overcomming home made router table snags

10292 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by TomE, Jan 28, 2011

matey

Discussion Starter · Oct 13, 2005

hi all decided to have a go at home made router table,used 30mm thick kitchen worktop, my router handles are not detatchable and incorperate the dead mans handle type of on /off switch it cannot be locked in the (on position)

first mistake i made was in thinking i needed a big rectangular hole in worktop to incorperate the router handles, only realised my error after hole and rebate was routed out.

used a piece of 7mm thick laminate flooring offcut to mount router to table.

table is clamped to folding workbench, and is used with extention lead for power, i had to tape the switch in the on position and plug/unplug to turn router on/off.

biggest snag is router depth of plunge is 50mm top of post to base, i was trying to cut /finnish two pieces of 18mdf to make rear fence,

my router bits are limited used 10mm dia cutter about 25 mm long but found with the router fully raised as far as possible this cutter does not protrude that high above table surface, i was trying to to get a decent finish on the 18mm face of mdf ,but the cutter could not be raised high enough to be higher than thickness of mdf,

would the purchase of a longer straight cutter be of benifit.

thank you

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larinmqt

· #2 · Oct 16, 2005

Been there, done that.

I found it is beneficial trying to build your own router table. I had similar problems and then bought a router plate kit that included a template and guide bushing. That worked well, but my table top and fence were pretty much of a disaster.

The beneficial part was I had a good idea what to look for when I bought a router table.

A router collet extension may solve your other problem.

I bought the plate kit and extension (#9464) from mlcswoodworking.com. Don't buy their router!

My router table is from hartvilletool.com - very happy with their products.

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tcozadoh

· #3 · Jan 27, 2011

FYI
I bought the MLCS aluminum router plate #9334. I found the indents on the plate to be wrong for me. If I had used the indents for my Bosch 1617 router the clamps and height adjustments would have been on the back side of the router. So I relocated the holes 180 deg.

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jschaben

· #4 · Jan 27, 2011

matey said:
hi all decided to have a go at home made router table,used 30mm thick kitchen worktop, my router handles are not detatchable and incorperate the dead mans handle type of on /off switch it cannot be locked in the (on position)

first mistake i made was in thinking i needed a big rectangular hole in worktop to incorperate the router handles, only realised my error after hole and rebate was routed out.

used a piece of 7mm thick laminate flooring offcut to mount router to table.

table is clamped to folding workbench, and is used with extention lead for power, i had to tape the switch in the on position and plug/unplug to turn router on/off.

biggest snag is router depth of plunge is 50mm top of post to base, i was trying to cut /finnish two pieces of 18mdf to make rear fence,

my router bits are limited used 10mm dia cutter about 25 mm long but found with the router fully raised as far as possible this cutter does not protrude that high above table surface, i was trying to to get a decent finish on the 18mm face of mdf ,but the cutter could not be raised high enough to be higher than thickness of mdf,

would the purchase of a longer straight cutter be of benifit.

thank you

Hi Matey - First thing I would do is pick up (or make) one of the remote switchs that the router plugs into. Trying to get a router unplugged in an emergency situation is something less than a pleasant prospect.
As far as bits go, do you have a flush trim bit? If so, all you need to do is get enough of the edge trued up for the bearing to ride on. Start with the straight bit and finish with the flush trim.