My version of the router table

[rprice54]

I decided I needed a new router table, and after looking around on the forums I was inspired to create my own. Rather than try and attach a bunch of photos here, I made a little web page that outlines how I made it.

It's certainly no work of art, but it works great. Cheap too, about $30 worth of materials. Well worth the effort.

EDIT: The original web page was taken down, but several people have asked recently, so I attached the original page.

One thing I would do differently is to find a way to support the table across the middle to keep from sagging. Probably a few strips of wood across the front, back, and middle (ie between the TS rails front and back) for support.

[wbrooks]

Awesome job, one thing I would suggest for long term accuracy is to insert an aluminum T-track

[rprice54]

it's on the list...

[Hector B]

Very nice. I like the way that you didn't have to drill into the cast iron top at all, and that the whole assembly slides right out. Your ADJUSTABLE LEGS are a great solution for stability with portability.
Question:
Is the aluminum angle you used 1/8 X 3/4 X 3/4 ?

[rprice54]

1/16th thick actually

[franklin pug]

nice work - I'm inspired to create one myself. Is the polycarbonate plastic available at HD?

[TOD]

Nice job, yours is very simular to mine. I modified a Ryobi rotor table to fit my saw. The biggest difference is I rotated mine 180 degrees so that I could use it from the front of the saw. You can't see it in the picture but I have an on/off switch mounted on under the right end of the rail.

[rprice54]

re: polycarbonate
i bought 5 sheets (14" square) of 1/4 thick on ebay. i've made several baseplates for my routers, some templates, and other jigs. it machines nicely, but take it slow- very hard stuff. oh yea, don't make a throat plate out of it. see my other posts.

if you're routing it or drilling- use the slowest speed, the stuff heats up and melts and can be a real headache.

[foulkeworks]

Thats a good idea. I have an old Craftman router table, I wonder if I could hook it up to my TS. It would give me more storage space in the garage, but a longer surface for my TS.

[means42]

Great Job. I am looking to do this for my table saw and router as I am in a small 2 car garage, probably like a lot of us! I am a newbie sort of and would appreciate speaking w/ you in the near future to ask just a few questions about creating and attaching this to my table saw (ridgid 2412) Email me at mlmeans@gmail.com if you can.

Thanks for your help!

[rprice54]

I sent you a private message...

[franklin pug]

is the melamine 3/4" thick?

[hewood]

That's all it takes! Nice job!

[amcnerl]

I like the way you mounted everything to the saw, so I kinda copied your idea. Hope there's no royalty payments... I do have a question though, the end where the router table meets with the extension wing of the saw, do you get any sagging due to the weight of the router? As I see there is no support in this area. This is my only concern, I'm not quite finished with building yet. Otherwise it seems to be quite sturdy and will be useful as another extension for the saw. Thanks for the idea..

[dlwoodjr]

It appears the adjustable legs that he crafted eliminate the sag from the weight of the router. Looks great BTW.

Don

[rprice54]

yes to both- 3/4 melamine, and the legs/aluminum cross brace support the router

[skipsax]

All the home made router table extensions look great. I am just debating whether to build or buy. Mulecab looks nice and I've seen on other posts much about it.

Question: Is it possible or practical to use my existing table saw fence along with the router extension on the ts3560? Seems I could add a "sacraficial fence" out of wood in order to leave a gap for the router bit. Am I making sense or is this purely a bad idea?

Thanks.
Skip

[Dick L]

Skipsax, that is exactly what I did on my TS2400. It works great. With the wood sacrifical fence there are no worries of accidently damaging the ts's fence. The micro adjust feature of the Ridgid fences is a real bonus for making those micro adjustments (IMO the micro adjust feature of the Ridgid fences is way under rated as an asset to these saws).

When I fab'd the fence I made it with 1 full length piece and 2 short pieces that bracket the router bit. The short pieces are adjustable for open width. I even add a shim behind one of them and use the router for jointing. To use a slot cutter I install a couple of pieces of 2x behind the short pieces to gain enough depth for the slot cutter bit.

[skipsax]

Skipsax, that is exactly what I did on my TS2400. It works great. With the wood sacrifical fence there are no worries of accidently damaging the ts's fence. The micro adjust feature of the Ridgid fences is a real bonus for making those micro adjustments (IMO the micro adjust feature of the Ridgid fences is way under rated as an asset to these saws).

When I fab'd the fence I made it with 1 full length piece and 2 short pieces that bracket the router bit. The short pieces are adjustable for open width. I even add a shim behind one of them and use the router for jointing. To use a slot cutter I install a couple of pieces of 2x behind the short pieces to gain enough depth for the slot cutter bit.

Dick,
That's pretty much what I had in mind. Is your extension table homemade or from Mulecab or someone else? Can you post pics of your fence configuration?

The Mulecab router fence is $65 on top of the $169 for the Mulecab 27" Router Extension Table. Saving $65 on buying the fence (assuming I have a Mulecab extension) seems like a good idea. I don't see a downside here. Any else have thoughts on this?

[rprice54]

that's what I did, see the pics, I use my accessory/sacrificial fence clamped to the ts fence. works great

[amcnerl]

skipsax, I made an auxilary fench that slips over the TS fence. On the router side I boxed it 3 1/2" from the fence and created a vacume port for my shop vac hose. I'll post some photos today to give you some ideas. I also used
3/4" melamine covered shelving to make the router table, using rprice54's photos as a guide. When said and done I'll have about $35 invested in the build, my only expensive addition will be a router lift and plate for the router.

[Dick L]

The TS2400's fence is very similar to the construction of the TS3650's fence. However, the TS2400 has a sliding right side extension. I put my router table (insert) into the hole that opens with the extension fully opened. I made the insert from a laminate covered desk top. Pictures of the insert were posted some time last year, search on "ts2400" and "router table". I think this is the correct link "http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5992".

I've not taken any pictures of the fence addition I described in the post above. Its pretty straight forward. Uses counterbored bolts to engage the fence's t-track slot for mounting. The short fence pieces use bolts that fasten into t-nuts in the full length fence, with slots for adjustment and counterbored (routed) clearence for the bolt heads. I used hard maple for the fence, but MDF, oak or almost anything that is reasonably solid and will give a smooth surface should work.

[amcnerl]

Here are a few photos of the auxiliary fence I built for my router table. This is my first attempt to attach photos here so bear with me.

[skipsax]

Amcnrl,
Yes! That's what I'm talkin' about! Do you have plans/measurements for this?
Also, does it actually attach to the ts fence or just ride on top?

Thanks much.
Skip

[amcnerl]

skipsax,

I finally finished the router project. The auxiliary fence slips over the TS fence and I put 2 bolts in the T-Track of the fence, 1 in each as you can see in the new pics, which hold it in place. I used scrap birch 3/4" plywood for most of it and scrap maple for the adjustable router fence. The blade side is 27" long and the router side is as long as the TS fence. The spacers are 3 1/2" wide by the height with the center capped and a hole for the shop vac hose. I also put bottom pieces in between the spacers for parts storage and to keep it square. You may want to print the pics and use as reference. I'll answer any questions you have. Keep in mind I'm fairly new at woodworking and may not be able to describe everything. Hope this helps..

[skipsax]

Amcnerl,
Thanks for the great pics and info. One more question: What did you use for the router insert?
Thanks.
Skip

[amcnerl]

I went to Sears and they have an insert designed for their router tables, $20. It's 1/8" steel. I drilled and mounted the router to it then drilled a couple of holes to mount the entire essambly to the table. Some day I'll invest in a router lift insert, easier to adjust the bit height.

[skipsax]

Not sure if I already replied, but thanks for all the info. I just started today on my own router table, inspired by yours and others. I think I'm going to put the alluminum bracing on all four sides. Just eyeballing the position of the melamine, it seems there might be some sag even before cutting out for the router insert. I thouroughly researched my resources for polycarbonate and came to the conclusion that an MLCS router insert would be best for me. I'll have to post some pics whem mine is done. Thanks for the inspiration!
Skip

[amcnerl]

Looking forward to the photos. I have legs yet to install along the front of the router table. I thought there may be sag too, so I mounted the table to the fence rails and set my router on top for a week and nothing sagged. If it does, I think I'll buy a couple of cheap c-clamps and clamp a strip of scrap wood to the TS extension wing and under the router table. Good luck and have fun.

[skipsax]

Looking forward to the photos. I have legs yet to install along the front of the router table. I thought there may be sag too, so I mounted the table to the fence rails and set my router on top for a week and nothing sagged. If it does, I think I'll buy a couple of cheap c-clamps and clamp a strip of scrap wood to the TS extension wing and under the router table. Good luck and have fun.

Amcnerl and RPrice54 and Bob D.,

Here's my effort on the router table extension. Thanks to you three (and others I've probably borrowed ideas from) I've come up with my own version.

The support legs are the same as Bob D. posted here elsewhere. Got them on Ebay for $7 each.

I framed the 3/4 melamine with 1/16 x 3/4 x 3/4 aluminum L bracing.

Per WBrooks suggestion, I added an aluminum T-Track. That cost about $10 on Ebay.

I chose the MLCS insert instead of making my own. It took up more real estate, but I like the removable rings shoud I attempt using larger, raised panel bits. That was $35.

The 3/4 melamine is pretty sturdy but I took a BIG chunk out of it where I routed out for the T-Track. To compensate, I added a 2" strip of melamine underneath. This gave me some stock to screw the T-Track into as well as a solid edge for the support legs to rest against.

Sorry for all the details but I found other pics and info VERY helpful in putting this together.

Next, I plan to build an auxiliary fence to use with the router extension.

Thanks again and Merrry Christmas!
Skip

[skipsax]

The auxiliary fence slips over the TS fence and I put 2 bolts in the T-Track of the fence, 1 in each as you can see in the new pics, which hold it in place...I'll answer any questions you have.

Amcnerl,
Just about to start on the fence (like yours and RPrice54). I've been staring at the pics you posted. Here's the question:
RPrice54 simply added the fence to the router side and said he "clamps" it in place. You have wrapped it around the top of the fence and over to the TS side and fasten to the t-slots on top.

I'm thinking I'll make mine like RPrice54 did - but fasten to the T-Slots on the router side of the fence, rather than the top like you did. What is the advantage of wrapping around and fastening to the top of the fence as you did? You're looks great. I'm just trying to keep it simple and light.

Skip

[franklin pug]

did you buy alum angle with pre-drilled holes or did you drill them yourself? If you did them yourself, how far down did you put them and what diameter hole did you drill?

also, those extendable support legs are dynamite! is there a model number or name on them? I googled them but was overwhelmed by hits that were irrelevant.

[skipsax]

Franklin Pug,
I did find the same "legs" at my local Lowes, although I bought them on ebay. I'll post the auction link here. I paid $7 each, plus shipping. 4 of them (2 to use on a back feed table later) cost $40 to my door. They are much more $$ at Lowes. They are actually "security bars for sliding glass doors"

The holes in the aluminum were easily drilled on my drill press. I used hex bolts, lock nuts and washers about every 4" to attach to the t-slots in the rails. I don't even know the size. I have a bunch of washers, nuts and bolts in an unmarked bin -sorry.

There was a lot of trial and error on my part. There was no deadline, so I just had fun figuring it out. Link below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Patio-Sliding-Glass-Door-Lock-Security-Bar-Brand-New_W0QQitemZ270032096129QQihZ017QQcategoryZ20589Q QrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[skipsax]

did you buy alum angle with pre-drilled holes or did you drill them yourself? If you did them yourself, how far down did you put them and what diameter hole did you drill?

also, those extendable support legs are dynamite! is there a model number or name on them? I googled them but was overwhelmed by hits that were irrelevant.

Oh yeah, the most important thing is to drill holes in the aluminum L brackets slightly larger than the hex bolts themselves. This will allow you to adjust the height of the melamine to the cast iron extension when installing.

[franklin pug]

thanks

I am almost done my route table extension - all i need to do is add the router plate.

I used plywood extandable legs to keep cost down. I found a 16 x 28 piece of5/8 melamine in home depot cut off bin for 51 cents and used it for the top. I also hardwired a steel conduit box with a switchable duplex outlet in case i needed to turn the router off in a hurry (wouldnt have to reach under the table).

The outlet also runs a shop vac for dust collection. Flip the interupter switch to start the router and the shop vac also starts.

Finally, I used the freud FT 1700 router - everything is above table: lock release, bit change, height adjustment.

I'll post some picks when its completed.

All said and done, the table should cost about 50 bucks.

[skipsax]

Yeah, please post pics when done. I like to see how other people do this stuff. This made a good project, inbetween woodworking projects for me. Ultimately I didn't make mine as inexpensively as you and others but it still was a lot less than buying the mulecab or other pre-made extensions - a lot more fun too!

[amcnerl]

skipsax, Sorry for the delay. Was on vacation for Christmas. The table looks great. Nice and clean. Did you attach the angle aluminum to the TS extension? I like the legs you modified. My next upgrade will be buying a router lift plate and mounting it to the table in place of the steel plate I'm using now. It's a bit of a hassle trying to get the exact depth and bit changing takes a little time.

Not sure why I wrapped the auxiliary fence around the saw fence. Just thought it would be easier to set in place.

Post more photos when you're done with the fence.

[skipsax]

amcnerl,
Just logged on before heading out to the shop to finish the fence - glad I did!
I will post pics of the fence when done. Thanks for the kind words.

The aluminum rails are fastened to the TS rails about every 4" or so. The legs were an idea from Bob D. Light and easy to install.

I'll post more pics soon - maybe later tonight...

[skipsax]

Did you attach the angle aluminum to the TS extension?

No, I didn't. They are fastened only to the TS rails. I could add a temporary c lamp (as you or someone else suggested) but I don't want to drill the cast iron extension at this point.

While making this out of 3/4 melamine I thought that gluing up two pieces of 3/4 to make a 1 1/2 thick extension might be more stable. It would be heavier too and I'm not sure if that would actually be good or bad.

Whatever the case, I'll keep my eye on the router extension for sagging over time. I'm only mounting a Dewalt 2 1/4 HP router when I use it. A 3hp router might be more of an issue for sag.

[skipsax]

Well the auxiliary fence for the router extension is done. It is very similar to rprice's and amcnerl's design. I just modified their designs to suit my needs. Just made the first dust and it actually works! :)
Pics below:

[amcnerl]

skipsax, looks great. Now think how much dust you can make in a hurry. Time for the projects to begin. Enjoy...

[Twisted1]

i have run across some 3/4 inch Plexiglass for the table top an some 1/4 inch MR10 (non-maring) Plexiglass for the router mount , How would is hold up or do as a top for my router table add-on ?

[amcnerl]

twisted1,

Not sure how to answer your question but you don't want any sag in the table top. I would imagine there wouldn't be any, 3/4" plexiglass is fairly stout. I would lay the plexiglass across the fence rails and set the router you're going to use on it and look for sag. That's what I done for about a week with 3/4" particle board covered with melamine, store bought shelving. One concern I have if the plexiglass is clear, wouldn't you be distracted with the view thru it? Good luck, post some pics when you complete the project.

[rprice54]

I've been getting a bunch of PM's asking for pics since the website is down.

sorry, we moved and changed internet providers. I'll try to get some more pics up. I'll be honest though, it's started sagging over time.

I'll try to describe it- I used 24" wide melamine particle board from Lowes and cut it down to fit between the rails.

I mounted aluminum angles underneath it and drilled holes in the aluminium to bolt to the rails. Drill the holes oversized so you can adjust it up and down. The rails keep this part flat and straight.

What I should have done was attach 2" or 3" strips of plywood to the back and front edge (hanging off the end of the saw) to keep it flat. The rails keep the sides of the table straight and flat, but the middle sags.


Then you can use that strip of wood to attach the legs down to the floor. I made some little adjustable feet as well, although probably the better approach is to use aluminum angles attached to the saw like someone else posted here.

Make sense? I'll try to get pics up.

Another lesson, the 1/4 polycarb is great for a base, not so great for a router plate. It's sagging a bit too. Next will be 3/8 polycarb until I can get a real metal (aluminum or steel) plate with all the fixin's.


EDIT: See the first post, I will try to post the original web page.

[realfstkid]

Hey guys,

First post on here. I just picked up a TS3660 for $360 on sale at the local home depot, and I have a Milwaukee 3 1/4 HP router that I want to put under a homemade router table addition.

My question is whether or not the added weight on the fence (from the router fence addition) degrades it's accuracy over time with many cycles back and forth. Especially since the weight is much heavier on the routing side. Do you let the router fence ride on the table top? I can't imagine that it's held up by the fence as well.

Thanks,

Christian

[rprice54]

I put legs on mine and I think most people would recommend that. the rails could 'probably' support the weight, but by the time you have a heavy router, a fence, and downward pressure you're putting on a workpiece- I would hate to bend the rails and then be out another couple of hundred bucks to replace the rails.

Adding a couple of adjustable feet takes no time. some people have even put supports angled from the saw to the table to maximize mobility.

[realfstkid]

I put legs on mine and I think most people would recommend that. the rails could 'probably' support the weight, but by the time you have a heavy router, a fence, and downward pressure you're putting on a workpiece- I would hate to bend the rails and then be out another couple of hundred bucks to replace the rails.

Adding a couple of adjustable feet takes no time. some people have even put supports angled from the saw to the table to maximize mobility.

Thanks for the quick response. I was actually asking about the fence itself, not the table extension. It looks in the pictures like you are putting quite a bit of weight on the table saw's existing fence, and since it's more to one side than the other, I was wondering if this caused any warping, abnormal wear of the fence with this extra weight on it.

Thanks,

Christian

[rprice54]

the router fence sits on the table surface, it is clamped to the TS fence, but there's no weight or torque on the fence- it just keeps it straight and still.

[quiktoes]

I think after 3 years of reading forums I have finally stolen enough information and have thus finally completed the final phase of my TS3650. The extension table and router table are finally complete. I had a lot of worries about the router table (especially the fence) but here it is and I just ran off some moldings and they are perfectly formed and absolutely no burn marks (a first for me). I have made it gentleman. I am now self elevating myself from wood hacker to the status of novice woodworker.

I am on an extremely tight budget so this is for all those that have no cash. I probably made the extension and router table for around $70. The 12 ply was free and I got it off a pallet of underlayment. The legs are made out of 1inch ridgid electrical conduit. To make them adjustable I slipped 3/4 inch bendable electrical conduit and then drilled holes in them. I used a dremel to remove what was in between the holes and slip in a few bolts and they are adjustable. Then buy 3/4 inch leg protectors for the bottom. One foot of U channel will get you the brackets just drill holes in them. 15$ worth of materials and a fun afternoon and you have legs for out feed and router table support.

Some nuts and bolts and both tables are completely adjustable. I do get some war page with the 12 ply so they do need slight adjustments. Maybe I will go melamine when I ware these out. The router plate is from harbor freight for $28ish shipped. (I think I will ware out the inserts within 2 years so will most likely by a rockler $40ish one later)

The fence probably needs more explanation if anyone wants to make it but here goes. (the hard part) I first cut the U shape exactly to go over the fence. I put one piece on right and one on left. I slipped 1 playing card on both sides of the fence and clamped it hard to the fence (this is so it fit snug but would come off easy and it worked). I then spread glue on the top and placed the top piece and screwed it. I made sure that the whole thing sat 1/16th higher off the table so it wouldn't catch on anything. After the glue up I cut the dato's and the rest was fairly easy. I need to rework the dust collection (I think i need a bigger hole). My shop vac currently misses about 20% of the dust. This thing actually glides over my table with no real catch and it doesn't seem to tweak my fence at all. The Quad feather boards are an outstanding investment. I wouldn't buy bench dogs, buy rockler's double feather boards (on sale) and then buy two miter slot adapters and you magically have 4 feather boards and 2 extra tall feather boards when you need um. Its woodworkers bliss for barely any coin.

Few things I would do over is I would get rid of that big gap between the adjustable fences. Thats easy to fix. I would move the router plate as close to the cast iron leaf as possible to take full advantage of the feather boards. If anyone wants explanations or photos or just help I would be rather flattered. I did steal/modify most of the designs so I do throw out a thanks to the guys up top. Ohh if you like the blue shelf thats a 15$ buy from menards.
markweibrecht@live.com

God Bless guys and keep the great ideas coming its very appreciated.

[rprice54]

very nice man, well done.

[Bob D.]

Looks good Mark, enjoy.

An outfeed table makes cuts so much
safer, it's a wonder they are not offered
as an accessory by more TS manufacturers.

[kcfd82]

Bob D I just joined this forum and have been looking to upgrade the 3650 i bought this summer. I have seen your out feed table post with all the pictures and I saw your router table set up. How did you do yours? Do you have pics and explanation on here? I like what is out here and i will be getting ready to set mine up, do you all have any advice on things you might have done differently? and one last thing how do you all feel about the power set up on these saws? Should you go with the stock 110, or upgrade to the 220 or 230 whatever it is...your advice. Thanks

[duke58]

Nice setups

[b2rtch]

Here is my version of the table extension and router table.
By the way , many thanks to all those who shared their knowledge and experience with us.
I would have never made it without you.
May God bless you all.
I reused a router table that I bought last year. It works well for me.
I use a Milwaukee router, that I also bought last year. It is perfect for this application.
A friend of mine made the riving knives for me free of charge.
Now my next project is to install the dust pan so that I can use the dust collector I bought at HF yesterday.
I plan on lifting the whole saw from the ground and to block it to install the dust pan
Bert

[ndekens]

Do you happen to have any close up pictures of how you attached the router table to your saw? I have the same setup and im wanting to attach a table to mine. Thanks!

Here is my version of the table extension and router table.
By the way , many thanks to all those who shared their knowledge and experience with us.
I would have never made it without you.
May God bless you all.
I reused a router table that I bought last year. It works well for me.
I use a Milwaukee router, that I also bought last year. It is perfect for this application.
A friend of mine made the riving knives for me free of charge.
Now my next project is to install the dust pan so that I can use the dust collector I bought at HF yesterday.
I plan on lifting the whole saw from the ground and to block it to install the dust pan
Bert

[DrumFun]

Hey Bert, that looks very good. I would appreciate seeing photos of your DC system when you finish it. Thanks and God Bless you as well! Adam.

[b2rtch]

Do you happen to have any close up pictures of how you attached the router table to your saw? I have the same setup and im wanting to attach a table to mine. Thanks!


I shall post some pics tonight if the website let me do it!.
I was not able to post any pics in the last two days.
Bert

[b2rtch]

ndekens, I just wrote that I shall post some pics of how I mounted my router table, I did not mean to lie to you but I am not going to do it because the pictures I took really do not show anything.
I replaced the rear angle iron with a longer and stiffer one.
I reused this angle iron to mounted the router table.
This is quite simple:
I remove the right from square tubing and I drilled the angle iron which supports it to install 2 x1/4x 1/2 flat head screws and I also drilled 1/2 of the reused rear angle iron that I mounted like "L" .
I use the other half for the rear.
I did the same thing in the rear and I installed shims so that the router table is level with the table saw.
I installed my existing router table and I screwed to the angle irons, in which I had drilled holes ( 2 on each side).
I reused as much of the router table as possible, in fact I reused everything but the stand.
I hope this help.
Bert