Router table top design help

[Bill Conerly]

I’d like help on design of a router table top. I have built a storage cabinet on rollers, and I’ll put the router table on top of it. Here are my questions:

1. Should I center the router on the table, as I’ve seen on commercially sold router tables, or would I be better off putting the router closer to the side (top or bottom in the diagram).

2. For the fence, one end will be over the drawer area. Do I have to use T-track, or do you think I could run a bolt/washer up from the drawer area with a wing nut on top of the table? Because this cabinet will roll under my workbench when not in use, I’ll have to remove the fence. But the drawers will be easy to pull out, and then I could feed the bolt/washer up from the bottom of the router table.
IMAG0648.jpgRouter Top layout.jpg

Thanks.

[pat warner]

Would not use a cabinet for a router table.
But would put the cutter hole ~ 8" from the front edge.
That may be conditional, depending on your reach and top dimensions.
Study this on a mock set up.

[John Vernier]

If you place the router further towards the back of your top, it will give more table area to support larger items like table tops, if you are going to run edge profiles on something that big. If you only see yourself running narrower stock, it isn't much of an issue. Just beware of putting the router too far back for comfortable reach. I watched somebody years ago make an enormous router table with the bit poking out of the middle of a 4' square top. It was uncomfortable to use from any direction. Obviously you don't have that problem.

I would go for the T-track myself. I think having to pull out drawers every time you want to use the router sounds tedious. T-track is more trouble once, but far less futzing around in the long run.

[glenn bradley]

I have about 5" from the front edge of the table to the miter slot. The router is then centered the same distance from the miter slot that my tablesaw blade is from the left-hand miter slot. This allows me to use jigs and fixtures interchangeably. I have through-slots which are t-slots in the table top for the fence travel. There is a hole at the rear end of each slot that allows the t-bolt to drop though. The fence then can slide along the through-slots. My miter track gets fouled with spoil enough. I wouldn't want my fence tracks to have bottoms that could collect spoil in a similar manner.

[John Vernier]

Glenn, that's a very smart idea about the through slots, although if there were drawers or other storage under the top it would just feed sawdust into storage. My preference is for a basic router table with nothing much underneath, because chips and dust always end up filling drawers or cabinets. I've used router tables with T-tracks with no fouling of the tracks, but it seems like I always rely on a compressed air nozzle to blow things out anyway, including the router lift adjustment on the table top, which is always vulnerable.

[Wayne Jolly]

OK, third attempt to reply.

I have a WIP router table. I say WIP because there are still some things that need to be completed, but I don't wanna just yet. Maybe this summer.

Anyway, my router table top is a double layer of 3/4" MDF 30" x 48" that I laminated. then I ran a 3/4" maple border around the edges. I installed the router plate off-center to my left. It is about 15" from the front edge, 18 3/4" from the left edge, and 30 3/4" from the right edge. So far I have not found a reason for any other placement. There is no t-track or miter track installed so the surface is basically smooth. I had planned to add a combination t-track/miter track, but I have decided not to since I have not found any reason to install it. I can remove the router and plate, and install an isert to give me a flat table like surface to do . . . whatever.

My fence overhangs the table top by about 3" or so, and I made some L-shaped blocks to clamp the fence down to the table top overhang. So far the fence has been very easy to adjust to get the exact setup I want, and it remains fixed when clamped.

So should you center your router on the table? I think that is a decision you will have to evaluate for yourself, but my response would be "only if you want to". From the looks of your cabinet, it doesn't seem like you will be able to center it anyway. And one more thing. If, at some point you decide to get yourself something like the Incra Positioner system, you will most definitely NOT want to center it.

And for attaching your fence, clamp it to the table overhang and forget the t-track.

Just my dos centavos.


Wayne

[Andy Giddings]

Bill, don't know if this will help you or not but its the dimensional drawing for the Bench Dog Pro-max Cast Iron top that quite a few use. Should give you some ideas concerning location of router/miter slot etc Bench Dog Pro-Max.JPG

For your fence, you could use slots in the table with bolts as per the diagram with an L shaped fence

[Bill Conerly]

Thank you all for your ideas.

I'll probably go with the router roughly centered.

For the fence clamps I think I'll use T-track to avoid dust falling into the drawers.

One observation was that the top of a cabinet was not ideal for a router table. I agree, but I'm an odd duck who drives cars into my garage most evenings, and the only way to have space for a router table is to put it on top of the cabinet. The old approach was to clamp a piece of plywood to my sawhorses, and I think this will be an improvement.

I appreciate all your thoughtful suggestions.

Bill