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Well, it's a project that's been put on hold too many times to count, but I'm finally nearing completion building my new router table. The plans are Norm Abrams from the New Yankee Workshop (love that show) All it needs now is a coat of paint or two on the MDF and a safety switch added to the top right corner. I also need to pick up a Router Raizer to adjust the bit height - this Dewalt 3HP router is a beast!

Here are some pics :







But that's not all, I've also started building a thickness sander that runs off the table saw. (I know, pretty ambitious) It's a modified version of the Shop Notes thickness sander. The original plans are for a 16" drum, but I've widened it to create a 20.5" drum. Plenty wide enough to thickness most guitar shapes. I'm looking forward to finishing the sander.

So what have you guys been building in the shop, other than guitars?

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

very nice.

Looks good. I'd like to make something better than I currently have myself. Until you pick up your router raizer if you have an old scissor style car jack lying around it will do the job just fine.

Sweet job! Can I place my order?

I made one of those about 15 years ago to that plan. You will really enjoy your new router table. It is truly awesome.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

awesome!!!!!! love it!!!!!!!

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MK5acoustics.com

That is a thing of beauty! Well done!

I recognized it as Norm's plan as soon as I saw it. Nice work!!

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David Morris

Very, very nice. A major tool and work space that should get the job done for a long time. I'm jealous.

Thanks guys! Well it was a long time coming to get it completed. There always seemed to be something else more important in the shop to get done. But now that I've built it, I don't know how I lived without it! Lol. My wife didn't like it when I pointed out all those empty holes in the drawers that needed to be filled with bits though.

I also realized that I hadn't put casters on the beast, so I'm going to put those on the beginning of this week and put my daughter to work painting it. But not pink like she suggested.

Rick, I could build you one, but you'd have to attend my funeral after my wife killed me for working on something else that didn't involve home reno's around the house.

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

Rob,

I hear you on the reno thing. We have no shortage of things to be doing on the house and building anything that isn't attached to it isn't finding itself on the honey do priority list these days.

BTW, both my wife and I are from Peterborough originally and we get back periodically to visit the parents. I'll have to look you up sometime and maybe we can get together and chat about building.

Cheers!
Rick

I thought our kitchen reno of last year would keep my wife happy for a while longer than it did! There have been none too subtle hints that the bathrooms need to be done soon! Oh, well, happy wife, happy life!
You did a nice job on the router table, Rob. Tell you wife about all the nice things you can make for the home with the new bits that go in the drawers!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Rick - anytime you're back in Peterborough you're more than welcome to stop by. Keep me posted!

And Alex, good call, but then she'd expect me to actually make things in the house with those bits. Definitely a catch 22! Lol.

I'm going to have my daughter paint it tomorrow and I'll post some pics of her progress and final results.

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

Well, I installed the casters today and had my daughter go to town painting the router table. She did a really great job! I actually like the few extra inches the casters give to the table, it seems to be a much more comfortable height now.

Here's how she sits now :

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

What about dust collection?

The original plans for this table call for a plexiglass door to enclose the router which also included dust collection in this compartment. After watching a few youtube videos where others built the same table, a number of builders raised a valid point about this compartment. Firstly was that having this area enclosed with a door caused their routers to run hotter than normal. Secondly those that built the dust collection in this compartment found it didn't work very well. I opted to leave the door off this area on my build to have better cooling for my router. I'm using a 3HP Dewalt router in there and it sure does throw off some heat in use. Even with the door off, that area gets pretty toasty. I can certainly add it after the fact if I choose. When I think about it, most commercial router tables have legs instead of a enclosed compartment, probably for cooling reasons among others. Another point someone raised was the fact that very little dust actually makes it down into this area, which I've found true in using my table.

So all that being said, I just have a simple dust collection port at the back of my fence which I hook my shop vac up to. Seems to work really well, leaving little to no dust on the table and only a little dust falls down into the compartment below. A quick swipe of the shop vac cleans that up pretty easy. I added some duct tape around the hole as my shop vac nozzle is just slightly smaller than the 1 1/4" bit I used. It makes for a nice tight seal.

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars