A Simple Router Table
If you look in the wood specialty shops or watch fine craftsmen on the television, you might get the impression that the router table has to be a complicated thing with an almost incomprehensible fence composed of many pieces.
In fact, you can get away with the most basic router table possible: a table top with a hole in it large enough to accommodate the plate to which a router is attached. A fence is a piece of board or a piece of thick plastic that is clamped to two sides of a the table and lined up so the piece of wood gets the right amount of contact with the router bit. The table can have some small holes in it to accommodate pins for routing without a fence.
Using simple router tables allows you to create a table for each router you may own so that you can keep often-used setups readily available. It also allows you to be creative with how you store your table. For example, you might find a way to attach a table to the side of your workbench and then to detach it when you are done, saving space. You could even rout out part of your workbench to accommodate the router plate. Put a router plate-like insert in the hole when you are not using the router to keep things from falling through.
A good router table needs to be flat and smooth. MDF is very good for this because it will not flex. While melamine particle board has a smooth surface, a heavy router may cause the particle board to bend. Sometimes you can get scraps of melamine-covered MDF that are sufficient in size for a table, when a department or clothing store is getting rid of old store fixtures. Melamine MDF is ideal because of its rigidity and extra smooth surface.
In addition to making your own router table, you can also make your own router plates. Phenolic plastic works really well for this. You can cut it on a table saw and it is a very rigid form of plastic. To buy a whole sheet of phenolic is very expensive, but if there is a business that sells plastic to other businesses near where you live, you may be able to buy scraps of phenolic for a better price.
Making your own simple router table has many advantages. One is that it is relatively inexpensive so you can experiment with the materials so you have a design that suits you. Another advantage is that after having made your table, you will know how everything works, which will help you pick out a manufactured router table if you decide eventually to move in that direction. Finally, there is always the pride of accomplishment, to be able to use a tool you have created yourself. Making a router table is not terribly difficult but it can give you a sense of satisfaction. Be safe as you are enjoying it.
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