Wanted! pictures of your router table!

Forgot to post a pic of my modified Ryobi intermediate table.
Ditched the stock plate and miter track for a Rockler plate and Rockler miter track.
Made a WORLD of difference for SURE ! Now its more then a so so so table and moving in to the good range. Since the original plate was a crappy diamond shape the new plate would not completely cover the long side and just barely missed covering all of the short side corners. All in all I think it turned out fairly well. Its a hell of a lot more stable now then with that crappy diamond shaped plastic plate and that crap plastic miter track. YES you heard me right. The frigg'n miter track was plastic ! I actually have no quams with the stock fence at all yet. It works well for me thus far. I did true it up by sanding some rough edges when I 1st got it. they made the fence warp under pressure. No any more though. I am thinking of trimming about 1/16th inch - 1/32 off the bottom of each backer board on the fence though. Some times they bind because they ride the table when the fence moves. I'm happy with the set up so far. Its very light and easy to move around. Fits on my workmate like horses perfectly, and I can upgrade the router later with out having to buy a new table.

RStaron said:

Jim, where did you get the pin arm for your router table?

Click to expand...

Ron,

I got it from Lee Valley Tools.

Veritas® Pin Router Arm - Lee Valley Tools

I was given a bitjack

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=43039&cat=1,43000

by a friend, though they also sell them as a pair. The bitjack lets you set up a foot-pedal powered plunge for your plunge router. I installed a 9" round base plate on it first, which works both as a freehand base and in the table.

Veritas® Base Plate/Table Insert - Lee Valley Tools

The plate comes with only the center hole drilled but with the included install kit, making the screw holes is easy-peasy. So is cutting the hole in the RT top; their kit includes provisions for cutting those circles too.

The base takes the 1-1/2" guides (available from Oak Park or Lee Valley), instead of the 1-3/16" PC guides. I've used the largest guide (1-1/2" OD) quite a bit because, with a 1/2" bit, you have an even 1/2" offset. It makes the math easy and minimizes errors, at least for me!

Oak Park Enterprises Ltd.: Catalogue--


1-3/4" Brass Template Guides - Lee Valley Tools

Lee Valley also sells brass router plate inserts, for when you use it handheld or in the router table.

1-3/4" Router Plate Inserts - Lee Valley Tools

I haven't yet had a chance to play with it much, as I'm trying to clear out some prior projects but at 7.5# of aluminum arm, its beefy as all get out!

I hope that helps, Ron.

Well Deb... without the MLCS in hand to compare, I can only talk specs and appearances.

The MLCS is an 8" arm, the LV is 12". This would permit larger free hand work w/o removing it. How significant that is will vary from user to user.


The MLCS appears to have a fixed pin, the LV has a spring, should clearance be a problem.
The MLCS has 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 & 1/2" pins, the LV has 1/2, 3/8/, 1/2, 3/4" and a pointed tip for tracing patterns.

The LV has rod is clamped solidly in the arm with zero slack. I cannot speak of the MLCS though the toggle clamps I've seen have varying amounts of wobble when they aren't pressing firmly against something.

The MlCS appearsto be made of welded metal, though I cannot tell how ridgid it is. The LV is made out of cast aluminum and the fin-like things you see under the arm is not a decal; they are molded structural fins. Structurally the LV is made like a tank; I've no doubt you could drive a truck over it without damaging it. Again, I cannot speak to the MLCS.

I've nothing against the MLCS, in fact I mentioned it! It also strikes me that, with the right equipment and enough care in alignment, it could be shop-made.