Making your own router plate
 

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/2013 8:32 AM, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.


1/4" or thicker aluminum. When I think of "sheet metal" I think of
stuff far to thin to properly support a router.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/2013 7:32 AM, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.


Solid Pnenolic

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/2013 5:32 AM, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.


Why make your own ???

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...ate_kit_anchor

or

http://www.ptreeusa.com/routerPlates.htm

Those inserts are very important.

You can't make a decent one for $30.

Making your own router plate
 

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 9:54:14 AM UTC-5, Pat Barber wrote:
On 9/12/2013 5:32 AM, Michael wrote:

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?



Thanks.





Why make your own ???



http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...ate_kit_anchor



or



http://www.ptreeusa.com/routerPlates.htm



Those inserts are very important.



You can't make a decent one for $30.

I'm too cheap to pay that much for a table plate.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 7:32 AM, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.


phenolic resin


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:44:52 -0500, -MIKE-
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?
phenolic resin

Can you say why? I always disliked the thickness of phenolic resin.
Yes, that thickness assists in keeping something like a router in
place, but the weight of most routers was sufficient in keeping any
metal plates in place for me.

Making your own router plate
 

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 07:54:14 -0700, Pat Barber wrote:

Those inserts are very important.

Well, yes, but you don't need to buy one. I took the baseplate off my
router and put a bushing in it to match the router plate opening.
Centered the router to the plate just fine. Of course, you have to be
sure your router is centered in its base plate to start with :-).

--
This message was for rec.woodworking - if it appears in homeownershub
they ripped it off.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 9:54 AM, Pat Barber wrote:
On 9/12/2013 5:32 AM, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some
type of sheet metal?

Thanks.


Why make your own ???

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...ate_kit_anchor


or

http://www.ptreeusa.com/routerPlates.htm

Those inserts are very important.

You can't make a decent one for $30.


No, but you can make two. :-)

I got 3/4' Phenolic sheet from Woodcraft for (if memory serves) under
$25 and made two router insert plates.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:32:49 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1o-QKriBM

$7 acrylic plate sold as trivet. Haven't tried it, mine is a Lee
Valley round phenolic plate:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,43000,51208

But that used to cost a whole lot less. Today I'd be looking
elsewhere.

Making your own router plate
 

Pat Barber wrote:

You can't make a decent one for $30.
-------------------------------------------------
Michael wrote:


I'm too cheap to pay that much for a table plate.
------------------------------------------------------
As Ben once said, you are being penny wise and pound foolish.

Lew

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 10:49 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:44:52 -0500, -MIKE-
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate,
some type of sheet metal?
phenolic resin

Can you say why? I always disliked the thickness of phenolic resin.
Yes, that thickness assists in keeping something like a router in
place, but the weight of most routers was sufficient in keeping any
metal plates in place for me.


I never though weight alone was a qualifying aspect of a router plate,
for the reason you gave.
Strength, rigidity, smoothness, non-dulling (bits) are the qualifiers.
You are obviously concerned with thickness and I completely understand
why. With some routers, that 3/4" can be a problem with getting most
height out of the bit.

Two solutions: Use thinner phenolic-- it comes in many thicknesses. I
can't speak from experience, but I'm pretty sure it's still pretty rigid
down to 1/2".
Route a recess in the 3/4' to receive the router base. You can use a
center point and pin for your router to mill and perfect circle at
whatever depth you like and the clear out the rest freehand.

I don't like aluminum, because even thought it technically is softer
than a router bit, it still dulls it. Also, it can bend if dropped and
once bent, it's never going back straight.
Back to dulling. I like to make the smallest possibly hole in my plates.
I don't like using plastic inserts for different bits. Odds are most of
my cutting will be done with smaller bits. If I have a larger bit to
use, I like to raise it up through the plate, while running, while it
cuts its own whole through the plate.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 11:18 AM, Jim Weisgram wrote:
On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:32:49 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1o-QKriBM

$7 acrylic plate sold as trivet.


I often use those solid plastic cutting boards for making jigs.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 5:32:49 AM UTC-7, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?



Thanks.

Old school approach is to use a piece of an old laminate counter top.
New school, visit Woodpeckers and spend $100 and get a full set of inserts along with it.

Making your own router plate
 

"Michael" wrote in message

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF,
polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?


Please totally forget about MDF. Ditto particle board, wafer board, OSB and
fiberboard.

Suitable materials would be phenolic, polycarbonate, aluminum, iron.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 11:41 AM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
On Thursday, September 12, 2013 5:32:49 AM UTC-7, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?



Thanks.

Old school approach is to use a piece of an old laminate counter top.
New school, visit Woodpeckers and spend $100 and get a full set of inserts along with it.


There's something to be said about going totally ghetto and working with
it for a while to determine what you really want and need before
spending the cash.

I built quite a few large bookcases with all the molding and trim work
using my router screwed to the bottom of a makeshift 1/2" melamine table
top. I screwed fences and feather boards right down to the melamine. :-)

Doing it like this helped me determine which of the shiny, expensive
router table features were 'necessary' and which were window dressing.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 12:04 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"Michael" wrote in message

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF,
polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?


Please totally forget about MDF. Ditto particle board, wafer board, OSB and
fiberboard.

Suitable materials would be phenolic, polycarbonate, aluminum, iron.


I would take polycarbonate out of that mix. It's too "melty" for my
taste.

And I hope you meant 'steel' instead of iron. :-p


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

Jim Weisgram wrote:
On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:32:49 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate,
some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1o-QKriBM

$7 acrylic plate sold as trivet. Haven't tried it, mine is a Lee
Valley round phenolic plate:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,43000,51208

But that used to cost a whole lot less. Today I'd be looking
elsewhere.

Man - the prices on those has skyrocketed!

Here's an alternative that I found on ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROUTER-TABLE...item19d12aeed0


--

-Mike-

Making your own router plate
 

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 11:31:29 -0500, -MIKE-
my cutting will be done with smaller bits. If I have a larger bit to
use, I like to raise it up through the plate, while running, while it
cuts its own hole through the plate.

That's a good point, something you can't/shouldn't do with a metal
place. I never thought of that, guess it's the closed equivalent of
zero clearance insert.

Making your own router plate
 

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:58:59 +0000, Edward A. Falk wrote:

How much is your time worth, and would you rather spend it woodworking
now, or making jigs so you can do woodworking later?

I thought making jigs *was* part of woodworking :-).

--
This message was for rec.woodworking - if it appears in homeownershub
they ripped it off.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/2013 8:15 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:58:59 +0000, Edward A. Falk wrote:

How much is your time worth, and would you rather spend it woodworking
now, or making jigs so you can do woodworking later?

I thought making jigs *was* part of woodworking :-).


Making a nifty jig can be as satisfying an accomplishment as making the
project.

Making your own router plate
 

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 7:04:18 AM UTC-7, Leon wrote:
On 9/12/2013 7:32 AM, Michael wrote:

What kind of material do you prefer?

Solid Pnenolic

(Phenolic plastic, like linen-reinforced Micarta, is a pretty good rigid choice).
You can duplicate a base plate pretty easily, by chucking a dowel in your router, and
using a solid-carbide router bit in a second router, with the same diameter as
the dowel.

The trick is, to mount the base-plate material, form a center hole by plunge-cutting, then
making a pin-router jig of router #1 with a dowel and the holed but uncut baseplate,
and cut it with router #2 which has a fully-formed base plate.

You can put a collar on the dowel to guide an oversize circle cut, making a large
circular baseplate.

I've done this with phenolic (to make a matching-diameter baseplate for a small router),
but it should work with aluminum as well.

Making your own router plate
 

"Michael" wrote in message
...

What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type
of sheet metal?

Thanks.

Michael,

Give Pat Warner's site a look http://www.patwarner.com/ and look under
"Understanding Routing" and Router Table for some excellent advice and
ideas. I built the fence he did an article on in FWW and it is a workhorse
although it is a bit heavier than the one he shows now.

I'm just a hobbyist but two kitchen's worth of cabinet doors, drawers and
moldings plus an arched panel 36"x80" (really heavy) door for a family
member were all made using Pat's designed fence and some other add-on's for
router work I've purchased from him.

His site is one hell of a great resource and his products are quality made -
plus he's always been helpful with any questions I've had.

Bob S.

Making your own router plate
 

On 9/12/13 2:58 PM, Edward A. Falk wrote:
In article ,
Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?

Thanks.

I've used both polycarbonate and mdf. I prefer the poly, but if it's
not available, I make do.

But I don't think I'll be doing it any more. As other posters have
pointed out, store-bought router bases aren't all *that* expensive.

How much is your time worth, and would you rather spend it woodworking
now, or making jigs so you can do woodworking later?


Making jigs when I'm not woodworking. :-)

They usually end up better than store bought, you get the satisfaction
of building it yourself, and you learn techniques and processes that
translate to woodworking. Plus, once you have one, you make others for
other tasks. I have about 5 different router plates for different task,
some make from phenolic, some poly-carb, some plywood.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Making your own router plate
 

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 6:32:49 AM UTC-6, Michael wrote:
What kind of material do you prefer? 1/4 inch MDF, polycarbonate, some type of sheet metal?



Thanks.

"Hockey glass" - several years ago, they changed the glass on our towns ice rink And I scored a couple sheets out of the dumpster - 12mm lexan(?). Remove the router base plate and use it for a mounting hole template. Now you can centre the hole for the bit and use the guide bushings and bits of your choice (I used the Freud FT2020 guide bushing set - these are the Porter Cable style guides)to do the hole. Some careful thought and you should be able to jig your way through