Router Table/Cabinet

B

btracey1

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
109
Hi all,
This Router Table/Cabinet took three weekends to complete and is finally done! Yeah!
I started with plans from NYW, that had to be downsized slightly to accommodate a Woodpecker's Lift and Table/Fence.
Not owning a table saw meant that everything needed to be accomplished using my Festools and hand tools.
Here are some images of the finished project.
Thanks for looking,
Brian Tracey
 
Damn!  First I saw your drill press table and now this...too much  [laughing]

I have been wanting to build one of these for awhile now, but just haven't gotten around to doing it.  I even bought the router awhile back. 

What would you say was the most difficult part?  That fence is pretty stellar...nice work!
 
Joe,
Thanks for the kind words. The casters do lock the swivel and rotation. They make it much easier to move things around. I kind of need to be able to move stuff as my shop is also my garage.
As for the lift: it is a very large improvement over what i had before. I do like it very much.
Brian
 
Mikeneron,
Thanks,
The most difficult part for me was doing all of the math to get to my correct dimensions prior to cutting anything. I wanted to use a Woodpeckers Table/Fence/Lift combination that was slightly smaller in dimension than the one on the New Yankee Workshop Router table plans. This then required that I recalculate most of the dimensions on the plans. Most woodworkers would look at the plans and know what to change in an instant, but for me it was painful!
Once past that challenge the rest went fairly easily, it just took way more time than I originally thought it would take. I mean if Norm can do it in a half hour....it should only take me two or three....Right?
By the way, I did not make the fence, it was part of the Router Table Top that I purchased from Woodpecker's.
Brian
 
That would probably take me 3 months to build then.  I go a little overboard with getting things just right and it really adds to the amount of time I spend on things.

What are the dimensions of that table top?  Also, what is the height from the floor to the top of the work surface?
 
Mikeneron,
The Router table top is 24'X32" and with the wheels is the same height as my MFT (35"+??). The surface of the Woodpecker's Router Table is a new kind of Formica that has a tiny dimple pattern that supposedly reduces friction. It is also used on the face of the fence. I'm impressed with the quality of the table and fence, and the precision of the lift itself. All in all, (IMHO) a great product line.
Brian
 
Brian,

Like your drill press table, this is very nice. I see that you have holes drilled into your fence faces. Are the fence faces removable? My setup is similiar to yours and I very often like to use the router table for edge-jointing. It is nice to be able to offset the outfeed side of the fence a little for the edge-jointing.

Do you see yourself having more than one fence in the future?

Lovely setup and organization!!!
Rey
 
Hello Rey,
Yes the fence faces are removable. They are bolted through the faces onto an extruded aluminum main fence that has slotted holes so as to allow the fences to be moved laterally. They are held in place with knobs on the back side.
I can see the need for a taller fence for doing end grain work and will be adding that and a coping sled soon.
Thanks for looking,
Brian
 
Very nice. And a nice collection of router bits.

I have one suggestion, uncoil the electric cord on the router. When cords are left coiled they act like a motor winding and the resultant magnetic field can heat up the wire and rob you of power. I don't know if the heat can cause a fire but you wouldn't want to lose any of the power you paid for on the router.

It is for this reason I never use a retractable extension cord. I know I would be too lazy to pull it fully out of the housing when I need to use just a short length of it.

Go make chips,

Jim
 
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the tip. I was not aware of the effects of leaving the cord coiled.
Brian
 
hey nice job  i have seen those tops and  they seem pretty cool  slick for sliding wood  how do you like working with that top  as i am thinking of getting one  thanks  [thumbs up]
 
Hi honeydokreg,
So far...so good, but honestly I have only finished two small projects using it. Compared to what I had before ( a small store bought Bosch bench mounted Router Table) this is a pleasure to use and a real luxury.
The work seems to glide across the table more smoothly, but that could have to do with it's size as much as the surface.
Brian
 
Nice work, but why the holes in the front?

I thought that the point of encapsulating your router was to suck air out of that box so the dust would go down from the bit, past the router, and to the extractor? With holes in the front, you just create less suction from the workspace?
 
it still needs to draw air to collect all the dust.  If not there would be certain areas where the dust would just sit there.  My guess anyway.
 
Decoy,
The NYW plans called for the holes for the reasons stated by ForumMFG, Steve-CO, and Michael. I can tell you that it works very well. It's not real clear in the picture of the internal configuration, but there's a  45 degree chute mounted on the inside rear wall of the cabinet that dumps the dust and chips onto the floor of the cabinet. From there, the holes in the front door draw air across the floor towards the back funnel where it exits the cabinet. As you were, I was curious about how effective the holes were, so I put tape over them to see what would happen. As Forum MFG stated, without the holes the dust builds up in the corners.
Brian
 
Aha! And they say it is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows!  Thanks for the education :) Another day not wasted.

 
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