Phenolic Base Plate?

here you go Bob...just got both of them on Friday and finished the build today...I like to take my time!

Regards and stay safe...

Ivan, you are finding out that everybody has their own way of working, and will advise you to do the same.
In this case You dont NEED to remove the springs on the router. In fact with your above table adjustment handle i would advise leaving them in.
The reason...... On many home made tables the adjustments are many and varied. Most (that word gets used a lot on advice threads) times removing the springs reduces the weight on the router and makes adjustment easier.
With your winding handle, the spring pressure is irrelevant, and can even work to your advantage, as they act as shock absorbers and can stop unwanted upward movements if the cutter hits a knot or other obstruction.

A word of caution. Router tables spin sharp pieces of steel at up to thirty thousand revs per minute. Do not play around with a router, do not use it while even slightly tipsy. Do not use it if you are tired or in a hurry. If you make a mistake it can punish you severely and permanently.

Learn to use it safely, and its a fantastic tool. I have 5 of differing sizes, all get used often.

Fear and respect go together. Rehearsing as suggesting is a good idea. There are also issues of grain to consider as well as direction. This has to do with avoiding tearing out as the bit spins. If the grain is upward moving toward the blade, it is far more likely that the cutter will grab the grain and tear it out.

Don't try to make your cuts in one pass. About an eighth of an inch is about all you want to remove in one pass. Get down to near the final thickness then take a very shallow final pass to get it just right and get a smooth finish.

I have found that adjusting the bit in relationship to the fence is best done with precision thickness setup bars, usually made of brass and easy to find on Amazon. You use these mainly with straight bits where you set them between the cutter of the bit and the fence.

You also will need a straight edge (small 6 inch ruler will do) to set across the fence and the bit. Both are very handy.

Since you mention safety, I suggest you find some alternatives to using your hands to move the wood. First would be some push blocks with handles. Second, a plastic bit cover that fits on your fence. These keep your hands away from the danger of a bit spinning at 20,000 rpm. You can make or buy a fence that includes all this

Mask and eye protection. Sawdust is very very nasty to inhale. Some woods are carcinogenic (I'm a throat cancer survivor) and the really fine particles do not come out of your lungs. Many carpenters die early from COPD from years of not bothering to wear a mask. I don't even work in my shop without a mask and I have really good dust collection and filtration.

A dust port on the back of the fence can feed into a simple dust collection station like the picture, which consists of a bucket and Dust Deputy cyclone separator, all feeding into a BIG shop vac. The separator keeps the fine stuff from clogging your shop vac filter in 2 minutes flat.

Last item to start is a height adjustment jig, see pix, that makes it easier to get a bit to a desired height, very important if you are going to cut a groove or dado either on the fence or freehand.

Thanks for the great advice.

I ordered the "bits" and made this a couple of weeks ago...garage/workshop hasn't even arrived yet!!! Works great too!!!

You mentioned Push Blocks...I had been looking at options and thought that the Grr-Ripper seemed like a solid performer...any thoughts?