Router table insert..where do I put it?

[Mike]

Hello all, I have been lurking here for some time and just bought a router and I now need some help. So, here goes my first post. I have decided to take a stab at making my own router table. The top is 24" by 34". 24" being the back to front measurement and 34" being the left to right measurement. I was just curious as to where I would put the insert for the router. Do I put it smack dab in the middle , toward the back, toward the front , to the left or to the right? I have looked on the web and have seen all different styles? Is it personal preference? Is one location more advantageous than another. I am right handed if that makes any difference!! Thanks for any and all suggestions Mike

[Unisaw A100]

On the Go To Hell Router Table (bastard son of An Ultimate Router Table) I have the insert centered 10" off the back edge of the table. On the An Ultimate Router Table (Tom Watson Model) I am centering it 8" off the back edge. This leaves enough room to mount almost any fence (1) and leaves room in front where you need it the most.

The table on the Go To Hell Router Table is 24"ish by

34"ish. The table on An Ultimate Router Table (Tom Watson Model) will be 27" by 36" as God and Herbert Tautz had always intended it to be.

(1) If you are looking to put one of those goofy Incra fences on you'll have to have a driveway long portion behind the bit. They really screw with the aesthetics of 'chinery design.

UA100, who really should be getting back to working on An Ultimate Router Table (Tom Watson Model) but took a break today to buy a Powermatic Model 141 band saw, check his messages and check his eBay auctions...

[George]

If up against a wall, I suppose it'd make more difference, but for me, realizing I seldom work in the same place twice with my routerbox on a Workmate, that's not important.

No matter how much support you give it on the infeed side (remember to feed into rotation), eventually the piece exits, and becomes just as unmanageable as it would have been had you less infeed distance. Use roller supports as required.

If you have, as others mention, one of those super-duper fences, you'll have to allow for mounting and full directional travel. For me, like the router guys, a chunk of something straight with a clamp on each end, adjusted with a few taps of the Polish persuader suffices.

In short, you'll find a job or place where it'll be mounted wrong for the task at hand, so go with the easy spot.

[hex]

I'd say it's a matter of preference. I went with placing the router

1/3 up from one edge. But my table is on top of a roll around cabinet and I use simple wood fences that I clamp on --- this means that the router is either 1/3 the way across or 2/3 the way across depending on where you stand. For example, long linear pieces are generally handled from the shallow side. Large flat things (like door panels) are handled from the deep side so the work piece is well supported. In retrospect 1/3:2/3 is ok but the golden ratio (about 38%/62%) would probably have worked about as well and made any mathematician who wanders into your shop smile.

hex

-30-

[DJ Delorie]

I put mine centered front-back but to the left some, but that's because I was putting an Incra fence on the right and wanted to make sure I could use the whole range of the fence. I think this photo shows it best:

in general you put it where it makes the most sense for the type of fence you're using. With an Incra, you need room for the beam. For a Pat Warner type fence, you don't.

FYI here's the rest of the project:

[Traves W. Coppock]

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 13:59:31 -0500, Unisaw A100 Crawled out of the shop and said. . .:

snip

nice drivebye keith!

*G*

Traves

[Unisaw A100]

B-b-b-but I didn't even get to the part about giving the nice man a hunnert fifty dollars for it. Didn't even consider haggling, just gave it to him like he asked.

Me too.

OBOriginal Topic: The JessEm/Jointech/Anne Rockler "Action" Jackson inserts are the only ones worth considering.

UA100

[john carlson]

My table top is 24x36. I put the router 8" from the front, centered left-to-right, and this has worked out well. About 90% of the time I work from the front, and the 8" depth is deep enough to support the workpiece but not so deep that it feels like I'm reaching.

The other 10% of the time when I'm working on something large (like panel-raising a door) I work from the back of the table and I have a

16" support surface.

I have on/off switches on both the back and the front of the table for safety.

-- jc Published e-mail address is strictly for spam collection. If e-mailing me, please use jc631 at optonline dot net

[Dave Balderstone]

Doncha just *love* that feeling?

djb

[skeezics]

i put mine in the middle. also made the fence so that it can be used in either dirrection. front to back or side to side simply by moving the hooks. works great. skeez

[Traves W. Coppock]

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 02:04:51 GMT, Unisaw A100 Crawled out of the shop and said. . .:

ROFL...now rubbin salt in eh? *G* i have had only one score like that, and i ALMOST, felt bad enough that i wanted to turn my back as i handed the man the money. . .but alas that feeling of guilt fades faster the further from the scene of the "crime" you drive with that special new whozawhatzitz

i'll second that. i have had two of the Action Jackson plates...and they are pretty good for what you are paying. little on the small side so far as an opening is concerned if you have a large panel raiser.

[Dave Balderstone]

For some reason I'm flashing on the haggling scene in "Monty Python's Life of Brian"...

"50 Drachmas you must be mad!"

;-)

I take a similar approach. "Would you consider..." works better and leaves everyone feeling better than "I'll give you..."

The last great deal I got (Lee Valley push mower for $10) I asked the seller if she knew the value of the tool, told her the new price, and then asked if she still wanted to sell it for the $10 marked on it.

My soul felt good when I loaded it into the trunk.

djb

[Edwin Pawlowski]

While personal preference should rule, consider what at least one pro outfit does.

Benchdog put the insert about 1/3 from the front. Their reasoning is that most work is done on narrower stock and you don't want to have to reach back any more than necessary. OTOH, when you do have a very wide piece to work with, just turn the table around and now you have a very wide front to rest the work on.

This has been working well for me. Ed

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

When I built my latest table, I moved the plate back, to the center of the table.

My old table worked well with two exceptions, raised panels and end grain routing with stile and rail bits. These two annoyances were enough to make me construct a new table.

Here's some photos that may help:

Have fun, Barry