Try 2: Making jigs for Trend CRT Mk2 router table

[Mike Halmarack]

I'm making some horizontal feather boards for use with this table. In the book I'm reading, to fix the feather boards in place, a wooden strip is made and threaded metal inserts are added. This strip fits into the mitre channel and is cramped at each end.

This arrangement seems OK in the book example because the mitre channel there is 3/8" deep (though even this seem minimal). On the Trend table the mitre channel is only 1/4" deep which doesn't provide a lot of depth for screwing down into.

I could add height to the strip but this would raise the feather board above the height of some small work pieces. It would also leave the feather board rocking in the air, unless I turn the strip into a T section, which might produce other problems. Can anyone offer suggestions, other than buying the official Trend accessory?

[dennis]

I have used a G cramp to hold feather boards on to router tables before now.

[John Rumm]

I use a couple of the oak ones shown here:

metal block is a little deeper than the channel, but that does not seem to affect the performance (you can use the ali tab supplied to effect more downforce on the board to keep it stable. You could also put a small packer under it if you needed).

[Andy Hall]

I attempted to do what you're doing and decided in the end that it wasn't going to be satisfactory.

I've used and made various accessories that fit the American standard mitre channel of 19 x 9.5mm and those work reasonably well.

I'd get the proper accessory or do the job a different way. You really don't want featherboards popping out....

[Mike Halmarack]

That's the sort of simple solution I usually go for. In this case I'd need a clamp with a deeper throat than any I currently have. Also, the table in question is aluminium and has thin walled honeycomb-like open box sections underneath which don't mate well with the jaw of a clamp. Not without some modifications being made anyway.

[Mike Halmarack]

I have the second one shown on the page. I find it's extra width more reassuring, though I'm sure the oak one works adequately. I'm glad you mentioned that the metal block is deeper than the channel and that this doesn't seem to affect the performance. That gives me more confidence to go ahead with my original wooden T bar idea. Another possible advantage of this method is that if the tops of a variety of T bars are made in various depths, the featherboard can then be used as a variable height, vertical support when needed.

[Mike Halmarack]

Thanks, I can see how my prospective method has some limitations, but I don't think the sort of instability you're suggesting is one of them. Your advice will increase my awareness of unwanted possibilities though.

[Andy Dingley]

My router tables are usually cheap MDF. Wherever I need a clamp, I bang a fresh M6 threaded insert into the table and then screw down with one of the many thumbscrews that are kept in a bag with the table. By the time you've put about 10 new ones in there, you've covered most of the bases.

[Mike Halmarack]

My next one will definitely be upgraded to cheap MDF.