Router bit case

I finally have a home for my router bits. They were living in their original packaging in a tupperware container on my router table shelf. This whole setup is the the ultimate in cheap. The case is based on a plan from Woodworking magazine a couple years ago and is made from scrap from another project I’m working on. I plan on adding two drawers in the lower shelf, but there’s no rush. Both bit holders are attached with french cleats so I can easily remove them to add or adjust holes. The case is attached to the wall with french cleats.

The router table is made from 2×4’s and plywood and is mortise and tenon construction. I don’t know if I spent more than $30 on the wood. The switch is off an old Wolfcraft router table that died in a basement flood. MDF and moist basements are not friends. The router plate is from Rousseau and I got the fence used for a song on the internet. It’s a Rockler fence. The only thing I really spent money on was the router. It’s a Porter Cable 892 that allows for above the table adjustment. No need for a lift. For as good as it works, I can’t ever see ponying up the cash for a lift. The downdraft extraction works great. I got that for $20 off craigslist. Granted, this whole deal was 20 months in the making, but I was in no rush. My 20 month old is teaching me to slow down.

It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works pretty well. I think I’m going to paint the top with this white tinted conversion varnish I’ve been using on “the other” project. It has a nice, slick finish that would be perfect for a router table top and I don’t have to mess with laminating it.

-- http://www.tenoclockwoodworks.com