Rt in progress pics part duex

[DaveO]

I had hoped to get farther along this weekend, but with a daughter getting over strep throat and a wife who just got it, my time was limited. I managed to get the top glued up and attached, cut the miter and t-track slots, and started on the fence. The fence isn't glued/screwed, I just put it together to show y'all what I have planned...in case I've made a big "Oh Cr@p" . The fence will be held to the table with the t-tracks and the fence faces will adjust in more t-tracks with 2 bolts per side so they stay straight. Everything is as flat as I can measure, so I am really happy. I ended up having to screw the top to the cabinet becasue it wasn't sitting flat enough. Thanks for looking and your constructive critisim.

Dave:bbiggrin:

 

[clowman]

I like it Dave. What's that top made of? Or did I miss another post somewhere? I assume your drawers are for bit storage? Did you devote all of the draws to bit storage?

 

[golfdad]

Looks real good. Whats the top made from? Did you use MDF on the fence??

 

[D L Ames]

Dave, your RT looks really Great.:icon_thum I like that phenolic faced ply you used for for the top and fence. What thickness does that stuff come in? and how was the cost of it?

D L

 

[DaveO]

The top is that phenolic ply. It is sold as 1/2" thick 24"x48" sheets, as is all things it isn't 1/2" thick which cause some design changes:BangHead: It was about $30 a sheet. With my bad experiences with laminates I decide it would be a good route to go, and I like the color.
The top is 2 layers of 3/4" MDF and the ply laminated together.
The drawers are for bit storage except one and it is for all the other stuff that goes with my routers. I have twice as much bit storage as I have bits now..better get shopping.
The fence is primarily MDF, and I will give it several coats of shellac to , hopefully:eusa_pray , prevent any swelling or other changes in dimensions.

Dave

 

[mshel]

Great Job Dave,

MIke

 

[DaveO]

Mike..you got me on that one. It is still in the clamps.The poly glue I used to bond the phenolic ply to the MDF takes several hours to set up, so I couldn't include it in the pictures. That top section will be built out to match the rest and have a miter track inlayed to accept my Benchdog feather boards. Thanks for pointing that out because if I had missed that element stuff would suck.
The precision of making your own tools is far greater than those used to make things with them :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead:


Dave

 

[erasmussen]

Great job, that should be able to handle any job:eusa_clap

 

[Monty]

Looks great! How did the thickness of the ½" plywood cause you to change your design? Were you not able to layout the sections around the T-track because of this?

 

[Steve D]

Dave,

That's looking great. I've never worked with the phenolic ply but this is a great application. Is the core similar to baltic birch so that overall the dimensions are uniform and flat without any internal voids? Is the phenolic on both sides or just one?

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Dave,

I like it. By the way where did you get your phenolic ply from? I was thinking about using laminate on an upcoming table, but this may work out better.

 

[DaveO]

The phenolic ply came from Woodcraft. It's core is more like a Finnish Birch that Baltic (more plys, better quality), the phenolic is on both sides.
The thickness of it changed my construction plans by causing me to have to route out the slots for the hardware vs. just building up around the miter and t-tracks.
If you have worked with laminate before and had good success I would recommend going that route. The phenolic ply ended up being nore difficult to work with then I had invisioned:BangHead:

Dave

 

[DavidF]

Hi dave,

My only suggestion based on experience is not to have the fence butt up against the table top. I machined a small rebate along the bottom front edge so the the fence is touching the top for stability, but there is somewhere for the saw dust to go during cuts. Same goes for stop blocks etc - leave room for the saw dust.

 

[Big Mike]

Hi dave,

My only suggestion based on experience is not to have the fence butt up against the table top. I machined a small rebate along the bottom front edge so the the fence is touching the top for stability, but there is somewhere for the saw dust to go during cuts. Same goes for stop blocks etc - leave room for the saw dust.

Yeah, DavidF is right. I found that a slight chamfer at the bottom of the fence made it a lot easier with regard to chips not getting caught under the fence. Just a teeny tiny chamfer will do the trick.

 

[hpetty]

Dave,

Looks like you only have on star knob on the outfeed table. Do you have the ability to shim the Outfeed for certain cuts?

 

[DaveO]

DavidF and Big Mike, that is a good suggestion I didn't think about that. I will run a small chamfer on the bottom tonight.

Hpetty, there will be 2 knobs per each side of the fence. I need to hit Woodcraft for the other two. My thoughts are if I need to shim the outfeed fence then I can use some card stock behind the adjustable sections and the main fence. But other than jointing, I don't think that I would need to shim the fence, and I have a jointer which would be my first choice for that operation, unless the piece was very small ...then I might use the RT.

Dave

 

[cpowell]

The top looks great, I like the color a lot! The trim sets it off nicely.

What are the top dimensions?

 

[DaveO]

The top is 36" x 28", and I know this is bad, but I think it is quite handsome also. I tend to make my shop fixtures as nice as furniture for the practice, and because if they look bad..I have to look at them and be disappointed. My wife has been complaining because this has taken as long as her jewelry box. :roll:

Dave

 

[Travis Porter]

I agree with your logic on making and trying things like that. I do it and better to do it on shop stuff. I like the way you have the thing laid out, and it does look good. Makes you want to use it doesn't it?

Question, are you going to put a door over the router opening? If so, how you going to make it and what kind of hinges are you going to use?

On my router table that I have been playing with I did a trial door last night with cope and stick joints and captured a piece of lexan in it (had the stuff). It was 1/8 inch so I used silicon to fill in the gaps and seal it, but I am not sure I am quite happy with it.