Router Table
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Any woodworker knows the importance of a good solid router table. Many years ago I acquired a small aluminium "table top" router table. The list of problems with the small aluminum router table was lengthy. The biggest problem was that it was small, inaccurate and very limited in what it could do. During the construction of a teak kitchen garbage can, I bought hinges that required a significantly larger and more accurate router table for installation. So that project was put on hold while I searched for a better router table. I searched high and low but there was no commercially available router table that had all the elements I was looking for (large top, good dust collection, accurate fence, bit and accessory storage, etc.). Then one day I saw Norm building a router table on the New Yankee Workshop. It was obvious that it would be quite an undertaking but it really was nice. And it had all the bells and whistles I was looking for. It quickly became the leader in the search and was never surpassed. And of course the final touch was that it was made in the shop, not purchased.
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The completed router table is a bit larger than indicated on the plans. It stands 46" tall (wheels were added), 36-1/2" wide and 28-1/2" deep. The table top is about 39-1/2" above the floor, no loss for a 6' 7" woodworker!
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The router is suspended from a Rousseau phenolic router table insert. A smoked gray plexiglass panel covers the router cavity during operation but is easily removed to reveal the router.
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The project is composed of three main elements; the cabinet, the table top and the fence system. Shown here is the cabinet assembly without the table top and fence. The table top sits on the top of the cabinet and is registered to the correct position with blocks attached to the bottom of the table that fit on the inside corners of the cabinet.
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The fence assembly is held in place and adjusted front-to-back with bolts running up through the bottom of the table top through the fence base and tightened with knobs. The face of the fence is divided into two halves that each slide left-to-right to open wide enough to accommodate the largest diameter router bit (3-7/8") that the insert will accommodate.
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When working with smaller diameter bits, the face pieces of the fence are closed to leave a smaller opening around the bit. This results in safer and more accurate operation as there is a reduced chance the piece being routed will drop into the space between the face halves and ruin the work or injure the operator.
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The table top is made from 1" thick melamine wrapped with solid oak. The fence assembly is made with 3/4" birch plywood and oak. There is an integral dust collection port covered with smoked gray plexiglass.
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The cabinet has six router bit storage drawers, three on each side of the center cavity. Four are designed for 1/2" shank router bits and two for 1/4" shank bits.
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There is also a long wrench storage drawer on the top left. It is located in a very convenient location as the wrenches are used during each bit change.
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The full width drawer in the bottom of the cabinet is installed with full extension drawer tracks so the drawer will fully extend revealing the contents in the back of the drawer. A host of router accessories are stored in this drawer as well as documentation which is kept in the small division on the left side of the drawer.
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A dust port designed for a shop vac hose was added to the back of the cabinet. The cabinet was equipped with a long electrical cord to eliminate the need for extension cords. A "switched" receptacle was installed on the back of the cabinet as well as one on the inside of the cabinet in the center cavity. The router is plugged into the inside receptacle and the dust collection system or shop vac is plugged into the receptacle on the back. Pressing the green "On" button on the front then activates both receptacles and in turn activates the router and the dust collector.
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This is a great project that results in a valuable tool for your shop. It is not inexpensive to build but I don't think it is any more expensive than any other good router table.
Click here to see this picture on the New Yankee Workshop Web site. This is the best router table design around.
Order your plans and video here!
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