Sam Berlyn wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam
for small parts a router table is a necessity. If you don't have much space
make a small benchtop model. I made a simple box for a router table and
store it on a shelf when not in use. Its just big enough to put the
router's storage box inside as well so it doesn't take up much more space.

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

A router is a very valuable tool for a small shop. It is able to do many
types of jobs and a good investment for a small shop like yours. I would
recommend in my opinion to build a small router table that would accommodate
your needs. Since you do mainly small projects, a large work surface is not
needed. A router table definitely makes some procedures easier than trying
to use your router by hand on a small, awkward cut. Jigs and fixtures are
available to help you hold small pieces when machining them. Have fun and
watch your fingers!
"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount it under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a fence. A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how robust and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper jigs and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it safe and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the shop and it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Yes, you need one. I'd be lost without mine. You don't need a big one and
it can be stored under the bench (or the bottom of your bedroom closet) if
you get a small setup. Take a look at the small Benchdog
(www.routerbits.com) and see if it fits your space and either buy or build a
similar size.

Simple chores like a groove or roundover are just so fast and easy with a
table.

How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount it
under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a fence. A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how robust and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper jigs
and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts
requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it safe and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the shop and
it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

try this link to give you an idea:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

Basically, you countersink some screws through the top of the board and
screw into the router baseplate. This allows you to release the router
motor from below and then change the bits with the motor out of the housing.
You then adjust the height in various ways after replacing the router in the
router base (different routers do this differently). At any rate, that
article I linked to has a pretty good description of a simple router table
that should get you thinking.

Mike


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount it
under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a fence.
A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how robust
and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper jigs
and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts
requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it safe
and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the shop
and
it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

Can you always take the motor off of the housing?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
...
try this link to give you an idea:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

Basically, you countersink some screws through the top of the board and
screw into the router baseplate. This allows you to release the router
motor from below and then change the bits with the motor out of the
housing.
You then adjust the height in various ways after replacing the router in
the
router base (different routers do this differently). At any rate, that
article I linked to has a pretty good description of a simple router table
that should get you thinking.

Mike


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount it
under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses
or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a fence.
A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how robust
and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper
jigs
and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings
and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts
requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it safe
and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the shop
and
it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about
every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

What router do you have? If you're looking at purchasing one, and it will
be your only one, I'd get the DeWalt 618PK with the fixed and plunge bases
(and possibly the kit with the d-handle, too, which I find useful). For
this router and the Porter-Cable 690 (which I also have) (and every other
router that I've seen, for that matter) you can take the mouter out of the
base. I can't envision any reason why a router would not be able to do
this, and can't really see how it would function properly in terms of
accessing the collet and changing bits if you couldn't.

Mike


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
Can you always take the motor off of the housing?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
...
try this link to give you an idea:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

Basically, you countersink some screws through the top of the board and
screw into the router baseplate. This allows you to release the router
motor from below and then change the bits with the motor out of the
housing.
You then adjust the height in various ways after replacing the router in
the
router base (different routers do this differently). At any rate, that
article I linked to has a pretty good description of a simple router
table
that should get you thinking.

Mike


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount
it
under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses
or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a
fence.
A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how
robust
and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper
jigs
and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings
and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts
requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it
safe
and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the
shop
and
it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about
every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it
really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

If you have a router, you will increase its capacity immensely by
having one. However commercial ones are very expensive and most of
the UK ones aren't much good.

You can make one cheaply. I'll try hard to post photos of my own in
the next few days, something I've been meaning to write up for months.

So yes, they're useful. They're easy and cheap to make. Don't spend
money on buying a commercial one.

--
Smert' spamionam

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam



consider it a project, something to practise your skills on.

router tables are very useful things.

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Yes. *Much* easier, much safer for small projects. Take the tool to
the material for large projects. amke oyur own from scrap material :
4 legs with small ply squares fastened to the bottoms to fasten to the
benchtop. 3/4" particle board or whatever for the top. hole cut to
accommodate the router bits and then some. Two more or less parallel
slots. One piece of hardwood for the guide, with two hole in it to
run bolts through for fastening to the tabletop through the two slots,
and one cutout to allow chips to fly.

If happy, then invest in a better metal one ASAP.

Yes... in your space, this would be a valuable addition:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

It takes a screaming maniac of a tool and puts it in a
much more controlled situation that will allow you to
do MUCH more with the router. A hand held router is a
disaster waiting to happen on most days.


Sam Berlyn wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 17:25:25 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

Can you always take the motor off of the housing?

No - very rarely.

Remember that on the interweb everyone is an American. Routers in the
USA are still largely "fixed base" designs, which are pretty much
unheard of in the UK. They don't plunge and (rather bizarrely for a
"fixed base") they come apart easily into two halves.

If you want a router table with a plunge router, you really need one
with a good depth adjust. Sadly these are still rare, especially in
the mid range. The better ones have them (I use a Freud 2000) and
oddly so do the cheapies.

Another factor in choosing a router for a table is to have one with a
switch you can leave turned on, and a separate switch that you can
work from above (ideally this is a "no volt release" switch). Some
recent cheap routers have "trigger" switches that need to be tied down
with an elastic band to be used in a table - hardly convenient.
--
Smert' spamionam

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 17:25:25 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

Can you always take the motor off of the housing?

No - very rarely.


I just took a look at the Freud FT2000E and it definitely doesn't come apart
as the routers I'm used to. To be honest, I think this is a very big
negative, not a positive.

the only thing the word "fixed" refers to is that the routers don't plunge.
being able to take the motor out of the base greatly improves the ease of
putting a bit in the collet and then tightening it down. Of course, there
are times when the bit will be too big for the base opening, and you'll have
to insert it with the motor in the base. Since I have a table with a big
3.25 HP router and a router lift, it is easy for me to forget about those
difficulties as I never have to deal with them anymore.

At any rate, having multiple bases with one motor that can be exchanged
between them makes an infinite amount of sense. There are a LOT of
operations where I prefer a fixed base router instead of a plunge. I
actually keep a tear-drop baseplate on the fixed base all the time, and have
a big clear circular base on the plunge base. You can never have enough
routers or router accessories.

Mike

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 20:06:51 GMT, Pat Barber
wrote:

Yes... in your space, this would be a valuable addition:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

It takes a screaming maniac of a tool and puts it in a
much more controlled situation that will allow you to
do MUCH more with the router. A hand held router is a
disaster waiting to happen on most days.


Sam Berlyn wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam




listen to Pat, Sam....

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:


Please try to persuade me either way,


I actually prefer a table for small parts. Small parts are much
easier to rout when the router is steady and the part is held with a
hand screw or push block.

On large items, like table edges, I'll use a handheld router.

Barry

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:


Please try to persuade me either way,


This cost less than $100 US and one day to make.

http://www.bburke.com/wood/images/routertable2.jpg

None of the dimensions are critical. If you want to save even more
money, all you need is a flat piece of plywood that you can clamp
between two sawhorses.

Barry

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news
I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam



Yes you do Sam. But... you don't need a big, heavy, free standing table
that's going to consume floor space all of the time and is going to be in
the way more than it's going to be used. You can make a very light, simple
"table" out of a piece of plywood, glued up boards, MDF - whatever, and
mount an insert in it for your router. That's it - just the board. You
don't need a fancy fence set up, just a good straight board that you can
clamp on the "table". When you're not using it, hang it up on the wall out
of the way. When you need it, take it down and put it across a couple of
saw horses, a couple of 55 gallon barrels, or whatever is handy.
--

-Mike-

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?


Two choices Sam - either install a router insert which you can remove to
change bits with the router laid up on the tabletop, and then place the
whole thing back into the table... or just reach under the table top with
your wrench and loosen the collet to change bits. You can get a wrench in
under the table top to loosen collets. Worst case - take the three screws
out that hold the router to the underside of the table and haul the router
up to the table top. That's kind of an extreme method, but you don't change
bits that often that it's a real killer. Just remember to unplug your
router before changing anything. That part added to appease the catastrophe
freaks.

--

-Mike-

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 17:08:48 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


if you turn your router upside down you'll see that the surface that
touches the wood is removeable. this is called the sub-base. what
you're gonna do is unscrew the sub-base and replace it with another
one a little thicker and a good 6 or 8 inches longer and wider. (make
it a couple of inches larger than the overall footprint of the tool)

this plate in turn will be let into the surface of the router table so
that the "top" of it (what was the bottom before you turned it upside
down) is flush with the top of the router table.

now to change bits, make fiddly adjustments, etc you lift the router
and plate right out of the table.

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 17:25:25 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

Can you always take the motor off of the housing?

No, but if you get a plunge router, you can change bits when it is
still in the table by unlocking the plunge lock. Just make sure
you're careful with the router- with the space you've described, it's
an awful tight squeeze to keep control of the board.



"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
try this link to give you an idea:

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip040700wb.html

Basically, you countersink some screws through the top of the board and
screw into the router baseplate. This allows you to release the router
motor from below and then change the bits with the motor out of the
housing.
You then adjust the height in various ways after replacing the router in
the
router base (different routers do this differently). At any rate, that
article I linked to has a pretty good description of a simple router table
that should get you thinking.

Mike


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
How do I mount it? If I screw it on, how do I change the bit / collet?

Sam


"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
m...
Do you already have a router? If so, it is extremely easy to mount it
under
a piece of plywood or MDF and then clamp the board to some sawhorses
or
something and then clamp a straight edge or board to that as a fence.
A
pretty easy make-shift router table. It really depends on how robust
and
how often you'll use it. I find the router table, with the proper
jigs
and
safety precautions, to be a very good tool for making small moldings
and
other routing operations. To use a handheld router on small parts
requires
some effort (more than the router table, IMO) in order to make it safe
and
accurate. The router table was one of my first projects for the shop
and
it
is one of the most used stations - coming into play on just about
every
project.

Mike

"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
news I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam










Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Sam, get a copy of "Woodworking with the Router", by Hylton and Matlack.
It is the best accessory for the router I have ever found. It will
show you how to make several tables and when to use one.

Sam Berlyn wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

In article ,
(Greg) wrote:

I mounted my old Crapsman in a wing of my table saw. I can use the table saw
fence and it is one less thing taking up real estate.

How did you make a hole in your table saw wing?

--
Hank Gillette

"Hank Gillette" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Greg) wrote:

I mounted my old Crapsman in a wing of my table saw. I can use the table
saw
fence and it is one less thing taking up real estate.

How did you make a hole in your table saw wing?

--
Hank Gillette

Hey Hank - I did the same thing with a DeWalt 618 and my extensions are
built out of cherry banding with MDF as the surface, so I just routed the
channel for my insert to sit in and cut out the waste. The MDF in my table
will soon give way to melamine though. Not because it's giving me any
problems, I've just decided that I hate MDF.
--

-Mike-

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

I am unsure of whether I need a router table.

I mainly do small projects, boxes etc. and I don't know if it really
justifies a place in my 14 square foot garage space..

Please try to persuade me either way,

Cheers,

Sam

Sam.... absolute no-no, but I'm going to respond to your question
before reading what others have said.. (busy morning)
IMHO, you know when you need a router table... you'll be working on a
project eventually that you really don't feel good about free hand or
clamped to a jig, and decide to build a table..

Though I was never as space-inhibited as you, the area I worked in
when I first needed a router table was very small... I ended up
putting a hole in the back of my work bench with router clamps under
it, and an oak 1/4 and a couple of deep throat clamps as the fence..
it worked until I could advance to the next step and was free, using
what I had on hand..YMMV

The table saw wings are heavy sheet metal with a depression in them. I cut some
laminate to fill the depression and punched the hole with a chassis punch. The
3 mounting screws are countersunk into the laminate

How did you make a hole in your table saw wing?

On 03 Dec 2004 16:45:27 GMT, (Greg) wrote:

The table saw wings are heavy sheet metal with a depression in them. I cut some
laminate to fill the depression and punched the hole with a chassis punch. The
3 mounting screws are countersunk into the laminate

How did you make a hole in your table saw wing?

They sell router table extension wings for a lot of saws as well,
IIRC.


Aut inveniam viam aut faciam