A handy makeshift router table
For project, I recently needed a router table to safely handle smaller parts. Without a dedicated workshop and generally not much space, I have to reuse objects, machines and space as much as possible. I already use beer crates for various tasks when woodworking, such as a work surface, to prop up parts or as a modular step ladder. Therefore, modifying a beer crate into a router table was an obvious choice. After the modifications it can still be used as a step or in the base of a table. Beer crates have pretty much ideal dimensions for a small router table. A crate just needs a removeable top made from Siebdruckplatte (resin-coated plywood) with a small border all around. If the border sits firmly, the top cannot without sliding and even sticks well enough on there to prevent accidental lifting off. The three screw holes to attach the router…
Experiments in kerf bending with a router
There are various well-known methods to bend wood: steam bending, bent lamination and kerf bending. Kerf bending might be the most accessible of these techniques but it usually doesn’t look too good. When done with a table saw, unsightly cuts in the wood remain visible in the side view. With a tapered router bit, however, the cuts that allow the wood to bend almost disappear. I wanted to experiment with this technique for a while and finally got around to it. For a start, I use an off-cut of 24mm plywood and make a simple shelf that bends twice, once over itself and a second time around a corner in a wall. This is a combination I have not seen yet: kerf bending combined with a 3 dimensional bend. Plywood is certainly not the most beautiful material for a piece of furniture but for a test it is perfect: it…
A custom L-Boxx insert for a router
Like many others, I have a Bosch POF 1400 ACE router. It’s a popular hand-held router because it is quite cheap and decent quality for DIY use. Being Bosch green (“DIY home user”) rather than blue (“professional”), it does not come in an L-Boxx but its own plastic case instead. L-Boxxes are popular container system by Bosch based on the Sortimo containers. Many of my other mobile tools are already in L-Boxxes, so it would be handy to have the router in one too and fit all of my most-used accessories. For the POF 1400, the largest L-Boxx size 4 (also known as L-Boxx 374) has a good height to fit a router and accessories. The router itself needs a fixture to rest in or on, the odd-shaped accessory parts need custom holders and router bits should be stored in a hole array. There seem to be no commercial inserts…