the top. I used 2 layers of 3/4" bb plywood I got from Woodcraft.


In the first pic here is my quick and dirty but accurate crosscut sled I made a while ago. I haven't touched my miter gauge since I built it. In the next three pics are the legs, rails, stretchers and two small cross braces I ended up not using because there was enough support under the router without them.


Here are all the pieces ripped to final width, 3". I did this by ripping 1/4" off of each side. A long and messy process as shown by the last two pics here.


Here are the legs notched for receive the rails. I did this by using the crosscut sled with stop blocks to get the correct width and then used a router and straightedge to cut the waste away.


Here are the legs glued up and drying.


These are the last of the construction pics because after taking these I transformed into get r' done mode. The first two pics here show the top being glued up. I cut the hole for the Porter Cable 7518 in the bottom piece before gluing up. I wish I had the dough for some bowclamps...
The last pic is the top receiving a light sanding.


After that I installed the red oak trim with glue and screws and then plugged the holes. This was my first time using a plug cutter so I wasted a bit of red oak getting used to cutting plugs with the drill press. Clamps are your friend here.

Once the trim was on I trimmed it flush with the baltic birch substrate (it was a bit proud on both sides at this point) using my router and a flush trim bit with the top clamped on edge to the workbench. This worked fine as there was enough surface area for the router to ride on. After that I just laid the top flat and used the same flush trim bit to cut the plugs flush. A light sanding and the top was ready for the router mounting hardware.

One of my main goals for this project was to have a tabletop with absolutely no holes or openings other than the 2" bit opening. I accomplished this by using 5/16-18 tee nuts and hex head bolts driven up through the bottom of the table. Here's a pic of that. It shows better what I can't describe all that well. :crazy:

It's a very strong connection. I'm definitely not worried about the router base falling out.

This is the resulting tabletop. :cool:

I'm very pleased with how it came out.

I lightly chamfered the top and bottom of the table and also the bit opening hole so workpieces wouldn't catch when moving across it.

Next I assembled the base. This was pretty straightforward. The plans had me drill 3/4" holes in the rails and glue in oak dowels so the lag screws holding the base together would have something to bite into. Otherwise the lag screws would be screwing into end grain. After the base was complete I decided to add a shelf on the bottom. I also added a backsplash and two small side pieces so anything on the shelf wouldn't vibrate off. Here's a pic of the shelf.


With the base ready it was time to attach the top. I used borg L brackets for this. I can easily reuse them if I decide to change the base in the future. I probably will redo the base eventually but it'll work great for now. Here's the tabletop attached.


Almost done.
Next up was adding the router table switch. I thought about where to mount this and then decided that I like the position of my tablesaw switch so I mounted the router table switch similarly. On the tablesaw it's to the left. So on the router table to the left it went. It's a great configuration and after routing I have no trouble turning the router off without looking. To mount it where I wanted I had to add a bracket I made out of 3/4" baltic birch scrap.
Here's the switch and the bracket.
 

Now, I didn't think it would be too heavy to move around but it was... :crazy:
Time to add casters. I used hartville tool casters I got a while back. They're great casters and I highly recommend them. I had a bit of trouble coming up with a solution for mounting them as I didn't really want to screw into end grain so I came up with the idea of adding a 3/4" baltic birch plywood strip to the bottom after cutting the legs down. I meausred 5" from the bottom of each leg and used a square to make a line across. I cut proud of the line with the jigsaw and used a router and pattern bit riding on a straightedge to trim each leg to the line. Came out great with no wobble. I then glue and used drywall screws to attach the baltic birch strip to the bottom of the legs. Panhead screws and carriage bolts hold the casters on. It's been working great so far with no signs of joint failure.
Here's the casters attached. I used two locking swivel and two fixed.


Next is the fence.
I didn't like the fence that the plans used so I designed my own. It's really basic. I decided that this would be a general purpose fence and if I needed more flexibility I'd make another with movable faces. The bit opening on my fence is 1 1/2" tall and the same wide. That will accommodate the largest non bearing bits I use. The dust collection port was made by gluing a 4" x 4" piece of MDF with a 1 3/4" hole (for my shop vac) to the base. I added a piece of 3/8" polycarbonate cut to the same dimensions as the MDF port to eliminate wear on the MDF from repeated hose insertion and removal. I chamfered the outside edges of the polycarbonate as it was pretty sharp after cutting. I also chamfered the inside of the hole to make inserting the hose easier. I laminated both the front and bottom using plastic laminate again.
Here's some pics of the fence.


Near the fence in the first pic is the freehand routing guard I made. I used 3/4" baltic birch plywood and 3/8" polycarbonate. It clamps onto the fence and has it's own dust port. A freehand guard was very important as I do a lot of pattern routing.
Here it is in place.


And that does it for my router table project. Looking back I would have done a few things differently. First of all, I would've used plywood strips laminated together for the legs, rails and stretchers. I could've built the joinery right in instead of cutting away huge chunks of 2x4. I also would incorporate casters from the get go. I'd get some bowclamps before gluing up the tabletop next time too. Pocket hole joinery next time for attaching the oak edging. Cutting the plugs was tedious.

That's about it. I'm really happy with the end result as it is very solid and also very simple. I'd guess the total invested in this project was about $450 including the router. Maybe even less.

Here's the money shot. :cool:


Thanks for looking and I hope this post wasn't too long.
If anyone can't see the pics, here's the link to my  photobucket album.

 

[fixedpigs]

looks great...!

did you ever think of having it enclosed...?

 

[ChadTower]

Hopefully someday I'll be that good.  Very sweet.

I'm curious on the cost breakdown.  I don't see any really expensive materials there other than the router and switch.  Is BB ply more expensive than I think?  2x4s cost very little around here.

[Crax]

Nice work.  That looks really good.  I too am curious with how you came to $450.

[Rusty]

What, no Mast-R-Lift?!     

Great job on it!   

A few questions...

• Was there a reason that you went with the direct mount method as opposed to a plate? (Besides the obvious of few holes and supreme flatness)
• The lack of T-track just personal preference?

[NiteWalker]

looks great...!

did you ever think of having it enclosed...?

 

I did but it would have added to the cost. I was trying to keep the costs down as much as possible.

Hopefully someday I'll be that good.  Very sweet.

I'm curious on the cost breakdown.  I don't see any really expensive materials there other than the router and switch.  Is BB ply more expensive than I think?  2x4s cost very little around here.

Nice work.  That looks really good.  I too am curious with how you came to $450.

Here's a rough breakdown:
Router- $236 (from amazon )
Switch- $15 (sale at rockler and free shipping)
Plastic laminate- $13 ( I did have to order a full sheet for $53 after tax but only used a 24" x 32" piece and I'll be using it on other projects so I only factored roughly 1/4 of the price).
2 Sheets of 3/4" 24" x 30" baltic birch plywood from woodcraft- $23 (on sale and free shipping)
9 2x4's- $18 at lowe's
Oak edging- $11
Hardware and glue and misc items- $40

So that brings the total to......:$356. You're right Chad, I blew my estimate by almost $100. Not very expensive at all for a router table complete with a locomotive.
Also I didn't factor in the fence or guard because I made those from scraps. It really wasn't that hard. I just made sure my setups were accurate and made test cuts when necessary.

Thanks for the kind words guys.
 

[Chris G]

Geez, took you long enough!!!   

J/K - nice job and thanks for sharing the plans.  I'm going to make one of these someday (after I actually finish something arcade-related first).

I was going to guess:  $100 materials, $350 beer and pizza

 
Chris

[Chris G]

Oh, and tell me that's not another NEW router...   

[NiteWalker]

What, no Mast-R-Lift?!     

Great job on it!   

A few questions...

• Was there a reason that you went with the direct mount method as opposed to a plate? (Besides the obvious of few holes and supreme flatness)
• The lack of T-track just personal preference?

Thanks.
I used direct mounting because all the lifts and that require a large hole to be cut in the table. This can compromise it's structural integrity. The less seams the less for the workpiece to catch on. Changing bits is pretty simple even with having to squat and remove the motor. I just convinced myself I didn't need a lift to get good results. Also a lift is expensive.

The lack of t-track is close to the same reason I didn't include a lift; it requires dadoes to be cut into the top and it would add to the cost. It's not really necessary either. A coping sled can ride against the fence instead of using a miter slot. Featherboards and all that can simply be clamped to the fence.

Geez, took you long enough!!!   

J/K - nice job and thanks for sharing the plans.  I'm going to make one of these someday (after I actually finish something arcade-related first).

I was going to guess:  $100 materials, $350 beer and pizza

 
Chris

Thanks. 
Couldn't get the beer and pizza.
All the $$$ went into the router table.

Oh, and tell me that's not another NEW router...   

No, I bought this last July for my inevitable router table. Amazon sale.

[ChadTower]

Cool.  I was going to be a little disappointed as I'd like to build a router table but would not do it for $200 in materials.

[DrewKaree]

I foresee another router being bought.  One that can be adjusted from the top, negating the need for a lift

Any plans to have a place to stick a pin for freehand work, or did I just not pay close enough attention and missed it?  Something perhaps under the fence so it's hidden when not needed?

[NiteWalker]

I use the right edge of the freehand guard as a starting pin. It works great. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow showing it in use. I did think about a traditional brass starting pin but didn't want to put a hole in the top. As a bonus the freehand guard works great at eliminating the dust when routing with a shop vac attached. Zero dust makes it to the floor.

I did think about top adjustable routers but all required a big hole for a mounting plate in the table top. The direct mount method works fine for me. Changing bits and cutter height is simple enough. What is a pain though is untightening the tiny t-bolt that locks the motor in place. That thing is a finger killer and will be soon replaced with a ratcheting type lever.

[TroyO]

Ya know, it never occured to me to mount it directly to the table like that. I made mine with a traditional plate. I may go back and re-evaluate that however since I always adjust/change bits from the bottom anyway.

Nicely done!

[Trebeck]

Nice job guy.  One day I hope to be that good.

 

[NiteWalker]

You don't give yourself enough credit. Your arcade machine came out great.