Router Table & Fence In A Table Saw 

Thanks! She's getting there - surgery went great, she's making a steady recovery - should be a couple of weeks of physical rehab, but should make it out by Christmas.

Paul Jenkins that’s wonderful news. I hope and pray that she continues her improvement and you two can have a very Merry Christmas. 🙏🏻

Wish her well!

I think it was a really brilliant idea I had. No, not the idea to do the radiuses, but I had the idea to actually read the instructions Kreg provided (for the levelling feet things) that said to do that :D

:o I thought you hated routers! Nats going pretty well, just a long slow process :)

@@TheWoodKnight I do, why do think it's taken me so long to build one!?!. Good to hear she's on the mend. Hurry up with the below table DC solution. That's my biggest issue

I wouldn't hang a cabinet off of the stock table without considerable reinforcement - the stock table is just laminate over mdf.

Thanks! I'm in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.

I buy all my plywood from maxiplywood. They're local to me and deliver straight to the table saw! B/C pine ply is perfectly fine for shop projects. The fence could have been made from MDF and would be just as stable

The weight of the router should keep it held down, but if its not a fit that you'd have to tap into place with a mallet, vibration could cause it to jump ever so slightly or if its a light router and you use particular bits (such as a spiral upcut) it may pull the router up. A bigger concern would be MDF for the plate (for the table is fine) as that could sag overtime, especially if they MDF is too thin for threaded inserts.

The Sawstop router table isn't available in Australia yet... however, its only branded sawstop. Its the same table, fence, and lift that a few other brands including General International and Timbecon (which is in Australia) sell. The table+fence+switch (but no router lift or router) goes for USD$499 (~AUD700) (according to Highland Woodworking). While having cast iron would be nice for vibration dampening, thats a lot of money when you consider Incra, Jessem and Woodpeckers use MDF on their table tops. All up, for my table top and fence, I think I spent maybe $90AUD, which includes a full sheet of plywood, some overpriced bolts from the hardware store and t-track. Ultimately it came down to being too expensive for no real gain. AUD700 buys a lot of materials for projects :)

@@TheWoodKnight I didn't know that they just had rebranded those parts but it makes sense, other than Sawstop tech itself what tool isn't just rebranded these days? Personally, if you look at it as a whole tool rather than a bunch of expensive parts it makes a little more sense. For $1500 USD (includes a Porter Cable 7518 router) you get another tool that doesn't take up any additional room with your $3150 tool. It's cost perception, and I know they totally want people to think this, but when you buy a $3150 tool, what's another $1500 for another tool contained within that tool? Though, building it yourself nets a very similar tool, with the only feature missing being the weight of the added cast iron. I get both sides of it, and as I'm close to being in the market for a 3HP PCS, I have a decision to make.

​@@some0ne8 IMO, rebadging isn't an issue - it was more a case of "its not available in Australia, but other identical brands are" :) A DIY table saw doesn't compare to a SawStop - doesn't matter how much time or money you sink into it, it won't have flesh detection or be cast iron, which makes a difference. . In the case of a DIY router table vs commercial router table, SawStops offerings doesn't bring anything to the table that you can't DIY. You're basically trading time for the DIY approach for money of the commercial option. It's not a bad router table/fence, nor is that equation bad but everything it does, my table also does. In my case, I have more time than I do money, so that made it more "affordable". There are times when I've bought things I could DIY 'cause I was time poor! If you're looking at Incra's router tables, their fences do stuff mine doesn't - specifically the LS positioner system and support for their shop stop (w/ microadjusting feature).

Not a silly question at all, and your assumption about reducing air flow is absolutely correct. Its the same situation with a table saw zero clearance plate. Its a balancing act - too large an opening and it can be unsafe or lead to inaccurate cuts (particularly if you're using a bit without a bearing), too small and it'll be starved for air. On a router table you need to be able to change the position so it suits a 50mm wide molding bit AND a 1/8" straight bit

I've "standardised" on Timbecon's t-track/mitre tracks. They use 5/16" headed t-bolts, which are much slimmer than other brands that use standard 1/4x20 hex bolts. Unfortunately, it's all out of stock at the moment. www.timbecon.com.au/torquata-aluminium-t-track Carbatec have Veritas branded t-track, but its a bit more expensive. Cheap is a relative term, though. There are cheaper ones out there, but some of them are *nasty*!

Depends on where in the world you are and what router you're trying to attach to it. Lifts that handle 4.2" routers tend to be expensive, but those that handle up to 3.5" are cheaper. In Australia, the only "cheap" options are Timbecon (plunge or round) or Carbatec (plunge) router lifts. DIY lifts are possible, but you're trading money for time then :)

@@TheWoodKnight Thanks Paul i'm in the western subs of Melbourne.

Can't use both at the same time/without losing the settings on the other if they share a fence.

I didn't have any intersections, I just cut and filed out a spot in the mitre-track where it butted up against the t-track!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TUgOosZI56I.html

@@TheWoodKnight Thank you very much! One question for you: I have my router lift coming in soon, and I like your cabinet idea. How much room do you need below the router and shelf in order to be able to remove the router easily?

@@joesbarbecue1 not sure, sorry. I've only removed the router and lift together from the top by pulling it up. I'd guess at least 3/4 of the length of the router + length of the lift to remove it easily

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I forgot to lock the lift again when I switched to the rebate bit. I had it all setup so nicely with the spiral upcut bit... and then realised that was the dull one that I need to get sharpened. I'll double check it once its tool oclock :)

Holy cow! There's a lock?

Okay. I just pulled up the manual. My lift has something called "patented thread tensioning design" that's supposed to keep the router in place. "Depending on the amount of use you may have to reset this adjustment periodically," it says. In plain English. That I never bothered to read. Thanks to your absent-mindedness, I have now read the manual for the router lift I bought three years ago. Rich and wise are the ways of The Wood Knight!

Hehehe, I'm glad I could help out. Do you have Rocklers LiftFX? Thats the only one I could find matching those terms. The Kreg lift has a dedicated lock next to the height adjustment above the table. A half turn of that and the router isn't going *anywhere*. Rocklers newer router lift looks to use the same tension adjustment mechanism, plus an under-the-table stop collar to prevent the lift from dropping further. A bit less convenient, but should function OK

Yes, Mr. J., I have the Rockler. I'll have a look at it this weekend with manual in hand. Your router also had a sharp looking thing on the top that mine doesn't. You called it a "rarebit" or "routerbite" or something. I'll check that manual, too, while I'm at it. Thanks!

You're welcome

@@TheWoodKnight very calming environment on this channel indeed.