Router Table -- securing drop in plate/router assembly?

Upscale wrote:
> "J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> take a drop in router base. Bases are 1/2" plywood, fastened to the
> router with screws, drop right in. Stay in place by the router weight,
> don't even threaten to rise up.
>
> Along the same lines, has anyone every noticed the plate jump when a 3+ hp
> router has started up? (For those with older routers not having a soft
> start?)

mine has an acrylic plate set flush in a particle board/melamine top.
the fit varies with temperature. part of the year it's pretty tight,
part of the year it's just a little loose. even when it's at it's
loosest I've never seen it move around at startup- the big freud, early
version, no soft start, single speed, about as much startup kick as any
router ever made.

Thu, Jul 13, 2006, 1:56am (EDT+4) [email protected]
(John=A0L.=A0Poole) doth query:
I'm building a router table, <snip> cost of the materials other than
wood or MDF was approximately $130)
I'm wondering if other tables have a design element where the plate is
secured from moving upwards.<snip>

A bit back I posted on modifying my old homebuilt router table to
take a drop in router base. Bases are 1/2" plywood, fastened to the
router with screws, drop right in. Stay in place by the router weight,
don't even threaten to rise up. Figure I've got less then $5 9five
dollars) in the table including multiple bases - no prob. One day I'll
remember to take pictures, and post a link.



JOAT
Politician \Pol`i*ti"cian\, n. Latin for career criminal

The plate itself is large enough that, when taking a cut, the part is on the
plate, holding it down. In any case, my table is in the Warner style. No
plate, router bolted directly. If you want a plate and would like to
restrain it, ball detents on the side would work.

"John L. Poole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a router table, have my aluminum plate that will attach to
> my 3 HP router and then rest in the tabletop on a ledge. (I'm building
> Pat Warner's fence featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine and at his
> site: http://www.patwarner.com/routerfence.html -- by the way the cost
> of the materials other than wood or MDF was approximately $130)
>
> I'm wondering if other tables have a design element where the plate is
> secured from moving upwards. From the various designs I have reviewed
> and the tables for sale I've seen in catalogs/online, I do not recall
> seeing anything that secures the router plate/route assembly to the
> table top.
>
> For those who have router tables, is your plate assembly secured somehow
> to the table it is resting in to prevent the entire assembly from moving
> in an upward direction?
>
> Seems to me an aggressive cut could cause the assembly to climb. Pat
> Warner's table design has his router bolted. Maybe I've missed
> something on these table inserts?
>
> John

"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> soft start. No problem with the plate jumping. The only problem as
> mentioned earlier was the vibration noise if not fastened down.

Perhaps a little bit of thin felt or flocking on the underside to prevent
that vibration?

"J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
take a drop in router base. Bases are 1/2" plywood, fastened to the
router with screws, drop right in. Stay in place by the router weight,
don't even threaten to rise up.

Along the same lines, has anyone every noticed the plate jump when a 3+ hp
router has started up? (For those with older routers not having a soft
start?)

"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> take a drop in router base. Bases are 1/2" plywood, fastened to the
> router with screws, drop right in. Stay in place by the router weight,
> don't even threaten to rise up.
>
> Along the same lines, has anyone every noticed the plate jump when a 3+ hp
> router has started up? (For those with older routers not having a soft
> start?)


I had a Bosch 1611 IIRC hanging in one. It is large and does not have a
soft start. No problem with the plate jumping. The only problem as
mentioned earlier was the vibration noise if not fastened down.

I have a PC 7518 with an Incra lift in the table - it must weigh 15 pounds
or more. . . also the Incra Jig fence is on top of the plate - it will not
lift. Unless you are doing some major door making or the like ( and then you
should be using a shaper. . .) it should not be a problem.
BB


"John L. Poole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a router table, have my aluminum plate that will attach to
> my 3 HP router and then rest in the tabletop on a ledge. (I'm building
> Pat Warner's fence featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine and at his
> site: http://www.patwarner.com/routerfence.html -- by the way the cost
> of the materials other than wood or MDF was approximately $130)
>
> I'm wondering if other tables have a design element where the plate is
> secured from moving upwards. From the various designs I have reviewed
> and the tables for sale I've seen in catalogs/online, I do not recall
> seeing anything that secures the router plate/route assembly to the
> table top.
>
> For those who have router tables, is your plate assembly secured somehow
> to the table it is resting in to prevent the entire assembly from moving
> in an upward direction?
>
> Seems to me an aggressive cut could cause the assembly to climb. Pat
> Warner's table design has his router bolted. Maybe I've missed
> something on these table inserts?
>
> John

"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> soft start. No problem with the plate jumping. The only problem as
>> mentioned earlier was the vibration noise if not fastened down.
>
> Perhaps a little bit of thin felt or flocking on the underside to prevent
> that vibration?

I use a Bench Dog router table and it uses about 10 or 12 blunt tipped
screws to level the insert. If they are not all perfectly in contact with
the plate vibration can be quite loud. Felt or flocking would probably
simply wear through in a short time as the collective area that the plate
rests on is about 3/8 to 1/2 square inches, divided by the number of screws.
The 2 diagonally opposed hold down screws work well to stop most of the
vibration noise.

John L. Poole wrote:
> I'm building a router table, have my aluminum plate that will attach to
> my 3 HP router and then rest in the tabletop on a ledge. (I'm building
> Pat Warner's fence featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine and at his
> site: http://www.patwarner.com/routerfence.html -- by the way the cost
> of the materials other than wood or MDF was approximately $130)
>
> I'm wondering if other tables have a design element where the plate is
> secured from moving upwards. From the various designs I have reviewed
> and the tables for sale I've seen in catalogs/online, I do not recall
> seeing anything that secures the router plate/route assembly to the
> table top.
>
> For those who have router tables, is your plate assembly secured somehow
> to the table it is resting in to prevent the entire assembly from moving
> in an upward direction?
>
> Seems to me an aggressive cut could cause the assembly to climb. Pat
> Warner's table design has his router bolted. Maybe I've missed
> something on these table inserts?
>
> John

I'm trying to think of an instance where I wasn't putting downward
pressure on the router plate while I was routing a piece of wood. I'm
coming up blank.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
[email protected]
(Remove -SPAM- to send email)

"John L. Poole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a router table, have my aluminum plate that will attach to my
> 3 HP router and then rest in the tabletop on a ledge. (I'm building Pat
> Warner's fence featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine and at his site:
> http://www.patwarner.com/routerfence.html -- by the way the cost of the
> materials other than wood or MDF was approximately $130)
>
> I'm wondering if other tables have a design element where the plate is
> secured from moving upwards. From the various designs I have reviewed and
> the tables for sale I've seen in catalogs/online, I do not recall seeing
> anything that secures the router plate/route assembly to the table top.
>
> For those who have router tables, is your plate assembly secured somehow
> to the table it is resting in to prevent the entire assembly from moving
> in an upward direction?
>
> Seems to me an aggressive cut could cause the assembly to climb. Pat
> Warner's table design has his router bolted. Maybe I've missed something
> on these table inserts?
>
> John
I haven't seen such a problem on my Rockler table. The table relies on the
weight of thr router (more than the plate) and the weight of the plate to
keep everything in place.
Jim

"John L. Poole" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:1Lhtg.130037

Snip


>
> For those who have router tables, is your plate assembly secured somehow
> to the table it is resting in to prevent the entire assembly from moving
> in an upward direction?
>
> Seems to me an aggressive cut could cause the assembly to climb. Pat
> Warner's table design has his router bolted. Maybe I've missed something
> on these table inserts?


No, It should not climb and aggressive cuts should actually pull the wood
down on to the plate. For years I just dropped the plate on the table and
was good to go.

That said, I did finally start using the screws to fasten the drop in plate
into the table top. The secure connection of the plate to the table greatly
lessens vibration noise.

As others have mentioned, the weight of the router will keep the plate and
router down. However, I still used the threaded holes in my Rockler plate to
bolt my plate to the table, just to be sure it won't shift side to side or front
to back under the loads produced by cutting. There's a picture of the underside
mounting at http://home.san.rr.com/jeffnann/WoodWorking/Shop/Shop.html
--
JeffB
remove no.spam. to email

The woodpecker's PRL has spring-loaded pistons that press against the
sides of the opening to help keep it in place, but mostly it's just
HEAVY. Plus, the wood is on top of the plate, also holding it down.