Routing at Last?
November 29th, 2008Junk, Redeemed
I am trying to turn my huge surplus MDF desk into a router/miter saw table. I just put it back together and stood it up in the garage.
This thing is like 1 1/4″ thick, so it ought to be plenty sturdy. But it has a dip in it. The center is a little lower than the ends. I’m thinking of fixing this by screwing a piece of scrap aluminum to the bottom of the desk. It’s shaped like an angle iron, about 2″ on a side. I’m not sure it’s stiff enough to do the job, but I’ll know ten seconds after I attach it.
The table is really long. I am not sure what to do about a T-track, since they are probably shorter than the table. I suppose it doesn’t matter if a T-track dead-ends in the table’s surface, as long as one end is open.
The fun part will be cutting the hole for the router insert. I believe the ideal tool for this is…a ROUTER. But I am not sure. Maybe you’re supposed to jigsaw it out and then clean it up with a router. And of course, I have no jigsaw.
I figure I can plop the miter saw over the router opening, and on the rare occasions when I want to use the router, I can take it off.
If none of this works, I can always put the mangled results by the curb and enjoy the knowledge that comes from screwing up.
November 29th, 2008 at 2:10 PM
Plunge-cut with a circ saw and plunge your router into the corners?
November 29th, 2008 at 3:21 PM
Okay, but imagine me, trying to plunge-cut accurately with a circular saw. I foresee microsurgery and physical therapy.
November 29th, 2008 at 4:17 PM
Simple stuff. Lean the forward edge of the base plate onto the table, perpendicular to the line to cut. Fasten an edge there (to rest against), if you want to, with firring and c-clamps. Trigger on and lower the blade into the pencil line you made. Sort of like having a chop saw.
Due to the radius of the blade, you won’t pierce all the way to the corner. Finish into the corners with your sawzall.
Of course you NEED a jig saw, but the sawzall will do for now.
I prefer to cut out like this instead of using a jigsaw which can wander.
If you have a hole saw, cut a hole at each corner and plunge into the holes. Nice radius corners, no jigsaw.
November 29th, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Use a large spade type wood drill bit, then open it up with the router.v
November 29th, 2008 at 6:32 PM
The hole only has to be as large as your largest router bit. Anly larger is counterproductive, and possibly dangerous.
Use a 1/4″ drill to drill a hole where you want the router to sit. Then chuck a 1/4″ rod (or even the same drill) in the router. Put the drill in the hole you drilled, and mark the places where you need to drill holes for the router attachments.
If the router is a plunge router, you can just put in a series of larger nad larger bits (once the router is fastened) and plunge them through one after another until the hole is as big as you want. If it isn’t, just do the hole saw thing.
November 29th, 2008 at 7:21 PM
It has to be big enough for the lift.
November 29th, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Lift? I just mounted the router to the table and was done with it,
November 29th, 2008 at 7:57 PM
I am not positive how this works, but I am pretty sure attaching the router directly to a big thick table will cost me too much stroke. And I would prefer not to have to reach under the table to adjust the height.
We’ll see what happens.
November 29th, 2008 at 8:23 PM
yeah, that could be a pain- but you can easily check on how much stroke you have.
You need to flatten the top first, though. If it’s not flat, it won’t work well, and it’s hard to flatten material this thick. Try to flatten it first, and if you can flatten it worry about the cutout after. othewrwise, just use it as a chopsaw table.
November 29th, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Thanks, Steve.
Og, I’m thinking that if I can’t flatten it, I can cut it in half. It should be easier to flatten a shorter table.
I am either going to make use of this table or dispose of it, so either way, there will be a positive result. It has been cluttering up a corner of the garage for maybe a year.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Cutting it in half is youtube material, I hope you do that.
otherwise, you coulld make an extension that goes on the end of your table saw. Works nice. You can use the table saw fence for the router too.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Wouldn’t a RotoZip work for that?
November 30th, 2008 at 8:13 AM
I don’t know if it’s possible to add a router to a portable table saw.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Nothing is impossible. Rocker makes one for their porable.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19509
it’s just creativity.
Might still be better to make a standalone table, though.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:11 AM
It is funny that you are discussing making a router table. I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening making a foldable, portable router table from MDF, a piano hinge and some other hardware.
It was designed as a project to get to know my new router, but has turned out better than I expected – aside from the dust everywhere. Now all I need are longer mounting screws so I can actually use the darn thing…