Router Table & Storage

What kind of bits should I buy first?  Who makes the best router?  Who makes the best brand of bits?  Plunge or fixed?  How much horsepower do I need?  Am I a weekend warrior or a pro, or maybe something in between?  These are all legitimate questions, although some have no legitimate answers or are only legitamized by your particular needs or circumstances.  Of course, there are variable opinions on the various subjects, and most are more then willing to share their wisdom.  You can find these, and other, questions that have been hashed out all over the web, on more than one occasion; tons of resources to get you on your way.  One of my personal favorites is Pat Warner.  When it comes to routers, the man is a living, breathing knowledge base.

Another question that comes up from time to time is "Do I need a router table?"  Well, that depends; Do you have a router?  If not, I suspect you have no need for a router table.  If, on the other hand, you selected the "Duh, of course, I have a router.  Why else would I be reading this?" answer, then, YES, you need a router table!  Some woodworkers would argue the point, but they'd be wrong.  Table mounted routers, for many tasks, are safer, more expiditious, and more precise.  It's not the tool for 100% of routing tasks as some are better preformed by hand.  Still, most router operations can be performed on a table and your quality will almost certainly improve.

There are plenty of off-the-shelf router tables out there, and I'm sure they're quite good at being one size fits all router tables.  Personally, I'm not one for buying off the rack.  I think one should build one's own table.  You won't save any money, but it's a great learning tool, and it's much easier to build in all those extras that make it a great tool. 

My first router table (at right) was actually just a couple of pieces of laminated " plywood with a hole for the plate cut into it.  Beyond that, it had a miter slot in the front and a piece of T-track on either side of the plate for clamping the fence down to.  I'd clamp the back of it onto my bench, my table saw, or a couple of saw horses, drop the router in, and route away.  As router tables go, it wasn't very accurate, but it stowed in a small space and it was extremely portable.  It served me well for a couple of years, but I wanted something a little more accurate; something that gave me some storage options.  Anyway, let's build a router table.

Materials and Cut List --

Following is a cut list of materials for the cabinet and router table that I built.  The beauty of this project is that you can customize it to suit your particular needs and work habits.  A close look at the picture will show that this cabinet, although square, isn't symetrical.  On the bottom, the right side is bigger; it holds my plunge and fixed router.  On the upper set of shelves, which are taller to accomodate the router, the left side is bigger; it holds my jigs while the right side holds the bits and tools.  Plus, it gives me a little more room on the outfeed side of the table.  By opposing the bigger sides, it gives the illusion of symetry.  Point is, design it to work for you and have some fun building it.

Table top materials --

Cabinet materials --

Item	Qty	Component	Material	Notes	Dimensions (L, W, H)
G	2	base, top	plywood	*C1	" x " x "
H	1	middle shelf	plywood	*C2	" x " x "
I	2	sides	plywood		" x " x "
J	1	back	plywood		" x " x "
K	2	upper partitions	plywood		" x " x "
L	1	lower partition	plywood		" x " x "
M	2	base supports	plywood	*C3	" x " x "
N	4	casters		*C4	4"
O	16	panhead screws			# 14, 1" long
P		trim	oak	*C5	" x "

** Notes **
*T1. - MDF will add weight and reduce vibration.  I hate MDF!  I used Baltic Birch ply.
*T2. - The laminate will be trimmed to an exact fit later.  Depending on your experience, give yourself at least an inch on all four sides.
*C1. - Plywood is Baltic Birch
*C2. - Rough size... once the dados are cut, this shelf will be marked and cut for a precise fit
*C3. - Used for mounting the casters
*C4. - Pretty much everything in my shop is on wheels.  A 3" or 4" toe kick can be built instead of using casters.  But be warned, it won't roll as well.
*C5. - You'll need about XXX linear feet for trimming up the edge of the carcass.  I used oak, but laminage edge banding would work just as well.

Table Top --

Now, if you're in a hurry, you may be tempted to skip some steps listed below; glue it all up and just cut everything at once.  If you do, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll destroy this top!  Take your time here.  Now, onward.

Some stuff you'll need...

You'll be laminating two rather large chunks of MDF/plywood together, and then laminating two even bigger pieces of counter top laminate to those.  Hometime has a good how-to article on making laminate counters if you need additional info.  Make sure you have:

• plenty of wood glue for the substrate glue up.
• contact cement for the laminate glue up.
• a couple of disposable 4" paint rollers (not foam).
• a j-roller.
• a box of disposable latex or nitrile gloves.
• a few "sticks".  You'll need them to temporarily hold the laminate off of the substrate.

I don't know that j-rollers can be rented, but they can be had for about $12.00 at the the Borg, as can the rest of this stuff. 

Cut the table substrates and laminate...

Using some " MDF or good quality Baltic birch ply, cut the two table top substrates (A).  Glue and clamp 'em up.  Make sure you overlap the sides by about ".  That will give you two perpendicular reference edges.  We'll trim them to final size after the glue dries.  Also, make sure they stay absolutely flat while the glue dries.  I put down some thin plastic and then clamped it all (lots of clamps and cawls) to the flattest thing I own, my table saw.

After the glue is dry on those, cut the two counter top laminates (B) as listed in the cutting list.  You can cut that stuff on a table saw just fine, but be careful... it can slip up under the fence.

Finish the table top...

Starting with your reference edges against the rip fence, cut the dry glue and overlap off of the opposing sides.  Flip it around, and finish cutting the table top substrate to final dimension.  Mine wound up being XXX" x YYY", but cut yours as big as you want the final top to be.  Take a little mineral spirts and wipe down both sides of the substrate and the back of both pieces of laminate.

** CAUTION **
If you aren't familiar with contact cement, BE CAREFUL!  Kids are going brain dead sniffing this stuff, but big people can get a little woozy too.  Glove up.  Don't use foam rollers; use natural bristle rollers if you can.  The solvents in contact cement are pretty harsh and can melt a lot of synthetic stuff out there.  MSDS' on various brands of contact cement declare the dangers of its use, especially fire and inhalation problems... work outside if possible!  Most important, get the MSDS on the brand of contact cement you use, read it, and head its warnings, especially the exposure warnings!

Using one of your disposable paint rollers, spread contact cement on one side of the substrate and the back of one of the pieces of laminate.  Depending on the temp and humidity when you apply it, give it 10 to 20 minutes to "tack-up."  Once it tacks, lay your sticks across the substrate surface and your piece of laminate across the sticks.  Line everything up such that the laminate overhangs on all sides.  Now, starting in the center and working your way out to the edges, start rolling out the laminate with your j-roller.  Use plenty of pressure and move the sticks out of your way as needed.  Soon as you're done, chuck up a flush trim bit in the router and trim the edges.  Turn the whole thing over and do it again.

Band the edges...

Measure, mark, and miter the corners on the four edge band pieces (E, F), and attach with some wood glue.  Of course, you could wrap the edges in laminate here too.  Either way is fine... I just like the finished look a little better when it's wrapped in wood.

If you do decide to wrap the top in wood as I did, and you don't get the banding perfectly flush with the table top, grab a sharp plane and flush it up now.  Use an edge guide, or blue tape, or figure another way, but regardless of how, be careful not to cut, gouge, or scrape off the top layer of laminate with the plane. 

Set the newly completed table top aside... we'll come back to it when we mount it to the cabinet.

Build the Cabinet --

Cut the shelving components...

Grab a sheet of plywood and head over to the table saw.  Cut all of the cabinet components (G, H, I, and J) except the upper and lower partions (K, L).  When it's all said and done, the middle shelf (H) and back (J) will be a tad big to fit properly... we'll trim those up and cut the partitions a little later for a custom fit.

Cut the dados and grooves...

Some of this can be done in short order with a stack dado set mounted in the table saw, and if you happen to have one, it's certainly the way to go to cut all of the through slots.  However, some of them are stop grooves or dados.  You can stop short using a stack set and then grab the chisels (yeah, good luck with that) or you can chuck up a straight bit in a router (Ooh-ooh, option two, option two!).

Cut the dados along the top and bottom of each side (I).  This will give a place for the top and bottom (G) to sit.  Now, cut the groove along one edge of the top, bottom, and both sides to receive the back panel.  To save a few bucks, you could use " ply here, but you'll appreciate the extra weight of ".  The heavier this thing is when done, the better you'll like it.  Dry fit and clamp the box up.  Measure the diagonals and make sure it's square.  Once it's square, measure, mark, and trim the back to fit in the grooves.  The basic carcass is now done, but put the glue away... we're not even close to ready for glue yet.

Now's the time for you to figure out how much room you need for a router cavity, both height and width.  I gave myself XXX" of height and YYY" side to side.  That gives me plenty of room to allow full up and down travel for the motor and still gives me about 2" of room under the motor for dust collection.  This will make the top half bigger than the bottom half which is a little odd to look at, but it will all work out when we're done. 

Anyway, once you figure out the clearance room for your router, pull the carcass back apart and layout the lines for your middle shelf (H).  Cut the dados along the sides and back to receive it. 

Lay out the lines for the dados for the upper partitions (K) on the middle shelf and cabinet top.  Turn the middle shelf over and lay out and cut the dadoes for the lower partition (L) in the middle shelf and the cabinet bottom.  If you're going to mess with the symetry on the top or bottom by shifting the partitions, don't forget to account for that before you lay out and cut the dados.

Assemble the carcass...

Do another dry fit and square everything back up.  Mark the front of the middle shelf and trim it to fit flush with the front of the cabinet.  Now, you can measure and fit the partitions into the cabinet.  Once you're satisfied with the fit of everything, take it all apart, add glue and put it back together with clamps, screws, brads, or whatever tickles your fancy.

While the glue is drying on that, cut the base supports (M) and several " x " strips of oak (P) for trimming up the front of the carcass.  Glue and screw the base supports to the bottom of the cabinet.  Using #14 panhead screws (O), attach the casters (N).

Final Assembly --

Cut the router access hole...

We need to cut an access hole for the router so it can sit in the cabinet.  Measure and mark the whole.  Drill a couple of starter holes, grab the jigsaw, and cut the access whole for the router.  Be careful of screws or staples that you may have used to secure the upper partitions to the cabinet top.

Mount the table top...

Almost done... we need to mount the table top to the cabinet.  Careful measuring and marking can accomplish this fairly well, but the quickest and easiest way I've found center a top to a base (my way requires a teenage son that's willing to exchange a couple of minutes of shop time for dinner) is as follows:

• lay the top on the bench, face side down.
• with son in tow, flip the cart upside down onto the top.
• flush the cart's back and one side into a corner of the top.
• using a combination square on the front, find the distance between the front edge of the table top and the cart.  Do the same thing on the opposite side.
• set your combination squre to half of those values and mark intersecting lines on the table top in the corner away from the cabinet.
• slide the cabinet over and mark intersect lines in the other corner.
• slide the cabinet in between those two sets of intersecting lines.
• slide your combination square around the perimeter of the top and insure that the cabinet is centered and square to your satisfaction.
• attach the top.
• fetch son, flip top installed-fully assembled, rolling cart onto ground, and thank son for his gallant efforts.

Cut the recess for the router plate...

If you bought (or made) a template for your router plate, it's time to get it out.  Stick it down with some double sided tape and chuck up the appropriate guide bushing and bits, and route the recess for your router plate.  Once that's done, you can mount your router to the plate and drop it in.  On mine, the recess is spot on and I don't need them yet, but I actually mounted some adjustable pads under the table that mate up to the underside of the router plate.  If vibration, wear, time, sag, or whatever, causes the plate to set below the table top, I can adjust the pads and bring it back up to level.

You may be done.  There's a whole "don't need no stinkin' t-track/miter slot" camp of woodworkers out there.  Bob and Rick Rosendahl of the Router Workshop are such a pair, and they turn out some decent work.  Truth is, if you belong to this group, you're done.  In fact, if you're only need is for a shop utility cart that offers some storage, you can even skip the previous two steps.  The difference here might be that the table top had some hard board with counter sunk screws for easy replacement.  Anyway...

Embellishments...

For the rest of us, it's time to cut the slots for the miter and t-track. 

Enjoy!!!