Replies

1. 
   MarkH | Jan 01, 2011 12:06pm | #1

   Buy one of each?

2. 
   calvin | Jan 01, 2011 12:11pm | #2

   No thoughts as I'm still in the rudimetary stage........

   you know, screw the router to a top, bit raise lower done from underneath-micro tune, clamp the fence

3. 
   calvin | Jan 01, 2011 03:27pm | #3

   Another thought

   Strange seeing your mug here.  Get the boot or misplace the address?

   At any rate, nice seeing you again.................................if in fact you be the original sphere.  Seems almost impossible there'd be another.

   EDIT:  My apologies, Welcome to Breaktime-you seem to not be Duane.

4. 
   fingers | Jan 01, 2011 07:05pm | #4

   I took the plunge a year or so ago and got the big heavy duty router lift made by bench dog.  Made the top out of a corian sink cut-out.  The lift is the one that takes the big PC 7518 (I think that's the number) motor.  I like it alot but it was about three bills if I remember not including the router motor.  It's nice to be able to change bits and adjust heights from above the table.

   The Woodpecker model you're thinking of . . . is that the one with the little hand crank that you can mount anywhere you want?  That looks handy . . . no wrench to get lost, but it also looks like it might have a tendency to break.  Don't know.

5. 
   gfretwell | Jan 13, 2011 10:45pm | #5

   I am short of shop space so I put my old Crafstman router in the right hand table extension of my old Craftsman table saw. I just drilled holes and I use the 3 face plate screws to mount it. It works and I can use the fence with the router, pretty handy but not real convenient.

   I have a new router and I am thinking about a new way to put the router on the table saw. I was thinking about removing the extension panel and replacing it with a frame that holds the router along with a work surface. Then I can remove the router from the table easily to set up new bits etc and drop a blank work surface or a jig work surface in the frame when I am in table saw mode. That way I don't really need to change the router setup. The idea of a drop in jig platform for circle cutting and such is attractive too.

   Anyone ever see this done? I prefer not reinventing the wheel.

1. 
   Scott | Jan 13, 2011 11:30pm | #6

   >>>Anyone ever see this done?

   >>>Anyone ever see this done? I prefer not reinventing the wheel.

   Nope, but it sounds OK. Might run it past the guys over in Knots.

1. 
   gfretwell | Jan 14, 2011 12:40am | #7

   Thanks I put it up there.

2. 
   Dreamcatcher | Jan 14, 2011 07:25am | #8

   I have done this.

   That's what I did on my table saw.

   While I am not an advocate of combining the table saw and router table, I admit that I am also too procrastinate to have yet bought or built a stand alone router table. So in the heat of the moment (AKA middle of  a project), I went against my will and mounted the router in the table saw extension. 

   While I may have worked hastily, I still tried to instill some foresight in the installation. First, I chose the area at the far right end of the 52" extension table and secondly, I gave it it's own fence system so it doesn't rely on the table saw's fence. 

   Both of these first two criteria were in regards to my biggest gripe against combining TS and RT (or any two woodworking machines for that matter): You never want to break down a set-up that you may need again later. I see many people who mount the RT in one of the two closer TS wings and use the TS fence as the RT fence. But then if you need to make a bunch of small/narrow mouldings on the RT, you would then need to rip a bunch of narrow strips then attempt to rout said narrow strips. It is much safer and more accurate to rout a wide board then rip the moulding off. But that is really only possible if you have simultaneous availability of both machines.

   The third aspect of my installation, as you appear to be suggesting, is that I mounted the router to a 1/2" thick rectangle of Corian solid surface material. The Corian is extremely stable, durable, easy to work, and slick, yet thin enough that it didn't pose any issues when rabbeting a recess in the 3/4" (stock) particle board extension wing. As a bonus, I can still use the Corian plate to rout by hand, giving me a much more stable base. For hand routing, it might be better if the plate were clear acrylic than Corian, I just used what was laying around.

   The fence I built for the RT is made of FinPly, which is also a stable material and generally flat and stiff. The base is a simple "L" shaped fence with brace blocks that is just bolted at one end and clamped at the other. I trust a clamp more than the screw downs seen in retail set-ups and I can easy "micro-adjust" using a small mallet. On the face of the fence, I used some UHMW polyethylene strips (also laying around the shop) that can be moved in and out depending on the size of the bit.

   In the future, I think I will make another plate for a second router so I can have two bits ready to go and probably a third plate that has my Kreg jig mounted on it. 

   DC

6. 
   Dreamcatcher | Jan 14, 2011 10:13am | #9

   Two questions, mark:

   1. how much did that whole router set-up cost you at the time?

   2. why were you ever afraid of a router?

   DC

1. 
   MarkDMacLeod | Jan 14, 2011 11:39am | #10

   I think the table and fence were around 1200 dollars, the router was ?500?  But I'm pretty bad at remembering prices.  The new router table has a much better hand crank assembly and it's placed better on the table.

   I had never had a great router table set up.  I'd tried to do things on smaller and benchtop tables.  Having a big table with a large work surface made me alot more confident about using the router and using larger bits.

   My grandfather had a 5 HP shaper in his cabinet shop.  I'd seen some crazy things happen with it and I've always been respectful of that much metal spinning at that speed

1. 
   Dreamcatcher | Jan 14, 2011 12:41pm | #11

   Mark

   So, $1700 for your router table set-up? I guess that's about what I have in mine too, except mine came with a uni-saw ;)

   I don't think it's fair to have been afraid of a router table because of what happened on a shaper. A 3hp router table spins very fast but with rather little torque where as a shaper spins comparatively slow with lots of torque. So if you feed stock wrong on a router table, you are just likely to get a little nudge back at you to which one could force back against and break the bit or smoke the router motor. But if you feed stock wrong on a shaper, it could send the stock through your gut or eat the whole work piece - with you attached. Same goes when comparing a benchtop/contractor table saw to a cabinet saw.

   But, I am glad you got a set-up that makes you more comfortable... my #1 carpentry rule is to never do anything that you are unsure of -  the stress of using tools or performing operations that you are afraid of will usually lead to an accident

   DC