Hi,
Noticed the other day that my R1000 router table wasn’t flat. 🙁
After further investigation I noticed it was due to water damage. The area next to the miter track obviously obsorbed the water and the partical board beneath the laminate swelled. If the table top came without a miter track I wouldn’t be having to replace the top. (the table top is laminated particle board sandwiched together with solid oak edging)
Looks as though I’m going to have to replace the top. I don’t want to have to spend too much. Could I get away with using MDF (2 3/4″ pieces glued together. Then All I have to do is cut out an opening for the table insert. I will be mounting a 3 1/2hp Milwaukee fixed router to the top. (right now I have my PC 690 mounted to the table)
How do you cut out an opening for the table insert (router plate)? and what tool do I use to make the 2″ opening for the insert? do I have to have one of those special hole saw attachements that come with a manderl? or is there cheaper way to do it. Those attachements cost around $30.00 and I don’t want to have to spend that much just to drill a hole in a piece of mdf for a router table top.
one more ?… Can you use ordianary twist bits to drill holes in the plastic insert?
Right now I have one of those “plastic” table inserts. Would I be better off with a Phenolic plate? what would be the best bit to drill through phenolic?
Wanda
Edited 6/6/2008 10:52 am by Wanda200
Replies
I made my top (norms plans) with two pieces of mdf glued toped with Formica and wrapped in oak. Finished the bottom with shellac to seal it. Your plate manufacturer should have a pattern or you could create your own. I purchased a mdf prepared patter from woodpecker that fit my plate the PRL. I bought a pattern bit. It has a Bering above the cutter. I used carpet tape to set the patter on top of the top and used the plunge router with the dept set to the thickness of the plate and cut around the pattern. That basically left a grove with the dept set right. I then decided how much of a lip to leave for the plate to rest on (mine was 3/8") and then used the jig saw to cut the center out. Dropped the plate in and used the leveling screws to get it perfect and it was done.
If you need to make your pattern, you could use an inlay kit to make the pattern with your router. Test it with some mdf and your done. Good luck.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Edited 6/6/2008 11:12 am by bones
Yes, gluing together two layers of MDF will work.
I'm a little confused about your use of the terms "router plate" and "insert." A router plate usually refers to a relatively large diameter circular or rectangular piece, generally big enough that the entire router can be removed from the table while still attached to the plate. Does your router table have one of those? An insert is a smaller diameter piece that often snaps into an opening. Its purpose is to support the workpiece when using small diameter bits, while still being removable so that you can use large diameter bits.
Assuming that's what you mean by router plate, and assuming it's rectangular, to cut the opening for the top: If you have an online FWW subscription, this article by John White goes into great detail: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/fwnpdf/011153055.pdf
Briefly:
Now, here's the part where I get confused. If you have a router plate, then it already has a hole in it for the insert, so you don't need to drill a 2" hole. On the other hand, if you don't have a router plate, and you need to drill the hole, then a hole saw or a Forstner-type bit will do the trick. A flycutter will work, too, but for that you absolutely need to do the job in a drill press. If you have snap-in inserts, then you will probably also need to cut some rabbets along the top and/or bottom edges of the hole as well.
Yes, you can use twist bits in plastic. Phenolic machines pretty readily (it tends to make fine crumbs). With thermoplastics, such as most snap-in inserts are made of, you have to be a little more careful. If you drill too fast, you can shatter the piece; if you drill too slow, it can heat up and melt around the bit.
I don't know of any plastic router plates that aren't phenolic. Conversely, I don't know of any small-diameter inserts that are phenolic.
-Steve
Wanda
I use my router tables alot. One is cast iron and all the others made of MDF.. I'd say each is flat! and the cast iron one is no better but cost ALOT more!
As I recall most of the MDF I got were some utility 3/4 inch sheets about 2X4 (feet) or something like that. Maybe $7.00 each or something close to that price... Yes from a Big Box!
SEAL THE EDGES! SEAL THE EDGES! I used Shellac and let the edges sit in a plastic thing you wet wallpaper in. The MDF will soak up ALOT! In the end, I have never had one warp! OK, so if I do not put a wet bottom coffee cup on the top! If I do, I just sand it down!
My 'inserts' are just 1/4 inch thick square 'tempered' hardboard.. REALLY cheep! Make a few hundred from a 4/8 sheet of that stuff! Yes I make my templates for doing all the cutouts with CHEEP MDF! and my routers!
YOU CAN DO IT ALSO!
EDIT: I saw posted..
Yes, gluing together two layers of MDF will work.
I'd say go for it.. but I never found it necessary. I just use poplar 'stringers' glued across the bottom of the MDF ( no hardware!) . About 2x2 inches. Not sure that is even needed!
Edited 6/6/2008 12:34 pm by WillGeorge
Hello,
I know everyone likes to coat their MDF table tops with Watco oil but can you get away with using furniture wax to seal the edges and top?
Wanda
I think it's risky to rely on just wax.
-Steve
I stick with shellac or even glue brushed on to seal the edges.. Just me though...
I have to admit... I have one very old MDF table that the edges were never sealed with anything. That table works just fine!
Could be a simplification here.
Routerman's, (Pat Warner) book, "The Router Book", or "Woodworking With the Router", by Hylton, are both well worth the money.
Either of them will be one of the better investments you can make in your knowledge of what you can and can't do with your router, and how to do it safely.
Personally, I don't like miter slots in a router table top. You can accomplish the same thing with sleds that reference either the fence, or edge of the table. With a sled, you don't have a big slot that can catch the edge of the work piece, or act as a path for water to get into the top and swell it.
Edited 6/6/2008 11:46 pm ET by Jigs-n-fixtures
Hi Jigs-n-fixtures,
I managed to get my hands on a great book, Working with routers published by the Taunton press.
After reading that book and the posts here at the forum I'm going to buy a sheet of 5/8" MDF (recommended by routerman) and screw it to my router table cabinet. Can't get much easier than that.
After what happened to my router table top I'll never build or buy a router table with a miter track. I have no use for one. I've never used it. I think the sled idea is much better. It's better to have a smooth surface .. no chance of the workpiece being held up.
So it's off to Home Depot I go to pick up my sheet of 5/8" MDF.
wanda
Wanda,
I just went through the same question and decided to buy the top and aluminum insert from Woodpecker. The two pieces cost a little over $200 and the quality is very good. I am now building a custom cabinet to complete the project. I reasoned that I could not do any better by building my own top, and I would not save enough money to justify the time spent. (and possibility of overlooking an important detail)
Good luck, Tom.
Hi Tom,
I've checked out the router table tops at woodpecker. They've got some great stuff. The router table tops look pretty good. Probably cost me a small fortune to have one shipped to Canada not to mention the brokerage and customs/duties I'd have to pay.
I dont' really want to dish out another $200 for a router table top especially after paying $400 for the R1000 router cabinet I have. Unless I absolutely have to.
I'm saving up for a 2 1/4 Triton Plunge router. :) So I don't want to dish out a lot of money for a router table top. I'm going to go cheap and purchase some 5/8" mdf at Home Depot. I'll just screw my router housing to the mdf. A lot less complicated than the other techniques I've been reading about. Not to mention so much cheaper. No need to purchase a $60.00 router plate.
If this doesn't work out I can always buy a table top but I figure I'll give this a try first.
Wanda
Wanda,I have the Triton router and like it so far. A friend bought one and it had excessive runout. Triton bent over backwards to replace the router, no questions asked.I can't fault your decision. Be sure to support your mdf top with cross braces. Check the resulting top for flatness with the weight of the router installed. Shim under the braces until you get a flat surface. Your setup will then work very well.Good luck, Tom.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the tips. I'm sure it will work out just fine. Now on to my next woodworking project. I'll be able to make my own moulding for my bookcase once I get this new router top built.
wanda
I built my router table and it also doubles as a workbench because it is about 60" long and 24" wide. I built my top out of 3/4" MDF and it works absolutely fine. I added supports so that the face plate will not flex and it works perfectly. I am going to redo the top and this time I'm going to laminate the top just so the material moves smoother.
hi,
Just finished reading Bill Hylton's book on routing.. Woodworking with the router. Fantastic book. I like his deluxe router table. The table top is contructed out of 2 slabs of 1/2" thick MDF> He cuts out a hole the diameter of the router base in one of the 1/2" thick pieces of MDF before glueing the 2 pieces together. Laminate is glued to the top and bottom of the table top then edgebanded with 3/4" thick X 1 1/4" hardwood. Mabye one of these days I'll make a top like that.
I went out and purchased a 3/4" thick slab of mdf for my new table top and am ready to attach it but first I have to drill holes through the top to mount the router.
Ran into a problem yesterday while trying to make a spare base plate . I couldn't get the holes to line up. When I went to attach it to the router the 4th hole was just off by a fraction. Tried using a awl to transfer the base plate holes but obviously I wasn't successful. Should I perhaps be using a Machinists transfer punch?
1 other ? concerning routers.... How the heck does one cut a hole in a 1/2" sheet of MDF? Do you have to use a trammel attached to the router. Is there some jig out there for that. Can it be done using a fixed based router. I bet it would be alot easier using a plunge router but I don't have one.
Wanda
Wanda,Do NOT use a trammel type hole cutter in a router! I have never seen one designed for use at the high RPM of a router. I would guess they might fly apart. These are designed for slow RPM of a drill press.I fact, Never put any cutter in the router that is not a router bit! People have been injured by doing this. It's scary to imagine the momentum of a tool spinning 10,000 - 25,000 revolutions per minute and having it fly apart in a room where you and yours are standing.Greg
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HI Greg,
No I would only use those types of cutters on my drill press. I have no use for one of those small circle cutters. I was thinking more on the lines of a jig that attached to the router so you could move it around in an arc. kind of hard to describe.
Wanda
Wanda,PHEW! Now I understand. You mean a trammel jig AKA circle cutting jig. Go for it.Greg
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Wanda-You have presented yourself with an opportunity to buy Hilton's other router book, "Router Magic." One of the many useful gadgets he describes is a trammel baseplate (pp 39-43) that can cut circles from 1" diameter on up to a practical limit of maybe 16". A fixed-base router will work fine; just crank the bit down about 1/4" with each sweep around the circle.If you don't want to use the very largest panel raising bits in your table, hole-cutting drill bits (the cup-shaped ones with sawtooth rim) are available in a size that would accommodate most other bits. Find a friendly plumber or electrician and you can probably borrow one for a one-time use.Don
Hi,
Yes, those hole saw cutters would be great. I only need 1 size for now. I only need to cut a 2" hole in the router table top for the bit. That would be the perfect tool for the job.
The trammel jig would come in handy to cut through the 1/2" mdf board. But I don't have to bother with that now since I'm going to keep things simple and just use a 3/4" thick piece of MDF for the table top. I can always build a better top later on if I need to.
Wanda
1/2" sheet of MDF? Hardly any availabe by me except on special order.. 3/4 inch... I take 1/4 inch cuts at time and go to my neighbor and tell her I'll wash her car!
Edited 6/12/2008 7:25 am by WillGeorge
I cut my top out of mdf. Two pieces of 3/4 glued and topped with formica. Put the template on top, used a pattern bit in the router (berring on top of bit). Plunged in and routed to the template. I cut a groove 5/8" wide (width of bit) to the depth of my routerplate thickness. I used my jig saw to cut the center out and left the lip around the edge for the plate to sit on. It was the easiest part of the table assembly. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
I've long since gave up on any thing complicated when it comes to router tables. I just go with an 1" thick mdf and mount a fixed base route to it.
http://www.josephfusco.org
http://joes-stuff1960.blogspot.com/
Edited 6/11/2008 7:07 pm ET by Joe
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