Router Table Fence advice sought

[BrianBDH]

I am in the process of building a router table between my table saw fence arms.

I have the table finished but not mounted yet. Need some advice on the fence.

My table looks a lot like the one DaveO posted a few years ago. I glued a 3/4 piece of Melomine to a 3/4 piece of MDF then banded it with 3/4 x 1-1/2 pine.

I went super cheap on the insert and used a 1/2" thick UHMW cutting board for the insert. It is dead flat and I wanted a larger than commercially available insert. My B&D plunge router won't fit up through a 12" opening very easily, so I went 14 inches. Also, becuase I am not very good with a hand-held router (hence the table project) I cut the hole for the insert with my table saw. Just got it positioned right and raised the blade up through it. A little over-cut in the bottom, but who cares? Then i used some 3/8 pine strips glued/bradded in place for a support shelf for the insert. I was able to get it dead flush by doing this upside down on a piece of flat Melomine. Very happy with it.

I have dado'd for miter track across the front for a miter gauge, and t-tracked on each side for the fence. I understand the t-track may collect dust, but I cant get a clamp on the edges because of the TS fence rail arrangement.

Now for the fence. Again, like DaveO's fence, I will have 2 sliding wings. I have 12" of miter track to install on the upper face of the fence to hold feather boards. My real question is this (sorry it took so long)...

Should the track be mounted centered over the bit, or biased slightly to the right? Maybe the better question is, Where is the most effective place to use a feather board? Should it be directly over the bit, or should it be just prior to the work? Do I need a feather board on the "outfeed" side of the work also? at all?

What can you router table experts tell me about the best place for featherboards, and hence the miter track?

Thanks.

Brian

 

[BrianBDH]

Here is a photo of the table so far with the insert and the track installed.

 

[FredP]

I built one once with a piece of 2"x2" aluminum channel. plug one end and conect a shop vac to the other. attach wood to one side and cut a hole where the bit will be. you can fancy it up all you want but the channel provides a strait base and dust collection all in one.

 

[eyekode]

Brian,
I put t-track all the way across the top of mine: http://ncwoodworker.net/forums/f29/new-router-fence-31460/
It has come in very handy. I haven't used it as much for feather boards though. I have used it a bunch for stop blocks.

Also you may want to measure the sag of that UHMW plate you made with a straight edge across it when the router is hanging from the plate. The UHMW PE I have used is very easy to deform. Infact if you leave it in the sun it will conform to whatever shape you place it on. Good luck!
Salem

 

[ScottM]

Check with Matt (Splint Eastwood) he has made more router tables then anyone else I know.

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Check with Matt (Splint Eastwood) he has made more router tables then anyone else I know.

By no means an authority, but have built half a dozen or so, with diff fence configs.

The fence I took my inspiration is from Bench dog. Beautifully simple and strong with few moving components. Thick aluminum extrusion for rigidity and room for add ons such as the Tall fence opion, featherboards etc... The fence does not ride on rails, but clamps to the edge of the table. A great, great design, IMHO.

But, I had to use materials on hand, mostly cut offs of MDF and ply. So the cost of the fence was basically free, except for hardware.

As far as dimensions, I usually make the fence size according to need. For larger projects, doors, etc.. obviously a longer/wider fence is needed. But for my needs this fence is @27 in wide. and bout 4 to 5 inches tall (to accomodate taller pieces). The holddowns and bit guard are in a traditional configuration. with adjustments made for the workpiece itself.

The "L" configuration is made with ply, while the front was MDF with laminate (1/2 mdf). I did my routing before gluing up pieces. A simple 90 square is used to make sure its straight. Triangle wedges are also used to reinforce the correct angle and any subsequent pressure from feeding stock.

Since I could not duplicate the locking down mechanism of the Bench Dog, I had to use traditional knobs and T track. Still works well !

When in doubt, just copy ! Go to WC or Klingy's with either a camera, tape or both. Sound Familiar?

BTW, I saw thread, but was hoping others would hit this outta the park, first. Now that I posted, Im sure there will be others to criticize, err..... chime in:gar-Bi.

Good luck!
m

 

[BrianBDH]

I am 99% finished with the router table extension.

Thanks Matt for the fence photos. My fence might look very familiar to you.

The insert plate is still dead flat, so hopefully that won't become a problem.

I still have to put a switch on the table. The best price I have seen is at Grizzly.com for about $13. I also need to get 2 more featherboards to go on the fence. But I am just about ready. Now I need a project and some time to work on it!

Here are WIP photos.

Brian

 

[eyekode]

Brian,
It looks good. I have one of those switches on my bandsaw and one on my router table. They work fairly well BUT it is hard to find a box they will fit in. They are quite large and a standard knock box will not work. I live in Apex as well and if you are ordering from Grizzly would you consider throwing on some other stuff for me? Then we could split shipping .

Good luck!
Salem

 

[BrianBDH]

This is the switch I had in mind. It is made to fit in a rectangular opening in a table Grizzly sells, but I figured I could mount it to a wood block and then the under side of my table. It looks like it is sealed and doesn't require an additional box to me.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Safety-Switch-for-G2894/G2899

Between being in the doghouse and having some trips coming up, I won't be ordering anything for a while. So probably best if you don't wait on me.

Brian

 

[eyekode]

Oh, when you said 13$ griz switch I thought you meant this: http://www.grizzly.com/products/110-220V-Paddle-On-Off-Switch/H8243

These are the ones I have. I do like that you can take the key out of the switch you linked. I have little ones and turn everything off at the breaker. But safety's on switches are good too.
Salem

 

[BrianBDH]

I was thinking about getting one of those to add to my table saw. But I will probably go with a more direct replacement like this one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Safety-Paddle-Switch/G8988

I think it will fit in the opening for my current toggle switch and make it a little easier to turn it off quickly without having to look.

 

[FredP]

my RT is enclosed so I used the $1.50 solution. I mounted a box inside and a box outside. I used a 20 amp duplex inside and a 20 amp switch outside. I cut the damaged section off a old extension cord that I had and wired it so the outlet inside was switched. I drilled a hole in the RT cabinet for the shop vac cord to go in. plug the router and the shop vac to the duplex and they both come on at the same time. My RT is portable so I did not want to dedicate a DC port to it. I mounted the RT on a roll around stand and the shop vac is in the bottom. the bottom is open on both ends. I found in my shop that a RT in the TS extension got in my way.:gar-Bi By doing it the way I did it is self contained and I can use it anywhere I want.:icon_thum

 

[BrianBDH]

I understand Fred. My priority is space. My "shop" is my garage and everything has to go against the walls to be able to get vehicles in there. I have run out of wall space until such a time as I can get rid of some bikes and toys.

So, for now, I am just thrilled to have the RT at all. I can deal with the inconvenience in return for space.

B

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Brian,

Nice job! looks very professional! Like the Oak ? Edging around the table.

Good Fences not make good neighbors, but great router table as Well!

Congrats!

Matt

 

[FredP]

I understand Fred. My priority is space. My "shop" is my garage and everything has to go against the walls to be able to get vehicles in there. I have run out of wall space until such a time as I can get rid of some bikes and toys.

So, for now, I am just thrilled to have the RT at all. I can deal with the inconvenience in return for space.

B

I understand that. the main thing was the switch. in your application a double box with a switch in one side and a duplex in the other saves a bit of money. :icon_thum

 

[lottathought]

I have the Ridgid TS3650 and built a router table that fits in the extension of the fence. Instead of channels, I have it so that I can clamp my router fence to my tablesaw fence. I can slide it and also lock it as I need to.