Clean, straight cuts are pretty important for most projects. A TS or RAS, while
not essential, are
a lot more efficient for crosscutting and ripping than hand tools. They also
reduce setup time for
your projects significantly. You should try to get one or the other. IMO a TS
would be the choice.
I'd invest in that b/4 the router table. Space wise, a benchtop TS has
approximately the same
footprint as the router table and is a lot more fundamental for the projects you
indicate.
Good luck.
My 2C
| I would like to build some barrister bookcases, end tables, wine rack
| etc. for my new house which doesn't lend itself to standard size store
| bought items. I currently own a Porter Cable 690 router. I have been
| looking at router tables and am interested in the Jointech
| CabinetMaker's system with a phenolic table. The reason I am
| interested in the Jointech system is that I don't have a lot of room,
| in fact I don't have a real shop, and my tools are stored in a
| building where the summer temperature reaches 105 degrees (Arizona).
|
| My thought was that the phenolic table could handle the heat better
| and with a good router-table-fence combination I could avoid needing
| many separate jigs made out of wood or MDF which I don't have the
| tools to build or the space to store.
|
| I have basic hand and power tools and the skills to use them, but
| don't have the space to purchase a planer, table saw etc. So my
| question is, given what I want to build, do I have a chance of turning
| out reasonable items with basic power tools, and a good
| router-table-fence combination, or should I resign myself to the fact
| that I will need a whole lot more tools to do a decent job. Thanks in
| advance to anyone who takes the time to respond to this posting from
| an IT guy who wants to do something besides mess around with computers
| in his spare time.
Bob,
One of the first tools I bought was a router and the book "Router
Magic". With that I was able to stretch to limit of what my 690 is
supposed to handle. IMO you can definitely build the items you are
describing with a router table alone, especially with the fence you
are talking about, but it will take you a lot longer to build them.
You can use the router table to make nice rip/crosscuts, but its not
really what its designed to do. At the very least, get a circular
saw. Use that to rough cut your stock and then cut it to size on your
router table.
Why would you want to pay $159 for a phenolic top if you are concerned
about saving money. Go to the BORG, buy a 4 x 4 sheet of MDF and some
Watco and screw your 690 to it. Use some saw horse to support it, you
don't even need a cabinet. That will save you space and the price of
a circular saw.
Like I said, I did almost everything with my router when I first
started. Get some books, do some researh. You definitely need to go
to Pat Warner's website to read what he has to say, especially before
you buy a router table.
www.patwarner.com
Good luck!
Chuck
Newbie questions: I don't own a jointer. I know you can edge joint with a
router and split fence (up to the length of the bit), but how would you face
joint a board with the router? I always assumed it would take pulling out a
hand plane.
- Al
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