Some progress on the router table!

[Monty]

I have finally made some significant progress on my router table project in the last couple of days. I don't have enough room in my shop for a separate router table cabinet, so the router has to go in the TS extension table.

As some of you know, when I bought that Jet saw the extension table was not exactly flat - about 1/16" dip in the center lengthwise. I didn't think that would be good enough for a router table, so I decided to just make a new one! I used a torsion box design, using all 3/4" mdf, biscuits and glue (no metal fasteners). The cross members are all half-lapped:

Believe me... that sucker is FLAT! Anyway, I laminated that with some white formica, and it turned out pretty nice, if I may say so myself. :mrgreen:


So then I figured I wanted to make a nice cabinet to go underneath. The little cabinet that came with the saw wouldn't work for my purposes - it was just too small for serious storage, and the door opened on the wrong side (against the wall). I had previously wanted to make a Norm-style NYW cabinet, but I really don't have the room for that in my shop. So I modified the design to suit my needs, and used some of his construction techniques to make a cabinet:

Once that was done, I needed to cut a hole in the top for the lift. This series of pics shows how I set up for that cut (click the thumbnails):




Then it was just a matter of setting the top in place, leveling the whole cabinet with the adjustable legs, and cutting a hole in the top of the cabinet...

I still have some work to do, of course.... I need to add a face frame, make the drawers & door, and route my DC to both this RT cabinet and also the saw cabinet.

 

[DaveO]

Nice! a hybrid of both styles. Is the top attached to the cabinet? Are you going to use the rip fence as the RT fence? What kind of ply? And did you have gravy with those biscuits????:lol:

Dave

 

[Steve D]

Nicely done Monty. That looks like it will work out great. I think I'll copy you on the cabinet part sometime soon. :icon_thum

 

[Travis Porter]

Very nice Monty. Very stout. I can see the gloat in that Starrett straightedge as well.:lol: . You going to put any storage in the cab for tablesaw accessories?

 

[Monty]

Thanks for the comments... I'm actually pretty happy with how this is turning out so far. This is a hybrid style - I'm doing it this way because I like how the NYW cabinet goes together and I like the simple bit storage drawers and dust collection method. I just don't have the floor space for it, especially now with the new saw. :mrgreen: I figured making a smaller cabinet like this would be a real space-saver, and so far I think it will be. The plywood is my usual "Chinese Birch" from Catawba Hardwoods.... at $26 per sheet, it's hard to go wrong!

I will use the saw's rip fence as the router fence. I will make an accessory fence to go on the Xacta fence, with a DC hookup on that as well. I put the router opening closer to the table saw because I wanted to have plenty of room to move the fence to the right of the bit. This way I can stand in front of the saw and feed the stock in the usual direction (front-to-back). I have about 20" of room to move the fence to the right, so if I want to I can put a dado in the middle of a 40" wide panel. I sized the cabinet so I could have room to turn the bevel wheel on the right side of the saw without banging my knuckles. I plan to put a shelf between the saw and this cabinet to store the saw's fence or my miter gauge when not in use.

If I were doing it all over again, I might make the router compartment an inch or two smaller. The NYW plans call for 17" x 17", and mine is 16". I know the router needs room for air circulation, but this is just too much...

 

[woodguy1975]

Looking Awsome Dude!:icon_thum :icon_thum :icon_thum

Nice legs on that cabinet. Where did you get those? . You got me thinking. I need to add a real cabinet under my TS. Those legs will actually work perfect over my TS mobile base. I have lots of that chinese baltic birch plywood in the shop.

Seriously, you are moving up in the world. Very good work. Now get back to that rocker. (Everyone hears the crack of WG's whip)


John

 

[cskipper]

Looking good!

 

[Splinter]

Nice job on the cabinet and RT top. :eusa_clap I have a router mounted in the extensions of my Jet TS, but I don't have a nice cabinet under it like yours. I work across the end of the extension. I had thought about changing it so I could work from the front like you are going to do, but work from right to left, rather than front to back. I have a post in my shop near the end of my extension that would hinder me some on longer boards if I work right to left. I'm curious how working from front to back is going to be. Let us know when you start to use it.

 

[Big Mike]

That is a good looking and well built router table. I have never incorporated one into the wing of my table saw but I wish I had because it would free up the space my router table currently occupies.

Nice job, Monty!!!!:icon_thum

 

[sapwood]

Monty, that's well thought out and just plain cool

Admire your skill adapting plans to suit specific needs.

Are you challenging Woodguy :lol:

Sapwood

 

[D L Ames]

Monty, like I mentioned last night.....you must have a little engineer in you. Between this RT and that flip top cabinet you made it is starting to show. Great job.:icon_thum

D L

 

[cpowell]

Monty that looks great. It's apparent you've put some thought into your design. I like the way you've modified the basic NYW plan to fit your space requirements.

I feel the same way about the large compartment for the router. I wish I'd made mine a smidge smaller and made my drawers a smidge wider. Maybe next time, huh?

I, too am curious about working the router from the front.

Chuck

 

[Monty]

Putting the router in that position was not really an original idea. If you watch David Marks' show, he has a similar setup...



It's not really feasible for me to have the router on the end, since my saw has to go all the way up against that wall. I figure doing it this way will give me a LOT more work surface support. If I'm using a bearing bit and routing without the fence, I can stand in front just like any other router table. If I'm using the fence, I'll be standing just a few inches to the right of where I stand when using the TS. This just seems like the most logical place to put the router, IMHO.

The only potential problem with putting this in the TS extension wing is that it's a few inches lower than I think most people build their router tables. This is a fine height for me, but for someone taller it might be too low.

 

[Travis Porter]

Considering your space constraints, I think you have made an excellent decision. I like the feet you put on it as well. You will really be spoiled once you get the lift installed and using it. Are you working from a set of plans you made up or modified?

 

[D L Ames]

Monty, what brand of router raiser did you get? Do you have any trouble with the ZC inserts not locking in place correctly? Mshel has one from Jessem I believe and he had to do a little tweaking to get his inserts to lock in place correctly.

D L

 

[Monty]

Travis, the top design is all my own, based on the dimensions of the space I had to work with, and where I wanted the router to end up. I made it thick enough to extend below the bottom of the fence rails. That way I know the cabinet will have clearance to be able to slide in from the back. You can see biscuit slots in the bottom of the top, because I thought I was going to put another layer of MDF on the bottom. I feel the top is plenty strong without this, so I decided not to.

A good while back I purchased the "measured drawerings" for Norm's new deluxe router station...



... since then I added the flip top cabinet, bought the drum sander, got a MUCH bigger bandsaw, and now the cabinet saw all taking up more shop floor space. Of course I have also started working on a bigger workbench... :roll:

Anyway, if you've seen that NYW episode, you know the construction techniques. I liked how the cabinet goes together, with dadoes all around, and that's basically how I did it. I didn't use biscuits anywhere in the cabinet, though, and instead of a toe kick at the bottom I used the adjustable legs so I could level the top with the TS. There will be fewer bit storage drawers, but they're each wider and longer, so I think I'll have plenty of room for my meager bit collection.

DL, the lift is the Jessem Mast-R-Lift. I got it for an absolutely shameful price during one of those crazy Amazon sales... :mrgreen: When I get to use it, I will know whether the inserts will be a problem... if so I'll keep ya'll posted (it couldn't be any worse than the Rousseau plate I'm currently using! ). From what I've heard in general, though, Mast-R-Lift is supposed to be the shizzle. (except for maybe the bench dog)

 

[Travis Porter]

The inserts twist and lock in place beautifully perfectly flush. There is a little two prong tool to put them in and take them out. The bad part is an insert assortment costs $30 bucks for I belive 4 or 5 different sizes. The one that comes with the lift handles most stuff, but if you need a larger hole or a smaller one, the assortment is the way to go, but to me $30 bucks is a rip off.

 

[D L Ames]

Mshel has this same lift and his inserts would not lock securely in place. The inserts would turn just under 1/8". He contacted Jessem and they replaced the lift but he had the same problem. He finally used a small file to tweak the threads on the inserts so they would lock more securely. I was just wondering if anyone else had this same problem. I have a Jointech plate in my RT and my inserts lock in the same way but the inserts turn a little under 1/4 of a turn to secure them in place.

D L

 

[michaelgarner]

nice work bro, an inspiration for the rest of us. Be blessed friend.

 

[Travis Porter]

Hmm.. The only issue I have had so far (knock on wood, haven't had it but a month) was once the locking track for the insert got clogged with sawdust, but it just didn't tighten right. Hopefully, that is just an abnormality.