Woodworker's Journal 2007-Winter, страница 32

Our router table is full of convenient features that make it a more efficient shop tool. Ample storage space in the drawers and cupboard provides room for routers, bits and other accessories; the interchangeable insert plates accommodate a wide range of router bit sizes; and the fence system adjusts mechanically or the old-fashioned way—with a quick tap of the hand at one end.

together, making sure the edges line up perfectly, and let the glue dry overnight. The next day, clean up any glue squeeze-out and apply iron-on veneer edging to the table's edges.

Cover the surface of the top with plastic laminate, which is easy material to work with if you take your time and position it carefully. Cut a piece of laminate (piece 31) about one inch larger than the top all the way around and lay it upside down on your workbench. Clean the plywood and the bottom of the laminate thoroughly, removing sawdust or particles of any kind. Apply an even coat of nonflammable contact cement to both surfaces and let it dry, which usually takes about 20 minutes. After the first coat is dry, apply a second coat and let it dry. Now lay about eight narrow sticks across the tabletop and set the laminate on top of the sticks (see Figure 3). The sticks enable you to situate the laminate on the table before the two pieces meet and permanently bond.

Begin removing the stickers at one end of the top and press the laminate against the surface of the plywood. Use a J-roller to press the laminate down once the surfaces are making contact, but avoid rolling the unsupported insert plate area to prevent cracking the

laminate. Once you've applied pressure to all points on the table's surface, trim any laminate overhanging the top with your router and a piloted flush-cutting bit. Also, drill a 1/2" starter hole through the laminate near one inside corner of the insert plate area, then run the router around the rectangular opening to uncover the hole.

The insert plates are laminated on both sides, making them thicker than the top by 1/16". As a result, the insert area's ledge must be lowered for the top surface to be even. Chuck a piloted straight bit in your router and, following the upper edge of the insert area, lower the ledge on the sub-top by 1/16". Square up each corner of the insert area where the router bit couldn't reach and ease all the laminate edges on the top with a mill file. Install the threaded inserts in the pilot holes at both ends of the insert plate area.

Now put a 3/8" straight bit in your router and rout the fence adjustment tracks into the top (see Pinup Shop Drawings). Install an edge guide attachment on your router base to follow the top's side edges, routing the slot through the entire 1/2"-thick plywood, centered on the 3/4" adjustment track in the sub-top.

Rout the miter gauge slot, using a straightedge guide as you did for the dadoes on the side walls.

Before moving on to construct the fence, laminate both sides of some extra 1/2" plywood to make three insert plates (pieces 32). Cut the laminated plywood to fit the insert hole snugly, then mark the center of each insert, at which point you should drill a one-inch hole in the first insert, a 1!2" hole in the second, and a 2" hole in the third. Be sure to ease all laminate edges with a mill file. When operating the router table, choose the most appropriate insert for the bit you intend to use, and make more inserts with different hole sizes if you need them. Drill 1/4" pilot holes at either end of the inserts for securing the plates to the table. Countersink the holes so the head of the bolt sits below the laminate surface and screw one of the plates into place with 1"-long, 1/4"-20 bolts.

Building the Fence

The heart of the fence system is an Incra jig (piece 33), which excels at making incremental adjustments for repetitive cuts. This is a great device, but it isn't always needed for general router work, so we made it easy to remove. When the jig is disconnected the fence can move freely over greater distances.

Begin constructing the fence by making the main L-bracket from 3/4" plywood, first cutting the base (piece 34) and then the fence front (piece 35). Cut the back corners of the base to a 3" diameter as shown in the Pinup Shop Drawings. Laminate the fence front and drill a series of countersunk holes for screwing the front to the base.

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Workshop Projects