Project Information
I've only had one router for years, and I have grown weary of moving it back and forth between the makeshift router table clamped to a Workmate and the plunge base. So I snapped up a good deal on a basic Porter-Cable router at the Wood Show this winter, with the intention of building a new router table. Then I decided a router lift would be nice, too. So I just finished (more or less) my new router table, and a router lift. The lift was built from Matthias Wandel's tilting router lift plans (which are really quite good, by the way) available at http://woodgears.ca/routerlift/index.html. The table is based on a design by Rudolf Baumeller, published on Matthias' site (http://woodgears.ca/routertable/rudolf.html).
The frame for the table was made from construction-grade pine (2×4s milled to about 1-7/16" square stock); the sides and back (not visible in the photos) are 5mm underlayment left over from a remodeling project; the drawers are cobbled together from various scraps of plywood (and a bit of OSB here and there) and 5mm underlayment for the bottoms; the table top is cut from a piece of kitchen countertop left over from a kitchen remodeling project many years ago. The router lift and fence are made from 3/4" birch plywood, solid birch and maple scraps left over from various projects. About the only thing I bought new for this project was the bearings and some of the hardware for the router lift.
The router lift works quite well, even though it was my first attempt at making wooden gears (with beveled teeth, even), and I didn't do a great job-a testament to a fine design by Matthias.
I still need to rig up a switch and deal with dust collection, but aside from that, this project is pretty much done, and it cost me only $14 for the router lift plans, a few dollars for some hardware, and a fair amount time in the shop, which was a lot of fun. (Oh, and about $100 for the router
-Doug in Kansas
The frame for the table was made from construction-grade pine (2×4s milled to about 1-7/16" square stock); the sides and back (not visible in the photos) are 5mm underlayment left over from a remodeling project; the drawers are cobbled together from various scraps of plywood (and a bit of OSB here and there) and 5mm underlayment for the bottoms; the table top is cut from a piece of kitchen countertop left over from a kitchen remodeling project many years ago. The router lift and fence are made from 3/4" birch plywood, solid birch and maple scraps left over from various projects. About the only thing I bought new for this project was the bearings and some of the hardware for the router lift.
The router lift works quite well, even though it was my first attempt at making wooden gears (with beveled teeth, even), and I didn't do a great job-a testament to a fine design by Matthias.
I still need to rig up a switch and deal with dust collection, but aside from that, this project is pretty much done, and it cost me only $14 for the router lift plans, a few dollars for some hardware, and a fair amount time in the shop, which was a lot of fun. (Oh, and about $100 for the router
-Doug in Kansas