LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Advice on Router Table

3K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  RichCMD 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I need some advice about the size of the router table compartment that houses the router itself. I am planning to enclose my Woodpeckers router table, which has metal legs, to add dust collection and storage. I have found numerous photos and plans from people who have done this with a Kreg router table, but not a single example for the Woodpecker's table. I can use the pictures of the Kreg tables for ideas about how to do it, but they are not much help when it comes to measurements.

For reference, my table stand looks like this:

Woodpeckers router table stand

I need advice about how wide to make the center section that contains the router. I would like to have room for drawers (or doors) on either side the center section. I plan to put a 4 inch dust collection port on the back of this center section, and then use a T junction to connect the hose from the router table fence and the 4 inch dust port to my dust collector, so there should be some air flow. I would like to avoid creating overheating problems by making the center section too small, so I am looking for suggestions on how wide it needs to be.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Obviously, the brand is a non-issue. What it's really all about is, dealing with two separate matters - dust collection and storage.

I'm running a Bench Dog lift, which holds Porter Cable's biggest bad boy. This is all mounted on one of my carts, giving me about 2'x4' of table top [on which sits my Freud fence].

I'd built a more accommodating cart than I could buy, so I figured I might as well build the router cover for dust collection too. In the end, I built a simple box open on one end and the other rounded, to limit dust build up. I used a single piece of some vinyl left over from a bathroom job to cover the bottom.

One side of the cover has a door I can open to access speed, or to just see how things are doing. Of course, the whole base can be lifted out of the table too (with a bit of grunting).

I mounted the lower dust port in the vinyl and it joins to the top via a T.

The Freud had a 2-1/2" pick-up port, but I opted for four inch port on the hosing for the router, even though the whole thing is throttled down by the router plates. It just seemed to make connecting the dust collector easier, so the T joining the two ports has a reducer for the smaller upper area.

I never run the table without dust collection, so, with all that air pulling past the router, it shouldn't ever have a heating issue.

When it's all said and done, between the router and cover, most the center is spoken for. A single drawer could be installed across the bottom, but I'd probably opt for shorter center drawers top to bottom and full (24") depth drawers could be installed right and left of the cover.

In the end, not much gets by the collection for many operations.

If you need them, I can give you dimensions I used for mine tomorrow.

Brown Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain

Table Wood Engineering Workbench Machine
 

Attachments

#6 ·
I went out and measured the cover I made and took a couple more pictures. Mine could be shortened by ten inches. I wasn't worried about room and didn't know how much saw dust would build up inside, so I gave it PLENTY of room. Making it shorter and still running collection, heat should never be a problem, and you can make a bottom drawer about sixteen inches deep and twenty-four inches long (since my table is two feet wide).

I stand corrected on the hose sizes. Both the top and the bottom are 2-1/2. If I made the cover shorter, it would be easy to make the bottom port a four inch one.

My cover measures 20" tall x 12-3/4" square. It shouldn't be a problem to reduce the twenty inches to twelve.

Wood Gas Hardwood Electrical wiring Wood stain

Wood Automotive tire Gas Hardwood Automotive exhaust

Electrical wiring Cable Wood Gas Electricity
 

Attachments

#10 ·
RichCMD,

My router cabinet is wood construction with a 1-1/2" wide rails and stiles making up the face frame. The overall width (outside to outside) is about 35". There are narrow drawers on each side of the router compartment. The narrow drawers are on wooden runners and the drawer boxes are from ½" thick plywood. An insert trays set in the narrow drawers and the inserts accommodate 4 router bits in a staggered configuration across the width of the trays. About 1" of width on each side could be saved if the drawer boxes are omitted and bit storage trays with a drawer front (no sides or back) are used instead. Additional space could possibly be had by reducing the width of the stiles.

Hope these dimensions help…
Rectangle Parallel Font Handwriting Slope
 

Attachments

#15 ·
Something to note. screwing into the top isnt easy. I predrilled and used fat sheetmetal screws. It seemed to work OK. The other thing is you may want to caulk the box. My top drawer fills with sawdust and im not 100%sure where its coming through. I think I will attempt to caulk mine this weekend.
 
#16 ·
For my cabinet, I built the compartment where the router is housed just big enough to let me access anything I may need to while the router is installed. Then I cut holes in the door kinda like the slots in Woodchucks door. I started with smaller holes and kept enlarging them until I felt like the flow was enough to cool the router and all the dust was collected. With the DC hose disconnected, the holes in the door plus the DC port are enough to allow sufficient cross flow to keep the router cool. I guess my method wasn't scientific but it worked. Basically make the compartment a convenient size then make sure the dust is sucked out and the router stays cool.
 
#18 ·
This information is a HUGE help. The pictures and drawing are great. I think I now now what I need to do. My table saw was delivered yesterday. I will have some help on Saturday to get in downstairs into my workshop and set up. This is going to be my first project once I have the saw running. Thanks again to all of you for the help.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top