Hello everyone! I am in the process of setting up a shop (who knows how long it will take to get things all organized), but it may be a little crowded once all said and done.
My initial plan was a router table in the wing of my table saw, but having laid out the plans on paper I just dont know if it will work in the location I can want in the table saw. Because of this, I have been contemplating just doing a bench top router table for the time being, with the anticipation of doing the router wing in the future when the saw will be more centrally located for access.
With that said, I am having a hard time deciding on what to do. My first thought was to buy a top and build a little stand for my needs, but I am not locating any table tops that are, say 16x24". Everything is either a trim router table (11x16 or so) or going up to a 24x32 or bigger table.
I could, I suppose, just buy something like the Kreg benchtop, but $230 + the cost of a power switch just has me a bit miffed, and I dont know if the MLCS benchtop is the next best option.
I would prefer something like the old Benchdog pro-top enclosed option, so I guess the Bosch cabinet style may be a good work around for the time being, but I dont know if that is a good main plan.
Really, the Rockler bench top thing would be perfect if I could just buy the top without their leg assembly.
Does anyone know of a top that takes readily available router plates (and preferably standard size so later I can do something like a Peachtree acrylic plate with no holes and make a plate for a trim router in the future), and is also a more compact size for bench top use?
I am not in a position to build a top right now, and while I know I can do a board with a hole in it (and that may be the end result here), I figured I would ask if I am just not finding a mid-size router table. I have a few projects that need some routing between now and Christmas.
My initial plan was a router table in the wing of my table saw, but having laid out the plans on paper I just dont know if it will work in the location I can want in the table saw. Because of this, I have been contemplating just doing a bench top router table for the time being, with the anticipation of doing the router wing in the future when the saw will be more centrally located for access.
With that said, I am having a hard time deciding on what to do. My first thought was to buy a top and build a little stand for my needs, but I am not locating any table tops that are, say 16x24". Everything is either a trim router table (11x16 or so) or going up to a 24x32 or bigger table.
I could, I suppose, just buy something like the Kreg benchtop, but $230 + the cost of a power switch just has me a bit miffed, and I dont know if the MLCS benchtop is the next best option.
I would prefer something like the old Benchdog pro-top enclosed option, so I guess the Bosch cabinet style may be a good work around for the time being, but I dont know if that is a good main plan.
Really, the Rockler bench top thing would be perfect if I could just buy the top without their leg assembly.
Does anyone know of a top that takes readily available router plates (and preferably standard size so later I can do something like a Peachtree acrylic plate with no holes and make a plate for a trim router in the future), and is also a more compact size for bench top use?
I am not in a position to build a top right now, and while I know I can do a board with a hole in it (and that may be the end result here), I figured I would ask if I am just not finding a mid-size router table. I have a few projects that need some routing between now and Christmas.