I am building a router table and I got a little carried away with the dimensions. It will be 48" wide, 32" deep, and 38" high. That is a little taller than most of the tables I see, but I am 6 feet tall (At least I used to be. This getting old crud sux!), and my son who will also be using it sometimes is 6'3" so I think he will appreciate the extra height. This is the first dedicated router table that I will be using. My last one was a Rockler table extension for my old Craftman contractor saw. It worked, but it so low that it was a pain both literally and otherwise, and I don't have that saw anymore.

I am at the point now where I am preparing to install the Mast-R-Lift II lift and was just wondering about where, exactly, to place it. The side to side placement is, of course in the center of the "box" designed for it. But the front to back placement has me wondering a little. The depth of the table will be about 32", so if I center the plate where the router bit would be centered at that point, it gives me about 16" in front of, and behind the center point of the bit. I am a little concerned that this might be little too much when working with smaller pieces causing me to be bent over more, but seems like it would be good for working with pieces that might be larger allowing me to keep my fingers further out of harms way.

Moving it forward might relieve the bending over problem some, and also gives me more room behind for fences, etc. I can't really see needing any more room behind the bit since an Incra Positioner isn't in the picture. It could possibly make working with larger pieces a little more unstable, but they would have to be some pretty big pieces.

Anyway, before I decide just where to locate it I just thought I would solicit opinions from people that have actually used a dedicated router table. First, what are the dimensions of your table? How far is the center of your router bit from the front edge of the table? Would you like it to be closer, or further? Does it matter at all (we are just talking about an inch or two)? Do you have enough space behind the bits for any and all accessories that you have added? Any other considerations?

All opinions appreciated,

Wayne