[Old Bull]

I am new to everything including this forum. My router is still new in box and my makeshift table is on the way.

I hope you have a nice day, (all things considered, covid 19, elections, I don't know which is worse) etc etc.

Donny

 

[Stick486]

Good Morning to you and welcome to the forums N/A...
We're happy you found us...

About that newness of yours... We are all over that, we can help, we really can w/ have some ''light reading'' for you...
We've gathered together a bunch of pertinent/relative information on routering in this here link ... You should find everything (at least most) quite useful, a lot of help and get you off to a running start in the world of routers... Enjoy...

Do take some time to read the safety PDF's... PLEASE!!!
Blood and trips to the ER, we find, are very annoying... Not to mention – expensive...

We do welcome all questions here on about any subject you can come up w/ also....
Not only that, we excel at spending your money...

​

 

[difalkner]

Welcome to the forum, Donny! Add your first name to your profile to clear the N/a in the side panel and so we'll remember what to call you. Add your location to your profile, as well.

We do like photos so show us your shop, tools, projects, etc. whenever you're ready. What sort of woodworking are you planning or doing?

David

 

[Herb Stoops]

Welcome to the forum, this is a great place to start the day. Are you buying or making your table? I check prices for ready made tables yesterday and was surprised how insanely high they are. We have a lot of good threads on here about building router tables, might save you enough to buy another tool. What brand is the router in the box and how large is it?
Jump right in with both feet, we like pictures, you can post them off you computer if they are saved there.
Herb

 

[Stick486]

Jump right in with both feet,
Herb

and pay no attention to how deep the water is or it's temperature...

 

[Old Bull]

Thanks for the welcome and offer to spend my money, you folks are awesome. As for the safety stuff I will re read them but I actually read them months ago. I have safety kit set up, two large beach towels, an empty bucket for parts, and duct tape for holding the beach towels while I drive.

My router is a Bosch 1617 EVSPK package with both the fix and plunge bases. It is the 2.25hp model. I purchased the centering cone and the "45" piece MLCS bits. I am sure there is a centering trick but $6 was worth it.

My table, that is another story. It took months and months to figure out. I would have never dreamed the table would be the most expensive thing in the shop. But I am a stubborn old fart and was willing to let the earth slip out of orbit and crash into the sun before I was going to give into the router table mafia and price fixing schemes. I was strolling through my daily search weeks ago when I noticed the Bosch RA 1181 table, not what I wanted, however it was 27" and aluminum. Every table top out there that was 27" and made to fit in a saw had an extra $200 dollars tacked on. So I decided to cannabilize an RA1181 for it's table, the plate was made to fit my bosch 1617, the dust connector was 2 1/2" the exact same as my saw, it had an aluminum fence, I could re use the on/off switch, and my fixed base has a psuedo lift. The open space at the end of the saw would also give me good access to the latching mechanisms. $4 for 3 inserts later and it will all arrive on tuesday, $229 includes tax and shipping.

Thats my story, me and my arthritis have managed to make a small shop in about 9 months. 1 hour workbench took a week.

 

[difalkner]

1 hour workbench took a week.

Sometimes it's best not to rush through a project... :grin:

David

 

[Old Bull]

Sometimes it's best not to rush through a project... :grin:

David

You da Man !!!!!!!!!

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Hi Donny and welcome. As good as we are at giving advice, we are even better at helping you spend your money on tools. If we can't have them we'll live vicariously through you buying them. The centering cone is the trick by the way. Other routers use a pin which is 1/2" on one end and 1/4" on the other. One end goes in the router and the other goes into that size bushing. With the cone it can center any sized bushing so it is a better idea. Your work schedule mimics mine.

 

[Herb Stoops]

I am glad you found a cost effective top and solution to your router table. I was actually shocked at the prices of tables these days. My fist stand alone Rockler table just 4 legs, top insert, and fence was around $200, a short time ago (15 yrs.), now $549 and I thought that was bad at the time.
Looks like you have a good start on your shop.
Herb

 

[Nickp]

Hi, Donny...welcome to the Forum...nice introduction, BTW...

I also have the 1181 and it has served me well. You will get some sawdust under the table but a bit of shop-vac will take care of that.

eReplacementparts.com has many parts for that table...good idea to get some knobs, featherboards, (spacers behind the featherboards), and a couple of the sliding fences as spares...

When you get the table, wax the top with Johnson's Paste Wax (yellow can) so the aluminum doesn't mark up your project pieces. Apply and buff the heck out of it until it "shines"...don't just let it dry and wipe it off...buff it to dry...

Good luck with your new hobby and tools...

 

[Old Bull]

Hi, Donny...welcome to the Forum...nice introduction, BTW...

I also have the 1181 and it has served me well. You will get some sawdust under the table but a bit of shop-vac will take care of that.

eReplacementparts.com has many parts for that table...good idea to get some knobs, featherboards, (spacers behind the featherboards), and a couple of the sliding fences as spares...

When you get the table, wax the top with Johnson's Paste Wax (yellow can) so the aluminum doesn't mark up your project pieces. Apply and buff the heck out of it until it "shines"...don't just let it dry and wipe it off...buff it to dry...

Good luck with your new hobby and tools...

Thanks for the tip, I will do that right away after installing.
.
.
.

 

[Bstrom]

Hey Donny - we may be living in a parallel universe - I too canabalized myBosch RA1181 and 1617 into a marriage with a Jessem Rout-R-Lift - best router table solution I could cobble together. Welcome to the madness - feel free to vent, cajole and gloat to your heart’s content!

 

[Old Bull]

@Nickp I promise to wax the heck out of it .
@Bstrom, tell me that's not a cup holder I see in the background ?????????
P.S. what is the jig? Mortise and tenon??

 

[Semipro]

Hello and welcome to the router forum,Donny

 

[DaninVan]

Hey, Donny; welcome! "Old Bull"? Lots of that around here...
Great start on a workshop. Very impressive. You sure you're a 'newbie'???

 

[DaninVan]

Incidentally, if you're using 2x4's for framing benches etc. you might consider ripping them down a bit, and putting a 90deg return leg on the corner pieces. ie an 'L' that is maybe 2 1/2' on the front face and 1 1/2" butted on the side. that'd give you a very stable leg that measures 2 1/2" x 3" on the sideface (1 1/2" + 1 1/2"). It prevents the table,carts from wracking front to back.

 

[Old Bull]

Incidentally, if you're using 2x4's for framing benches etc. you might consider ripping them down a bit, and putting a 90deg return leg on the corner pieces. ie an 'L' that is maybe 2 1/2' on the front face and 1 1/2" butted on the side. that'd give you a very stable leg that measures 2 1/2" x 3" on the sideface (1 1/2" + 1 1/2"). It prevents the table,carts from wracking front to back.

The corners on the benches are in fact "L's" They are glued and screwed. I am not sure that is what you mean though. But they have not been ripped they are full 2x4.

 

[Old Bull]

This was before the top.

 

[DaninVan]

Most excellent! You could park your truck(?) on those. Yup; that's what I meant, and you can probably see what I was getting at re reducing the width of the members. For the intended use those are earthquake proof.