Jane's Router Table

Step 1.
The first step was deciding how high I wanted the table and what size tabletop I needed. I went with 33" high and a top of 32" x 23", with a 3" overhang. I used this size as it would enable me to use 1/3 of the Formica sheet to cover both sides of the 1" MDF and still leave 1/2" all round for trimming. I also cut two bands for the edging of the 1" MDF. Tip: don't make your corners too sharp as Formica doesn't take bends easily. I found a 2" radius was the sharpest I could go without it snapping.

Once I had the four 2 x 2" legs held together with the top skirt and bottom supports I divided the distance between them and that became the space for my mid shelf.

Step 2.
I wanted an area in the top shelf to accommodate the router but found I could put two side compartments in as well, to not waste all that space. To determine the width of the router compartment I took the width of the base plate and added an inch.

As I wanted the bottom shelf to be totally unobstructed I decided not to go with a mid bar but to have the doors meet in the middle, edge to edge.

All the sides are covered with 1/4" ply on the outside and 1/4" hardboard on the inside, with an air space in between. I did this to help with acoustic dampening as a router is a very noisy thing. The door for the router compartment is also double lined as can be seen in the picture below.

Step 3.
I mitered the corners of the door frames and reinforced them with biscuits before inserting the 1/4" plywood into the grooves. The hinges allow the doors to open completely enabling easy access. I decided to use nice brass fixtures as a finishing touch.

Step 4.
I had several ideas for attaching the top to the base and first attached it with corner brackets and screws into the top. I then decided to make the table more versatile and put a long piano hinge along the back of the tabletop to allow me to flip the top up to access two router bit storage compartments underneath. This would have worked better if I had planned for it when deciding on the overall size of the table because I cannot get the top all the way up with the router in place. I just have to plan ahead and make sure I have all the bits out that I will need for the specific job.

Final Step:
Routing the hole for the base plate took ages, mainly because I was too scared to do it in case I ruined the top. I made a template which took a whole lot longer to make than routing the actual hole. As I don't have a plunge router it was quite a challenge just getting started. I first drilled a hole larger than my router bit and dropped it into the hole to get going.

The depth of the lip is very important. Use a caliper or some other very accurate form of measuring. You could shim it if you go a bit deep, but it's always nice getting it exactly right.

After routing I used a jigsaw to cut through to the other side. If you have a router bit that's long enough you might consider doing this with a router.

A few coats of polyurethane and it was done.

By Jane Burke