Here is another featured table.  This is a router table extension for a table saw and is a great example of “out of the box” thinking.  I really like the use of tweaking the project for the table saw.  Of course this saves a lot of room but it also solves a lot of problems for the small workshop.  This has been reprinted with permission to inspire you with your own design.  Almost all woodworkers have a table saw in their shop, adding this type of router table can give you a great workspace without taking up addtional space on the floor.  It also serves as a great extension for the saw, which will help you if you cut your own stock.  This is an awesome project that has been done excepetionally well.

Here is my new router table I finished this weekend. I still need to add the leveling screws to bring the plate up 1/64”, as well as build an auxillary fence but the table is all set. This was a lot of fun to build, and I can’t wait to actually use it.

The process:

I used 2 sheets of 3/4” MDF and glued them together. I then cut that slab down to size as I knew the glue would cause them to slide around a bit and not be completely square.

Once that was done I used contact cement to glue an oversized piece of white formica on the top. Once it was dry I used a flush trim bit to get the formica the same size as the MDF. (I knew I was going to put a border of 3/4” maple around it so I obviously adjusted the size of my table accordingly.)

The next step for me was to cut all of these maple border pieces and miter them. They are 3/4” x 2” x Length Needed. I lined them up in a dry fit to make sure they fit together. I then drilled 5 5/16” holes in the edge of the cast iron where the maple border was going to connect to. Once it was drilled I lined up the maple that was going to be there and made it flush with the table top and traced out the holes on the maple so I could see exactly where to drill. I also measured where the T-bolts were going to slide in on the rails and marked off the two side pieces of maple so I could drill them at the same time. I used 3 bolts for the front fence and 2 for the rear fence.

After drilling the holes and dry fitting just the 3 border pieces of maple to the saw using the bolts, and making any adjustments, it was time make a slot for the nut, bolt, and washer under the table. This part was a little tricky for me to figure out but I kind of did it as I went along. I used a forstner bit to drill down (from the bottom of the table) about 3/4” to allow enough room for the nut to spin on the bolt and enough room for the bolt to go past the maple. The big question for me was going to be ‘how do I tighten the nuts once I slide the bolts table onto the fence. I ended up using a chisel just wider than the nut and pared away at the MDF (which was very easy) to create angles on each side to move a combination wrench at least 1/6 of a turn so I could pull the wrench out and do it again.

Once these were set I needed to secure the maple to the table. I ended up using my Kreg Pocket Hole jig and did 8 screws each on the 27” sides, and 6 screws on the 20” sides. I clamped everything down to my table saw to actually screw it together, being the flattest surface, in order to try and get the table and maple border flush with each other.

At this point I put the bolts in and slid it into the table and tightened it down. I also used lock nuts on every other bolt. It may be overkill but I didn’t want the vibration of the table saw or the router to cause the nuts to get loose. After all of this I just routed out a place for the miter/ttrack as well as the router plate.

Edit: Added retractable/folding legs to the router table for support.

To make both of these legs I ended up getting 1” aluminum tubing that is 1/16” thick, leaving 7/8” inside diameter. I then bought a 7/8” poplar dowel to fit inside of it. I used 2 feet of each material so it would overlap by 1 foot, but still be able to fold up to just over 2 ft total. I used some angled aluminum as the brace with a coupld of #10 screws and a nyloc nut. On the bottom of the poplar I also added a t-nut so I could thread in an adjustable foot depending on where I move my saw and how level the ground is. Once I got the basice height set I drilled a 1/4” hole through both the aluminum and poplar to put a pin which will hold it steady until I want to fold it up.

Related posts:

• Sommerfeld Router Table Top and Fence
• Custom Router Table Cabinet, Reader Project
• Router Table Project, Readers Projects
• Extension & Storage for Table Saw, Readers Projects
• How to Install Cabinet Door Pulls