# Unisaw Torsion Box Fence Table



## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Building the box*

My old fence extension table was just a piece of 3/4" MDF with plastic laminate on top. 8+ years with a PC7518 hanging from it put a pretty good sag in it. I reinforced it with some 1×6 poplar, but that was a temporary fix. Since it's my main router table, I need something extremely flat, so I can do precision work with it. The plan is to build a torsion box table. I'll be using the existing steel angle at the Unifence and outfeed table to support the front and back. This dictates that the top extends beyond the torsion box to rest on the steel. I'll be building some legs to support the end. I'd like to build a cabinet for blade and bit storage, but I need to see how much room I have with a router hanging under the table.

I use an Incra Jig Ultra for my fence. It'll be mounted to the top using 1/4-20 T-nuts inside the top, and studded plastic knobs. To give me more flexibility, I'm putting a series of T-Nuts, so that I can move the fence in 5" increments. It's a 16" fence, but being able to move it will give me over 24" between the bit and fence, if needed. I can also mount the router fence at the end of the table, and get the full 50"+ use from my Unifence.

I'm also using an array of T-Nuts for featherboard and fixture mounting. It's hard to allow for all possible situations, but hopefully the layout will be flexible enough.

I like my Unifence, but one issue is the fact that there's nothing holding the back down, and that the back can flex a bit when pressure is applied at the back. To fix these issues, I extended the back row of T-Nuts for the router fence all the way across the table. I'll be making some hold down fixtures for locking the ear of the fence in place when needed. I won't use these often, but where high precision, or extra rigidity is needed, they'll be available.

I started, by throwing the top on my CNC router, and routing the holes for the T-Nuts. I also counterbored them so the nuts are recessed, although I didn't really need to do that. I also routed dado's for the front to back torsion box ribs. This just made it a little easier to build. And last, while it was up there, I rough cut the hole for the router. I'll CNC a jig that bolts to the T-Nuts for the finish plate opening, when I figure out what to do for plates. Btw, the top is 3/4" Medex (water resistant MDF). I got it for free, and wasn't using it for anything else. The entire torsion box is built from scrap, and won't cost anything.










Because of the motor cover door, the maximum thickness of the top can only be 3". For extra rigidity, the two ribs on each side of the cutout are 1" appleply. The rest of the ribs are 1/2" MDF.










Before gluing in the ribs, I shimmed the top flat on my saw and sagging outfeed table. Once it was flat, I applied the bottom sheet (1/2" MDF) with glue and staples.










I have an idea for a durable top surface for this table, and a few others I want to build. I'm going to attempt an 1/8" endgrain veneer top. I'm hoping for the stablity of MDF, and the durability of butcher block. Here's the plan. First, cut a million little endgrain "tiles". Then, attach them to the top using CA glue. Just a little in the corners, as I don't want to coat the entire bottom. When the entire top is covered, I'll saturate it with epoxy resin. The intent is that the epoxy will flow all the way through, actually bonding to the MDF. This will basically create a plastic top, that should be very stable. Once the epoxy cures, I'll surface the entire top with the CNC router to get it perfectly flat. I'll need to thoroughly seal the entire box, to prevent any warping in the summer. If this doesn't work, and cracks (or worse), I can always put it back on the CNC and route the "veneer" off. We'll see how it goes.

Not sure how long this entire project will take. I start a new job tomorrow, and may need to invest a bit of my personal time in that for the next few months.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Building the box*
> 
> My old fence extension table was just a piece of 3/4" MDF with plastic laminate on top. 8+ years with a PC7518 hanging from it put a pretty good sag in it. I reinforced it with some 1×6 poplar, but that was a temporary fix. Since it's my main router table, I need something extremely flat, so I can do precision work with it. The plan is to build a torsion box table. I'll be using the existing steel angle at the Unifence and outfeed table to support the front and back. This dictates that the top extends beyond the torsion box to rest on the steel. I'll be building some legs to support the end. I'd like to build a cabinet for blade and bit storage, but I need to see how much room I have with a router hanging under the table.
> 
> ...


good job


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Building the box*
> 
> My old fence extension table was just a piece of 3/4" MDF with plastic laminate on top. 8+ years with a PC7518 hanging from it put a pretty good sag in it. I reinforced it with some 1×6 poplar, but that was a temporary fix. Since it's my main router table, I need something extremely flat, so I can do precision work with it. The plan is to build a torsion box table. I'll be using the existing steel angle at the Unifence and outfeed table to support the front and back. This dictates that the top extends beyond the torsion box to rest on the steel. I'll be building some legs to support the end. I'd like to build a cabinet for blade and bit storage, but I need to see how much room I have with a router hanging under the table.
> 
> ...


Jeepers Gerry, you really do think outside the box.

1/8 inch endgrain veneer. Huh. Are you sure that it will be thick enough to allow you to level it from one corner to the other? You going to cut the veneer yourself?

Steve


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Building the box*
> 
> My old fence extension table was just a piece of 3/4" MDF with plastic laminate on top. 8+ years with a PC7518 hanging from it put a pretty good sag in it. I reinforced it with some 1×6 poplar, but that was a temporary fix. Since it's my main router table, I need something extremely flat, so I can do precision work with it. The plan is to build a torsion box table. I'll be using the existing steel angle at the Unifence and outfeed table to support the front and back. This dictates that the top extends beyond the torsion box to rest on the steel. I'll be building some legs to support the end. I'd like to build a cabinet for blade and bit storage, but I need to see how much room I have with a router hanging under the table.
> 
> ...


It's already flat.  If I go too thick, I'm afraid the epoxy won't penetrate all the way through.

I have several piles of 3/4" x 5-1/2" birch cutoffs. I'm going to cut and plane them to 3/4" x 1-1/2", or just under if I have to, but keep them 2:1. I may lay them in a herringbone pattern? Maybe throw some bubinga accents? And yes, I'm going to make a table saw cutoff jig to cut them. I'll use an 80 tooth crosscut blade.
Wish me luck.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*End Grain Veneer Top (or "What did I get myself into")*

I mentioned in the previous entry, my intent to use an 1/8" endgrain veneer on the table top. Rather than dive in head first (and break my neck), I thought it might be a god idea to make a small sample to test the viablility of this.

I cut a few pieces of endgrain birch, and glued them up on some scrap Extira. A few days ago, I applied the epoxy, pouring it on, and warming it with a heat gun to thin it, and allow better penetration, as the goal is to have it fully penetrated and bond the veneer to the substrate. After curing for a few days, I mounted the sample on the CNC, and routed about .01" off the top. Got a nice, smooth finish.










What I really needed to see, was if the epoxy went all the way through. So I routed away half of the sample, and left about .01" of the endgrain left on the substrate. Success!. You can see the spots where the CA glue was used to attach the pieces, as it started to tear away. But everywhere else, where the epoxy penetrated, the veneer is still attached.










Just to be sure the epoxy did penetrate into the Extira, I made two more passes of .005", just slightly into the Extira. You can see the spots where the CA glue was, and you can clearly see the epoxy everywhere else. So I'm confident I can move forward and I'll have a good solid bond.










Now, here's the bad part. This is a lot of work. I spent about 4-5 hours, and got about 7" covered. The table is about 60" long. Although the first row took quite a bit longer than the rest. The rest of the rows go fairly fast.

One problem is that because the scrap I'm using is fairly short (~12"), I really couldn't plane or joint it. The majority of it was exactly 3/4" thick, but a few pieces vary a little. For the width, I cut them on the table saw, using a caliper to try to get the fence set to exactly 1-1/2". Due to tension in the wood, the width varies a little as well. The end result is a few very small gaps here and there (less than 1/64") which I may fill with some slivers, or an epoxy sawdust filler. Hopefully I can get the top done in the next two weeks. I need to do the epoxy on a weekend, as I'll need to keep the garage warm for at least two days for it to cure, so I'd rather be working in the garage while I'm paying to heat it. It's warm today, but it'll be back to around 20° by the end of the week.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *End Grain Veneer Top (or "What did I get myself into")*
> 
> I mentioned in the previous entry, my intent to use an 1/8" endgrain veneer on the table top. Rather than dive in head first (and break my neck), I thought it might be a god idea to make a small sample to test the viablility of this.
> 
> ...


Yow. That is going to be a lot of work. Kind of cool though.

It kind of reminds me of the end grain flooring 5 part blog:
http://lumberjocks.com/thomasporter/blog/4730

Steve


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *End Grain Veneer Top (or "What did I get myself into")*
> 
> I mentioned in the previous entry, my intent to use an 1/8" endgrain veneer on the table top. Rather than dive in head first (and break my neck), I thought it might be a god idea to make a small sample to test the viablility of this.
> 
> ...


That's a pretty labor intensive project, but its going to look really cool when your done! handy use of the CNC to check the epoxy penetration. Reminds me of when I spent the better part of two weeks gluing miniature cedar roof shakes onto a bird condo!


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Finishing the top*

It's been a while since I started on this, but was busy with my new job. But the weather forced me back into action.

We're having an unseasonably warm spring. 8 inches of snow melted in a few days, then rain, and 50°-60° temps. And a huge amount of humidity. I went out in the garage the other day, and was terrified to see the pieces that I ad already glued down loose on the torsion box. The humidity had expanded them so much that they were popping loose, actually tearing the surface of the MDF. And the torsion box was actually getting a slight crown on top. I immediately turned on the furnace, and let it run all week at about 65°, to remove the humidity. After a week, the torsion box flattened back out, at least to within 1/64" or so.

I carefully removed the loose pieces, and glued them back down with some more CA. They had to go back in the same place, because they had spots of MDF attached to them. Keeping them organized was a bit tricky, as I had to re-glue about 50 pieces, maybe more.

Once I had the majority of the loose ones back down, I started work on the rest of the top. I wasn't too concerned if there were still a few loose ones in the middle, as the epoxy should glue them in place.

When I started before, the "tiles" didn't fit as well as I'd have liked, because I didn't really prepare them properly. Rather than have gaps, I carefully fitted any that weren't tight. This took a tremendous amount of time. This time, I didn't have time on my side, so I didn't worry about any gaps. I actually found that it was much easier to split "filler" pieces off the tiles with a chisel, and tap them into place, filling all but the smallest of gaps. So I managed to finish tiling the top in a few hours Saturday and Sunday.

Today, I started to apply the epoxy, to seal out the moisture, and firmly bond the tiles to the top. One thing I noticed was that some how, the two very small drops of CA glue are showing all the way through the 1/8" thick tiles. I used a gel CA, and used very little, so this surprised me. I didn't see this in the small sample I made. Maybe when I route it flat they won't be as visible. Anyway, another surprise, was that I put about 1/2 gallon of epoxy on it. And I just checked on it, and it's all soaked in. It probably would soak in another cup or two. But I'm pretty sure that it's soaked all the way into the MDF. (I sure hope so)

Here's a few pics right after I applied the epoxy, a few minutes ago. Tomorrow I'll flood the bottom of the box with Polyurethane, to seal it up good. Saturday I'll route it flat, and rabbitt the edges to apply some trim pieces. Maybe bubinga, as I got a bunch from work. When it's al done, it'll be coated with several coats of polyurethane, and wet sanded to a glass smooth finish. Can't wait to finish and start using it.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Finishing the top*
> 
> It's been a while since I started on this, but was busy with my new job. But the weather forced me back into action.
> 
> ...


That is one of the most frickin ambitious work tables I have ever even thought of seeing.

My gosh, Gerry. It bet it will be a honey when it's smooth.

Hope you stay dry. We had another 3 inches of rain last weekend, but the snow is all gone, so no flooding here.

Steve


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Finishing the top*
> 
> It's been a while since I started on this, but was busy with my new job. But the weather forced me back into action.
> 
> ...


holy smokes it's done! LOL  very nice job it came out real good!


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Finishing the top*
> 
> It's been a while since I started on this, but was busy with my new job. But the weather forced me back into action.
> 
> ...


I was hoping I didn't miss this project. I was very impressed with this project and its innovative technique. This idea or technique could be used so many ways and different patterns. Keep up the great woodworking. I think my table saw would be jealous. lol.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Endgrain is hard to sand.*

After thoroughly sealing the bottom and sides of the torsion box with a quart of polyurethane, it was time to surface the top flat. When I placed my 4 ft level on the bottom, it appeared to be flat to within < 1/64". But for some reason, it appeared the top top had a slightly larger crown along it's length, maybe 1/32" or so. So I lowered the bit to the surface, and started cutting just enough to not miss any spots. At first I was getting what appeared to be a very rough and torn surface, so I greatly increased the RPM, and it looked a lot smoother, but was a lot louder. I normally route at 15,000 or less, but cranked it up to about 22,000.

My CNC can only cut about 45" long, so I had to turn it around to cut the other side. But before turning it around, I recut the plate hole and rabbitt, making the rabbitt perfectly parallel to the surface. I'm going to make some custom 3/4" thick phenolic plates. I've got a large chunk of 10mm phenolic plate, and I'll laminate it into two layers with epoxy, and CNC a rabbitt to fit. If I have any problems with the phenolic, then I'll get some custom aluminum plates machined. But the phenolic should be fine, and I have enough to make about 6 plates. I keep my 7518 mounted to a plate, and a 690 as well. I also have a spare 690 base that I'll mount. Different plates will have different hole sizes. For most of the time, I'll use a plate with a small hole, maybe 1" or so. This should work great for 90% of the router table work I do.

I plan to use this leveling system that I found here:

http://lumberjocks.com/PurpLev/blog/13430

I'll make a jig with the CNC to accurately locate and drill the holes.

Once I turned it around to finish the surfacing, I noticed that there must have been a slight twist in the box. Where the surfacing passes met, it was flush on the back, but a little high on the front. I made another pass, removing .002", and the front came out perfect. The slight discrepancy is at the end of the table where the Incra fence will mount, so even if there was more variation, it wouldn't have really mattered.










As you can see in the pic, there were a lot of tool marks from the router removing 1/2" per pass. Unfortunately, the router is not quite perpendicular to the table, and leaves a slight ridge. Fortunately, the ridge is only about .002" high. You can barely feel it However, endgrain birch saturated with epoxy is extremely hard to sand.










As for the rough surface I thought I was getting. It turns out that as soon as I start sanding, the (perceived) roughness disappeared almost immediately. But the ridges were another story. After a quick sanding, they can no longer be felt, but you can still see them. I spent about an hour to get it to this point. I'm tempted to get out the belt sander, but am too afraid of a mistake. Belt sanders can do tremendous damage in seconds. But I do have a really good one, a 4×24 Bosch with variable speed. I might try it at a slow speed to see if it works. I also tried a scraper, which helps, but that doesn't remove much material either. I don't want to remove much material, but man, that .002 is HARD to sand.

Today's goal is to get the top sanded, and rabbitt the edges and insert a bubinga border. Maybe 3/8"x3/8". The front edge needs a bevel to match the Unisaw.

I also may need to order a piece of stainless steel angle to attach the table to the Unisaw table. Right now, there's an 1/8" steel plate, with some small tabs bolted to it. I'd like something a bit more secure, as the current table is only supported in 3 small places at the saw. Right now, mu plan for mounting is to use countersunk stainless screws through the top, and through the steel angle on the 3 sides, and use locknuts under the angle. This is a much better method than the standard 3/4" lag screws from underneath.

One last thing. I'm really unhappy witht he spots from the CA glue bleeding?? through. Hopefully, the polyurethane finish will minimize it. Other than that, I'm pretty happy. As of right now, I have a near perfectly flat router table, that won't sag.

And one more last thing. Before I route through the surface to expose the T-Nuts, I'll be completely finishing the table with a few coats of polyurethane. I don't want the polyurethane to get into the threads.

Here's a short video showing the surfacing operation.


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## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Endgrain is hard to sand.*
> 
> After thoroughly sealing the bottom and sides of the torsion box with a quart of polyurethane, it was time to surface the top flat. When I placed my 4 ft level on the bottom, it appeared to be flat to within < 1/64". But for some reason, it appeared the top top had a slightly larger crown along it's length, maybe 1/32" or so. So I lowered the bit to the surface, and started cutting just enough to not miss any spots. At first I was getting what appeared to be a very rough and torn surface, so I greatly increased the RPM, and it looked a lot smoother, but was a lot louder. I normally route at 15,000 or less, but cranked it up to about 22,000.
> 
> ...


Gerry,

Be careful using stainless steel threaded fasteners - They SIEZE very easily, and, once siezed, are permanent. I would be more prone to using nust over tapping the stainless angle (I've even had taps sieze). What happens, is that the stainless absorbs and then dissipates heat so fast that it first expands to allow the threaded fastener, then the heat dissipates into the surrounding material, causing a rapid contraction onto the threads. Usually, the last 1/8 to 1/4 turn galls and the softer, hot material shrinks to conform with the displaced material on the threads, and you may as well have welded them together. Make sure to use anti-sieze/lubricant and tighten with hand tools only! Don't get discouraged with stainless, as the advantages usually far outweigh the disadvantages - just be aware.

GOOD LUCK! Tour table looks great. Wish I had some advice on the glue "bleedthrough".


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Endgrain is hard to sand.*
> 
> After thoroughly sealing the bottom and sides of the torsion box with a quart of polyurethane, it was time to surface the top flat. When I placed my 4 ft level on the bottom, it appeared to be flat to within < 1/64". But for some reason, it appeared the top top had a slightly larger crown along it's length, maybe 1/32" or so. So I lowered the bit to the surface, and started cutting just enough to not miss any spots. At first I was getting what appeared to be a very rough and torn surface, so I greatly increased the RPM, and it looked a lot smoother, but was a lot louder. I normally route at 15,000 or less, but cranked it up to about 22,000.
> 
> ...


Thanks, but I'm not going to tap the stainless, I'll use nylon locking nuts underneath.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Endgrain is hard to sand.*
> 
> After thoroughly sealing the bottom and sides of the torsion box with a quart of polyurethane, it was time to surface the top flat. When I placed my 4 ft level on the bottom, it appeared to be flat to within < 1/64". But for some reason, it appeared the top top had a slightly larger crown along it's length, maybe 1/32" or so. So I lowered the bit to the surface, and started cutting just enough to not miss any spots. At first I was getting what appeared to be a very rough and torn surface, so I greatly increased the RPM, and it looked a lot smoother, but was a lot louder. I normally route at 15,000 or less, but cranked it up to about 22,000.
> 
> ...


Hey Gerry. Looks good. I am too am surprised that the CA showed through so much. Hmmm.

The surfacing operation looks great. I guess I a curious that you used a straight cut rather than a overlapping zig-zag pattern to reduce the ridges. I guess in the end it really doesn't matter.

Have fun with the sanding :>)
Steve


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*7 coats of polyurethane and counting.....*

The day after my last post, I routed the rabbitt around the edge, and glued in the Bubinga border. I used a block plane and scraper to get it even with the rest of the top. I gave up on sanding out the tool marks from the surfacing operation, thinking the polyurethane would make them disappear. Almost, but not quite.










From what I've seen, it appears that the epoxy didn't actually seal the end grain, it just ran right through it. I applied the first coat of polyurethane very heavy. Two hours later, and I saw that it had all soaked in completely. But it did seal it a bit. Subsequent coats have started to build, but it's still soaking into the spots from the CA glue. Very, very strange. I was applying one coat, then the next day, sanding smooth, and another coat. After 5 coats, I thought I was getting close. After the 6th coat, I waited two hours, and applied another. Due to the heavier coat, I need to wait a bit longer for it to cure. It looks like it may take up to ten to fully fill all the end grain. Once filled, I'll wet sand with mineral spirits and 400 grit on a flat block, and finish with 600 grit, for a satiny smooth finish. Then, I'll throw it back on the CNC, and open up the holes to reveal the 30+ threaded inserts, and remove a little more material around the router plate opening. It wasn't quite deep enough the first time. 3 coats of poly soaked into the MDF rabbitt, so it should just need a light wipe on coat for the final sealing when re-cut.

While waiting for polyurethane to dry, I figure I should design the cabinet that'll go under this new top. To get a really good idea of what it'll look like, I figured I should model the whole saw. Here's a little bit of AutoCAD work.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *7 coats of polyurethane and counting.....*
> 
> The day after my last post, I routed the rabbitt around the edge, and glued in the Bubinga border. I used a block plane and scraper to get it even with the rest of the top. I gave up on sanding out the tool marks from the surfacing operation, thinking the polyurethane would make them disappear. Almost, but not quite.
> 
> ...


cool, it's looken better and better each step!


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Almost ready to mount*

I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.










I tried to put the poly on as thick as possible, sanding down all the high spots between coats. After the 7 coats, I realized it wasn't as flat as I'd like, as I was sanding through the poly in some spots, but not in others. So I took my scraper, and scraped off all the excess poly. The endgrain is so hard that the scraper wouldn't cut into it. So now I had fully filled and sealed endgrain, with no poly on top. Then added another heavy coat of poly. At that point I stated wet sanding (using mineral spirits as the lubricant) with a wood block and 240 grit wet or dry paper. Got it smooth as glass, then another coat, and wet sand again. Still sanding through the poly in spots, though. But since I'm happy with the flatness, I thinned the poly down, and applied a really thin coat. Waited 2 hours, and added another.

Went out last night and used the ROS and 220 grit, and took off all the shiny spots, then rubbed with steel wool. And saw that I've still sanded through the finish in spots. I could wax it and leave it, as no one would really notice, but instead, I added another coat of poly.

But before the poly, I loaded it back on the CNC, and re-routed the plate opening for the last time. It wasn't quite deep enough, so I went down to nearly 1/2". Then I put an 1/8" bit in, and routed pockets for the heads of the leveling screws, and a starter hole. I'll drill a small block on the drill press to help me finish drilling the holes perpendicular to the table. Then I'll tap them and use 1/4-20 stainless button head socket screws to level the plate. The plate will be 1/2" phenolic, with a slight rabbitt around the edge. I'm going to make 4 plates, 2 for the 690 base and 2 for the 7518. 1 each with a 1" hole and 1 each with a 2-1/2" hole.










Here's a close up of the Bubinga edge. You can see a small patch that I used to fill in the gaps when laying down the blocks.










I was going to get some stainless angle to mount the table to the saw, but I came up with an easier solution. I measured the 1/8" plate that was already mounted to the saw, and used the CNC to make a cleat to screw the table to. It's 1" baltic birch plywood, notched around the 3 large bolts that hold the plate to the table. I'll also use the stock Delta angle for the front and back.










So, after I spend half the day in the yard, here's the plan. Sand the last coat of poly. If I sand through again, I'll thin the poly and wipe on two more very thin coats tomorrow, and steel wool to finish. I need to pick up some wax at HD today.

Throw it back on the CNC, and route the holes to access the T-nuts.

Make a jig to locate and drill the mounting holes in the top, and countersink them. Set it in place and bolt it down. Make some temporary legs to hold it up. The cabinet to go under it will have to wait until the fall.
With any luck, I'll have it mounted tomorrow. At least by the end of the week.

Hopefully as soon as it's back together, I can clean up the garage enough to do some work. I need to design a new fence to bolt to the Incra Jig. It'll have vacuum, and T-nuts for featherboards and fixtures.

Here's an AutoCAD screenshot with the Incra Jig attached.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Almost ready to mount*
> 
> I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


Wow, a true labor of love. That is really a beautiful top.

Are you going to allow the Incra fence to be used for the saw too? Probably not needed, but what the heck?

Steve


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Ger21 said:


> *Almost ready to mount*
> 
> I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


Looks good.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Almost ready to mount*
> 
> I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


I didn't place the inserts to move the Incra that far over, although I could with some additional holes in the mounting plate. But I've never had the need for it in the 15 years I've had the saw. So I don't anticipate needing it any time soon.

Thanks for the compliments. It actually looks even cooler in person.  But my wife is going to kill me if I don't get it done soon, so I can get back to the important stuff. Or at least the stuff that she thinks is important.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Almost ready to mount*
> 
> I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


Dang that top looks awesome
how many pieces did you cut for it

Dennis


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Almost ready to mount*
> 
> I lost count, but I think I have now applied about 12 coats of polyurethane. Nearly 1/2 gallon. After about 7 coats, the endgrain finally stopped soaking it in. So at that point, I basically had a 3/32" thick "plastic" top, as hard as a butcher block. Which is exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


They are 3/4" x 1-1/2", so, at a 45° angle, each column is 1" wide. It takes 25 pieces to make one column, and the table is 58" wide, so, 25×58 = 1450, minus the area for the cutout. So call it 1400. The pieces are the thickness of the blade, so 50% ended up in the dust collector. I started with about 20-25 pieces of birch 3/4"x5-1/2", about 15" long, and used most of them. I've got a box of the 2" ends that were too small to cut, so I'll probably make a cutting board out of them.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Installed*

Got the top installed yesterday.










Not happy with the finish, though. But it'll work. I could have saved a tremendouns amount of time by finishing with epoxy only. Two coats would have probably done it. As it is, i just keep sanding through in spots. But you can't really tell.

First time I moved the fence, though, the plastic pad the fence slides on scratched it up, due to 15 years of debris embedded in the nylon. So, I took it off, chucked it in the lathe and faced it up so it was nice and clean, and smooth.










Routing the holes to expose the T-Nuts was a little tricky, and no one will notice where I had a little trouble finding them.  Now I need to make up some featherboards and a new fence. I'll get the phenolic for the plate glued up this week, so I can get a router mounted.










Now I need to design a cabinet for blade storage, and table support. Also need to put my miter gauge in there, since I no longer have the clearance to get it on the hanger under the table.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Installed*
> 
> Got the top installed yesterday.
> 
> ...


Oh man that is nice, all that hard work really paid off.


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Installed*
> 
> Got the top installed yesterday.
> 
> ...


I really appreciate seeing someones vision come together. 
This is one of those "who cares how long it took and what it cost me, I did it".
I have done a few projects that I spent a lot of time and effort on in order to prove to myself it'll work.
I can see you enjoy challenging yourself and trying new methods. 
Great job, Thank you for sharing this table.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*New Router Fence*

Been a little while, but I'm still working on this.

I built this thing in order to get a very precise and flexible tool. So I needed a new fence to attach to my Incra Ultra. I wanted to be able to mount accessories and auxiliary fences. I went with Baltic Birch, as I have a ton of smaller pieces. I CNC'd the front and back plates, with dado's and holes for t-nuts. T-Nuts on both sides for attaching auxiliary fences, and T-Nut's for mounting to the Incra. Also have a hole for the shop vac dust collection fitting. I took it off my old fence. When routing the edge of boards, it get's about 99% of the dust.

I assembled the fence with glue, and clamped it to my Unisaw table face down, so it's very flat. Before assembly, I sealed all the plywood edges with epoxy, to minimize the poly soaking in. After two coats, it looks pretty good, but I think I'll need to spray a final coat to get an even finish all around.

Over the weekend I cut an auxiliary fence, 10" high. After a few coats of poly to seal it, I'll counterbore the holes on the back for t-nuts to attach featherboards. I also cut some featherboard blanks with slots for adjustability. I'll put two coats of poly on those before cutting the kerfs on the tablesaw. I made 4, two baltic birch and two from some poplar in the scrap pile. If they don't work well, I'll make some from maple or birch.

I still haven't made the router insert plates, but I'll definitely glue them up this weekend, and get a router mounted in the next two weeks. Cant wait to start using this.

Didn't take any pictures during assembly, as I was in a hurry, but have some of the finishing.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Ger21 said:


> *New Router Fence*
> 
> Been a little while, but I'm still working on this.
> 
> ...


This looks fabulous Gerry fine looking fence Hopefully this will last for years to come.


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## jack1 (May 17, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *New Router Fence*
> 
> Been a little while, but I'm still working on this.
> 
> ...


Nice work. Keep us informed


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

*Router Mounted*

As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.

I'd never seen the Incra leveling system before, but decided to go this route after reading this blog.

http://lumberjocks.com/PurpLev/blog/13430










One of the plates I epoxied was a little bit unflat, so I used that for test cuts. It ended up being a little loose, so I added .002 for the next one, and it fits like a glove. To make sure the holes lined up in the table, I used the plate as a template. The holes for the levelers are routed 3/16" D. I used a 3/16 drill bit, and drilled through the late into the MDF. To tap the holes, I cut the head off a 1/4-20 bolt, chucked it in the lathe, and filed a taper on the end. Using a cordless drill, I quickly taped the 3/16 holes. This gives a very strong thread in the MDF. I actually had to use some wax to get the screws to turn smoothly, as the fit is very tight. The screws are Stainless button head, btw.


















Getting precise holes for the router turned out to be a bit difficult. The holes in the plate are 3/16, which leaves zero slop for the 10-24 screws. I measured it as close as possible, but it was a little off. Then, I used a different technique, and came up with a hole circle diameter of 4.642. It's not perfect, but it's very close, and works.

Next step is to route a base for the Incra Jig, and put about 5 coats of poly on it and the auxiliary fence. Then, It's ready for use.


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## jack1 (May 17, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


That looks good.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


Thats a geat set up, good job Gerry


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


Dang Gerry you do nice work. That leveling system does seem extremely simple. I wish they would do that for table saw inserts.

Hope you finish soon,
Steve


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## BelleCityWW (May 28, 2007)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


That is really nice work! Very impressive!

John


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


Looks absolutely great.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Ger21 said:


> *Router Mounted*
> 
> As usual, all my projects take far longer than they should. But, I finally got my phenolic plates epoxied and CNC routed a couple of them. They're a full 3/4" thick, and very rigid. I probably didn't need 10 leveling screws, as the plate doesn't seem to flex. But this one only has a 690 in it. When I do the 7518, maybe it'll have a little bit of flex. But, I doubt it.
> 
> ...


wow that is a very nice set up. I want the same set up but i'm unshure of how i want the fence i have a incra fence system to incorp. on mine.


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