Quick-And-Easy-Router-Table.Pdf

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quick & easy Router Table

This simple table is easy to build, transport, and stow away at the end of the day.

This router table is packed with some impres- cuts a snap. It takes no effort at all to adjust it sive features. But what I really like about it is quickly and lock it securely to the tabletop. 1 that it takes only one 5' x 5' sheet of /2" Baltic Simple Joinery. The case is built with simple, birch plywood (see the cutting diagram on the no-frills joinery. You can make all the parts next page) and a weekend to build. with nothing more than a table saw and drill Large Top. Fast, inexpensive construction press. Rabbets, dadoes, and butt joints create isn’t the only thing going for this router table. a strong cabinet that stands up to hard use. For starters, the top measures a full 20" x 32". portable convenience. On the job site or in But there’s more to it than size. For exam- your shop, this router table can be quickly ple, the top tilts up for easy router access to clamped to a workbench or even sawhorses. change bits and make height adjustments. And there’s a drawer at the bottom for stor- And the heavy-duty fence makes accurate ing bits, wrenches, and other items.

I O D D Sturdy J G two-layer top E Router mounts directly K L H to tabletop

F Q R S M N T

B B P P Pinch block

U Pivoting arm

A A C

60"x 60"- !/2" plywood

Router table and fence are built from one sheet of Materials, Supplies & Cutting Diagram !/2" plywood CASE 1 1 1 A Sides (2) ⁄2 ply - 13 ⁄2 x 15 ⁄4 1 3 B Bottom/Divider (2) ⁄2 ply - 15 ⁄4 x 24 1 1 1 C Back (1) ⁄2 ply - 13 ⁄2 x 24 ⁄2 1 1 D Front Stiles (2) ⁄2 ply - 3 x 13 ⁄2 1 1 1 E Drawer Guides (2) ⁄2 ply - 15 ⁄4 x 2 ⁄2 1 1 1 F Corner Blocks (4) ⁄2 ply - 2 ⁄2 x 2 ⁄2 DRAWER 1 15 7 G Front/Back (2) ⁄2 ply - 1 ⁄16 x 18 ⁄16 1 15 1 H Sides (2) ⁄2 ply - 1 ⁄16 x 15 ⁄4 1 1 7 I Bottom (1) ⁄2 ply - 14 ⁄2 x 17 ⁄16 TOP Tabletop lifts 1 open for easy J Top (1) ⁄2 ply - 20 x 32 access to router 1 Top tilts K Front Brace (1) ⁄2 ply - 2 x 32 on piano 1 hinge L Back Brace (1) ⁄2 ply - 1 x 32 1 3 M Side Braces (2) ⁄2 ply - ⁄4 x 17 1 N Side Fillers (2) ⁄2 ply - 2 x 17 1 O Arm (1) ⁄2 ply - 3 x 13 FENCE 1 P Inner Faces (2) ⁄2 ply - 3 x 16 Arm pivots Q Outer Face (1) 1⁄ ply - 3 x 32 to securely 2 support top 1 1 R Base (1) ⁄2 ply - 3 ⁄2 x 32 1 1 1 S Braces (4) ⁄2 ply - 2 ⁄2 x 2 ⁄2 1 T Pinch Blocks (2) ⁄2 ply - 1 x 2

• (1) Nickel-plated Piano Hinge w/Screws 1 • (1) ⁄4" Flat Washer 1 • (1) ⁄4" Lock Nut 5 • (2) ⁄16" x 2" Carriage Bolts 5 • (2) ⁄16" Flat Washers 5 • (2) ⁄16" T-knobs

#/4"-Ply.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew NEW END VIEW A E F G I J K L #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew A A B B C C D D E E F F G G B C D THIRD:H This M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew END #8 x 3OVERALL" Fh woodscrew DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 GRAIN TOP VIEW FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew 26!/2

H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew NEW END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew END O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES A A B B C C D D E E F F G G #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8 THIRD: This 27#/8 TOP VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew 26!/2 GRAIN V V WW X X Y Y Z Z H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8 27#/8

V V WW X X Y Y Z Z #/4"-Ply.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew NEW END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew A A B B C C D D E E F F G G THIRD: This END TOP VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew 26!/2 GRAIN H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8 27#/8

V V WW X X Y Y Z Z

A BACK SIDE F 3 24!/2 #/4 FRONT STILE F CORNER a. D BLOCK 24!/2 SIDE

DRAWER 13!/2 GUIDE BOTTOM B A DIVIDER SIDE E (15#/4 x 24) !/2 NOTCH DRAWER 2#/4 DETAIL GUIDE

15!/4 15!/4 14!/2 b. BACK 2!/2 I DRAWER BOTTOM B CORNER BOTTOM BLOCK 2!/2 17&/16 G BOTTOM DRAWER SIDE 1!%/16 BACK DRAWER GUIDE G DRAWER DRAWER DRAWER SIDE GUIDE H NOTE: FRONT Both bottom 15!/4 18&/16 and divider FRONT are notched CORNER STILE BLOCK

TOP VIEW c. !/4 d. SIDE BACK DRAWER TOP SIDE VIEW DRAWER !/2 SHELF BOTTOM DRAWER DRAWER DRAWER DRAWER GUIDE !/8 FRONT 2!/2 SIDE BACK build the DRAWER BOTTOM !/2 BOTTOM !/2 Case & Top FRONT SECTION VIEW One of the goals I had when build- piece, as you can see in Figure 1a. so lowering the corner blocks ensures ing the case of the router table These notches hold a pair of narrow that they won’t interfere with the fit. was to make sure it could be built stiles that keep the front of the case There are just two parts left to quickly. But it still needed to be rigid while still providing a large add to the case before moving on strong enough for every day use. opening for access to the router. to the drawer. And those are a pair Straightforward Joinery. As I men- The back is a simple plywood of drawer guides. They’re cut to fit tioned earlier, the router table case panel that’s sized to overlap the sides. behind the front stiles to keep the uses sturdy plywood construc- With these main parts cut, you can drawer from binding in the opening, tion with dadoes and rabbets. The glue and clamp the case together. as shown in detail ‘d.’ 1 whole table is built from ⁄2" ply- Corner Blocks. The divider and Simple Drawer. The drawer in the wood. (I used Baltic birch.) case bottom make the lower por- router table provides a place to Sides First. I began by constructing tion of the case plenty strong. But store wrenches, bits, and other sup- the case sides. In detail ‘d’, you can since the tabletop isn’t screwed to plies. And like the rest of the router see that there’s a dado and a rabbet the case, the upper part of the case table, it’s straightforward to build. cut in each side piece. This joinery needs some reinforcement. In the drawing above, you can see locks a divider and the case bottom The solution I used here was to that a rabbeted frame simply wraps in place for a super strong, wiggle- make four, angled corner blocks, as around the drawer bottom. The rela- free assembly. The divider also illustrated in detail ‘b.’ You can see tively thick bottom provides plenty creates a pocket for the drawer that in the main drawing that I positioned of glue surface for a strong bond. 3 will be added later. them /4" from the top edge of the Large, Flat Top. With the case com- Before assembling the divider and case. The reason for this is simple. plete, I set it aside and turned 3 bottom to the sides, I cut a 2 /4"-wide The hinged tabletop is designed to my attention to the top, shown notch at the front corners of each nestle down over the top of the case, in the drawing on the next page.

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 3 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved. A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew A A B B C C D D E E F F G G THIRD: This TOP VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew 26!/2 H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8 27#/8

V V WW X X Y Y Z Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 A B C D E F G H I J K L M FIRST:OVERALL This is DIMENSIONS:#8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrewNOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION 17!/4 > ATilt-UpB C DTopE .#8 FThe xG 1 #/4"topH FhI iswoodscrewJ attachedFIRST:K L ThisM is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z SECOND:CROSS SECTION This OVERALL DIMENSIONS: END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew 17!/4 A A B B C C D D E E F F G G THIRD: Thiswith a piano hinge. ThisSECOND: allows This FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew END VIEWN O P Q R #8S xT 3" UFh VwoodscrewW X Y Z CROSS#8 x 2SECTION" Fh woodscrew A A B B TOPC C VIEWD D E E F F G G easy access to the router THIRD:without This SECOND: This #8 26x 1!/2#/4" Fh woodscrew H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW TOP VIEW END#8 VIEW x 3" Fh woodscrew #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew 26!/2 AhavingA B B to CbendC !/16D over.D!/8 E E!/4 F #/4F G G THIRD: This H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES TOP VIEW!/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 27#/8 26!/2 H H I I J J #/8K K!/2 L L%/8 MM&/8 N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES SIDE #/8VIEW!/2 %/8 &/8 !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 27#/8 V V WW X X Y Y Z Z Since this is where all the work will diameter, it’s plenty big enough to fits over the case like a lid. You can O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES 27#/8 V V WW X X Y Y Z Z take place after the table is complete, handle most common bit sizes. To see this in Figures#/8 !/22a and%/8 2b.&/8 V V WW X Xthe YgoalY ZhereZ is to make the top as attach the router to the table, I sim- Tilt-Top Design. Rather than screw- flat and rigid as possible. ply screwed it to the top. ing the top to the case, I attached it Making a large top from plywood The other two openings are a pair with a piano hinge along the back isn’t a challenge — just cut it to size. of slots that will be used to connect edge. This allows me to tilt up the 1 But with /2" plywood, you want to and adjust the fence that will be tabletop and get at the router to make sure it won’t flex under the added later, as in drawing below. change the bit height — without load of large, heavy pieces. So, to Fillers and Braces. As I mentioned, having to stoop over. make this tabletop stay flat, it’s rein- the top is strengthened by attach- Then, to hold the top open so I can forced around the bottom edge. ing cleats to the underside. Besides use both hands, I bolted a prop arm to The top has a few openings cut into keeping the top from flexing, the the inside of the case with a carriage it. In the center is a hole that serves as cleats also serve another purpose. bolt, nut, and washer, as shown in the the opening for router bits. At 2" in They are positioned so that the top drawing and arm detail below.

J 20 2"-dia. hole TOP 1!/4 1#/4 32 N 7!/2 SIDE FILLER #/8 Dia. hole

(2 x 17) L 24" Piano hinge BACK BRACE M w/screws (1 x 32)

SIDE BRACE NOTE: All parts (#/4 x 17) are !/2" plywood K

FRONT BRACE

(2 x 32) a. Side Side 6 filler brace Top 2!/2 1 Arm FRONT SECTION !/4" x 2" Carriage bolt b. SIDE SECTION

1!/2 Top O 24" Piano hinge !/4" ARM Hex nut w/screws (3 x 12!/2) Front Back ARM brace brace DETAIL Corner block

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 4 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved. A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 17!/4 FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew A A B B C C D D E E F F G G THIRD: This TOP VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew 26!/2 H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8 27#/8

V V WW X X Y Y Z Z

A B C D E F G H I J K L M OVERALL DIMENSIONS: NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z CROSS SECTION SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew A A B B C C D D E E F F G G THIRD: This #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew H H I I J J K K L L MM N N SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U PART NAMES #/8 !/2 %/8 &/8

V V WW X X Y Y Z Z

INNER 3 FENCE FENCE FACE BRACE 8!/2 %/16" P S Rout a #/8"chamfer washer on cutout in base n BASE R

1!/4

1#/8 16

3!/2 1#/8

Q OUTER 32 1#/8 FENCE FACE

T PINCH BLOCK a. b. (1 x 2) 2!/2 Fence brace %/16" Brace %/16"x 2" Inner T-knob 2!/2 n Carriage fence bolt 1"-Rad. face cut out n Q P n Base Pinch block END VIEW

(Cross Section) { Router Fence. Grooves in the top BACK VIEW allow you to easily position the (Cross Section) fence and lock it. a precision Fence

The last assembly to build to com- Heavy-Duty Face. The first step in dust and chips clear this opening, plete the router table is the fence, building the fence is to make the I routed a chamfer on the cutout in as shown in the drawing above. faces. Here, I used a double-layer the base (Figure 3a). To reinforce And it’s really what transforms the fence assembly. The added layer of the joint between the fence and the 1 router table into a precision tool ⁄2" plywood makes it less likely to base, I glued braces to the base and you’ll come to rely on. flex or warp over time.A centered the backside of the fence face. For the fence to work its best, it cutout in each layer is large enough Attaching the Fence. The fence is con- needs to do three things. First, the to accommodate most router bits. nected to the table with carriage fence needs to be rigid so it won’t You’ll notice the inside face of the bolts, washers, and knobs. A pair deflect as a workpiece slides across fence is made from two pieces. I did of pinch blocks slide in the channel it. Second, the fence face has to be this in order to get all the parts from created by the brace and filler on square to the tabletop. This way, a single sheet of plywood. the bottom side of the table. you can be sure your cuts are accu- Stable Base. This assembly is then Once the fence is attached to the rate every time. Finally, it has to lock glued to the front of a base that table, all you have to do is plug in securely to the tabletop. has a matching cutout. To help your router and get to work. W