Workshop Projects

Fixtures & Tools for a Successful Shop

Chris Marshall, John English, Chris Inman, Rick White, Brad Becker, Ralph Bagnall, Barry Chattell, Bruce Kieffer, Sandor Nagyszalanczy, Kerry Pierce, Tom Caspar, Keith Hettinger, Dick Dorn, Jeff Jacobson, Lee Urban, Dave Olson, John Premo, Peter Walsh, Woodworker's Journal

• Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN:
  9781565233454
• eBook ISBN:
  9781607650430
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Technical & Manufacturing Trades
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Want the hardest-working shop on the block? The secret lies in streamlining the woodworking process by maximizing your space and organizing your work area. Now, Workshop Projects, Fixtures and Tools for a Successful Shop brings you more than two dozen ingenious projects for setting up your shop to save time, money, and frustration. 29 ingenious projects that will enhance woodworking tools, and maximize your workshop space. Guarantees a more productive woodworking experience.

Rolling Router Table

In this router table, two lifts are much better than one. One raises and lowers the router, while the other makes the cabinet mobile.

by Bruce Kieffer

You may find this hard to believe, but my old router table was merely a router hung from a discarded countertop sink cutout, with a board clamped on as a fence. This is quite a change!

Actually, I shunned router tables for many years, but with the advent of finely machined router lifts, powerful variable-speed routers, and many new “router table only” router bits, I began rethinking the usefulness of this tool. So, a year ago, I broke down and bought a router lift, a monster variable-speed router, and a premade router table and fence. I was quickly converted. I loved the speed and precision of the lift, the ease of changing bits, and the quality of the routed work the system produced.

Still, I wanted more. The router table and fence I bought were not up to my standards, and I found myself using the system more than I figured I would, so I yearned for a better, more “dedicated” system. So, off to the drawing board I went. I defined three goals: a rock-solid and versatile table and fence, storage for related tools and bits, and a mobile base so I could move the machine off to the side when it was not in use. After many days of designing and refining, I came up with the table you see here. And the more I use it, the more I like it.

The Components

The machine consists of four major components: the base, the cabinet, the table, and the fence. The materials used to build the machine are a combination of solid maple, maple-veneered MDF (medium-density fiberboard), blank MDF, Baltic birch plywood, and white plastic laminate. The unique hardware and router lift are available by mail order (see the supply lists on pages 103 and 106).

The base houses the lift that raises the machine up by pushing the dolly down. The cabinet is screwed to the base. All of the spare space inside the cabinet is used for storage. The table holds the lift and router, and it’s centered over the cabinet and screwed in place. The fence is mounted to the table with T-slot bolts secured in T-tracks.

I used a JessEm Mast-R-Lift for the router lift and a Porter Cable 3¼ hp variable-speed router. The Mast-R-Lift is fit for that router, but there are adapter sleeves made for other routers. I chose to buy my router with a handheld base, in case I ever needed to use it that way. The cost difference was minimal, but if you want, you can buy the motor only.

The dust ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Introduction
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Building a Workbench on a Budget
• Workshop Classic: A Bench You Can Rely On
• Lumber and Plywood Storage
• Rolling Lumber Cart
• Easy-Access Storage Bins
• Battery Charger Cabinet
• Simple Veneer Press
• Handcrafted Joiner’s Mallet
• Plane Making 101
• Trapped-Wedge Layout Gauge
• Tabletop Downdraft Jig
• Downdraft Workbench
• All-Purpose Shop Table
• All-Purpose Accessories Cart
• Mobile Clamping Cart for the Small Shop
• Ultimate Clamping Station
• Ultimate Sharpening Station
• Rolling Router Table
• Deluxe Drum Sander
• Drum Sanding Station
• Shop-Built Disc Sander
• Sanding Disc Caddy
• Quick and Easy Band Saw Fence
• Scroll Saw Blade Caddy
• Sliding, Circle-Cutting Band Saw Jig
• Magnetic Drill Press Vise
• Adjustable Dado Jig
• Veneer Jointing Jig
• Customized Portable Lathe Station
• Lathe Attachment for Sanding