Triple Router Table build

[Dan Friedrichs]

Wow! What a cool DC setup!

Re: The gates getting clogged at the bottom : Have you considered drilling small holes in the bottom corners of the gates?

[Paul Greathouse]

Dan, do you think the holes would pull air in and keep the gate bottom clean?

[Wayne Sparkman]

Paul:

Thanks for one of the most interesting threads in quite some time (I lurked here for a long time before joining).

It would be great if one of the magazines is watching and would contact you for an article on this setup.

Did I miss the overall dimensions of the table?

[Dan Friedrichs]

Dan, do you think the holes would pull air in and keep the gate bottom clean?

I think so. All of the "self cleaning" gates I've seen on the market do something like that.

[Paul Greathouse]

Thank You Wayne,

The short sides of the table top are 18" and the long sides are 30". The fartherest distances across the table is 43". The table top is 36 1/4" from the floor and the top of the transition box is 28" from the table top.

Are there any other measurements you would be interested in? I'll be happy to take them for you.

[Paul Greathouse]

Thanks Dan, I may try it if the side mount that my son suggested doesn't work. The gates and the connections to the fences are just friction fit at this time so rotating the gates will not be a problem.

[Steve Leverich]

Paul, another VERY interested watcher - on your blast gates, try googling "self cleaning blast gate" - these have a longer slide with a hole in one half, and claim that the extra part cleans the gate as it's operated. They're a few bucks more than the cheapies, and are available in either plastic or metal.

Add my "ooh-ah's" to the already long list Steve

[Paul Greathouse]

Thanks for the suggestion Steve, I'll have to do some googling.

[Steve Clardy]

Try the gates upside down. Some of mine are that way and do not clog up.
The plastic ones will clog right side up, or sideways.

Depends on the brand, some of the cheaper gates will creep open when mounted upside down.

I usually just nip the 2 corners off so they won't clog with chips and not shut completely.

[Paul Greathouse]

Thanks Steve, I'll try them upside down, they have a tab on them that catches when fully open, maybe they won't creep.

[Matt Meiser]

With the different plates, I am wondering why you did't just get plates and routers that you could swap out in your regular table (if home shop verse commercial)?

A good idea! Hmm...

[glenn bradley]

The bottom area of the gates has been collecting debis which prevents the gate from closing fully. My son suggested mounting them sideways instead of straight up and down, I haven't tried that yet, it may work.

I mounted mine sideways. Stuff still collects but, not as bad. Final solution was to cut a slot to allow the gates to self clean. I've seen others cut off the corners. My metal gates are already designed this way.

BTW, that triple fence DC manifold is sweet!

[Paul Greathouse]

Thanks for the link Glenn,
The DC manifold was one of the most enjoyable parts to build, it was even more enjoyable when I found that it actually worked like I expected it to.

[jack duren]

Here is the 3 head router table I built several yrs ago...Jack
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=68870

[Paul Greathouse]

Here is the 3 head router table I built several yrs ago...Jack
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=68870

Jack, you and I may have the only two in existence. I actully saw your table on woodnet before I built mine. The picture I saw didn't show your dust collection. It's amazing how similar our DC hookups are. I wanted as much fence mobility as possible, thats why I positioned my DC header box above the fences. Does your DC pass through the tabletop and into the cabinet like mine? If so how good of a job does it do?

I'm just about finished building the first set of cabinet doors with my table. It sure was nice to not have to change out the rail and stile set. Since I have a shaper for my raised panel bit, I use the 3rd router in my table for plowing 1/2" dadoes and rabbets for drawer parts. That leaves my old single table free for anything else that comes up.

The only thing I'm going to change on my table is to reconfigure the DC boxes at the fences to point straight up instead of angling back. Doing so, will give me a little more fence mobility.