Hello Fine Woodworking:

    Hi. My name is novice last class. And today I am going to jump into the rarefied waters of the consummate woodworking experts at your fine publication and in particular John White. I have enjoyed some of the interesting projects that John has come up with in the past publications of your Tools & Shop issue. My goal is to build that work bench that goes behind the Saw Stop professional cabinet saw. But first, I really got excited about John’s latest idea for a router table at the right side of the Saw Stop cabinet saw. And that my fellow woodworkers is the impetus for my email.

    When I saw the simplicity of John’s router table idea I got excited. I went out to the shop and dragged out darn near enough scrapes of 3/4 inch baltic birch plywood to do the project. I carefully measured and numbered each piece as I inventoried my supply. Then to the drawing board for scale drawings of each piece. Then matching the dimensions on drawings FW published in the recent T&S issue to my scrap supply. Then it was back out to the shop and making it work.

    That’s when I found the PROBLEM.

    The problem kept me awake several nights and days figuring out why John’s design worked so well on the same saw I have and I couldn’t make it work. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is he’s wrong. The final thing that came to mind was: no he wasn’t and I think I know why and I think I have a solution for the problem I encountered. So here goes.

    What is the problem? The motor door on the right side of the cabinet will not open if I build the router frame with John’s measurements. I am making an educated guess that FW’s Saw Stop cabinet saw is younger than mine and has a lower profile door that opens easily using John’s layout. My door has less than 3/8 inch clearance between it the bottom of the black 90 degree angle iron when the motor door is fully opened 90 degrees to the right on which the spacer/rail combo are to be attached . Two things happen because of that. First, the 2-1/2 inch high 38 inch long frame section closest to the metal end of the cabinet saw prevents the motor cabinet door from opening. Second, the rail and spacer combination that FW artists illustrate on the “back” rail as you look at the drawing also interferes with the motor door opening.

    All I had to do to figure out the rail spacer combination would interfere was to clamp two 3/4 inch pieces of plywood under the back rail and try opening the door to see the problem. To fully open my motor cabinet door 90 degrees to the right the rail spacer combo cannot be any longer than about 29-1/4 inches from the far (right) end of the existing table (the existing table end being approximately where the router table edge will also end up at as well).

    So the question is will this modification I dreamed up work? If the 38 inch piece closest to the saw is reduced from 2.5 to 2.0 inches I will clear the motor cover. All I am concerned with is strength. Since the weight of the router is being carried by the frame at the opposite end of table I don’t think I am compromising anything. Yes? And second, the 41 inch x 2-1/2 inch piece in the back has to be modified as well. Almost 12 inches of that portion of the frame needs to be only 2 inches high. But I am thinking I can get extra support (strength) by using the screws from the old table I’m removing to secure that portion to the 90 degree angle iron. Yes?

PS. What is light MDF no one in southern Oregon has heard of it???

    Thanks so much for reading my story.

Regards, JohnnyB                                                                                                                                                                                       Paid up subscriber