Metal Router Table Top

[WoodChuck34]

Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would weigh though.

Just a random thought. My double laminated, double layers MDF top sagged a bit and the rail and stiles on the doors I just make fit accordingly. My fault for never building a proper stand. Saw horses are good until you finish the cabinet, but not a long term solution.

Chuck

[Pat Barber]

[Bruce Barnett]

Well, the groove for the miter gauge was a PITA....

:-)

[J. Clarke]

Steel would be find if you don't mind the weight, have the tools to work it, and bear in mind that dropping a carbide bit on a steel table is more likely to chip the carbide than dropping it on a wood or MDF table--since router bits are changed more frequently than saw blades this is a real issue.

Just make sure you have it well grounded.

[WoodChuck34]

Yes, almost exactly like that except I wouldn't pay $200 for a piece of steel I could probably get for $20.

Chuck

[WoodChuck34]

Good point on grounding, I wouldn't have thought of that. The other idea I had is a steel plate with a single layer of MDF on top. I'm looking to eliminate sagging.

chuck

[Pat Barber]

That's a better choice in my opinion. In fact several folks in years past have mentioned using angle iron on the bottom. I suspect the angle would do just as well as a steel plate.

Two pieces of 3/4" MDF will not start sagging "right away"...

WoodChuck34 wrote:

[Michael Daly]

If you don't care about the weight, that's true. However, if you want to keep the weight down, almost any other combination will do better than a steel plate.

A hardwood frame under the MDF will stiffen the MDF just as well as steel but with less weight. Pound for pound, if you get carried away and make hardwood-framed, MDF-skinned torsion box, it will be way stiffer than a steel plate or steel angle backed MDF sheet.

It ain't the material, it's how you use it.

Mike

[Michael Daly]

That's $20 for the steel, but $180 for the finishing. If you don't care about the quality of the surface, then save the $180. When I worked as a welding inspector many years ago, I don't remember seeing too many sheets of steel that were actually flat. Flat was something you had to work on. LV went a step further and shaped it into a convex curve so that the table doesn't go concave under the weight of the router. It would take a _long_ time to do that by hand yourself and probably about $180 to have it done to your $20 slab of steel.

Mike

[J. Clarke]

> >

There's a design floating around for a top that has some steel bar stock in it for stiffening.

[John Siegel]

I started with the metal base from a Sears router table - threw away the cast aluminum top and fence as useless. Put on two rails using heavy angle iron salvaged from an old bed frame. The top is commercial -

1"MDF with lam> That's a better choice in my opinion. In fact

[Basic Wedge]

It's the router clamping system, the inserts, and coining you pay for, and, given how well it all works, you're getting a bargain.

Rob

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"WoodChuck34" wrote ...

[Greg Ostrom]

got a chunk of 3/8 aluminum one foot square and made my own table insert. The 6 inches or so from the bit seems to be enough flat area to allow nice raised panel work.

Table deflection vs size. I looked up some engineering formulas. If a given weight deflects a beam .005" and you double the length of the beam, the deflection goes up a factor 8 to 0.04. I.E. it is important to supply support close to the weight as it is a 3rd power law.

Greg

[WoodChuck34]

Mike,

Ordinarily I would agree with you, but I'm a headhunter specializing in the metals industry. I've got some friends that owe me some favors.

I've abandoned the idea though. I built my top (double laminated, double layers MDF) about 4 years ago and I'm just now noticing the sag. Again, I never built the cabinet, just used saw horses, so its my fault.

Thanks for the input.

Chuck

[Unisaw A100]

Or you could just make it extra stiffy underneath.

UA100, extra stiffy underneath...