The table for the router is an extremely important element in the workshop if a person is associated with carpentry. This piece of furniture can become a real helper and will improve the quality and efficiency of the work performed. There are factory models on sale today, but almost all of them are quite expensive.
Why do we need a table
If you want to save money, you can try to make such a table yourself. This device will allow you to make grooves and grooves in the workpiece, process the edges of products and make spiked joints. It is inconvenient to use a milling cutter separately, because the master in this case must concentrate on processing and harvesting. But if you assemble the table with your own hands, then it can make the work process easier.
In this case, the tool can be installed on a workbench by making a special design. When performing work on the manufacture of the table, it should be borne in mind that the router will be installed from below, so it is necessary to allocate a sufficient amount of free space. Stationarypart of this element will be a bed, which is a frame with a tabletop.
From what to make a frame
Before you make a table for a router, you should think about what the frame will consist of. These could be:
- metal squares;
- wood beam;
- chipboard;
- MDF boards.
When creating a frame, you must provide stability for the countertop and guarantee the rigidity of the structure. The overall dimensions of the bed will be determined taking into account the parameters of the workpieces that you will process.
Getting Started
It is better to start the process of manufacturing a structure by determining the place in the room. The table may be a side extension of the saw table. You can make a separate stationary table. If you use the equipment only occasionally or outside the workshop, you might consider a portable option. To save space, it is usually hung on the wall or removed.
A self-made table for a router can also be located in a room with a large area. For maximum convenience, you can make a freestanding table that is mounted on wheels, and then located anywhere. The portable table can be set up to perform an operation and left for a while, while it will not interfere with other machines, devices and tools.
Things to consider in the first step
Before you make a table for a router, you should think about what it can bea fairly simple device of small height. You can place this design on a regular table. For this, a chipboard sheet is used, on which the guides are fixed. A regular piece of board of small thickness can serve as a stand. It is fixed on bolted connections. Clamps are used for this.
Holes are made for the cutter. On this we can consider that the work is completed. If the milling machine is the main tool, then you need to make a comfortable and solid table, at which you will have to spend a lot of time.
Preparation of materials
To make a milling table, you should prepare:
- bars;
- cut chipboard;
- hardware;
- metal profile;
- jack;
- steel plate;
- movable carriage stop;
- aluminum rails;
- hand router.
The bars must have a square section, they will need 4. You can prepare plywood or chipboard, the dimensions of which will be determined when building the drawing. In addition to hardware, you can purchase bolts, nuts, hinges and self-tapping screws. The steel plate should be 6 mm thick. As for the stop carriage, it can be a saw guide.
Making the bed
Despite the fact that the frame for the countertop is quite simple to make, the milling machine must meet certain requirements. For example, the lower part of the frame must be deepened by 200 mm in relation to the fronttabletop parts. The dimensions of the bed should be selected individually, which will facilitate the mounting of the tool and the work.
In private buildings, for work on blanks, a frame is installed on the facade of the house, the width and height of which are 1500 x 900 mm, respectively. The milling table in this case should have a depth of 500 mm. When making a table, you must take into account its height. This parameter is extremely important for comfortable work. The parameter should vary from 850 to 900 mm. It is better to make the supports adjustable, then you can change the height of the table and install the structure on an uneven floor surface.
The most simple and affordable solution for a table is a chipboard kitchen worktop. The plate must have a thickness of 26 mm and a plastic coating. Plastic ensures that the workpiece slides over the surface, and the vibration effect from the tool will be damped by chipboard. If there is no kitchen table with the desired worktop, you can use an MDF board. Its thickness should not be less than 16 mm. Before making a table for a router, you must provide a mounting plate, which will be needed to fix the tool.
Making a mounting plate
The mounting plate must be positioned at the foot of the router. To carry out the work, it is necessary to select a material that must be strong enough and thin. For self-production, experts recommend using plates made of sheet metal, textolite orfiberglass. The shape must be rectangular, and the thickness is within the limit of 4 to 8 mm.
A hole should be made in the center of the plate, the diameter of which should match the diameter of the hole on the sole of the hand tool. When making a table for a manual router, you must remember that the equipment has a plastic pad that is fixed in the threaded hole on the sole. The holes are used for attaching to the mounting plate. If they are missing, they must be made in the sole of the tool. There is another way to install a router, which is expressed in a metal spring bracket. Fixing the mounting plate to the tabletop is carried out at the corners.
Table Assembly Algorithm
If you decide to make a table for a router with your own hands, you must assemble a frame, which is a bed where the tabletop will be attached. Place the mounting plate at the chosen place on the tabletop and mark its outline. With the help of a milling cutter, a seat is made, and the depth of the sample should be equal to the thickness of the plate. The main requirement in this case is to create a flat surface of the plate and table top. The seat of the plate should have rounded corners, you can achieve this with a file.
Once the mounting plate has been fitted, it will be necessary to make holes for the sole of the tool in the tabletop with a cutter. In the place where the fastening will be carried out, it is necessary to make a selection for mounting the dust collector in the lower partcountertops. You can install accessories that must also be sampled.
Next, you can start assembling the milling table for a manual router. The tool is wound from below and fixed to the mounting plate. With the help of self-tapping screws, it must be strengthened to the countertop. Self-tapping screws should be drowned in the places of their installation. The tabletop must be fixed to the frame. For convenient work on the table, it is necessary to make an upper clamping device. It will be convenient for processing large items. Rollers or a ball bearing are used to assemble this device.
It is only important to choose the right diameter. The bearing must be fixed in a retaining device, fixed in the right place at a certain distance from the plane of the table top. This device will ensure that the large workpiece is pressed against the surface of the worktop as it passes under the roller. Such an addition will improve the accuracy of work and will improve labor safety.
Working on the electric drive
If you decide to assemble a table for a manual router with your own hands, you must make sure that you have the skills to work with an electric drive. It will be used during the operation of the equipment. To select an electric drive, it is necessary to consider the power parameter. Motor power for small household tasks can be 500W or higher. This parameter will be sufficient for processing small workpieces and making deep selections.
Ifthe electric drive will have a 1.1 kW motor, then this solution is optimal for a home milling machine. If you want to be able to process any workpiece, then it is better to use a drive with a power of up to 2 kW. You can use different cutters.
Home machines use electric motors from grinders or hand drills. Before assembling a table for a wood router, it is necessary to determine the power of the equipment, which should not be less than 2 kW. This setting will allow the craftsman to work with other woods. When choosing an equipment model, you should prefer a device model with the ability to control rotation speed. This function is extremely important for obtaining a smooth cut on workpieces. As a result, you will be able to get a clean cut.
Additional recommendations for making
For a stationary base, you can use chipboard scraps and bars. Leg supports are twisted from blanks. Additional rigidity can be achieved with horizontal plywood connecting panels. Under the start button on the right side, cut a hole. Attachment of this node will be carried out to a manual router.
When making a table for a manual wood router, you can make a tabletop from chipboard, add a lifting mechanism to the design. For this, hinges are installed and a plywood base is assembled. Its thickness should be 15 mm. In order for the workpiece to be processed to move smoothly along the table, a stop carriage should be used. This nodewill be needed if a groove needs to be cut in the product. In the countertop, you will need to cut a groove for the stop guides and install a metal profile there. An emphasis carriage can be a guide from an old saw.
In closing
A milling cutter is one of the main assistants of the carpentry master. This tool is designed for woodworking and is indispensable when you need to make a groove, process edges, cut a groove and make tenon joints. But working with this tool manually is not always convenient. Therefore, you should consider making a base table.
