Steve wrote:
> using a table saw fence as a
> dual-purpose router fence.
>
> Sure, you can lock the fence in place, and it's
> square to your saw blade, however that's not what I've found that I need
> for a router fence. With a router, I don't really care how 'square' the
> fence is
An excellent point. I built a smaller router table a few years back
and agonized over the fence until that fact finally hit home. Since
the router bit is a point/circle (versus the line/plane of a saw blade)
there's nothing to align with or be parallel with or be perpendicular to!
The offset from the center of the bit is the only detail to be concerned
with (ok, nice right angle to table surface is important).
My router fence is made from two maple boards joined at right angles,
with some triangle braces to make it a bit more solid. I clamp it to the
table with C-clamps and it works quite nicely. Easing up to the right
distance to the bit is fussy at times, usually with one end clamped firmly
but not completely tight, then tweaking the position of the other end. The
math says that the fence moves half the distance to/from the bit as I
move one end. It works.
For the actual tabletop surface, I used the countertop surface from a
bathroom vanity unit (hadn't been used, so no sink cutout). It's 1 1/8"
thick particle board, with a melamine surface. It's only 22x24,
so smaller than most of the nice tables you buy, but I didn't want to
give up a large block of floor space. I sometimes wish it were larger,
but this size usually works just fine. I bought a nice clear acrylic
insert and worked carefully to make sure it fit properly. It all fits
on a nice table/stand I created with 2x4s and 1x4s.
Joe
flake@a3115jmf.atl.hp.com
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