•/ 2 - % Ply. K Front Fence (1) 5 x 1&/ 4 - '/ 2 Ply. C bottom (1) J3'/ 4 x 13% - % Ply. L base (1) 4x 13% - V 2 Ply. 0 Doors (2) x T 5 he -% Ply. M braces (2) 3% x 5 - 1 Ply. ETop(l) 13'/ 4 x16-1 Ply. N Sliding Faces (2) 2'h x 97© - V 2 Ply. F Wings (2) 13% x 77© - 1 Ply- G Long Supports (2) % x 'Vie - 9 Note: All 1" -thick plywood is made by H Short Supports (2) '/ 4 x "/,© - 6 face-gluing two pieces of V 2 " -thick stock. 1 Door Catches (2) 5 he x 1'% - 13% Hardware • (50) #4 x V2" Fh Woodscrews • #6 x 3 /4 n Fh Woodscrews • (is; #6 x V/2" Fh Woodscrews • (4) 1" Wire brads (13 Gauge) • (6) Mounting brackets • ( 1 ) Magnetic Catch • ( 2 ) V/2 x &W' Cont. Hinges w/Screws • ( 2 ) V/2" x lV/2 1 Cont. Hinges w/Screws • ( 2 ) V4"-20 Threaded Rods (V/3" long) • ( 4 ) 5 /ie"-13 x 1 ^/ 4 " Toilet bolts • ( 6 ) 5 /i 6 " Flat Washers • ( 2 ) V4" Flat Washers • ( 2 ) V 4 u -20 Star Knob (thru-hole) • ( 4 ) 5 /ie"-13 Star Knob (thru-hole) • ( 2 ) 5 /i6 u -13 Star Knob (1" stud) • ( 3 ) 5 /ie“-13 Threaded Inserts ( 3 /&" long) • (V 32"-long Aluminum Dual Track No. 45 ShopNotes 17 FEATURE PROJECT Case I began work on the router table by making the case. In addition to housing the router, the case provides a sturdy mounting plat- form for the table. Design Note : We sized our case to hold a Porter Cable router (model 690) . But depending on your router, you may need to modify the height of the case. Just be sure it’s tall enough that you can adjust the height of the bit without having the router contact the bottom of the case. U-SHAPED ASSEMBLY. The case starts out as a U-shaped assembly that consists of two sides and a back, see Fig. 1. Each side is glued up from two oversize pieces of V 2 " plywood. (I used Baltic birch.) After trimming the sides (A) to final size, you’ll need to rabbet the back, inside edge of each one to accept the back (B), see Fig. la. The ( Cy y BOTTOM back is a piece of V 2 M plywood that’s glued and screwed to the sides. BOTTOM. The next step is to add a plywood bottom (C), see Fig. 1. The bottom is sized to extend an equal amount past the sides and front of the case. (It’s flush at the back.) This provides several clamping surfaces that allow you to secure the router DOOR CONTINUOUS HINGE table to a workbench. DOORS. After attaching the bottom with glue and screws, I added a pair of doors (D), see drawing above and Fig. 2. Besides enclosing the front of the case, the doors have another (more impor- tant) job. When you swing the doors open, they hold up the “wings” of the router table. To create a continuous, flat sur- face, the wings need to be supported at the same height as the center part of the table. This center part rests on the sides (A) and back (B) of the case. So making the doors the same height (width) as these pieces will prevent the wings from sagging. Of course, this means that the doors will fit quite tightly in the opening when the top is added later. But that’s okay. In fact, the goal is to size the doors so they’ll just barely scrape against the top and bottom. To do this, I made both doors from a single blank of 1 /2 ,r plywood, see Fig. 2. As I mentioned, it’s ripped to width to match the height of the sides. And it’s cut to length to match the distance from the outside face of one side to the other. (Later, when the blank is cut apart, this will leave an Vs" gap between the doors.) FINGER RECESSES. But first, it’s best to make the finger recesses that are used to open the doors. This is just a matter of drilling a centered hole in the blank and crosscutting it 18 ShopNotes No. 45 FEATURE PROJECT into two equal pieces. INSTALL DOORS. All that’s left to complete the case is to install the doors. They’re held in place with a pair of continuous (piano) hinges, see Fig. 2a. One thing to be aware of here is that the hinges are located V4 W below the top of the door and side. This provides clearance that keeps the wings from binding against the hinge. THE TABLE Once the hinges are screwed in place, you can turn your attention to the table. Basically it consists of three parts: a top (E) and two wings (F), see drawing on page 18. GLUE UP BLANK Here again, it’s easiest to make all three parts from one blank. To create a thick, sturdy table, I glued up two pieces of 1 /2 M plywood, see drawing above right. PLASTIC LAMINATE. But regard- less of its thickness, the surface of the table will still get worn from sliding workpieces across it. So to produce a durable surface, it’s a good idea to glue a piece of plastic laminate to the top of the blank. While I was at it, I added another piece of plastic laminate to the bottom of the blank. laminating both sides helps keep the table from warping. TRACK SYSTEM. After trimming the laminate flush, I added an aluminum track system. This system consists of two parts: a wide, L-shaped piece, and a narrow mounting strip with a T- shaped slot, see margin. Together, these parts form a slot for the miter gauge. And the BLANK FOR TOP AND WINGS (13!4" x 32"- 1" PLY.) 32"-L0NG DUAL TRACK ADJUST WIDTH OF SLOT TO FIT MITER GAUGE NOTE: BLANK IS GLUED UP FROM TWO PIECES OF Vz“ PLY. PLASTIC -LAMINATE ' CUT iy 2 "-WIDE RABBET V 2 " DEEP -4 — > L5I 2 r\7 f " ^ v ' — TABLE — - BLANK — - / ./ ' mounting strip makes it easy to attach a featherboard. Just slip the head of a toilet bolt into the T-slot and secure the featherboard with a knob. Editor's Note : This track system is a product called Dual Track that has been specially manufactured for ShopNotes. It’s available as part of a complete hardware kit for the router table, refer to Sources on page 31. Of course, you can build the router table without using the track at all. In that case, you may want to rout a slot in the blank for a miter gauge. Or just plan on using a squared-up block to push the workpiece past the bit. INSTALL TRACK There’s nothing complicated about installing the track. The L-shaped piece fits in a rabbet that’s cut in the edge of the blank, see detail ‘a’ in drawing above. Then, to position the narrow strip, I used the bar on the miter gauge as a spacer. Shop Tip: Wrapping a single layer of paper around the bar will ensure a smooth, sliding fit CROSSCUT BLANK After attaching the narrow strip with screws, it’s time to crosscut the blank to form the three table pieces, see Fig. 4. A table saw and a miter gauge with an auxiliary fence make quick work of this. And as long as you use a carbide- tipped saw blade, there’s no need to worry about cutting through the aluminum track. Aluminum is quite soft, and it cuts easily. track system forms a slot to accurately guide a miter gauge. Plus the track makes it easy to attach a featherboard to the router table. No. 45 ShopNotes 19 Mounting Plate One nice thing about this router table is it makes it a snap to change bits. That’s because the router is screwed to a mounting plate that fits into an opening in the table, see photo. To provide easy access to the router, just lift the mounting plate out of the opening. Then change the bit and drop the mounting plate back in. Note: I used a mounting plate from Woodhaven. (For more information about mounting plates, see page 28.) TEMPLATE. Regardless of the mounting plate, the challenge is to cut an opening that allows it to fit nice and snug. To do this, I made a hardboard template, see Steps 1 through 3 below. The basic idea here is to cut an opening in the template so the mounting plate fits it like a picture in a frame. CUT OPENING. Once you’re satis- fied with the fit, the time spent making the template pays off. By using it as a guide, you can cut an identical opening in the top (E) of the router table, see Steps 4 and 5. SUPPORT STRIPS. With the opening completed, it’s just a matter of adding several hardwood strips to support the mounting plate, see Step 6. Then simply attach the router to the mounting plate, see Step 7. Step 1 To make the template, start by cutting a V/ hardboard blank to the same size as the top (E) of the table. Then center the mounting plate on the blank and surround it with hardboard guide strips. The strips are simply butted against the plate and secured with carpet tape. Step 2 After removing the mounting plate, the next step is to cut a rough opening in the template. To do this, drill a hole in each corner that just grazes the edges of the guide strips, see detail. Then remove the bulk of the waste with a sabre saw by cutting inside the strips. Step 3 Now flip the template over so the guide strips are on the bottom and clean up the rest of the waste with a handheld router and flush trim bit. To avoid changing the radius of the corners, stop routing just short of the corner holes. This leaves a ridge that’s easily sanded smooth. 20 ShopNotes No. 45 FEATURE PROJECT Step 4 Now you can use the template as a guide to cut the opening in the table top (E). After carpet-taping the template flush with the top, drill holes in the corners as before. Then cut the opening to rough size, staying about Vs" to the inside edge of the template, see detail. CARPET TAPE TEMPLATE FLUSH WITH TOP DRILL HOLES IN CORNERS, THEN REMOVE WASTE WITH SABER SAW Step 5 At this point, it’s just a matter of trimming the edges of the opening flush with the template. Here again, a handheld router and flush trim bit make quick work of this. Just flip the top so the template is on the bottom. Then clean up the waste by routing in the direction shown. PLUSH TRIM SIT ) FLUSH TRIM SIT TEMPLATE Step 6 Once the opening is complete, you’ll need to add thin, hardwood strips to provide support for the mounting plate. To ensure that the mounting plate is flush with the top, place both parts face down on a flat surface. Then butt the strips against the plate and glue them to the top. Step 7 All that’s left is to attach the router to the mounting plate. This requires drilling holes for the machine screws that hold it in place. An easy way to locate the holes for the screws is to use the existing base on your router. (I used carpet tape to keep the base from shifting.) No. 45 ShopNotes 21 WING MOUNTING PLATE MOUNTING BRACKET WING #6 x%" Fh WOODSCREW CONTINUOUS HINGE Assembly #6 x 3 4" Fh WOODSCREW ADJUSTMENT SLOT #4 x Vz Fh WOODSCREW WING MAGNETIC CATCH AND -STRIKE PLATES POOR T jj) CATCH — ^ nv e '' x im"- 3 /i6"-THICK HARDWOOD) HINGE SUPPORT STRIP MOUNTING bracket Assembling the table is a fairly straightforward process. But getting all three parts to form a continuous, flat surface does require some care. ADJUSTMENT SLOTS. Before you get started though, there’s still some work to do on the top (center) of the table. To make the fence adjustable from front to back, you’ll need to cut two slots that extend about halfway across the table, see drawing above. Later, these slots accept a pair of toilet bolts. So each one is shaped like an upside-down T.’ The narrow part of each slot accepts the shank of the bolt And the head of the bolt fits FIRST: MARK CENTER OF BLADE ON FENCE CENTER RECESS ON SLOT . s/ .. < SECOND: ^ SLIDE TOP FORWARD UNTIL END OF SLOT ALIGNS WITH MARK in a wide, shallow recess. To cut the narrow part of each slot in a single pass, I mounted a dado blade in the table saw, see Fig. 5a. The blade will leave an arc at the end of the slot. But that’s okay, as long as it’s on the bottom of the table. This means you’ll need to mark the end of the slot on the top of the workpiece and then cut up to the line, see Fig. 5. To reduce the chance of kickback, turn off the saw and let the blade stop spinning before sliding the top back across the saw table. To cut the narrow part of the slot in the opposite end, you could flip the workpiece over and use the same setup. But then the arc would be cut in the top surface of the table. So I moved the fence to the opposite side of the blade to cut this slot RECESS. Now you’re ready to cut the shallow recess for the head of the bolt. The procedure is the same. Only here, I used a Vs' '-wide dado blade and set it for an V8 M -deep cut, see Fig. 6a. Since the blade won’t extend all the way through the top, it won’t be visible. So you’ll need a reference mark to establish the end of the recess. A pencil mark on the rip fence that indicates the top (center) of the blade will work fine, see Fig. 6. Now just turn on the saw and push the workpiece forward until the end of the slot aligns with the 22 ShopNotes No. 45 FEATURE PROJECT mark. As before, move the fence to the opposite side of the blade to cut the other recess. MOUNT TOP. Once the adjustment slots are completed, you can mount the top. It’s attached with six metal brackets, see the drawing on page 22. After positioning the top flush with the sides and back, the brackets are just screwed in place. I also added a magnetic catch and two strike plates to keep the doors closed. ATTACH WINGS. The next step is to attach the wings. As with the doors, they're hinged to the case. But first, you'll want to make sure the alu- minum track in the wings aligns with the track in the top. Also, it’s impor- tant that the top surface of all three pieces is perfectly flush. The best way I found to accom- plish both things is to cut a scrap to fit snug in the track, see Fig. 7a. (It has to be long enough to span all three pieces.) Then turn the case and wings upside down on a flat surface and clamp them together, see Fig. 7. Now it's just a matter of marking the location of the pilot holes for the mounting screws. To provide clear- ance for the doors, the hinges are set back 1 M from the front edge of the sides. Note: I used carpet tape to keep the hinges from shifting. After carefully marking the cen- terpoints of the mounting holes, you can unclamp the wings and drill the pilot holes. Then just screw the hinges to the wings and sides. CATCHEvS. To complete the table, I added a wood catch (I) to each wing, see Fig. 8. It's a thin strip of hard- wood that “locks” the door in the open position. This prevents the door from swinging out from under the wing if it accidentally gets bumped. FINGERS. To make this work, a kerf in each catch forms two “fin- gers” that flex like an old-fashioned clothespin. The lower finger tapers toward the end, and it has a small notch in the bottom edge, see Fig. 8a. This way, as you swing the door open, it contacts the tapered end of the catch and lifts up the lower finger. To secure the door, just open it a bit further. The lower finger drops down, and the notch “captures” the door. Before attaching the catches, you'll need to trim the end of the upper finger. This allows the miter gauge to slide in and out of the track. Now glue and screw the catches to the wings. Just be sure not to apply glue to the lower finger. ADJUSTMENT SCREWS. At this point, ifs a good idea to flip up the wings, open the doors, and check the table to make sure ifs flat and level. If necessary, you can install an adjustment screw in the bottom of each wing, see Fig. 9 and margin. A An adjustment screw lets you "tweak” the wings to create a flat, level worksurface. No. 45 ShopNotes 23 FEATURE PROJECT Fence. k The two adjustment slots make it easy to slide the fence on and off the router table. The most unique thing about this router table is that the fence doubles as a handle. But there's more to it than that A simple clamping system is used to lock the fence in place quickly and accurately. There's also an adjustable opening to accom- modate different sized router bits. The fence consists of three main parts: a tall, thick body with angled corners, a fence support that provides rigidity, and two sliding faces to adjust the size of the bit opening, see drawing. BODY Besides acting as the handle, the body of the fence houses the sliding faces. To support the weight of the router table and the router, the body needs to be sturdy and strong. So it’s made up of two pieces of V 2 ,L thick plywood. But I didn't glue these pieces together right away. Instead, I worked on one at a time. This made it easier to “build in” a recess for the two sliding faces. BACK FENCE. I began by cutting the back fence (J) piece to final size, see Fig. 10. A wide notch in the bottom edge of this piece forms an opening that prevents the bit from chewing up the fence. In addition to the notch, you also need to cut a pair of L-shaped slots, see Fig. 10a. The long part of each slot lets you adjust the sliding face. And later, the Teg” makes it possible to attach the sliding faces to the fence. A quick way to cut these slots is to first drill a series of overlapping holes. Then just clean up the ridges with a chisel. FRONT FENCE. Now you're ready to start on the front fence (K), see Fig. 11. It’s the same length as the back, but it's narrower. The differ- ence in widths forms the recess for the sliding faces. Cutting a rabbet in the bottom edge of thi s piece creates a lip that holds the sliding faces in the recess, see Fig. 11a. GLUE-UP. The next step is to glue up the front and back fence pieces. This presents a bit of a problem. If the pieces slip out of alignment, the sliding faces will bind in the recess. To prevent this, I used a simple trick. Start by first screwing the pieces 24 ShopNotes No. 45 FEATURE PROJECT together (no glue) so the top edges and ends are flush, see Fig. 11. Note: Install the screws in the waste areas of the two upper corners. Now sepa- rate the pieces, apply glue, and rein- stall the screws. This keeps the pieces from shifting around as you clamp up die assembly THREADED INSERTS. All that’s left to complete the body is to install three threaded inserts, see Fig. 11a. These inserts are used when attaching accessories like a bit guard or featherboard. HANDHOLD. Now you can turn your attention to the handhold. It’s a long, wide slot at the top of the body, see Fig. 12. The ends of the hand- hold are established by drilling two large holes, and a sabre saw makes quick work of removing the rest of the waste. After smoothing the rough spots with a file, I routed a roundover on all the edges to pro- vide a comfortable grip. To “slim down” the profile of the fence (and reduce its overall weight) , it’s also a good time to cut the upper corners of the body at an angle. Here again, sand the rough surfaces smooth and round over the edges. FENCE SUPPORT To provide accurate results, the fence needs to be square to the table. And since this fence is used to carry the router table around, I wanted to make sure it stayed square. So I added a sturdy fence support. BASE. The foundation of the fence support is a 1 / 2 n plywood base (L), see Fig. 13. As with the back fence (J), cutting a large notch in the base provides clearance for the router bit. BRACES. Next, to hold the fence square to the base, I added two trian- gular braces (M ) . Each brace is made by gluing up two pieces of Vfc' 1 ply- wood. The braces are held in place with glue and screws. But to simplify the assembly, I first glued and nailed the back fence (J) flush with the front edge of the base, see Fig. 13a. MOUNTING HOLES. There’s one more thing to do. That’s to drill two mounting holes for the toilet bolts that are used to secure the fence to the table, see Figs. 14 and 14a. To locate these holes, position the fence flush with the back edge of the table. Then, after checking that there’s an equal overhang on each side, center the holes on the T-slots in the table. Now it’s just a matter of drilling the holes and installing the bolts and lock knobs. No. 45 V. 25 FEATURE PROJECT A To quickly adjust the fence opening for different size bits, just move the sliding faces in or out as needed. All that’s left to complete the fence is to add two sliding faces, see photo. Each of the sliding faces (N) starts out as a piece of V 2 " plywood, see drawing above. To create a durable surface, both sides are covered with plastic laminate. But don’t apply the laminate yet. This would make the sliding faces thicker than the front fence piece. As a result, there would be a slight “step” between the faces and body of the fence. The solution is simple. Just use two layers of laminate as a “gauge” and mark the amount of material to remove, see Fig. 16a. Then slice it off on the table saw, see Fig. 16. BEVEL ENDS. After applying the laminate, you can cut a bevel on the inside end of each face, see detail ‘a’ above. The bevels provide clearance for large bits, so you can reduce the size of the opening even more. CUT RABBET. In addition to the bevels, you’ll also need to rabbet the " top edge of each sliding face, see detail ‘b.’ This forms a lip that fits under the lip in the front fence (K). Together, they form an interlocking (sliding) joint that keeps the faces nice and flat against the fence. DUST RELIEF. The bottom edge of die sliding faces is also rabbeted. It’s just a small rabbet that provides some dust relief at the bottom of the fence. THREADED ROD. Now all that’s left is to add a short, threaded rod to each sliding face. These rods pass through the L-shaped slots in the fence. Tightening a knob on the end of each rod locks the face in place. It’s easy to lay out the location of the rods. Just slide each face into the fence so the ends are flush, see Fig. 17. (It should be snug along the top edge.) After marking around the slot, drill a hole in the end and glue in the rod with epoxy, see Fig. 17a. To install the sliding face, insert the rod in the short “leg” of the slot. 1 Then lift up on the face (so the top edge engages the fence), slide it over, and thread on a knob. 26 ShopNotes No. 45 FEATURE PROJECT Accessories After completing the router table, one of the first improvements I made was to add three simple accessories. All three of these accessories can easily be made in a couple of hours, see photos below left. Or, if you prefer, durable plastic accessories are available as part of our hardware kit, see the photos below right and Sources on page 31. FEATHERBOARD. One nice thing about the featherboard is it can be attached to either the fence or the alu- minum track. To keep a workpiece flat on a table, mount the feather- board to the fence with knobs that thread into the inserts. Or secure it to the track with toilet bolts and knobs to hold the work against the fence. The featherboard is a piece of V 2 M - thick hardwood with mitered ends and a pair of adjustment slots, see Fig. 18. To cut the slots that form the fingers, I tilted the blade on the table saw and clamped the featherboard to an auxiliary fence on the miter gauge. ROUTER BIT GUARD. For safety, you should include a bit guard on the router table. This guard is designed to attach to the fence with knobs that thread into the two outer inserts. Note: You’ll need to use the middle insert for the featherboard. The guard consists of a hardwood back and a shield made from poly- carbonate plastic, see Fig. 19. After cutting two adjustment slots in the back, the shield is screwed in place. VACUUM ATTACHMENT. Finally, I added a dust collection system that attaches to the back of the fence and connects to a shop vacuum. It’s made up of two triangular sides and a face plate with a hole cut to fit the vacuum hose, see Fig. 20. After beveling the face plate to fit against the fence and table, it’s simply glued to the sides. Gluing the attachment to the fence holds it securely in place. iL k Shop-Made Accessories. A few scrap pieces of material is all it takes to make a featherboard (left), router bit guard (upper right), and a vacuum attachment (lower right). k Plastic Accessories. A plastic featherboard (left) and bit guard (upper right) use the same mounting system. The vacuum attachment (lower right) is screwed to the fence. No. 45 ShopNotes 27 SELECTING TOOLS Router Table ^ Mounting Plates Selecting the right mounting plate can make a big difference in the performance of your router table. Woodhaven Part No. 147 800-344-6657 $49.99 Rousseau Part No. RM 3509 800-635-3416 $39 A ttaching a router to a sepa- rate mounting plate and then inserting that plate into an opening in the top of a router table just makes sense. To change bits, all you have to do is pull the plate out of the opening — the router comes right with it. This saves a lot of fiddling around under the table with collet wrenches. And, you can leave the plate attached and still use it as a base for hand-held routing. Although you can make your own mounting plate, there are a ^ number of commercial ver- sions available. And over the last few years, several improvements have been made to them. So we decided to use one of these mounting plates in the benchtop router table that’s featured on page 16. While we were in the process of selecting a mounting plate, several questions came up. What type of material should it be made of? Which accessories do you need? And what accounts for the differences in price? To find out, we took a look at five commonly available mounting plates, see the photos at left and in the margin on page 29. FLAT & RIGID. To produce a consistent depth of cut, it’s important for a mounting plate to be as flat as pos- sible. (There is one exception to this, but more about that later.) Also, the mounting plate has to be rigid enough so it won’t sag with the weight of the router. PHENOLIC. To accomplish both things, the mounting plates from Woodhaven and Rousseau are made of 3 /s M - thick phenolic . This is a strong, durable plastic that pro- vides plenty of support for the router. Although both plates are made of the same material, there is one difference between them. The Woodhaven mounting plate is as flat as a piece of glass. But the Rousseau plate is molded with a slight crown in the center. Wait a minute, I thought it was supposed to be flap This is where the exception comes in. The high point (crown) is next to the router bit. So even if your router table isn’t perfectly flat, you’ll still get consistent results. POLYCARBONATE. In addition to the phenolic plates, we also purchased a 3 /s’ '-thick polycarbonate plate from Eagle America This is a clear, plastic plate that’s virtually unbreakable. Since you can see through the plate, it’s handy when using the router in a hand-held operation. The only drawback to polycarbonate is it flexes just a little. Over time, this may cause the mounting plate to sag (especially with a heavy router suspended from it). That’s why I prefer a phenolic plate. Note: Eagle America also sells a 3 /8 M -thick phenolic plate. REINFORCED PLASTIC. The mounting plate from Woodworker’s Supply is also made of plastic. This plate is reinforced underneath by a number of plastic “webs.” But even so, it’s still slightly dished out in the center. Another thing to note about this plate is it has a series of slots radiating from the center, see photo below left. These slots let you mount any size (or model) of router. Even so, I’d just as soon drill the mounting holes myself. Drilling the holes is easy. The trick is locating them so the bit is centered in the opening. The Rousseau mounting plate is the only one to take that into consider- A Mounting Systems. Slots in a plate (left) act as a universal mounting system for a router. But the rings (right) make it easier to center the bit in the opening. 28 ShopNotes No. 45 SELECTING TOOLS ation. You simply remove the base of the router and posi- )tion it inside one of the concentric rings molded into the bottom. (See lower right photo on page 28.) ALUMINUM. The final mounting plate (from the Rockier company) isn’t plastic at all. It’s a rigid piece of V4 ?, -thick aluminum. Besides providing solid support, the metal plate is fys” thinner than the plastic plates. This provides an extra fys" of height adjustment for the bit For all practical purposes, this plate is machined dead flat (It’s within .003" of being perfectly flat.) Then a thin, protective (anodized) coating is applied that prevents the aluminum from leaving black marks on a workpiece. INSERTS size openings. (This includes a blank which can be cus- tomized for a different sized bit.) There’s no blank with the Rousseau mounting plate. But the two inserts that “nest” together allow you to make three different size openings. You’ll be limited to two different size openings with the Rockier and Woodworker’s Supply mounting plates. (They each come with only one insert) Additional inserts cost about five dollars each. PINS, BUSHINGS & LEVELERS s Although it’s probably not going to make or break your * decision as to which mounting plate to buy, another thing to keep in mind is whether there are any “extras.” STARTING PIN. Take a starting pin for instance. It comes in handy when routing an irregular-shaped piece with a piloted bit, see photo below left. That’s because the bit has a tendency to grab the workpiece at the beginning of a cut Holding the work- piece against a starting pin provides more control. Note: The Woodhaven, Rousseau and Eagle America are the only mounting plates that include a starting pin. GUIDE BUSHINGS. If you do a lot of template routing, you’ll also want to check whether m the insert accepts a guide bushing, see photo below right The only way to do this with the mounting plate from Woodworker’s Supply is to buy an adapter set which costs an addi- tional $17.95. With all the others, you can install a stan- dard-size guide bushing in the smallest insert LEVELING SCREWS. One final note. You may need to level the mounting plate in the router table. That’s when the leveling screws installed in the Rockier and Eagle America mounting plates come in handy. CONCLUSIONS Eagle America Part No. 415-0590 800-872-2511 $59.99 j Woodworker’s Supply Part No. 126-490 800-645-9292 $19.95 There’s more to these mounting plates than just holding the router in the table. They also keep a workpiece from tipping into the opening around the bit The key to making this work is a system of disk-shaped inserts that let you enlarge (or reduce) the size of the opening. You simply select an insert with a hole that’s slightly larger than the bit. Then fit the insert into the mounting plate to “close” the opening around the bit SNAP-IN INSERTS. This is easy with the inserts in the Woodhaven and Rousseau mounting plates — they just snap into place. At first, I was a little skeptical that these inserts would stay put. But both of them fit nice and snug. Also, the inserts are perfectly flush with the top surface 'of the mounting plate. So I don’t have to worry about any “catches” as I’m sliding a workpiece across the router table. SCREW-IN INSERTS. The inserts in the Eagle America, Rockier, and Woodworker’s Supply mounting plates are held in place with machine screws. This works fine, but messing around with the tiny screws is a nuisance. Here again, the Eagle America insert fit perfectly flush. But the Rockier and Woodworker’s Supply inserts are recessed just a hair. It’s not enough to cause a problem. (And it’s better than sticking up above the mounting plate.) HOW MANY INSERTS? To provide a fair comparison, it’s also worth taking a look at the number of inserts that come with each mounting plate. The Woodhaven and Eagle America mounting plates each come with three inserts which create four different A Starting Pin. Using a starting pin prevents the bit from grabbing the workpiece at the beginning of a cut. A Guide Bushing. If you do a lot of template routing, it’s handy if the insert accepts a guide bushing. Okay, so which mounting plate would I use? It’s a toss-up between the Woodhaven and Rousseau. They’re strong, rigid plates. And the snap-in inserts are a plus. My only quibble is the Rousseau inserts fit so tightly, 1 have to reach under the table and tap them out with a dowel. The phenolic plate from Eagle America is also a good choice (not the poly- carbonate plate). But at $59.99, it’s the most expen- sive. And the only additional features it has are the leveling screws. That’s not enough to justify the cost for me. I’d be satisfied with the Rockier mounting plate too. But it bothers me to have to pay for additional inserts. The only mounting plate I’d steer clear of is the one from Woodworker’s Supply. You get what you pay for with this inexpensive mounting plate. & Rockier Part No. 35265 800-279-4441 $39.99 No. 45 ShopNotes 29 LS OF THE TRADE Dovetail Jigs • A Leigh Jig. It’s hard to beat the versatility of this jig. B. Katie Jig. Sometimes simple is best This Katie Jig The unique design of the fingers lets you rout through- allows you to rout through-dovetail joints quickly and dovetails, half-blind dovetails, and sliding-dovetails. accurately without the usual trial and error process. It's easy to rout perfect-fitting through-dovetail joints with either one of these commercial jigs. I n ShopNotes No. 43, we featured a shop-made dovetail jig that allows you to cut through-dovetail joints with a handheld router. As a follow- up, we also took a close look at two manufactured dovetail jigs: the Leigh Dovetail Jig (see photo A above) and the Katie Jig System , see photo B. LEIGH JIG At a glance, the Leigh Jig looks a bit complicated. And I admit, the first time I used the jig, it took me an hour and a half to set up. But I was impressed with the tight-fitting dovetails it pro- duced. And once I got the hang of it, things speeded up considerably. The basic principle of this jig is simple. A workpiece is clamped ver- tically under a bar. (It accepts pieces up to 24" wide.) Then, to cut the tails and pins of the dovetail joint, you rout around a set of finger-shaped templates. One side of each finger is straight. With a dovetail bit mounted in the router (and a guide bushing in the base) , the straight side is used when routing the tails, see photo A To make the pins, it's just a matter of flipping the fingers around. This way, the opposite (tapered) side of each finger projects over the work- piece. Routing around these tapered sides with a straight bit (and guide bushing) produces the wedge-shaped pins. Note: Both router bits are included with the jig. ADJUSTABILITY. Another thing that’s worth mentioning about the Leigh jig is the fingers are totally adjustable. By repositioning the fin- gers, you can vary both the size and the spacing of the dovetails. VERSATILE. Besides being easy to adjust, the Leigh Jig is as versatile as it gets. In addition to through-dove- tail joints, it allows you to rout half- blind dovetails and sliding-dovetails as well. Depending on the type of dovetail, you can rout workpieces that range in thickness from 5 /32" to IV 2 ". KATIE JIG The second dovetail jig I used is called the Katie Jig. This one really intrigued me. That’s because I’d heard it was designed to cut perfect dovetail joints straight out of the box. SETUP. Well, I was just a bit skep- tical. But with its easy setup, the Katie Jig was off to a great start. To establish the spacing of the dove- tails, all that’s needed is to position a set of aluminum guide forks along the top of the jig. Note: You can adjust the size of the dovetails by changing the size of the guide forks. (These need to be purchased separately.) After clamping the workpiece against the jig, the pins are formedi by routing around the tapered ends of the guide forks with a bearing- guided straight bit. Then, using the exact same setup, the mating tails are created by routing around the notch in the opposite ends of the guide forks with a bearing-guided dovetail bit. Note: Both router bits are included with the jig. Okay, so that’s the theory. And I routed the pins and tails without a hitch. But the real test still remained. How well would they fit together? Here, I was pleasantly surprised. The dovetails fit perfectly — exactly as promised. And the jig hadn’t required any fiddling around whatsoever. All in all, it’s an impressive tool. & Sources Leigh Dovetail Jig Phone: 300-663-3932 Fax : 604-464-7404 Katie Jig System Phone: 317-331-3601 Fax: 312-453-0667 e-mail : thampton@indy.net web site: http://www.katiejig.com 30 ShopNotes No. 45 Sources PRODUCT INFORMATIO A Deluxe Router Table A Basic Router Table The Benchtop Router Table featured on page 16 is perfect for a small shop. But it’s also a great addition for any shop where space is limited. Setting up the router table is easy. Just flip up the wings and swing out the doors to provide rock-solid support underneath. With its adjustable fence and a built-in clamping system, you can make fast, accurate setups. And when you fold up the table, the fence doubles as a handle. ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a complete kit with all the hardware you need to build the Router Table. The kit includes the aluminum Dual Track and a %"-thick phenolic mounting plate made by Woodhaven. In addition, ^there’s also a featherboard, router bit guard, and a vacuum ^attachment made from durable plastic. All you need to supply is the plywood and plastic laminate. DELUXE ROUTER TABLE KIT 6845*125 $ 156.95 This Router Table uses the same basic design as the Deluxe ver- sion. But in order to simplify construction (and reduce the overall cost), there are a few minor differences. For example, the table and sliding faces on the fence aren’t covered with plastic laminate. And the accessories are made using only scrap pieces of material. Another difference is the mounting plate. It’s a VT'-thick phe- nolic plate that comes pre-drilled with a hole for the router bit and two finger holes. Finally, we didn’t install the Dual Track on this router table. So the featherboard is attached with knobs that thread into inserts installed in the table. We’re also offering a kit for the Basic Router Table. It includes all the hardware you need as well as the mounting plate and the knobs and inserts for the featherboard. BASIC ROUTER TABLE KIT 6845-100 .$ 26.95 ◄ Socket Box Hardware The Socket Set Storage Boxes (page 6) provide a handy way to keep sockets, ratchets, and accessories organized. A foam lining in each box keeps sockets from rattling around. We used a sheet of closed-cell foam from McMaster Carr (Part No. 9349K9). The latches (Part No. 1889A34) are also available from McMaster-Carr. To order, you can call 630-833-0300. Dual Track System ► The Dual Track system in our Deluxe Router Table consists of two, 32"-long pieces of alu- minum. Together, they create a slot for a miter gauge and they provide a way to attach accessories. Dual Track is available as a separate item from ShopNotes Project Supplies. DUAL TRACK SYSTEM 7213-220 $ 26.95 NOW ON THE WEB! WoodNet 3 i On-Line CUSTOMER SER¥JCI • 101 Woodworking Tips Online • Woodworking Techniques — Step-by-Step • Project plans you can download • WoodNet Forum — Woodworkers’ Q & A • Power Tool Reviews Point your browser to: httpyAvww.augusthome.com Select “Woodworking” from the Welcome Page menu. -> Access information about your subscription account, a Find out if your payment has been received, a Change your mailing address or your e-mail address. Let us know if you haven't received your issue. www.shopnotes.com No. 45 ShopNotes 31 Scenes from the Shop Mbs With its “wings" extended and doors swung open for change bits. And an adjustable fence doubles as a handle support, this benchtop router table features a large, sturdy to make the router table portable. You can build this basic worksurface. A removable mounting plate makes it easy to model or the “deluxe" version on page 16. • \ pttoS^l Whether you’re working under the car or doing a job around the house, this simple storage box makes it easy to keep track of all the tools and accessories in a socket set. it’s one of three boxes that we customized to fit different sized socket sets. (Plans begin on page 6.)