DIY router table

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Hey guys, new kid on the block here and I just wanted to share with you guys the progress of my DIY router table. I've been debating my next major tool purchase for awhile now and a router table was one of the items on top of my list. I got to thinking that since I've got pretty much all the tools I need to build one, why not? That and the fact that I wanted a bigger table then what I will find at a store and I also wanted a cabinet style stand to store my router stuff. The only thing I bought was the Incra router lift and the miter slot track. The table is made from 1" HDF, overall dimensions are 30x38. I still need to build the fence and cabinet that the table will sit on and will update as I get that part of the project rolling. Here's what I have so far, I'm open to critics and suggestions as this is my first ever attempt at building my own router table.










That's it for now until I cabinet stand done. Thanks for looking.

[John McClanahan]

Looking good!


John

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the pictures Hoang. The table is looking great. I find the T-type of miter track better for holding featherboards and such versus using the expansion/friction type fittings in the plain track. Just sharing info while you are still st the early stages; I switched many years ago and have been happier with it although I ran the regular track for quite awhile. YMMV.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Thanks for the pictures Hoang. The table is looking great. I find the T-type of miter track better for holding featherboards and such versus using the expansion/friction type fittings in the plain track. Just sharing info while you are still st the early stages; I switched many years ago and have been happier with it although I ran the regular track for quite awhile. YMMV.

Thank Glenn, I realized that as well this morning when I woke up. My miter gauge has a T slot at the tip that I had to remove to make it fit and thought it was ok at the moment but I didn't think about the feather boards until a light bulb went off when I woke up this morning. I'll have to go out and grab a T track to replace it. I also thought about making my own fence yesterday but found this http://www.shopwoodpeckers.com/woodp...ia7xoC2D_w_wcB and really like it so i might just buy that instead of building. Does anyone have any experience with this fence?

[Steve Wurster]

The table is looking nice. Make sure you have plenty of support around the opening when you build the cabinet. That's a pretty big top there and you don't want it to sag.

For the miter track, I used the combination miter / t-track that Woodpeckers sells. Makes it easy to switch between a miter gauge and any jigs or fixtures that use t-bolts or hex head bolts / nuts.

I have the Super Fence from Woodpeckers. I think mine is the double offset model, but I don't think I've ever used the offset capabilities at all. I don't use my router table for edge jointing, and I don't think I've used any bits that require an offset setup. On my table I used t-track (DP track from Woodpeckers, upside down) for mounting the fence, and it works great.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

The table is looking nice. Make sure you have plenty of support around the opening when you build the cabinet. That's a pretty big top there and you don't want it to sag.

For the miter track, I used the combination miter / t-track that Woodpeckers sells. Makes it easy to switch between a miter gauge and any jigs or fixtures that use t-bolts or hex head bolts / nuts.

I have the Super Fence from Woodpeckers. I think mine is the double offset model, but I don't think I've ever used the offset capabilities at all. I don't use my router table for edge jointing, and I don't think I've used any bits that require an offset setup. On my table I used t-track (DP track from Woodpeckers, upside down) for mounting the fence, and it works great.

I just ordered the super fence from woodpecker along with the combo track to replace the one I have on the table now. I also ordered the 1/4" T track for the fence to mount and ride on as well. As for the opening on the table, the cabinet will provide plenty of support for it. I've been able to rip all the pieces for the cabinet down to size today while my baby was asleep. I'll share some pictures of it once I start to assemble it. How do you like your fence by the way?

[John TenEyck]

How is it you are able to post such large pictures? Mine always come out tiny on here.

John

[glenn bradley]

How is it you are able to post such large pictures? Mine always come out tiny on here.

John

They are linked to an off-site location (photobucket in this case). This is a bad practice (no offense Hoang) and the results can be seen all over the internet where pictures no longer show and links are broken due to a failure to maintain every place you ever used them. Pictures should be downloaded to the forum you are using to assure your threads remain valuable to those who come along a year from now. Just my .02.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I can't seem to upload pictures on this forum for some reason. Suggestions?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

LOVE the black. Nice build.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I can't seem to upload pictures on this forum for some reason. Suggestions?

Hoang.....the only problems generally seen are those concerning photo size limits. When you go to "Manage Attachments" to upload your photos, there will be a list of file types and individual size limits for each file type.
For example, 107.8 kb is the limit for ".jpg" files like this:

rt1.jpg

[Steve Wurster]

How do you like your fence by the way?

I like the fence. I think I replaced the knobs that hold the vertical part of the fence to the brackets just to make them easier to grip. Somewhere along the line I also dropped the shield and it broke; I managed to glue it back together but these days I hardly use it. And I almost never use the feather board tracks, as I got the roller-based ones from Jessem and those work great.

[glenn bradley]

I just ordered the super fence from woodpecker along with the combo track to replace the one I have on the table now.

That combo track will be nice. They were not around (or I wasn't paying attention) when I did my table. Getting aftermarket stuff to work with a more standard t-track will be nice for you. I already have a supply of the larger "T" nuts and such or I would have swapped back when I first noticed this track format.

I try to keep the variety of my fixtures to a minimum. This allows greater use of each item. For example; my miter track on my router table is the same distance from the cutter as my tablesaw track is from the blade. This means my single bar jigs like the tenon jig and so forth can all be used on both.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Finally got my fence along with the combo tracks in the mail the other day. Been working on the table whenever time allowed and I'm pretty much ready to rock and roll. I still need to paint the stand (wife wants silver with sparkles). I still need to make an vent at the router door and plan to make it like a BBQ vent style. Here's what I got so far. I still cant seem to figure out how to upload pictures to the forum. It would keep telling me "upload file failed". So it's back to photobucket for me.









Sorry about the huge pictures. I'll update again once I get the vent made and the stand painted.