I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
Spare me the whining about Craftsman tools, please, but if you know where
I might find drawings or photos of such, I'd appreciate a 'heads-up'.
I've seen the fancy cast iron stuff ... and the fancy prices that go with
it. Very nice and well worth every penny, I'd guess.
I can't afford them.
I can live without a fancy fence for the occaisional use I have in mind. I
am thinking that something cantilevered off the body of the saw (legs are
too wobbly) would work fine. I bought a piece of phenolic resin coated
plywood for the table top but now could use some help with hanging the
thing from the edge of the table.
Bill
W Canaday wrote:
> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>
> Spare me the whining about Craftsman tools, please, but if you know where
> I might find drawings or photos of such, I'd appreciate a 'heads-up'.
>
> I've seen the fancy cast iron stuff ... and the fancy prices that go with
> it. Very nice and well worth every penny, I'd guess.
>
> I can't afford them.
>
> I can live without a fancy fence for the occaisional use I have in mind. I
> am thinking that something cantilevered off the body of the saw (legs are
> too wobbly) would work fine. I bought a piece of phenolic resin coated
> plywood for the table top but now could use some help with hanging the
> thing from the edge of the table.
>
> Bill
Depending on the design of your table saw fence, you could possibly use
it as the router fence. My router is on the right, and I almost always
use the left side of the fence for ripping so I use the right side of
the fence for the router. I have two 1 1/2" thick pieces of sacrificial
material mounted on that side with a gap in the middle for the bit. To
me, that's one of the advantages of have the router table in extension
wing, no need to build another fence. I'm really happy with the setup.
Tom
Lawrence L'Hote wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > W Canaday wrote:
> >> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> >> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
> >>
> >> --------smip snip----------->
> > Depending on the design of your table saw fence, you could possibly use
> > it as the router fence. My router is on the right, and I almost always
> > use the left side of the fence for ripping so I use the right side of
> > the fence for the router. I have two 1 1/2" thick pieces of sacrificial
> > material mounted on that side with a gap in the middle for the bit. To
> > me, that's one of the advantages of have the router table in extension
> > wing, no need to build another fence. I'm really happy with the setup.
> >
> > Tom
> >
>
> ...what I made and use..
>
> http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote/routertable/routertable.htm
>
> larry
>
> --
> Columbia, MO
> www.llhote.com
Yep, that's exactly the same concept as mine, but yours is much more
elegant and has given me several ideas for my "next generation".
Tom
My understanding is Lexan sags less than plexiglas. I use 3/8" Lexan.
On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 07:37:06 -0600, "Wayne" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Depends on the weight of the router. Mine weighs 18 pounds and I used 3/8'
>acrylic (plexiglass). You don't want the plastic to sag which would create a
>concave surface.
>
>If you have any deviations from flatness it is better to have a slight
>crown.
>
>Wayne
>
>"W Canaday" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 12:47:29 -0400, W Canaday wrote:
>>
>>> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
>>> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>>
>> Thanks to all who responded, with especial thanks to those who provided a
>> link! I saw some nice work and got a couple ideas. That's what I was
>> hoping for. I guess the biggest help was the suggestion to put the table
>> on the right hand side so as to get double use of the existing fence.
>>
>> I DAGS and found a fellow who had made an oak frame with a rabbeted lip
>> to accept the table. He suggested using 1/4' Plexiglas for the router
>> insert. Does this sound about right or do you recommend something else?
>>
>> TIA,
>>
>> Bill
>
Very nice ... looks like you have a very good tablesaw and fence.
Here is what I did to add a router table to my low-end DeWalt tablesaw.
I think it will work well because the fence is designed to roll out a couple
of feet past the end of the saw table.
I plan to add a miter sled next, as well as some slots to hold
featherboards.
Wayne
http://www.pbase.com/chaotos/router_table
Wayne
> ...what I made and use..
>
> http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote/routertable/routertable.htm
>
> larry
>
> --
> Columbia, MO
> www.llhote.com
>
W Canaday <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>
Any ideas here you can use?
http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=2212
My friend put a router in his Unisaw extension, and while it works well, he
has mixed feelings about it. Of course, he put a bunch of effort & cash
into the fence and positioning system, and most of that has to come off, if
he's working with large stock.
Well, what _really_ happens is that he drags it across the street, and we
cut it on my saw, most of the time. He hasn't got room to move much in his
garage/shop. I found the shop space invested in a shop built router table
not to be too difficult to manage. The router table gets used for all
kinds of other tasks, for which it wasn't designed. For example, it's the
best place in the shop to set down cold soft drinks, or bottled water,
because the melamine top doesn't care.
OTOH, when my sister-in-law was pouring paint into a smaller 'working pot',
set on the top of my Unisaw this afternoon, we had a 'discussion' regarding
certain shop practices, and the notion of justifiable homicide.
Patriarch
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> W Canaday wrote:
>> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
>> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>>
>> --------smip snip----------->
> Depending on the design of your table saw fence, you could possibly use
> it as the router fence. My router is on the right, and I almost always
> use the left side of the fence for ripping so I use the right side of
> the fence for the router. I have two 1 1/2" thick pieces of sacrificial
> material mounted on that side with a gap in the middle for the bit. To
> me, that's one of the advantages of have the router table in extension
> wing, no need to build another fence. I'm really happy with the setup.
>
> Tom
>
...what I made and use..
http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote/routertable/routertable.htm
larry
--
Columbia, MO
www.llhote.com
"W Canaday" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>
> Spare me the whining about Craftsman tools, please, but if you know where
> I might find drawings or photos of such, I'd appreciate a 'heads-up'.
>
> I've seen the fancy cast iron stuff ... and the fancy prices that go with
> it. Very nice and well worth every penny, I'd guess.
>
> I can't afford them.
>
> I can live without a fancy fence for the occaisional use I have in mind. I
> am thinking that something cantilevered off the body of the saw (legs are
> too wobbly) would work fine. I bought a piece of phenolic resin coated
> plywood for the table top but now could use some help with hanging the
> thing from the edge of the table.
>
> Bill
Build one like the panel that you would use for a Biesemeyer fence. As for
the Craftsman fence, and I do own a Craftsman saw, I certainly hope that you
keep that thing solidly fixed. These days, I clamp the operator side of the
fence to the rails with a big C Clamp. I use a stick of wood and another C
clamp on the other side. If I don't use this clamps, I am certain to get
kickback. I can move the end of the fence at least 1/16 inch without these
things.
A new fence is just around the corner for me. It only takes one time to ram
a board through your body.
Jim
On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 12:47:29 -0400, W Canaday <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
>Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>
>I can live without a fancy fence for the occaisional use I have in mind. I
>am thinking that something cantilevered off the body of the saw (legs are
>too wobbly) would work fine. I bought a piece of phenolic resin coated
>plywood for the table top but now could use some help with hanging the
>thing from the edge of the table.
I don't have a craftsman saw, but......
Are there tapped holes on the side of the table to bolt an extension to?
If so, you could bolt a piece of angle iron to the side of the saw table with
the horizontal part facing left. Then mount the table to the angle iron.
Elongate the mounting holes in the vertical part of the angle iron so you have
some adjustment. This will let you get the router table flush with the saw
table. For the outermost end of the table, you could run some legs either to
the floor or the saw frame or legs.
BTW, my saw is a Delta Contractor's, and this is how the extension table on the
right mounts.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Retired Shop Rat: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
Now I can do what I enjoy: Large Format Photography
Web Page: www.destarr.com
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W Canaday wrote:
> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
The right wing of my 10" craftsman saw was the wider MDF variety (as
opposed to cast iron or stamped). I cut out a new MDF top (saved the
original in case I screwed up), cut a hole for a router plate, braced it
with some 1x3 stock underneath, and it works fine for me. Well, except
for the part where I used a craftsman router in it (stupid automatic
random height adjustment breaking 1/4" solid carbide spiral bits), but
I've got a P-C router to replace it.
Sears sells an aluminum replacement extension that has a place for a
router. Poke around their web site or a store and I'm sure you'll find
it. I think I've seen the same sort of thing at the borg (both blue and
orange varieties), and there are nice looking cast iron versions for
more $$ than I'm willing to spend available at woodworking suppliers.
-j
On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 17:58:17 +0000, Jim wrote:
>> Bill
If I don't use this clamps, I am certain to get
> kickback. I can move the end of the fence at least 1/16 inch without these
> things.
>
> A new fence is just around the corner for me. It only takes one time to ram
> a board through your body.
> Jim
WOW! Once locked down, mine is rock steady. I'm thinking your clamping
mechanism is just flat out wore out / bent. The only 'compensating' I have
to do (and this is my second such saw) is to move the fence with my thumbs
on the 'T' part. As long as I make certain that it is bearing on the angle
iron, it tracks parrallel to the blade.
Bill
On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 12:47:29 -0400, W Canaday wrote:
> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
Thanks to all who responded, with especial thanks to those who provided a
link! I saw some nice work and got a couple ideas. That's what I was
hoping for. I guess the biggest help was the suggestion to put the table
on the right hand side so as to get double use of the existing fence.
I DAGS and found a fellow who had made an oak frame with a rabbeted lip
to accept the table. He suggested using 1/4' Plexiglas for the router
insert. Does this sound about right or do you recommend something else?
TIA,
Bill
Depends on the weight of the router. Mine weighs 18 pounds and I used 3/8'
acrylic (plexiglass). You don't want the plastic to sag which would create a
concave surface.
If you have any deviations from flatness it is better to have a slight
crown.
Wayne
"W Canaday" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 12:47:29 -0400, W Canaday wrote:
>
>> I'm wanting to put a router table in place of the left wing of my
>> Craftsman 10" contractors saw.
>
> Thanks to all who responded, with especial thanks to those who provided a
> link! I saw some nice work and got a couple ideas. That's what I was
> hoping for. I guess the biggest help was the suggestion to put the table
> on the right hand side so as to get double use of the existing fence.
>
> I DAGS and found a fellow who had made an oak frame with a rabbeted lip
> to accept the table. He suggested using 1/4' Plexiglas for the router
> insert. Does this sound about right or do you recommend something else?
>
> TIA,
>
> Bill