My makeshift router table made from a beer crate worked well for years and came in handy in many projects. Obviously, it has some major limitations. The table size is a bit small and offers no functionalities whatsoever. Height adjustment is somewhat annoying. I have to push the router up against its internal springs and gravity while holding down the table to not llift it out of the crate. Also, it is not a permanent router table ready to use but I have to unbox the router and screw it into the table before lifting it into the crate.
Time for a new router table! This time done properly and with the usual features.
Requirements
The new table should be a permanent but flexible build and saving on materials is always nice.
- No new router. I do not want buy a new router when I already have one that works fine.
- Saving some money and use all leftover materials from other projects.
- Height adjustment from above: modify my Bosch POF 1400 ACE with height adjustment through the base plate.
- Router must remain useable as a handheld plunge router.
- Drawers to store bits and accessories.
- Basic dust collection through the fence but not in main cabinet (can be added later if needed).
The Build
Overview of the new router table. This image already gives away pretty much all the details.
Safety
The makeshift table required the use of a separate safety switch box that was dangling around. The new table has the switch integrated and conveniently accessible.
The switch is a safety switch with a relay that cuts power and requires manual starting when power is lost (Wiederanlaufschutz).
Features
As per the requirements, all leftover materials found their way into this build.
The top is 24mm Siebdruckplatte (resin-coated plywood) while the base is 18mm plywood for weight. The router base is inset into the top to preserve more of the limited height range (this router was never intended for stationary use in a table).
Since the table does not have a continuous back panel, all wood connections are inset to provide a little more sturdiness against racking. Even when I try, there is no racking in the frame at all.
The top shows a forth hole for height adjustment, custom insert plates and two sets of perpendicular dove tail tracks.
The insert plates are 3D printed and fit into a chamfered hole. When hole and plates are chamfered at 45 degree it is easy to achieve a perfect fit and have the plates sit at exactly the height of the table without protruding.
I printed the plates with various opening sizes to fit any of my router bits. If one gets damaged over time, I can reprint it in a few minutes.
The dovetail tracks follow the the Matchfit system and are used for the fence and other accessories.
I use the same system on other tools, so it is quite universal.
The base has “ears” to clamp it down on any work surface from the side or (if absolutely necessary) from front and back.
In this picture, the table is clamped to my custom-built portable workbench with dovetail tracks.
A blog post on that workbench is still on my To Do list 😉
Drawers
Missing storage on the makeshift table was more of an issue than I anticipated, so the new table gets four drawers. They are all interchangable.
The bottom drawers are just open boxes to store various odd-shaped items like feather boards, collets, insert plates and more. These drawers will need more organization once I know what will be stored in them.
The two top drawers are for router bits and come with an interlaced pattern of 6mm and 8mm holes.
Instead of drilling 81 holes per drawer by hand, it is so much easier and quicker to let my heavily modified 3018 CNC bore them out.
One day, the CNC will get its own blog post …
Accessories
The feather boards are also 3D printed. When they get inevitably damaged in the future, I just print a new one.
The fence supports dust collection through a hole in the back to attach a vaccum hose.
My woodworking projects mostly happen outside, so that is enough dust collection for now. I can always enclose the router for dust collection later but lose the handy access to the height adjustment knob.
As with other projects, a blog post on my homemade dust collector built from an old vaccum cleaner is somewhere on the To Do list.
Height adjustment
Arguably the most interesting feature is the height adjustment through the router’s base plate. On the internet, it is often said that this router model is not useable for height adjustment from above but, actually, it is quite easy to do.
Although straightforward, the modification requires almost complete disassembly of the router. It is completely reversible with the only permament changes being the three screw holes in the plastic case. Importantly, the router remains useable as a handheld plunge router after the modification and conversion from table to handheld use means simply unscrewing from the table and screwing on a base plate.
The steps to replace the router’s coarse and fine height adjustment system with a threaded rod (or better, a lead screw) has been documented on the internet a few times before, so I do not repeat that here.
(This video is not be me. It just happens to be one the best references for the modification.)
Changes I made over the video above or other tutorials on-line:
- Using a 3D printed cylinder with printed threads instead a wooden dowel. This achieves the perfect amount of friction on the threaded rod.
- Removed one of the two springs of the plunge base to require less force. One spring remains to take up potential backlash and the spring puts force on the height adjustment which prevents it from turning on its own when the machine vibrates.
- Added a 3D printed star knob where the fine adjustment used to be. This is very handy for manual adjustment.
Now, it can be used like any other router intended for stationary use in a table.
The manual height adjustment for fine adjustment or when no drill is at hand. Note that the knob must be countered from both sides, so it can be used for both up and down movements.
The modification removed the original quick adjust and replaced the fine adjustment. The 8mm threaded rod has about the same pitch (height change per knob turn) as the original fine adjust, so moving the router all the way up/down by hand can be tedious.
Finally, a proper router table
The table has already seen quite some use after these images were taken. So far, I am really happy with the result, especially so, considering I spent nothing but time on the build.
