Bob wrote:
Wanting to move beyond the limitations of my old Craftsman tabletop
router table and my trusty PC 690 router, I am looking to move up to a
more substantial router and table. I'd like to put a new router in the
33" wide right-side table extension of my contractor table saw. I
think that the experience of the helpful wReck-ers in this group might
prove valuable.

Does anyone have experience with any of these options that they'd like
to share?


Hell, yes. I've got what I think is the most tricked out contractor's saw on
the planet. Ridgid would be very surprised to see how much crap I've added to
their original TS-2424.

I added a PC 7518 to an extension wing on the left side of my saw. Although the
manufacturer of the extension recommended inserting it in the place of the
original cast iron wing, I chose to add it on to the outside of the original
iron wing instead, effectively adding significant size to the saw. Looking back
at it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. There is no sag that I can see. When I
want to cut something wide, I just remove the router's fence and drop the router
bit down below the surface. It only takes a moment.

I'm using a Jessem Mast-R-Lift to raise the router up and down from the top. It
works perfectly.

I added an overhead guard/ dust collector from Penn State to the other side of
the saw, then decided the vertical support was getting in the way when I
crosscut panels bigger than 2'. The solution was I constructed another wing out
of oak and melamine laminated plywood and bolted it to my right hand wing, then
rebolted the vertical support for the overhead guard. Now I have another 20" to
work with on the right side as well, making it symetrical. No sag on the right
either...

Oh, yeah.... I have an outfeed table bolted on the back of the saw with a hinged
joint just outboard of the saw's motor, so it can fold out of the way when I
don't need the space, which is essentially never. It's always being used.

I'll post a picture of the monstosity in APBW.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN