Bev McKay

Hi everyone I have never used a router before and was so excited to get started. I spent the afternoon making a simple router table out of a 3/4" deck top only to find out that my bits do not extend high enough. Is there anything I can do?

thanks so much
Bev

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Hi Bev and welcome to the forums.

It sounds like your top is too thick, you may want to cut the top and insert a router plate. This is what it looks like http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/pictu...4&NTITEM=B2465
Have a great day
John

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John

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template tom

Welcome to the forum Bev and I hope you will receive some great ideas from the members.
Personally I would like to start and give you my comments on the use of the router. There is more to routing than inserting it in the router table, find out 'How to get more from your router' with the aid of template guides.

It is said that
"More than 90% of all operations using the router can be done with the table-mounted router"

There are a great number of projects incapable of being produced on the router table but can be completed with a hand held router with the aid of the guides.

I have at least three routers set up permanently in the router tables but they will not do the work I require by hand. Also working with the hand held router and the guides will also produce greater safety awareness with the router. I would say that there is a greater percentage of accidents happen on the router table.

Give it some thought and seek information on the use of the guides. As you browse through the form you will see I have submitted an introduction to the use of template guides which is free to download as reference material.
Tom

bobj3

Hi Bev

Here's a How_To that will help with your router table top error

http://wealdentool.com/acatalog/tips_20.html
http://wealdentool.com/acatalog/tips_18.html

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http://www.routerforums.com/86898-post1.html
Besure and click on the Up Arrow key ▲ on the Youtube video, you can select other youtube videos on router tables
http://www.woodworkingonline.com/?s=dovetail
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http://www.woodworkingonline.com/200...cut-dovetails/

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Bob J.

mftha

Welcome to the forum, Bev. Template Tom has raised a point about router safety that I had not recognized, but upon reflection in my own experience is true: most accidents, and they can be serious, happen with table-mounted routers. All of my router-involved injuries have come when the router was table mounted. If you do not know, Template Tom is the world leading expert on template use. I very highly recommend his introduction to the use of template guides.

Template Tom: Your observation about the relative safety of table mounted compared to handheld routers should be added to the Workshop Safety forum.

Compared to many on this forum, it is questionable whether I have the standing to speak so authoritatively; I do speak from my limited experience.

From your post, I infer that you had cut a hole in the table top through which the router bit protrudes and attached the router on the bottom side. Please consider the alternative of mounting your router on a base plate, and cutting an opening with a ledge. The ledge should be about 1 cm in width surrounding the entire opening. The depth of the ledge needs to be so that the base plate is level with the table top. The rest of the opening goes through the table and needs to be big enough to insert and remove the attached router. One example of such a system, which has great advantages of simplicity and of being able to use the router either mounted in the table or as a handheld (although the base plate size is not good for tight spaces) is the Oak-Park build your own table kits. They also have 7 in (18 cm) square plates which are more convenient for tight spaces. The Oak Park base plates have the advantage of being easily interchangeable. All their base plates take 1 1/2 in (38 mm) guides which are available in many sizes from Oak-Park and in fewer sizes but covering the range and at a much lower price from Lee Valley.

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Dr.Zook

Welcome to the forums Bev. One question for you. Are you male or female? I had a school mate named Bev. Just wondering. Tks.

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the "Doctor"

In woodworking there is no scrap, only firewood.

Please edit your profile with a name and location so we can better assist you and make for a friendlier forum.

idigjars

Welcome Bev, I'm a newbie too. Looks like there are a lot of friendly helpful folks with some great info on this site. Paul

curiousgeorge

Welcome! Glad to have you join us, Bev.

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George
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