Router on right or left?

[Dan Karachio]

Okay, why hasn't anyone thought of this yet. What all really need is two router extensions, one on each side!

[Bruce Seidner]

It is reassuring to know that when I am bumfuzzled and ambivalent, I am in good company. I am building up one of those air craft carrier mobile TS centers on casters for my garage shop. It has to fit under a tall work bench, out of the way when not in use. But it will be long given a 50" Vega Pro fence. I have liked the plans that combine component or individual boxes for the saw, router, storage, that then screw to each other and to a mobile base. Since I will be using the Vega fence across the whole table it makes sense to attach a router fence, with dust collection etc. Rather than having a separate fence. But time will tell. I will have to see how this plays out but with the TS dust collection and motor, etc. There is likely going to be more room down on the right side of the extension table. Although given a 6" dust port under the TS it might be more efficient to keep the router to the left and need less ducting. I admire the people who can draw out a project or use sketch up. I don't "see" a project until I have begun assembling it. Not the most efficient or productive method but most everything is one-off and it gets interesting to see how it evolves.

I was looking for phenolic plywood and you would think I was asking for cheese in China. I tried all the advise I previously received on this forum but no one in the concrete forms business or any of the specialty plywood people in East TN had any supplier. We have a Woodrafters but the phenolic ply they sell is only 24 inches wide and it is about $50 a sheet. I did not like the Formica I was finding, also around $50 a sheet, so I went to a Piedmont Plastic store they have here and found a 4'x8'x 1/8" sheet of HDPE that I am experimenting with. There is expensive specialty glue that is said to bond to HDPE, but i will be using a flat head carriage bolt called an elevator bolt, countersunk to keep the top in place. The only force on it will be the sheer of wood passing over it so I don't think it will need many bolts to keep it in place. An engineer friend expressed concern that I not cinch the bolts tightly because that might deform the HDPE over time and introduce wrinkles. New material to me but it is really tough and really slick. Should be interesting.

Lots of great ideas and experience from one and all. Thanks so much.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Okay, why hasn't anyone thought of this yet. What all really need is two router extensions, one on each side!

Actually... I'd seen someone do just that before.

Bruce: I demand pictures of what you do with that HDPE...

You might find that the glue is only meant to bond it to itself, so trying to lam it to a sheet of plywood might not work at all. Your plan for the carriage bolts is much better and you'll only need four. Just be mindful of compression warping.

At any rate, sounds like you're onto a plan.. Looking forward to seeing what comes of it.

[Rick Davidson]

Not to hijack, but I have been thinking of putting my router on the left. I have a right tilt saw with 50" rip capacity, but the right of the saw is against a wall. Rather then add a table to the left for the router though I was thinking of having the left wing of my saw machined any reasons not to do this?

[David Thompson 27577]

[You said a bunch of stuff, then you said.....]
It makes sense to me to mount it on the left of the blade, on the shorter end of this mobile aircraft carrier. It is closer to the business end of things. But I can mount it anywhere I like really. I don't have a rationale and would appreciate any advice.

Mine's on the left.

In addition to the available space, you need to think about bit-rotation-direction, and workpiece movement direction. When a router is mounted upside down in a table, the workpiece needs to travel on the left side of the router bit.

Certainly, that's possible with the router mounted left or right. But it's something you need to think about.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Put it this way... Router on the right? Feed direction is from the BACK of the saw forward... Router on the left? Feed direction is from the FRONT of the saw backward, just like the table saw.

Me? I don't mind working from the back forward and my shop space doesn't inhibit it. But which ever side you choose, you still need that open work space flow on that side to ensure you have safe work movement.