Replies

1. 
   ehrichweiss | Jul 31, 2003 06:17pm | #1

   I don't trust the sales people at sears.  They generally (in my few experiences with them) don't know what they are talking about, especially when it comes to compatibility. 

   A couple weeks ago I bought a P/C orbital sander (5 hole, hook and loop sanding discs) at sears.  The craftsman sanders are 8 hole, so naturally that is all they carry at sears.  The salesman told me that buying the 8 hole sanding discs would work well with my sander.  Not knowing the orientation of the holes on either the 5 or 8, it didn't seem out of the ordinary to me that the 8 hole discs would work.  I figured 5 or the holes would line up and there would just be 3 holes that didn't, especially after the salesman told me the 8's would work great.  So I bought a bunch of packs of the discs, got home and guess what...ONE hole lined up :) and another one partially lined up.  I took them back and there wasn't any problem thank goodness, but that is just my two cents on the sears people.  I'm not saying all of them are like this and please don't take it personally if you are a sears salesman.  I'm only saying this has been my experience.

   As for the router table, I'm sorry I can't help you specifically.  The one I have was a friends and is built in a cabinet with my table saw.  It serves its purpose, but is nothing fancy.

2. 
   JDorn | Jul 31, 2003 06:37pm | #2

   get yourself a few sheets of plywood, some MDF, and a bit of high pressure laminate (formica) and build your own table, the added weight will serve you well in eliminating vibration not to metion the table size can be customized to whatever your heart desires and you can build in whatever type of dust collection works best for you.

   I think those little mini tables are pretty much worthless after using a nice big table.  It makes working with large pieces so much easier.

   And there are 100's of designs for router tables in magazines and on the internet, just find one you like and go for it.  You wont regret it. 

   One word of advice, make the top 2 layers of 3/4 mdf thick so that it'll be able to support the weight of a big router if you ever buy one.  That way you won't have to build a 2nd table later.

   JD

3. 
   SCFrankland | Jul 31, 2003 06:44pm | #3

   Wanda you would be better off building your own.  I had one of those Craftsman router tables that was given to me by my dad, it was given to him by some guy who picked it up form someone else.  I gave it to a buddy who brought it back after he used it once.  It now resides in my storage shed and I use it as a stepping stool to get things out of the rafters.  You can probably see where this is going by now.  If you want to do good work start out with good tools.  A router table is a fairly easy project to start out on and you will have a much better table in the end.  Do a search here you should be able to find several threads on router tables.

   Scott C. Frankland

   "This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"

4. 
   ETG | Jul 31, 2003 07:15pm | #4

   Lots of folks build their own, but there is one problem with that.  If you have a dedicated router for the table that stays set-up for the table, great.  But most home made router tables don't accomodate the router base that comes with the machine so folks end up buying a base exclusively for the router table - and that's wasted time.

   After much searching, looking at both homemade and commerically available solutions, I decided on the Leigh Valley table.  It is 1/4 inch steel plate, has 10 second router attachment  clamps and allows you to use the router as is - no special bases.  And I later purchased the fence which is also well designed.  Together about $200 US - not cheap but a quick, well engineered solution.

5. 
   lostarrow | Jul 31, 2003 07:33pm | #5

   wanda-

   I made my router table several years ago from plans in a ww magazine,don't remember which mag. It serves my purpose as far as a router table goes except the dust collection ,it sucks.( pun intended). Actually it doesn't work worth a damn. It has a dust port, but the shavings,chips and dust still fall into the cabinet. I was using it again this AM and I'm fed up with it. I like the one that Norm made, got lots of nice features, and I"m sending to the New Yankee for his plans. You can check it out on the NYW  website if interested.

   Be not afraid of going slowly.  Be afraid only of standing still.   chinese proverb
6. 
   forestgirl | Jul 31, 2003 10:06pm | #6

   Wanda, Lee Valley - Veritas in Canada makes a great router table top, solid steel, universal router mounting system, and a solid accurate fence.  You can throw together a base for it, and then proceed to make a fancy cabinet if you want.  I own the top, Brian McG owns the whole outfit and loves it (I'm sure he'll chime in here soon).  It runs US$310  Here's a link to my set-up
   http://www.islandpastimes.com/Knots/VeritasRT1.htm
   And there is a link to Lee Valley Veritas on page 3.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   wendy | Aug 01, 2003 12:05am | #8

   Hi Forest Girl,

   Think I'm hooked on the Lee Valley Veritas router table. That's quite an impressive set up you have. Great pictures. I think I'm better off buying a router table. I like the fact that the LV router table can accommodate any router.  I want a clamping system that isn't combersome.

   Thanks for sharing those photos of the Lee Valley router table.

   Wanda

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 01, 2003 12:27am | #9

   You're welcome, Wanda.  I think you'll like the flexibility and portability.  Note that I took the handles off my router to make it easier to get around under there, no biggie to spin them back on if needed.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Sancho | Aug 01, 2003 01:20am | #10

   Wanda go to your local home depot buy a small stock counter top and cut it to size. that should do it for the table. all you'd need is to cut in a insert . I recommend going to a plastics house that sell to the public and but some 3/8 stock. then design your fence and your ready to go 

   Darkworks:  No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.

7. 
   cutoffcollector | Jul 31, 2003 10:52pm | #7

   Hi Wanda,

   I would suggest that you build your own router table, I've built several over the years. My shop is small (12' x 20'), so I did not want a stand alone unit taking up floor space. I designed a smaller table that has the following features.

   Mounts on two lengths of 3/4" x 3/4" steel tubing that pull out from under the top of a storage bench. The table base has grooves that contain the tubing. The table stores under my RAS table along with the fence when not in use.

   The fence basic unit has a dust collection 2 1/2" connector for removing dust and chips during most "above the table" cuts, additional split fences and mounts in two routed "T" slots with 1/4" toilet bolt and threaded knobs.

   The underside of the table includes an extra base unit for my PC 690 router (I changed the twist lock for mounting the moter into the base unit and put a 5/16" ratchet in its place. the bottom also has a cover that will collect dust & chips for those types of cuts that require bottom dust collectio. the cover also has a 2 1/2" connector.

   It's not beautiful, but it works for me.

   Build your own and use the money you'll save for another tool.

   Jon

8. 
   Midnight | Aug 01, 2003 01:51am | #11

   Wanda...

   18 months ago I bought the plans for Norm's router table from the NYW site... built it over a month while recovering from a back injury... to date, there hasn't been an occasion where I've regretted my choice.. the only changes I made were to the dust extraction point, and the addition of locking castors; my 8'x12' shop's too small to have a dedicated space for a table this size...

   as for the cost...

   4 sheets of ply... change from £80

   Router insert plate...£30

   No Volt Release switch....£35

   castors and hardware....£50

   18 months and quite a few projects later... the only change I've made was the addition of the recommended 4" dust extraction port. (I didn't have a large dust extractor when I first built it)

   the design has more bit storage space than I'll ever need... and a HUGE drawer that houses the bulk of my hand held electrical tools... it's a good, solid, well thought out design that puts any commercially available table I've seen in the UK to shame, both in price and functionality.

   my one gripe with it is with the fence adjustment... making real fine adjustments is a bit hit-and-miss.... I'm toying with the idea of using some of the ideas in Pat Warners fence to make an improved version...

   my only prob with it to date was caused through the lack of that large dust extraction port... my Freud ES 2000 overheated during a long run causing the loss of the speed control sensor, no permanent damage, just a week in the repair shop and a large slice of humble pie. Since adding the port, the router never gets much more than warm... and then, only when used for hours at a time...

9. 
   mwinkle | Aug 01, 2003 02:21am | #12

   Don"t buy the Sears!!!  Norm's plans are quite good- Woodsmith also has several plans which work well.  In any case whatever you build you will change after you use it.  Router taables seem to be quite personal.  What works for one is not quite right for another.  I am on my third iteration.

10. 
    Telemike | Aug 01, 2003 07:55am | #13

    I'll admit that I have a bias here, but I'd recommend building your own table.  I'd also recommend putting in into an extension wing on your table saw.  By building your own table, you get wood working experience with relatively cheap wood and end upt with a new tool cheap. 

    By putting the router on the table saw wing, you have a heavy solid base and the table fits into already occupied space!  That is, it doesn't take up any more space in your shop and is always ready to mount the router and rout.  And you get the bonus of being able to use the fence and mitre guage (maybe) with the router table.

    I've homemade three different mounting plates at various times and they get better each time!  For the latest, I used 5/16" aluminum plate and routed out the openings with a pattern.  But, you can find many good mounting plates and some router lifts commercially and this is the tough part of putting the router into an extension table.

    There's been a recent thread on putting a router into the extension table.  I put up some pics and someone else put up some pics of a really professional looking set up.

    Good luck!