Calf rope!

[Hoyt Weathers]

I have given up on mating my Bosch 1617 EVS to my Craftsman metal bench-top router table. As it now sits, only two of the four screws went into the router base via the holes I drilled and tapped for them. The other two holes are not lined up for the screw tips. I ground conical tips on those screws, but that did not work. They would not pull in even with the other two screws loosened. The router is not stable since it rocks slightly around the horizontal axis line of the two screws which went in properly. Unsafe and not accurate. Calf rope indeed.

Hoyt W.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Tapped? Why did you tap them? IIRC, the screws pass through the top and into the threads of the router base. Ed

[Pounds on Wood]

You know, another way to skin that cat, is to make a sub-plate between the router and table. You could have avoided drilling the table.

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[Hoyt Weathers]

Ed, I misstated that part. I did not drill and tap new holes in the base of my router. Here is the situation: With the router table upside down and the router positioned about right, the screws go through the base of the Bosch and into the tapped holes in the table. At least, that was my plan. Only 2 of the 4 M4 screws lined up such that they could be inserted. The top of the table does have molded countersinks for my 1 HP Craftsman router, but none of those holes line up with the M4 holes which my Bosch presents. I apologize for the lack of clarity and correctness in my OP.

Hoyt W.

[Old Nick]

On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 09:23:32 -0500, Hoyt Weathers vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Sorry. I thought you said calf rape.

If you get your email cut off, I am sorry.

[dave in fairfax]

Now he tells me. After all those years of making carbs fit on manifolds, why the heck didn't I think of that. Good call. Dave in Fairfax

[Pounds on Wood]

It wasn't my day to watch you. Sorry.

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[Hoyt Weathers]

(snip)

Now that is a good thought Bill. It never occurred to me. My local machine shop can cut a properly-sized circle of 1/4" plate of aluminum or steel. I would get them drill and tap the holes needed. The rest would just be the assembly. Neat indeed. Thanks for the tip.

Hoyt W.

[Bill Rogers]

Have a rectangular plate that will attach to the router [try lining up the holes using the old router plate as a template.] The new plate will extend past the router an inch or so. Now you have something to attach the router to. Remove the plate and fit it over the router table. Drill through both to secure the plate with four screws. You'll have to tap the plate for that one.

The plate fastens down to the router, and the table fastens down to the plate. Ryobi do this for their 10" saw/router combo.

Bill.

[patriarch]

Hoyt Weathers wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Does it seem to anyone else that an awful lot of energy and time are being expended to continue to use a less than optimal Craftsman benchtop router table?

Half a sheet of 3/4 MDF or cabinet ply, and a new router plate from the woodworkers' store, and you can have exactly what you need.

But then, maybe that wasn't the goal.

Patriarch

[Hoyt Weathers]

"patriarch > or steel. I would get them drill and tap the holes needed. The rest

I appreciate your suggestion. I was just trying to kludge something together with what I had and that has not worked. I await the day I can buy a phenolic top with a pre drilled insert for my Bosch router.

Hoyt W.

[Frank J. Vitale]

I had the same problem when my craftsman router bit the dust. I salvaged the fence and made a table out of 3/4 inch melamine finished board and bought a new insert to hold the router.

[Hoyt Weathers]

Frank, that is one way to skin a cat. As for my original topic post, I am back at it again - trying to mate my Bosch 1617EVS to the metal Craftsman bench. I just let it rest for a week or so. "Bob" gave advice about drilling the Sommerfeld phenolic insert plate for my router since it will come un-drilled for any router. I am adapting his suggestion and now making a plywood interface plate to go between the router and the bottom of the metal bench. My router will be mounted to said interface plate and said plate will be bolted to the metal bench from above with counter sink screws, washers, and nuts. In my mind's eye, I can see that it *should* work. In practice ?????

Hoyt W.

[Nate Perkins]

Can't you buy one like that? Jessem sells a phenolic top with a cutout for the Mast-R-Plate through Woodcraft and other sources. I bet other manufacturers do it as well.

I also have a 1617. I use a Jessem plate in a shopmade table.

Cheers, Nate

[Hoyt Weathers]

TKX Nate. I fully intend to buy the Sommerfeld phenolic table top, fence, and phenolic insert plate. I did a Google for the Jessem Mast-R-Plate and it looks good. I assume that plate would not fit into the Sommerfeld table cut-out. It may, but I will not take that chance. Jessem may tell me, but why should they? My guess is that they want to sell the whole nine yards.

Hoyt W.