Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch
of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick
of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet
would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would
weigh though.
Just a random thought. My double laminated, double layers MDF top
sagged a bit and the rail and stiles on the doors I just make fit
accordingly. My fault for never building a proper stand. Saw horses
are good until you finish the cabinet, but not a long term solution.
Chuck
I started with the metal base from a Sears router table - threw away the
cast aluminum top and fence as useless. Put on two rails using heavy
angle iron salvaged from an old bed frame. The top is commercial -
1"MDF with laminate on both sides. No sign of any sag using a large
router in a router lift. Weight was not a consideration. I built
drawers into the base and put the whole thing on a mobile base.
John
Pat Barber wrote:
> That's a better choice in my opinion. In fact
> several folks in years past have mentioned using
> angle iron on the bottom. I suspect the angle
> would do just as well as a steel plate.
>
> Two pieces of 3/4" MDF will not start sagging
> "right away"...
>
>
>
>
> WoodChuck34 wrote:
>
>>
>> Good point on grounding, I wouldn't have thought of that. The other
>> idea I had is a steel plate with a single layer of MDF on top. I'm
>> looking to eliminate sagging.
>>
>> chuck
>
>
>Table deflection vs size. I looked up some engineering formulas. If a
>given weight deflects a beam .005" and you double the length of the beam,
>the deflection goes up a factor 8 to 0.04. I.E. it is important to supply
>support close to the weight as it is a 3rd power law.
Or you could just make it extra stiffy underneath.
UA100, extra stiffy underneath...
Pat Barber <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Like this ????
>
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41793&category=1,43885&ccurrency=1&SID=
Pat,
Yes, almost exactly like that except I wouldn't pay $200 for a piece
of steel I could probably get for $20.
Chuck
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Pat Barber wrote:
>
> > Like this ????
> >
> >
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41793&category=1,43885&ccurrency=1&SID=
> >
> >
> >
> > WoodChuck34 wrote:
> >
> >> Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
> >> router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch
> >> of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick
> >> of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet
> >> would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would
> >> weigh though.
>
> Steel would be find if you don't mind the weight, have the tools to work it,
> and bear in mind that dropping a carbide bit on a steel table is more
> likely to chip the carbide than dropping it on a wood or MDF table--since
> router bits are changed more frequently than saw blades this is a real
> issue.
>
> Just make sure you have it well grounded.
Good point on grounding, I wouldn't have thought of that. The other
idea I had is a steel plate with a single layer of MDF on top. I'm
looking to eliminate sagging.
chuck
"Michael Daly" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<uY6dnej4-
<snip>It would take a _long_ time to do
> that by hand yourself and probably about $180 to have it done to your
> $20 slab of steel.
>
> Mike
Mike,
Ordinarily I would agree with you, but I'm a headhunter specializing
in the metals industry. I've got some friends that owe me some
favors.
I've abandoned the idea though. I built my top (double laminated,
double layers MDF) about 4 years ago and I'm just now noticing the
sag. Again, I never built the cabinet, just used saw horses, so its
my fault.
Thanks for the input.
Chuck
That's a better choice in my opinion. In fact
several folks in years past have mentioned using
angle iron on the bottom. I suspect the angle
would do just as well as a steel plate.
Two pieces of 3/4" MDF will not start sagging
"right away"...
WoodChuck34 wrote:
>
> Good point on grounding, I wouldn't have thought of that. The other
> idea I had is a steel plate with a single layer of MDF on top. I'm
> looking to eliminate sagging.
>
> chuck
http://www.metalsdepot.com/index.phtml
I got a chunk of 3/8 aluminum one foot square and made my own table insert.
The 6 inches or so from the bit seems to be enough flat area to allow nice
raised panel work.
Table deflection vs size. I looked up some engineering formulas. If a
given weight deflects a beam .005" and you double the length of the beam,
the deflection goes up a factor 8 to 0.04. I.E. it is important to supply
support close to the weight as it is a 3rd power law.
Greg
[email protected] (WoodChuck34) writes:
> Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
> router table.
Well, the groove for the miter gauge was a PITA....
:-)
--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.
Pat Barber wrote:
> Like this ????
>
>
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41793&category=1,43885&ccurrency=1&SID=
>
>
>
> WoodChuck34 wrote:
>
>> Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
>> router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch
>> of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick
>> of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet
>> would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would
>> weigh though.
Steel would be find if you don't mind the weight, have the tools to work it,
and bear in mind that dropping a carbide bit on a steel table is more
likely to chip the carbide than dropping it on a wood or MDF table--since
router bits are changed more frequently than saw blades this is a real
issue.
Just make sure you have it well grounded.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
WoodChuck34 wrote:
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Pat Barber wrote:
>>
>> > Like this ????
>> >
>> >
>>
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41793&category=1,43885&ccurrency=1&SID=
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > WoodChuck34 wrote:
>> >
>> >> Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
>> >> router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch
>> >> of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick
>> >> of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet
>> >> would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would
>> >> weigh though.
>>
>> Steel would be find if you don't mind the weight, have the tools to work
>> it, and bear in mind that dropping a carbide bit on a steel table is more
>> likely to chip the carbide than dropping it on a wood or MDF table--since
>> router bits are changed more frequently than saw blades this is a real
>> issue.
>>
>> Just make sure you have it well grounded.
>
> Good point on grounding, I wouldn't have thought of that. The other
> idea I had is a steel plate with a single layer of MDF on top. I'm
> looking to eliminate sagging.
There's a design floating around for a top that has some steel bar stock in
it for stiffening.
>
> chuck
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
On 29-Jul-2004, Pat Barber <[email protected]> wrote:
> I suspect the angle
> would do just as well as a steel plate.
If you don't care about the weight, that's true. However, if
you want to keep the weight down, almost any other combination
will do better than a steel plate.
A hardwood frame under the MDF will stiffen the MDF just as
well as steel but with less weight. Pound for pound, if you
get carried away and make hardwood-framed, MDF-skinned torsion
box, it will be way stiffer than a steel plate or steel angle
backed MDF sheet.
It ain't the material, it's how you use it.
Mike
Like this ????
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41793&category=1,43885&ccurrency=1&SID=
WoodChuck34 wrote:
> Has anyone ever tried a Steel or Aluminum top in their shop made
> router table. I will probably go with MDF again, but I have a bunch
> of friend who are sell metal. I'm guessing you wouldn't need to thick
> of a guage to hang a router under there. 1/4" of steel plate or sheet
> would probably be overkill. Not sure how much a 2' x 2' piece would
> weigh though.
>
On 29-Jul-2004, [email protected] (WoodChuck34) wrote:
> Yes, almost exactly like that except I wouldn't pay $200 for a piece
> of steel I could probably get for $20.
That's $20 for the steel, but $180 for the finishing. If you don't care about
the quality of the surface, then save the $180. When I worked as a welding
inspector many years ago, I don't remember seeing too many sheets of steel
that were actually flat. Flat was something you had to work on. LV went a
step further and shaped it into a convex curve so that the table doesn't go
concave under the weight of the router. It would take a _long_ time to do
that by hand yourself and probably about $180 to have it done to your
$20 slab of steel.
Mike