This is the router table that I have been working on. It has been an interesting experience in that this is my first attempt at building a cabinet and drawers.
The cabinet itself is made out of 3/4” cabinet grade plywood. The end panels and back are aligned using #20 biscuits, and secured with glue and screws, while the center panels are set in dadoed grooves. The face frame was constructed using pocket screws and aligned to the cabinet with buisquits. The face frame is made from recycled oak flooring planed down to thickness. I have yet to attempt any mortise and tenon joinery.
The drawers are made from 100% reclaimed materials. The drawer sides are maple from the top of an old dresser, which I cut to size and ran through the planer to get them down to 1/2 inch. The corners are all joined with dovetails. The bottoms floats in a dado cut around the inside of the box. I had a bit of trouble with the dovetails at first, but with a bit of adjustment I was able to come out with some good joints. Next time I will make stopped dadoes, as these cut into my dovetails. The drawer fronts and door frame are also made from reclaimed oak from an old table top planed to thickness. The edges were detailed with a cove bit in the router. Now that I have a router table this will be a much easier operation next time.
The table top is 3/4” melamine glued and screwed to 2 layers of 3/4” CDX plywood. It is attached to the cabinet by screws thru gussets set in the corners of each bay of the the cabinet. Minor shimming was required under the top to make it as flat as possible. There is less than 10/1000ths variation anywhere in the surface. The banding around the top is reclaimed cedar from fence pickets. I used cedar because it is very soft and I wanted an edge that would not dent finer materials should they bump it.
Set into the table is a Rousseau baseplate, which I really don’t like. A miter track runs the full length of the table, the top of which has 2 T-tracks inset into it for attaching the fence. Below the insert rides a Porter Cable router with an above the table adjustment mechanism in lieu of a more sophisticated lift.
The entire cabinet sets atop 3” dual locking casters so it can be moved around easily. The top overhangs the cabinet 3” on all sides. I cut a piece of masonite to overlay it so I can use it as an assembly bench. It is 3/8” lower than the deck on my tablesaw so I can use it as an outfeed table.
-- Evil can only thrive when good men do nothing.......E. Burke
15 comments so far
Karson
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12910 posts in 886 days
posted 162 days ago
Thats a big router table. I wish I knew what was best. Most router tables seem to be too small.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
Freddo
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57 posts in 183 days
posted 162 days ago
Wow – awesome job and great use of recycled wood. Are all of those drawers filled up with tools yet? I’m designing a router table to be part of my upcoming table saw workstation. I’m excited to get started but still ned to tweak the design. You did a great job on yours!
-- God bless! Freddo (Northern - NJ) Our Creator designed us to create - so use WOOD!
FlWoodRat
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286 posts in 395 days
posted 162 days ago
Dave, nice job… I like your design and craftsmanship. Do you have the dimensions? Also, what dont you like about the base plate? Thanks for posting
-- Smile. Life can be FUN!
jeanmarc
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1752 posts in 202 days
posted 162 days ago
very beautiful work
-- jeanmarc manosque france
Scott Bryan
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9104 posts in 308 days
posted 162 days ago
Dave,
This is a very nice design and you did an excellent job on the construction. I like the way you added versatility to the table as well in that you can use it as an outfeed table. Very intelligent idea and well planned.
Do you plan to add a fence to it?
Thanks for the post.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
jjohn
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393 posts in 200 days
posted 162 days ago
Very well done. Nice looking table.
-- JJohn
MVWOODWORKS
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156 posts in 201 days
posted 161 days ago
Thats huge!! Well done, lots of storage. What will the fence be made of ? Thanks for sharing!
-- Pat, Colorado
Davesfunwoodworking
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222 posts in 361 days
posted 161 days ago
Nice router table. I like how big it is. Great job!!!!
-- Davesfunwoodworking
ND2ELK
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2479 posts in 260 days
posted 161 days ago
Now thats what I call a router table. You did a very nice job on it. Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
SWODADDY
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31 posts in 327 days
posted 161 days ago
Wow I just made my first router table and this makes mine look like childs play. Great job!
-- The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals, the tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
GMman
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291 posts in 183 days
posted 161 days ago
Very nice router table but why have it so big , mine is very very small and I do eveyting on it even raise panel doors
-- - - Tools are nice to have but you need someone to work them - -
DaveConry
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38 posts in 184 days
posted 161 days ago
Thank you all for the nice comments.
Freddo….unfortunately the drawers were pretty much filled up as they were built. That was a lot of the reason for the size of this unit.
GMman…...It is 30” x 60”.....big enough to replace a work bench, act as an outfeed for the tablesaw, a router table, an assembly bench, a storage unit…..and it is big enough to build double-wide raised panel garage doors…should I choose to do so. LOL!
FlWoodrat…....the only issue I have with the router insert is the fact that it is not comepletely flat. It is designed with a slight convex in the center. According to the manufacturer this is so that the center of the plate is always the highest point. It’s only about .020” but it annoys me. Other than that it is fine.
Scott and Pat…...the fence I am using on it right now is an old dog-earred beast that I had from an earlier experiment. As soon as I get the new pretty one built I will post it. I don’t have the final details yet, but I think it will be melamine with a sliding sacraficial fence, T-slots for attachments and hopefully be set up for dust collection….so many decisions…...so little brain matter. LOL!
-- Evil can only thrive when good men do nothing.......E. Burke
Woodwayze
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54 posts in 571 days
posted 161 days ago
I’d say there are ‘T’ slots in the top, probably to accomodate a fence.
That ‘T’ bar is still available only a few places in UK. It looks to be the latest ‘must use’, for home made jigs! I need some!!!
This is a lovel job of work, and I would definitely build something as big, if I had the space.
Nice Work
J.
-- Semper Fidelis - I started with nothing; I still have most of it left.
David Harms
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39 posts in 229 days
posted 154 days ago
Dave,
very nice. I need to build both a router table and an outfeed table i just might use your idea and make a large router table that will suffice both. Thanks for the post!
-- David - Houston, Texas.
DaveConry
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38 posts in 184 days
posted 134 days ago
I have been asked many times why this table is so large. The picture below shows why. The pieces being shaped on the table are actually 12 feet long. Note the temporary fence which is made from a couple pieces of melamine that I had laying around. Still no dust collection as of yet, but with projects this big I can’t use it indoors anyway. Note the large triangular knobs for the fence adjustment. I couldn’t find any that large at the woodworking store, so I made my own from a block of wood and a blind nut. The triangle shape makes them easy to grip with my large and arthritic hands.
-- Evil can only thrive when good men do nothing.......E. Burke