Shop Updates #4: Router Table #3 (with video)

Looks like it turned out great! Just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of dough (that’s money to us old folks) to have good equipment. Looking forward to some routed projects.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Denis, Looks Good!

Can’t wait to see the fence. Looks like you have plenty of space underneath for a storage shelf.

Lew

Hi Denis;

Nice job.

Not no knock your video or technique, please accept some advice.

Having to switch hand position in mid cut is nothing new, but you would end up with a more accurate and safer cut if you used a push stick. Pulling the piece across the cutter after having changed hand positions could lead to the piece being yanked out of your hands and shot across the room at amazing speed, or worse, pulling your fingers into the cutter.

A push stick will give you more accuracy and a safer operation.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

That’s a good point Lee.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

true lee. i haven’t made one yet though. i have one for my table saw which i misplaced and haven’t got around to getting another one yet. i am also going to get some of those little plastic and foam things that are used on the jointer too next time i order form rockler which should be about a week from now.

Denis,

Maybe it is just me, but those push pads with the foam on the bottom are always slipping on the workpiece. I would rather have a device that hooks on the edge/end of the workpiece.

Lew

Once again, I agree with Lew. Those foam covered things are not so good. I invested in several and they are gathering dust. I found that I did not feel safe using them. Also, if you slip with one of those and it hits the cutter – it gets pulled off and into the cutter and can potentially pull your hand toward the cutter also.

There is nothing that beats a wooden push stick that hooks the back of the work piece. Whenever I teach a class I always take plenty of wooden push sticks and hide those awful plastic and metal ones. The plastic and metal ones are just accidents waiting to happen.

I’m sure there are those who would not agree. But save your money for something else and use some scrap to make a wooden push stick or several.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

hmm… i always see the foam ones being used but now hearing it i see your point. i think i will make one that hooks onto the end of the workpiece. like the foam ones design just probably out of wood and with a hook on the end. thanks!

I think the tablesaw/router table combo is the most efficient design. That way you already have a straight square fence to register off of, and it’s already the right height! Great addition to you tablesaw!! Makes me wish for cooler days!!

-- Matt, Houston Texas

Maybe it’s my internet connection but I can’t get the video to play. Just a note on the push sticks. I’ve never used one with foam before. I did make a couple and used the non-skid stuff you use in cabinets and or tool box drawers, Cut your strips and glue it on the push sticks. That table looks pretty sweet. I would love to see your fence your thinking of making.

-- Jerry, Measure 10 times cut once. Set in the foothills of the Smokey's

The table looks great. I don’t know what I would do without mine. I love anything home made in the shop. You will get a lot os use out of it.

-- Bill from Lithia Springs, GA I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.

Great work!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- Look great, get your TTK merchandise now! http://www.printfection.com/thetimberkid/ Check out my site http://thetimberkid.blogspot.com/

This may a little strange but I use drywall hand sanders for my router table. They have a wide base that is covered with a thick pad and so far have not slipped. I also use them with my jointer

-- Bob, Rockford IL, http://www.woodandwax.net

cool idea. thats somewhat what i was thinking of just making my own using something like 1000 grit sandpaper. thanks for the idea.

like so many other mentioned- nothing beats an old scrap wooden push stick with a hook on the back to grab the piece, and control its movement over the table. cheap, easy to make, and works the best.

other than that – table looks awesome!

Have you considered any type of enclosure under the table to trap dust for better dust-collection? thats one of the things that are usually missing in table-saw-router-table setups… just food for thought.

-- My Drinking Club has a Woodworking Problem...

Looks good.

I use different types of push sticks/blocks for different purposes. There is no “one size fits all” push stick. I need some to have a wide surface area and some to be narrow for thin strips. I use the typical foam bottomed push blocks for the wide stuff and it gives me a better grip on plywood on the table saw too. For the piece in your video one of those cheap foam blocks would have worked well but so would a push stick.

The table looks great. But believe it or not, that tape will effect your cut. How precise do you want to be? The tape will bump out your workpiece by a fraction. Think about just using a red sharpie or permanent marker which won’t change the flatness of the fence.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.theeasellife.com

ya blake i realized that into a few test cuts. its off now, but i haven’t put anything else there yet

I just made a video on routers and router tables!! Do you have a separate router for handheld or are you just switching the router if you need to? By the way I find the push blocks with the rubber on the bottom to be very effective, I just use them on the jointer and router table, sometimes even on the table saw.

-- Tyler, Illinois

tyler, i have a plunge base and i just switch out the motor. i am also in the market for another router, hopefully a dewalt to use exclusively for my dovetail jig,

You might want to look at ‘The Grippers’. I bought two of these and they are tremendous. I use them for the Table Saw and Router. They wrap your piece very well and keep it pushed up against the fence and down on the table. To me this is much better than a push stick.

-- ...and remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses - Norm Abram