Router table placement choices

[gkemper]

Now that I am about done with my workbench I have a few other choices setting up my shop.

Any comments one way or the other about putting a router lift in the extension table of my unisaw, or building a stand alone table.

I had one mounted on my contractors saw and kinda liked it because it had a fence already. It didn't have any slots though, but I will be adding them this time.

Any advantages or disadvantages mounting it on the extension table? There has to be something that I haven't thought of.

Thanks, Gary

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Aside from saving space (and a few dollars), I can't think of a single reason it is batter to have the router in the table saw extension instead of a custom made stand alone table.

Ever had to break down a setup to use one tool over the other? Dust collection will be easier in a stand alone, as will be better fence setup.

[bridgerfafc]

I tend to whack together oddball router table arrangements as needed for a particular project. sometimes I use the saw table, just because it's easy to drop a board in there and bolt a router to it. I'd never go to the trouble to permanently mount a lift there.

I also have a dedicated router table. no lift there either- just a big honkin' plunge router.

[Toller]

I have mine in my TS because I really have no other room. Before I bought a jointer, planer, sander... I had a separate router table. It was oh so much better. But you have to do what you can with the room you have. If you have the room, the choice is obvious.

[Larry Blanchard]

ate=A0router=A0table.

u=A0can=A0with=A0the=A0room=A0you

For mounting on the saw, it's hard to beat the cast iron table made by,= IIRC, Bench Dog. Not cheap, but really nice.

--=20 It's turtles, all the way down

[Leuf]

Grizzly has one that's a lot cheaper, but it doesn't have an insert plate, just a hole for the bit. Router clamps to the underside. Also doesn't come with a fence, but having two fences on your saw would be a PITA anyway.

I was dead set on putting mine in the wing, but then I realized I had a 4'x2' cabinet that wasn't really being utilized very well, just had the benchtop spindle sander sitting on it, and a pile of crap next to it. I will have to do some reconfiguring to make it happen, but still less work than building an extension that won't sag.

-Leuf

[bob]

Standalone, on good, locking wheels. Mine is normally parked out of the way, against a wall. To cut small pieces, I just have to hook up the shopvac and go, and for longer pieces, I wheel it into the middle of the shop. If you build it as an extension to a bench, you are automatically limiting yourself.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

But a good router fence is unlike a tablesaw fence. The split fence is very handy at times and makes for good dust collection.

[Andrew Williams]

Do you use four locking wheels or two locking and two free ones?

[Leuf]

Yeah but if the table saw fence has T slots on the back side you can pretty easily work up a solution. Mule has a pretty good example:

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I use two on mine., but I've never done any huge projects or raised panel doors

[toller]

I clamp a router fence to my TS fence. Works fine.

[bob]

I use two locking wheels, but the kind that lock both the wheels themselves as well as the rotation of the casters. This gives me a very stable setup and allows me to take big bites out of hardwood without having to balance on one foot and stop the table from running away the table with the other...