Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 3 – Hardware and Electrical

This is a continuation of Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 1 – Carcase and Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 2 – Laminate.

 

A while back I converted my side extension table into a router table.  Although not strictly necessary, I am going to enclose the router and add dust collection, while also creating much-needed storage and enclosing the electrical.

So you can see what I have in mind, here’s a sneak peek of the finished enclosure.

A sneak peek of the finished router table enclosure.

Attaching the doors and drawers

The main carcase is assembled and ready for the hardware.

To start with, I attach the main door.  I use some 1/8″ thick MDF pieces as spacers on each edge of the door.

 

With the spacers holding the door in position, I attach a piano hinge.

 

To position the air vent, I put some blue painters tape across the opening and mark the center lines where the screw holes on the vent should line up.

 

I then position the air vent with the lines going through the center of the screw holes…

 

…and drill pilot holes for the screws.

 

I then installed a magnetic door catch to hold the door closed.

 

I can then close the door.  The 1/8″ spacers made a nice gap.

 

On the inside of the door, I drill a hole as close to the metal plate of the door catch as I can so I can attach a handle.

 

I then attached a handle to the door.

 

I also attached the door for the electrical in the same way except I didn’t attach a handle.  I’ll explain why later.

 

I decided to get cheap and I got some 16″ euro-style drawer glides.

 

I need to thicken the walls of the carcase where I am attaching the drawer glides so I cut some wood strips 16″ long and 1-1/2″ tall and pre-drilled and countersunk some holes for drywall screws.

 

I then glued and screwed these to the inside of the carcase everywhere the drawer glides will be attached.  The screw placement may seem random but it isn’t.  They are arranged so they won’t interfere with the screws for mounting the drawer glides.

 

Due to a mis-measurement when I cut the pieces for the big drawer, I needed these pieces to be 5/8″ thick rather than 1/2″ thick as planned.  Here they are in place with the drawer sitting roughly in place.

 

I attached the drawer sections of the glides to the main drawer body.

 

I used a few pieces pieces of plywood as spacers to hold up the cabinet section of the drawer glides and I screwed them into place.

 

This allowed me to insert the drawer,  It’s now ready for the face.

 

Double-sided tape was attached to the back of the drawer face.

 

I used the same 1/8″ thick spacers to position the drawer face.

 

Then I pressed the drawer face onto the drawer body.

 

Once that was done, I pulled out the drawer to I could access the inside.

 

I then secured the face to the drawer with some drywall screws.

 

I drilled some holes through the face and the body so I could attach a drawer pull.

 

The drawer pull was attached and this drawer is complete.  I also temporarily attached the electrical paddle.  The reason I didn’t install a drawer pull on the electrical door is because I’m not expecting to go into that area very often, if at all, and if I need to, I can just pull the paddle out and it doubles as a handle.

 

Before finishing up the smaller bit storage drawers, I decided to paint the inner edges of all the openings.  For this I used some black Valspar latex enamel.

 

I painted the edges with a cheap foam brush.  It doesn’t matter if I get it off the laminate.  It’s really easy to remove.  I’ll show you how in just a bit.

 

I removed the doors and the drawer so I could get the edges.  The lip that runs along the  inside of the doors doesn’t need to be full covered since it will be covered with weather stripping later.

 

I also painted the edges of the doors and the face of the drawer.

 

It’s finally time to attach the weather stripping.  I cut pieces to size and attached them to the door lip.

 

After removing the backing tape, you can see that it makes a nice black barrier that should regulate the airflow in the cabinet.

 

I could then reattach the doors and the drawer.  With the edges painted, it has a nice finished look.

 

To attach the drawer glides for the bit storage drawers, I cut some 1/2″ plywood into strips.

 

These were then attached to the inside of the cabinet opening.

 

The drawer glides were attached…

 

…and one of the drawers was inserted.

 

I used the drawer face and a few 1/8″ spacers to mark where the top of the upper strips should be mounted.

 

The strips were glued and screwed like the others.

 

To position where I wanted the drawer glides, I used a combination of a piece of 1/2″ plywood plus a 1/8″ spacer – which is how I positioned the  lower glide – pluse two more 1/8″ spacers and the faceplate for one of the drawers.

 

The drawers are now in position.

 

I attached the faces the same way that I did for the bigger drawer.  First I attached some double-sided tape…

 

…and attached it using some 1/8″ spacers on the edges.

 

Then I removed the drawer and drilled and countersunk some holes for drywall screws.  I also drilled a hole for the knob hardware.  The screw wasn’t quite long enough to go through both pieces of plywood so I had to drill a recessed area for the head of the screw.

 

Then I attached the knob.

 

After that, I repeated the process for the upper drawer then I painted their edges like I did for the other drawers.

 

Installing the electrical

 

To hook everything up, I’m going to need two lengths of 3-conductor S.O. cord, which can be purchased at nearly any home improvement store.  I bought a 10′ length and inserted one end through the electrical door and routed it through the electrical box on the inside of the main cabinet.

 

3-conductor S.O. cord has just that…3 conductors.  In this case, it’s a hot, a neutral, and a ground.  This is a standard setup for 110 VAC systems.  I start by stripping the wire to exposed the stranded wires, which I then twist so they are easier to work with.

 

I hook up these wires to the outlet just like you would when installing any standard electrical outlet.  Black to the gold terminal, white to the silver, and the green to the ground terminal.

 

I then fed the wire back into the electrical box so the outlet would sit flush.  I’m not securing it at this time.

 

I got an outlet cover to help keep the sawdust out.  It turns out that this was a bad choice as I will explain later.

 

I installed the outlet faceplate which also secures the actual outlet into the electrical box.

 

The box then flips down to cover the outlet.

 

I cut the cord so it would be long enough to reach into the front electrical box with the door open.  I’ll come back to this.

 

I threaded the strain relief into the smaller hole in the back.

 

I then fed the rest of the cable into that hole far enough to reach the front electrical box and then tightened the strain relief screws.

 

Then it was time to feed both cables into the  front electrical box.

 

I closed the door so I could finish the wiring.

 

I stripped the wires and bent the hots and neutrals so they would go around the screw terminals easier.  The grounds can stay straight since they will be connected together with a wire nut.

 

This will vary by switch but I just wired the hots and neutrals according to the directions.

 

The ground wires are tied together with a wire nut.

 

The switch body is then inserted into the electrical box and the extra wire is fed back into the cabinet.

 

Then I attached the faceplate for the main switch.

 

The only thing left on the electrical is to connect a plug to the end of the cable.  This is the type of plug that I decided to use.

 

It uses two screws to hold it together.  When these screws are removed, the plug hinges open.

 

Once again I strip the wires and twist them.

 

Follow the directions for whatever plug you choose but this one was easy.  You just insert them and tighten some screws.

 

Then I closed up the plug with the two screws I removed earlier.

 

Electrical is all done.

 

Making the legs

 

I need to shorten the legs that support the side extension table.  One end has holes drilled for the hardware that attaches it to the underside of the actual table.  The other has the threaded hole for the feet.  I decided to keep the end where the feet screw in since that would be more difficult to recreate than the other end which is just holes.

 

To determine the length of the legs, I simply measured the height of the cabinet.  This provided me with the amount that I needed to remove.  I then measured down from the top of the legs and marked it with a silver Sharpie.  This is where I will cut.

 

I used my chop saw to cut along that line.

 

The chop saw leaves a pretty nasty burr that I will want to remove.

 

A few seconds at the disc sander quickly rounded over the edges enough to remove the burr.

 

I use the discarded upper end of the leg and a silver Sharpie to mark where I will need to drill.

 

I used my drill press and some 3-in-1 oil to drill out those holes.

 

The just need to be cleaned up a bit and they’re ready to use.

 

I reattached the hardware and now I have some mini-legs.  Ain’t they cute?

 

 

Attaching the cabinet to the table

 

Time to finish this up.

 

I start by turning my extension table upside-down.

 

The router enclosure fits in-between the angle iron I attached earlier and the end of the actual table.

 

I need to mark and drill the holes for the screws that will attach the enclosure to the angle-iron.

 

I used a silver Sharpie to mark these holes.

 

 

I also marked the holes on the side where the screws will go through the front rail on the table saw, the table, and the enclosure.

 

I then pulled the enclosure out so I could drill these holes.

 

To keep the bit from wandering on the slippery Formica, I drilled a small pilot hole at the center of the mark.

 

I then drilled the holes.

 

I also wanted to insert some tee-nuts into the holes to help strengthen it a bit.  I started by taking the table out and setting it on its side so I could access these holes.

 

The tee-nuts fit into the holes perfectly.

 

These were easy to hammer into the holes as long as I supported the board on the opposite side.

 

I put the enclosure back in place.

 

I installed the screws.  They hold it nicely.  Almost too nicely.  I was actually surprised that this worked as well as it did.

 

I marked where I would drill three holes in the front where I would secure the enclosure to the table.  I drilled these holes.

 

Since I’m using the countersunk screws that would normally attach the extension table to the rails, I needed them to be countersunk.

 

I painted the countersunk area black so it would blend in better.  Then I installed the screws and secured them with washers and lock nuts.

 

I Chose where I would install the legs to the enclosure.  I used my combination squares to align them.  This allowed me to easily position each leg so they match.

 

Both legs are now attached.

 

So close!  Only one thing left to do before I  actually attach it to the saw which is to install a dust port.  I’m using a 90-degree port which will allow me to angle it to the back of the saw if I choose to down the road sometime.

 

I could finally attach the extension table to the saw.  I used longer bolts than the ones provided by SawStop to go through the rails, the extension table, and the enclosure.

 

I inserted put the router lift in and tried it out.  It works perfectly.

 

That pretty much covers it.

 

If I had it to do over again, I would do something different to the outlet faceplate in the main cabinet.  The cover for it, which I intended to keep closed while the router is plugged in is too shallow so unless I change the plug on the router power cord to a right-angle version, I can’t keep the faceplate closed while the router is plugged in.

 

Also, I would probably just make an entire new table that has all of these features built-in, rather than reusing the existing table.

 

One last thing I would do differently is that I would use better drawer glides.  I always have trouble getting the euro-style glides installed squarely so the drawer face is flush with teh rest of the cabinet.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

 

<< Back to Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 2 – Laminate.

<< Back to Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 1 – Carcase.

Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 2 – Laminate

This is a continuation of Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 1 – Carcase.

 

A while back I converted my side extension table into a router table.  Although not strictly necessary, I am going to enclose the router and add dust collection, while also creating much-needed storage and enclosing the electrical.

So you can see what I have in mind, here’s a sneak peek of the finished enclosure.

A sneak peek of the finished router table enclosure.

Preparing the table for the laminate

Before applying laminate, I always like to make the work surface fairly smooth.  The first step to accomplishing this is to fill in the nail holes and any other gaps with wood filler.  I actually would normally use Bondo for this but this time I’m using MinWax Wood Filler which is basically just beige-colored Bondo.

 

Like Bondo, the MinWax Wood Filler is mixed together from two parts.

 

I applied the wood filler and let it set for about 15 minutes.

 

Once the wood filler was cured, I took a random orbital sander to it.

 

The surface is now flat and smooth.

 

There were a few areas where the individual pieces of the front didn’t quite line up and made gaps.  I packed those full of wood filler and then sanded it down.

 

This results in a pretty smooth cabinet.

 

Cutting the laminate

I found that Home Depot carries a matte black Formica laminate that perfectly matches the laminate used on the SawStop extension table so I picked up a sheet of that to use.  Normally I like to have a small gap at the bottom of the faceplate on my table saw fence but as you can see, this is going to be a problem when cutting laminate.  I’m going to have to bring the faceplate down as far as I can, otherwise the laminate may slide under the faceplate rather than ride against it.

 

To adjust the faceplate on a SawStop fence you need to loosen the 5mm allen bolts which are accessible from the underside of the main fence body.  Start by turning the fence on its side with the faceplate you want to adjust facing down.

 

You will need a 5mm ball-end allen wrench.

 

The ball-end on the wrench allows you to access the bolts at an angle.  You don’t need to remove them, just loosen them a bit.

 

I used a rubber mallet to persuade the faceplate to rest closer to the top of the table.

 

I’m going to start by ripping the laminate to the widest width that I’ll need, which is 28-1/4″.  I actually ripped it to 29″ so I would have a little overhang.

 

When cutting laminate, I like to use a SawStop 80-tooth Titanium blade.  It gives a really smooth edge.  Also, when cutting something as thin as laminate, I like to have the blade raised up above the material quite a bit more than usual since the material will try to climb up the blade otherwise.

 

This was the most awkward cut.

 

Then I cut two pieces that will cover the front and back, which are 19″ high.  I decided to cut the pieces down to 20″ each.

 

This can be a bit awkward too but it was still easier than wrestling with the full sheet of laminate.

 

The two pieces of laminate are cut down.

 

I then measured the sides and cut pieces for them.

 

Applying the laminate

I’m using Wilsonart International 600 contact adhesive.

 

I used a foam roller to apply a coat of contact cement to the front surface of the carcase.

 

I then applied contact cement to the back of the laminate.  Here I am applying to just the areas that will be contacting the wood.  Right after I took this photo I realised that I forgot to apply some where the laminate will touch the two vertical walls so I added some there.

 

The contact cement sets up pretty quickly.  You want to wait till it isn’t really sticky anymore.  The surface should be just a bit tacky.  Once the two pieces touch each other, they’re pretty much staying like that.  In order to attach the laminate correctly, lay some scrap strips of wood on the work surface…

 

…then lay the laminate, sticky-side-down, on top of the strips of wood.  Use this opportunity to position it correctly.

 

I like to work from the center-out so I first remove the inner-most wood strip(s).

 

Press down firmly right in the center and work your way to the front and back edges.

 

Then remove one of the adjacent strips and press the laminate down working your way from the middle to the outside edge.

 

Then do the same thing for the opposite end of the laminate.

 

You can use a laminate roller to  make sure that there aren’t any air bubbles.  Again, work your way from the center to the edges.

 

To trim the laminate flush with the cabinet, use a router with a straight pattern bit.

 

Position the router bit so the bearing will ride along the edge of the work surface.

 

Route the edge.

 

The edge should be pretty smooth.  One problem you may run into is that the contact adhesive will build up on the edges of the wood.  This can get gummed up in the bearing on your bit or even make a bump that the bearing will roll over, causing you to have an uneven edge.

 

Before attaching the laminate to the back of the cabinet, I decided to drill the holes for the dust collection port and the wiring.  I started by marking line on the center of the back wall.  This view shows the cabinet sitting on it’s back so the surface we are looking at is the inside of the back wall.

 

To cut the hole, I used a 4″ hole saw on my cordless drill.

 

I started from the inside and cut it about halfway through.

 

Then I switched to the outside, inserting the pilot bit into the hole that I made from the inside.  Cutting halfway through from each edge helps prevent tearout.

 

I’m using a strain relief that you would normally using when putting in a junction box.  It measures almost 1″ in diameter on the threaded end.  I won’t be using the threaded ring so I take that off.

 

I marked where it would look best to drill the hole.

 

I decided to try using a 15/16″ spade bit.  I should have just used a 1″ bit.

 

Both the holes have been cut out.

 

I inserted the strain relief in order to cut some threads in the hole.  I wanted to do this now rather than after I got the laminate in place so it wouldn’t get all scratched up.

 

I apply the contact cement to the back laminate piece…

 

…and to the back of the cabinet.

 

Then I applied the laminate and trimmed it like I did the front.  Notice that the holes are covered with the laminate.  I’ll cut them out later.

 

I then applied the laminate to both ends.  I didn’t apply any to the underside since that won’t be seen.

 

To cut out the holes, I started by drilling a pilot hole through the laminate from the inside of the cabinet.

 

Once the pilot holes were drilled, I went to the outside and made the hole bigger using a step bit.

 

I just need the hole big enough to fit my 1/2″ pattern bit into.

 

I use the same setup as I used to trim the edges of the laminate.

 

I do this for both holes.

 

I use the same technique to cut out the openings in the laminate on the front.

 

I marked the center of the main door and drilled a 3″ hole in it.  This will be for the adjustable air vent.

 

I attached the laminate to the face of the main drawer…

 

…to the face of the bit storage drawers…

 

…and the main drawer.

 

All of the pieces have had the laminate attached and the hole cut out.

 

Except for one.  I still need to make the door for the electrical.  This is going to have the main On/Off paddle in the face of it so I’ll need to cut out the opening for that.  This is the electrical box for the paddle.

 

I decided to make a simple routing template using some scrap MDF.

 

I attached the two side pieces to one of the ends using pocket holes.

 

I then used the electrical box to mark and cut the sides down to the proper length.

 

I attached the other end with pocket holes as well.

 

I marked the center of both the door piece and the inside opening of the template.

 

I lined up the routing template and traced around the inside.

 

This showed me how it would be placed and allows me to attach some double-sided tape.

 

Here you can see the double-sided tape.

 

I attach the template then drill a starting hole big enough for the router bit to fit through.

 

I cut out the opening with the same pattern bit that I’ve been using.

 

Here you can see how the electrical box fits in place.

 

I attached and trimmed the laminate like I did for the other pieces.

 

I used the same routing template to cut out the opening for the electrical box that the router will plug into.

 

The router bit makes a rounded opening.  Although I like the look of it, the openings in the cabinet need to be squared, not rounded.

 

This is easy to fix with a flat file.

 

All of the openings have been squared.  You can see some residue from the contact adhesive on the corners.  I’ll take care of that later.

 

 

Sealing the doorways

I’m using some sponge window seal to make the doors more airtight.

 

I needed to make a simple frame inside the doorways.  I figured out the sizes of plywood strips that I’ll need and cut them out on my table saw.

 

The pieces make a frame inside each door.  I need to add a rabbet to each piece so the seal has somewhere  to rest.

 

I set up my dado stack to cut just a bit shallower than the thickness of the window seal, which is 1/4″ thick.

 

I wanted to add a 3/4″ wide dado stack, that is 1/2″ from the edge.

 

I added the rabbets to each piece…

 

…making the frame pieces.

 

I pre-drilled and counter-sunk holes through the thickest parts of the frame pieces.

 

I inserted screws into each piece to make it easier to attach.

 

I glued and screwed each frame piece in place.

 

Before attaching the window seal, I want to clean up the edge of the laminate.  I do this with a 7-degree bevel bit.  I have the bit just barely protruding from the base of the router and run this along each edge.

 

It has trouble getting into the corners but it cleans up the rest of the edges really nicely.

 

I then do a pass at about 45-degrees with a hand file.  This is also how I clean up the corners.

 

The end result is a nice edge that isn’t too sharp and will help prevent chipping.

 

I now need to finally clean off the contact adhesive.  This is really easy to do with lacquer thinner and some blue shop towels.  Here is a before…

 

…and after.

 

 

The laminate’s in place.  In the next article, I’ll cover cleaning up the edges a bit more, attaching the hardware, and doing the electrical.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

 

<< Back to Table Saw Modification – Router Table Enclosure: Part 1 – Carcase.

Table Saw Enhancement – Converting Extension Table Into Router Table.

SawStop industrial cabinet saw with sliding crosscut table, extra wing, and router table.

This is a continuation of my other table saw enhancements, Attaching a Sliding Crosscut Table Without Cutting Down the Rails and Attaching an Extra Cast-Iron Extension Wing.

The additional cast iron wing that I attached to my table saw moved the wooden extension table another 10″ past the end of my rails. This allows me to relocate my router table to the far-right edge of the table saw without having to cut notches in my front and rear rails to accommodate the miter slot.

Converting the extension table into a router table.

I had to remove my fence in order to attach the additional cast iron wing. I didn’t want to put my fence back on yet but I realized that I needed to so I can cut a dado in the wooden extension table for the miter slot.  This is the same extension table that I had previously removed.  I temporarily reattached the front rail and did a quick fence alignment so my cut would be parallel with the edge of the table.  This led to a slight problem as you’ll soon see.

Temporarily reattached the front tube so I can use the fence to cut a dado in the extension table.
Temporarily reattached the front tube so I can use the fence to cut a dado in the extension table.

I wanted to make sure I didn’t accidentally cut through any screws so I removed the legs for the table.

I figured that I would make the miter track 6″ from the edge of the table.  This would ensure that I didn’t hit any screws while cutting the dado.  I wasn’t worried about hitting a screw and activating the brake in the SawStop since a screw by itself is too small to activate the safety system.  I mainly didn’t want to mess up the carbides on my dado stack.  I positioned the fence at the 6″ mark.

Positioning the fence.
Positioning the fence.

I applied some blue painters tape to help prevent chipping and scratching the laminate on the edges of the dado.  In keeping with tradition, I miscalculated where I should put the tape.  You’ll see what I mean in a second.

Taping where I'll be cutting.
Taping where I’ll be cutting.

I clamped some scrap wood on the side of the table to help prevent tear-out.  I made sure the clamps were positioned where they wouldn’t get hit by the blades.

Clamping some scrap wood to help prevent tearout.
Clamping some scrap wood to help prevent tearout.

I lowered the dado stack so it would make a scoring cut first.  This is another step that can really help prevent the edge of the laminate from chipping.

Lowering the dado stack so it''ll just cut through the laminate.
Lowering the dado stack so it”ll just cut through the laminate.

I made my first pass.  As you can see, the blue tape wasn’t positioned correctly so my first cut didn’t have tape on each edge.  As it turns out this wasn’t a big deal.  The laminate that SawStop recently switched to for use on their extension tables is some high-quality stuff and didn’t tear out at all.  I didn’t have similar luck with the laminate for their older extension tables.

Didn't position the tape correctly but it didn't matter in the end.
Didn’t position the tape correctly but it didn’t matter in the end.

Here you’ll see one of the areas where I screwed up.  Remember when I said I did a “quick fence alignment”?  Well, I should have taken my time.  If I had, I would have noticed that in aligning my fence I also slightly loosened the clamping pressure of the fence on the front tube.  This caused my fence to slide a little bit as I was cutting and caused a slight unevenness in the dado.

Fence shifted while making this cut.
Fence shifted while making this cut.

As you can see, the scrap wood kept the laminate from chipping on the edge.

No tear-out!
No tear-out!

I reattached the legs and temporarily clamped the extension table to the rails and the right wing, making sure it was flush. Then I drilled new holes through the sides of the wooden extension table for the bolts to attach it to the rails.

Lined up the table and drilled holes for the mounting bolts.
Lined up the table and drilled holes for the mounting bolts.

I then did the same thing on the back. After the holes were drilled, I reattached the table to the rails using the appropriate bolts, washers, and nuts.

Drilled the mounting holes on the back of the extension table.
Drilled the mounting holes on the back of the extension table.

I then reattached my outfeed table to the rear rail.

Reattached my outfeed table.
Reattached my outfeed table.

Now it’s time to mark the opening that I’ll be removing. I’m going to remove most of it with my jigsaw then clean up the rest with my trim router and a pattern bit.

Using the old router table as a template.
Using the old router table as a template.

I laid the pattern on the tabletop in the spot where I am going to remove the material. Absolute precision is not critical at this point. I used a few pieces of painters tape to mark the inner edges of the opening.

Temporarily marking the inner edges of the template.
Temporarily marking the inner edges of the template.

I then took the template off and ran some strips of painters tape over where the edges will be. The actual edges should be somewhat centered in the strips of tape.

Applied blue painters tape over the edges where I will cut out the insert opening.
Applied blue painters tape over the edges where I will cut out the insert opening.

Then I put the template back in place. Again, absolute precision isn’t critical at this point.

Set the template in place.
Set the template in place.

I used a red Sharpie to trace the opening on the blue painters tape.

Traced the outline of the opening with a red Sharpie.
Traced the outline of the opening with a red Sharpie.

I then removed the template yet again so I can see the outline I just traced.

Removed the template after tracing the outline.
Removed the template after tracing the outline.

I drilled 1/2″ holes near the inner corners.

The holes have been drilled.
The holes have been drilled.

I’m using a jigsaw to remove the bulk of the material, roughly cutting it out about 1/4″ inside the lines.

I'm going to rough-cut out the opening with a jigsaw.
I’m going to rough-cut out the opening with a jigsaw.

Nice and sloppy. The critical thing is not crossing over the line.

The piece has been removed.
The piece has been removed.

I reapplied the painters tape since it got a bit chewed up then laid out the template. This time positioning is critical so I took my time. I got one end clamped down…

Carefully positioned the left edge of the template and clamped that side in place.
Carefully positioned the left edge of the template and clamped that side in place.

…then used a try square to make sure the template was square with the table.

Using a try square to ensure the template is square with the table.
Using a try square to ensure the template is square with the table.

Once I was satisfied that it was square, I clamped down the opposite end then applied one more clamp to each edge just for good measure.

Carefully clamped the other end in place and secured with additional clamps.
Carefully clamped the other end in place and secured with additional clamps.

I outfitted my trim router with a 1/2″ pattern bit.

Positioning the router to cut out the opening.
Positioning the router to cut out the opening.

It was throwing up quite a bit of dust so I set up a dust collection hood to grab most of it out of the air.

Getting pretty dusty so I set up my dust shroud.
Getting pretty dusty so I set up my dust shroud.

I had a problem with the bearing on this pattern bit coming loose and the whole bit slipping. This caused a little gouge on the inner-right edge of the opening.

Chewed up the opening a bit when the bearing came loose. Otherwise, it looks okay.
Chewed up the opening a bit when the bearing came loose. Otherwise, it looks okay.

I removed the template and the painters tape so I could inspect the edge. There was a little divot where the bearing came loose but other than that, it wasn’t bad.

Removed the painters tape. Other than the small goober on the right, it didn't turn out bad at all.
Removed the painters tape. Other than the small goober on the right, it didn’t turn out bad at all.

I used a file to break the edge a bit.

Broke the edges a bit with a file.
Broke the edges a bit with a file.

This particular extension table has some support bars underneath. They are only screwed in and are easy to remove.

The table braces are going to get in the way so I'm going to move them.
The table braces are going to get in the way so I’m going to move them.

I removed the support bars so I would have room for the Kreg PRS3040 Precision Router Table Insert Plate Levelers which installed easily from underneath the table.

Installed the Kreg PRS3040 Precision Router Table Insert Plate Levelers.
Installed the Kreg PRS3040 Precision Router Table Insert Plate Levelers.

Each leveler has two set screws that are used for leveling the router insert.

The Kreg levelers went in easily.
The Kreg levelers went in easily.

I reinstalled the support bars. I had to move them by about 1/4″ from their usual spot.

I reattached the supports under the table.
I reattached the supports under the table.

The next step was to start hooking things up. I installed a 4-outlet electical box that was wired to a motor power switch.

I hooked up an electrical outlet and a knee switch under the table.
I hooked up an electrical outlet and a knee switch under the table.

Then it was simply a matter of dropping the Rockler router lift in place and plugging in the router.

The router lift has been placed in the table and the router plugged into the outlet.
The router lift has been placed in the table and the router plugged into the outlet.

A little bit of leveling and I’m all done.

The router table is all finished.
The router table is all finished.

I can use the table saw fence with the router table. This photo shows how close I can get it to the router bit. I will be making an auxiliary router table fence with built-in dust collection that I can attach to my table saw fence, but that’s a project for another day.

I can use the table saw fence with the router table as well.
I can use the table saw fence with the router table as well.

That’s it! Up next is an enclosure for the router and maybe some drawers for storing router bits. For now, I’ve got some other projects that require my attention.

If any of this has been helpful to you, or if you have any suggestions or questions, please take a minute to post a comment below. I’d especially like to hear any suggestions for projects that you’d like to see me tackle.