Posts Tagged ‘homemade router table’

Here is another readers project table and its a beauty.  In fact I think I would be afraid to scratch it.  This is a good example of detail if you are building your own table.  The fence is nice and high which gives you the ability to vertical router cabinet doors with a good degree of safety.  T-track is in all the right places as well.  Another great feature is drawers.  Drawers are key to keeping all your components for routing in one place.  I once built a table with two drawers and was amazed at how much stuff I had for my router table when I started gathering it all.  Keeping it in one spot will make you work more efficiently and keep things organized.  Again I found this table on Lumberjocks and asked Wisty for permission to post it here.  He has done an amazing job!

I love seeing other peoples projects, so I am always eager to show off what everyone else is building.  This makes the site more fun and more community oriented.  This one comes from a friend on lumberjocks, skywalker.  He took a rockler table idea and built out his own table using some recovered parts.  This is a great way to save money and use up items that you may have sitting around the shop already.  I really like the on/off switch to the four plug box under the table.  This is very easy to make and makes life easy if you want to plug in a shop vac or small dust collector. 

The fence clamps that grip the table are also beefy and very effective at holding your fence exactly where you want it.  Who says that a router table has to be white in color?  I really dig the yellow laminate.   

I have also enclosed the authors notes and thoughts about building this project.  Well Done!

I copied this from the version they sell at rockler. I just planed and jointed some 2×4’s to make up the frame. It is mortise and tenon construction and it is really sturdy. The top is 3/4” plywood with a solid oak edge band then covered with a yellow laminate. The track is from Highland Woodworking and the rulers are from Northern tool. I routed a tiny little groove to put the rulers into with epoxy. The rulers have etched out numbers and lines so that they don’t wear out over time. The router plate is 3/8” acrylic that I had laying around. I put small threaded inserts in the plywood top so that I can level the plate accurately with screws that go through the acrylic. The fence’s main part is the 1.5” aluminum angle. All the parts connecting to it are just solid oak. I’m not sure that this will cause problems later or not what with wood movement. I haven’t noticed any yet and it cuts a really straight line still after almost a year so I’m happy with it for now. The two halves of the fence can be spread apart to account for larger bits or putting the bit behind the fence for edge work. There are no slots for the fence, the clamps on the ends hold it in place, made out of rock maple and some bolts and threaded inserts. That way all I have to do to remove the fence for any reason I just loosen them up and slide it off the back or front. My table saw came with a router table insert and a dust collection piece that I salvaged and put on the back of the fence. None of the pictures show it but its basically a clear tube that folds down over the fence and above the bit. I really like it and it’’s quite accurate. dialing in precise measurements are real simple and it’s a joy to use.

As you may know, we love router tables. We like to build them, talk about them and profile them and when we find a good one, we always like to share what we have found. This particular router table was found in the popular Lumberjocks forum, and what a beauty it is. We have permission from the builder to reprint and feature the router table because the design and outcome is so GOOD. This is the Rolls Royce of router tables because of the great design and the great features.

The main benefit is for you to get some good ideas and see what other folks are building out there in their workshops. If you have a router table that you would like featured on our site please contact us at supportibn@gmail.com.

This is a router table I’m working on for my shop. I was able to incorporate most the features I needed and plan to use it often. It isn’t finished but most the major parts are in place. I purchased the Incra twin linear, router table top, woodpeckers router lift and the porter cable 7518 motor from Woodpeckers Inc about 6 or 7 years back. Finally, she’s in working order.

Since the last post I was able to complete the rear portion which really dressed up this side of my table. I needed a place to keep the large Incra template guide booklet handy. Again I included dowels in the construction of these new parts, this kept things looking uniform.

There’s also a new picture of the inside of the vacuum enclosure.
Some of the important features include:

* locking casters
* 16” ball bearing full extension slides for all 4 drawers
* concealed hinges on the inset doors
* grizzly power switch and aux power outlet on the front of the cabinet
* Power is supplied by a 30 foot cord reel (I just installed a male plug to the end of the reel) built in
* I put 3/8th” stained dowels in the panels of the doors and drawers on the sides
* the dust collection enclosure is fabricated out of 1/2” mdf (the inside is smoothed, all corners have a 1” radius filled in and the bottom is made with an mdf frame and fiberglass in order to maximize dust flow) hooked up to 4” thin wall drain pipe (pvc)
* the reason the two side doors open facing the operator is for future bit or accessory storage access
* Incra template library drawer (I built a series of removable boards which house templates on both sides behind 1/8” lexan or acrylic)
* plexi windows for viewing the router and lift in action
* constructed from different types of pine and mdf

Future plans include:

* trimming out the inside of the cabinet around the plexi windows
* would like to add a Wixey digital router lift gauge
* need a coat or three of Polystain or some finish haven’t decided
* use this table more and master all that its capable of!

You can also see more information about Incra fences here.