The Ultimate Router Table by John White
I’m thinking about building “The Ultimate Router Table” in the “Working with Routers” book. It was designed by John White and is constructed of MDF with a JessEM lift. Has anyone else here made this router table? Are there more detailed plans availible than the ones in the book? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Replies
I just finished building the "Delux Router Table" designed by Norm Abram of The New Yankee Workshop. The fence is MDF, but the rest of it is oak plywood with oak face frame. You can order the video and plans from http://www.newyankee.com or from Rockler (32942) who also sell the hardware kit for this table (63010). The table has lots of storage for bits and accessories, including smaller routers and their accessories .
I made two changes in mine. Norm's sits on the floor with a toe-kick in the front, but I need to be able to move mine around. In Norm's design the lower face of the bottom is 4 1/4" off the floor. I removed 4" from the sides and back, leaving just 1/4" below the bottom rabbit. This also makes the bottom rail of the face frame 1" wide instead of 1 1/2". Then I installed four of the 3" heavy-duty casters sold by Woodcraft. Two (141051) lock both the wheel and the swivel, and the other two (141052) neither lock nor swivel. These casters are 4 1/8" tall, so the top of the table is within 1/8" of where Norm's is, and there is enough clearence on the sides to operate the locks. The wheels are urethane, so when they are locked the table is rock solid.
The other change I made is in the dust collection. Norm runs everything out the back, and through 2 1/2" hose and plumbing. The plumbing sticks out the back quite a bit, making the cabinet sit farther out into the room than I want when it's not in use. I also didn't like running both the cabinet and the fence through the same 2 1/2" hose, although that may be adequate. I wanted to be able to use the 4" hose from my dust collector and have lots of air flow through both the fence and cabinet. So I ran mine out the end. I put an extra divider behind the drawers and below center shelf (which is the bottom of the router box), creating a sealed dust chamber. The hole from the router box goes down through the shelf and into that chamber, rather than out the back as Norm's does. I then ran the hose from the fence, over and down the side of the cabinet and into a connector at the top of the dust chamber. There is a regular 4" plactic dust port at the bottom rear corner of the cabinet that takes everything out of the chamber and into the dust collector. This really works well!
I have attempted to attach photos of the finished router table. It says they are attached, but I'm not sure how you get to them. Hope it works, and good luck with whatever you build.
Nice table. I built the same one and it has been used a lot. I like your modification to the dust collection. Now you just need to fill up all the router bit slots. Enjoy!Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Hi, Nice table! Kind of hard to view properly though. Have you tried IrfanView? Free and easy to use. Lots use it here.
Good job!
Brian
http://www.irfanview-center.com/
McG,
Just an fyi on viewing. Right click the attachment and select "open in new window". Once the download is complete, the image will resize to fit the page. Hope this helps.
Best,ONWARD! THROUGH THE FOG.
Chuck
Very nice table. I am planning to build the same, but first I have to rearrange my shop. I would like to know what the size of the table is, height with fence and footprint. It can help me in the reorganizing of the shop, I have to leave room for the router table..
Geir,
I have a similar table as Jim, Norm's router table. In general I'd say the table is 36" high with a fence another 8-10". My top is 27" deep and 34" wide. You can modify any or all of these dimensions to suit your needs. Be careful not to cut down on the space for the router...you need to keep that dimension for working the router and air flow, etc.
Kansas,
Last autumn I built what was for me an ultra router table. It has an over-sized top to give good support to materials. The cabinet incorporates a large five hp shop vac connected to a vacuum channel across the back; which allows for three dust pickup points: one above the table, one on the router, and another in the floor of the router compartment. There is an electrical channel across the back that supports two switched outlets - one for the router and another for the shop vac. On the rear is a hot all the time outlet for a light fixture on top of the table. There are five drawers to hold bit and jigs for the router.
A single switch turns on the router and the shop vac.
is the vacume compartment ventalated at all?
yep I change my oil every 3000 miles or when I get bored...which ever comes first
AndyBelow the shop vacuum there is a compartment about six inches high
lined with foam... in the floor there is a vent opening and the compartment acts like a muffler for the vacuum noise. The front door
on the compartment is air tight and the vacuum compartment itself has
a foam lining to lower noise. The vacuum exhausts out the back of the
cabinet. The attached picture shows the venting on the back of the cabinet. So, you have a vacuum chamber across the back of the cabinet that allows for connections of the three pickup hoses; while the exhaust goes out the back of the cabinet via a muffler chamber beneath the vac.Moksha
thanks!
yep I change my oil every 3000 miles or when I get bored...which ever comes first
I'd say... If John White made it and really uses it? It has to be better than 'just OK'..
I LOVE ROUTERS! Especially on a table. In fact I rarely use a router 'freehand'! Only when I 'have' to..
I have several router tables. Of Plywood, MDF, and the Cast Iron table on my table saw (I use the most).. Im my opinion, ALL work about as well.. The Ply and MDF do just as well as my Cast Iron table.. OK, so I don't put a wet coffee? cup on the MDF table (makes bumps!)..
I'd say for the table
.. Is the table FLAT?
.. Fence tall enough for what work you usually do?
.. Fence remains at 90 degrees to the table even when you move it?
Just me.....
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