Router Table (Pt. 9)

I had originally planed to use two layers of 3/4″ MDF for my top, but after seeing how much the Benchdog lift and my router weighed, I started to get concerned. After a little while searching the web my concern was confirmed, several people has expressed that after a while the top started to sag. Sag is not a big problem, when routing simple edge profiles, but it’s unacceptable when you want to do something that requires a high degree of precision like cope and stick joinery.

After a day or two pondering my options, I decided to do two things. First I decided to reinforce the top by epoxying some steel bars into it, this will dramatically increase its stiffness. The increased stiffness, does come with a risk though, if the top is not perfectly flat when the epoxy is applied it will be next to impossible to flatten once it’s cured (I’ll cover this in a later post). Secondly I’m going to make the top 3 layers instead of two. The 3rd layer will add additional stiffness, but it’s main job is to give me freedom to place the steel bars anywhere. If I had stuck with 2 layers, I would not have been able to place the bars in certain sections of the top, because they would interfere with the miter & T track. The following shots show my progress on the top so far.

Router Table (Pt. 8)

I finished the case late last week, and started working on the top late Saturday night. One of the things I struggled with, was how to cut a hole in the back of the case for the dust port. I didn’t want to buy a hole saw that would most likely never be used again unless I absolutely needed to. The solution I came up with, was to use an adjustable circle cutter to make a hole in a piece of MDF scrap,  I then used the MDF as a template to router the hole into the case.

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Awesome Safety Glasses

PPE isn’t normally a topic I get all worked up about, but after using these glasses for almost a year, I can say these are by far the best pair I have ever owned. The lenses are large, and perfectly contoured to fit my head.

This is really beneficial for two reasons. One, because they are so large I rarely see the sides in my peripheral vision, so I often don’t realize I have them on, and thus I’m less likely to take them off. Secondly, because they are so well contoured they set really close to my face, and thus do a better job than most at protecting my eyes from flying debris.

If you’ve ever worn earmuffs and cheap safety glasses together, you know that the glasses ear pieces get forced into your head by the earmuffs. At best, it’s annoying; at worst, it causes pressure points and headaches.

Since the ear pieces on these are wide and thin, they spread the force out over a greater area, thus reducing the likely hood of a headache (at least for me). I originally got my pair at Woodcraft, but they don’t appear to carry them anymore, however you can pick them up on Amazon.

Router Table (Pt. 7)

I’m behind on getting updates on this project published, the following photos are from last weekend. While I didn’t get much accomplished, it’s starting to look like a router table. The two main things I got done where mounting the drawers, & sizing of the on of switch mount. I did one thing I won’t soon forget, chopping a mortise in plywood, murders a chisels cutting edge.

Olive wood marking knife

Who says you can’t find great deals on eBay anymore!! This lovely marking knife only cost me $29 delivered to my door step. It’s 7″ long by 1/2″ in diameter at the finger grip, and made from genuine Middle-Eastern olive wood. The blade is made of O-1 tool steel that has been hardened, tempered, and then sharpened to a 55 degree included angle with 20 degree bevels. After 15  minutes of honing on my water stones, the blade was sharp enough to shave with. This knife will probably last me a life time, but at some point in the future I want to try my hand at making one.