How to Make a Router Table Part 2 of 2

 Description:

This week I’m finishing the router table. I started by cutting my 3/4″ thick plywood and melamine to size for the top pieces. I attached my sheet of plywood to the top using 1 5/8″ wood screws and cut a square in the center of the board that was big enough to fit my router through. Next, I grabbed my sheet of melamine and routed out a 1/4″ deep, 7″x7″ square in the top of the table and drilled a 2.5″ hole in the center for my router bits to pass through. I also drilled and countersunk 3 holes in the routed out section for my router (this allows me to bolt my router to the sheet of melamine). I screwed the top piece of melamine in place from the bottom and now I have a nice sturdy top. Using 1/4″ thick whiteboard, I cut out a 7″x7″ square and drilled a hole in the center. This is going to act as my insert plate (I’d recommend making various sized ones to accommodate different sized router bits). After that, I began construction on the fence. This is probably the most common fence design out there and that’s because it works so well. The bottom half of the fence is able to slide and the back of the fence has a nice spot to hook up a shop vac and get some great dust collection. The last thing to do was add a on/off switch to the front (I took the one off my old router table) and this router table is ready to be used! If you want to build your own router table just like this, I left a shopping/cut list below to help you get started!

Shopping List:

4- 2×4’s at 8′ Long (Frame)

1- 4’x8′ Sheet of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Plywood can be cut down to 2’x4′ sections if needed for transportation)

1- 2’x8′ Sheet of 3/4″ Thick Melamine (Melamine can be cut down to 2’x4′ sections if need for transportation)

1- 2’x4′ Sheet of 1/4″ Thick Whiteboard (Used for Router Bit Insert Plates)

1- Box of 3″ Wood Screws

1- Box of 1 5/8″ Wood Screws

2- Handles

4- 1/4″ Bolts at 2.5″ Long (For the front face of the fence)

4- 1/4″ Wing Nuts

8- 1/4″ Washers

2- 5/16″ Bolts at 4″ Long (For the clamps on the each side of the fence)

2- 5/16″ Wing Nuts (If possible, knobs would work better)

4- 5/16″ Washers

1- Large Power Switch (Allows you to easily turn the router on/off)

1- Bottle of Wood Glue (Titebond II)

Cut List:

2- 2×4’s at 14″ Long (Side Rails)

2- 2×4’s at 24″ Long (Feet)

2- 2×4’s at 33″ Long (Front and Back Rails)

4- 2×4’s at 35.5″ Long (Legs)

2- 5.75″x5.75″ Pieces of 3/4″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Once you have two squares, cut them diagonally to get 4 triangles for the fence support)

1- 5.75″x40″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Bottom of Fence)

1- 6″x40″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Front of Fence)

2- 10.5″x12.5″ Pieces of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Sides of Cabinet)

2- 12×13.5″ Pieces of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Cabinet Doors)

1- 12″x27″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Back of Cabinet)

2- 12.5″x27″ Pieces of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Top and Bottom of Cabinet)

1- 24″x37″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Plywood (Second Layer of Table Top)

1- 24″x37″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Melamine (Top Layer of Table Top)

1- 3″x40″ Piece of 3/4″ Thick Melamine (Front of Fence – Top Half)

2- 3″x20″ Pieces of 3/4″ Thick Melamine (Front of Fence – Sliding Bottom Halves)

4- 7″x7″ Sheets of 1/4″ Thick Whiteboard (Used for the Insert Plates – Cut various sized holes in the center to accommodate different router bits)