Router Cabinet and Top

[rick91351]

When I retired I decided that first major thing I was going to bite off was a new router table.  I finished up tonight and rubbed down the last coat of a Watco Oil Finish in a Fruitwood color.  I am so pleased with this project.  Sorry about the florescent lighting but with the flash it washes it out to much.  It is hardly that dim in there in my shop.

 

Guts of the beast a dedicated Porter Cable 7518 3.25 horse motor.  I did not buy the base because it is just to heavy and to much router.  I have got others for hand work.  The lift is a JessEm Mast-R-Lift II Router Lift With 9-1/4" x 11-3/4" Plate.  I used Kreg corners to mount the lift.  Those are a great product and I had it all leveled up and locked down in no time once I got past the instructions and salesman's advice.  I tried their way, then unscrewed it all.  Sat there for about five minutes studied it all out.  It was so stinking simple.  I'm going back tomorrow explain it to the salesman.  It actually will self position itself.  Then drill some pilot holes and screw in to place.  By the way the router cabinet was designed by that same salesman.       



He has taken several designs from others turned and tweaked them.  The bit storage has half inch shanks on one side and quarter inch and half on the other.  The drawers a very heavy duty, in fact the cabinet is almost two sheets of three quarter inch plywood.  The top and fence is almost a whole sheet of MDF.  Top and bottom of the router top are both faced with Formica.  The fence and the cabinet both have dust collection.  I am pretty proud of it       

[Don_P]

 
Very nice. How well does the router lift work? I've got the PC with stock base mounted under a 6' table with a long fence (just a heavy built shop workbench with the router stuck under it). The stock base is spring loaded to help lift the router when upright but when it's hanging upside down you are then fighting the weight and spring when trying to adjust height 

[rick91351]

Very nice. How well does the router lift work? I've got the PC with stock base mounted under a 6' table with a long fence (just a heavy built shop workbench with the router stuck under it). The stock base is spring loaded to help lift the router when upright but when it's hanging upside down you are then fighting the weight and spring when trying to adjust height 

Man those spring assisted lifts can be a bear.  That is the reason I chose this lift.  You raise and lower with a crank inserted in the top.  It connects to machined piece of high grade thread all screw that runs the router up and down.  The fine adjustment is sill down around .001 then it all positive locks when you lock it back down.  They are manufactured in Canada.  With the Kreg corners there is no movement in the insert plate.  That puppy is locked down. 

Another reason I like it, the screw is located right in front where you can hit it with the air now and then.  There are two very heavy guides to the back that are easy to apply a little wax to now and then.  I am sure I will finds its low points soon but right now seem like a good match up.         

[NM_Shooter]

Very, very nice! 

[MikeOnBike]

When I retired I decided that first major thing I was going to bite off was a new router table. 

Retired!  Really!  You have been talking about that for several years now.  Really happened?

Oh, um, it looks real nice Rick.

[rick91351]

Got it done the eleventh of this month.  Just before Christmas decided to hang it up.  Told my boss my last trip was going to be just before Christmas Eve.  I had some personal leave days to burn up.  Believe it or not us road engineers did not get holidays.  The national carriers offered a package with eleven personal leave days paid at a basic day.  We jumped in that like a dog on a bone!  This year I had saved six days for the last of the year.  I was going to take them and then take my eleven for 2012.  So that made the 11th my retirement date.

So I was getting down there.  One more trip.  Next to the last planed trip in to LaGrande, Oregan I hit a gravel truck.  No one was hurt thank God!  Believe me that was pretty rare for me.  Seems like when I hit some one it was all over.  Anyway no one was hurt, I gave my statement to the police.  They transported us to the depot at LaGrande.  One of my LaGrande bosses came in to get my statement.  He and I always hit it off and always had a lot of fun bantering each other.  Weird for a railroad official.  I was always respectful to the officials.  But he and I were way over the line.  I handed him my statement.  Looked him in the eye and said, "Call me a van to go home I'm done.  Darrin I just can not top this one."  I was laughing then I said very dryly,   "No one was hurt, time to hang it up.  I can not top this."  So I went couple days quicker than I intended.  It was a great place for me to work.  But I sure do not mind the phone not ringing at one or two in the morning.  I even leave my cell phone home any more.

 
             

[Don_P]

No one was hurt thank God!

That's a big relief. I had been wondering.