| Project by nmkidd | posted 69 days ago | 614 views | 0 times favorited | 9 comments | ![]() |
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What to do with a small router table that needs to be stabilized in some fashion…..permanently mount it to a bench?........nope can’t be moved and takes up work area….......mount it to a board and drill holes both in board and bench to pin it??......still takes up valuable work space especially in my soon to be shop.
My solution was to make use of the Workmate stuffed in the corner with all the junk stacked on it. First I utilized an old shelf from a long gone entertainment center…....mounted the router table to it. Great…....got out the Workmate and the vise feature (I use that term loosely) only opened up to 8 1/2 inches…...my table mount is 15”.......oops!!!
After a cup of coffee and a Twinkie I came up with a solution. Spying a 2×4 amongst the clutter, I ripped it in half…....unmounted the table from its board…....mounted the ripped 2×4 pieces parallel 3 3/4” from the center line
of the mounting board…....remounted the router table….......inserted it into Workmate vise….. tighten and Voila….....it worked. Job done…..time for another Twinkie.
I never did use the Workmate much as for my liking it was too short….but with the router table mounted to it, the height is perfect. Also, I can rapidly unmount the Router table and move it to other areas or just set the whole enchilada in the corner of the shop.
-- Doug, New Mexico.......the only stupid question is one that is never asked!........don't fix it, if it ain't broke!






























9 comments so far
patron
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2465 posts in 241 days
posted 69 days ago
well , doug ,
you seem to be jumping into your shop seriously ,
tackling the big problems head on !
how to justify that tool purchase ,
and when to take a break .
thunk like a true lumberjock !
so tell us Doc , which end of the twinkie should be eaten first ,
and what’s in that enchilada ?
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart
littlecope
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604 posts in 402 days
posted 68 days ago
Mmmm…Twinkies…
Good thinking, Doug! I use your first idea, pins in the tabletop, for everything, too.
Welcome to LJ’s! Any friend of David’s is a friend of…well, Everybody’s!! :)
-- Mike in Manchester, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.
bpcorliss
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16 posts in 70 days
posted 68 days ago
Very nice! I have a similar setup except instead of using the “vice” feature of the work-mate, I have four orange “bench dogs” that go into the holes on the top surface. With these I am able to clamp my piece of plywood that the table is mounted to. I think your method (using 2×4s) is likely more stable through.
Is that a dust collector on the back side of our fence? I have been trying to find an effective way to pull the dust out of my router.
-- B. Corliss
Woodwrecker
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498 posts in 475 days
posted 68 days ago
Ahhh, Twinkies, The Universal Woodworking Shop Fuel !!!
Good use for the Workmate Doug.
I have two of them, an old one and a newer one, and I drag out the older one more often. It’s build sturdier.
Thanks for the router set up tip.
-- Eric
Dudley
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375 posts in 160 days
posted 68 days ago
The Twinkies did most of the thinking, the rest was Doug. Way to go Doug. BZ
-- Dudley Young USN Ret.
bamasawduster
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276 posts in 494 days
posted 68 days ago
I would probably rate that project at least four Twinkies, maybe five.
-- Gary, Huntsville. May you live as long as you want and not want as long as you live.
nmkidd
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390 posts in 73 days
posted 68 days ago
It is a dust collector on the router table….eventually I will fabricate a collection system using my shop vac.
In reference to the Twinkies…...if you start in the middle, then which end is eaten first is not a problem
thanks for comments
-- Doug, New Mexico.......the only stupid question is one that is never asked!........don't fix it, if it ain't broke!
Shadowbox
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20 posts in 358 days
posted 68 days ago
Cool, I did the same exact thing. Instead of fastening it permanently, I cut a cross piece that goes from foot to foot (shortways) and clamped the cross piece to the workmate. Great minds think alike! Now I need a twinkie!!
-- You're Born, You Die... The rest is up to you! NO FEAR
hccexperts
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5 posts in 60 days
posted 57 days ago
Thanks for the advice about the magazine rack. I will make that one of my next projects. By the way, thank all of you Lumber Jocks! This is really a great place to share work and ideas. I want to thank all of you for your kind remarks. Thanks!!!
-- Tom Hacker