Okay, i know this has been covered over and over. I did a search, and the results were so overwhelming that i couldn’t find what i need, so please bear with me.
A few months ago, i set out to build a free standing router table, but i’ve discovered that i really don’t have the space. I also recently decided to extend my 30″ Bies fence to about 42″ by moving the tube down the front rail. I need a longer extension table now and would like to hang a router under it. I’m worried about supporting the weight of the router, a pc 7518, and keeping the table nice and flat. I’d prefer not use an insert or router lift if possible.
So my question is, what should i use as the table top and what, if any, support will it require?
Thanks,
kevin
Philip Henslowe: Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
Replies
I have a 50" Beissy fence and mounted a router in my larger extension table. My router is a small one but if you build the table with good 3/4" plywood (like Birch) and add some torsion support under it, it should be plenty strong. I'm no pro - but mine works great! Perhaps others will share too.
RK,
Recently I was over at Woodcraft and they had a special on for routers attached to Jet tablesaws. The special consisted of a bosch router, Jessem lift system and the board with the cutouts for the Jet TS....$350 for all...not bad. Anyhow, you should take a look at that to determine the specs you'll need to meet...as well as best materials.
I was going to laminate some formica onto MDF for my router top but decided to use melamine with a 1/4" hardboard glued underneath and all trimed out with 1" oak...that seems plenty strong. I think you'll need 2" stock to attach to the rails of your TS..and legs
It's been about a year since I hung my 3HP router in a table extension. Here's the details that I remember.
I removed one of the wings, and replaced it with a frame, using some ash that was leftover from a project -- you could use just about anything, including lumber from the BORG. The frame has two "layers", one inside the other. The inside "layer" is mounted 3/4" below the edge of the outer layer.
The inside/lower layer is fitted with 3/4" birch plywood -- actually, this ply sits on top of the inner frame, making it flush with the top edge of the outer frame. I cut a hole in the ply, big enough for my router to pass through, but smaller than the insert that I was planning to use.
On top of that, I put a layer of 1/2" MDF that I had laminated on both sides (to avoid uneven moisture retention). This layer exists as two pieces -- the "rim", and the insert. The insert is big enough to mount my router to, and certainly bigger than the hole in the lower layer.
I mounted my router to the insert after cutting a hole for the bits to pass through. I then dropped the insert into the table.
I also took some time to make an external switch, so that I would not need to reach beneath the table to turn the beast on or off.
NOTE that my insert is 1/2" thick, which is not optimum. Thinner would be better, but I chose to make my own, rather than spending 40 bucks on a pre-made one. There have been a couple of times when I needed to get creative as a result -- but overall, I'm quite happy.
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