# table saw/ router table combined



## Oldfarmer3 (Jan 1, 2018)

I have a small work shop and would like to combine my table saw and router into one by taking out the two right wing extensions on the table saw and making it a router table. Any plans available?


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Just so you know ....*

I don't have any plans myself, because I got a cast iron Bench Dog Pro table from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bench+dog+pro+router+extension

What you will encounter if you make one, is that the insert plates will be difficult to make. To solve that you can use a factory made plate support plate like these from PeachtreeUSA:
https://www.ptreeusa.com/rtr_router_plates.htm

OR these from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...unting+plate&rh=i:aps,k:router+mounting+plate

The plates come in about 3 main sizes, so the hole in your table must be made to match the plate you choose. That's not the easiest thing to do either, usually a template needs to be made so you can rout down to the proper depth and size. They are ususally made from Melamine in 3/4" thickness and then have an additional border of 3/4" thickness for attaching to the saw's rails. 

I like having mine at the right side of the table saw for ease of access on my setup. I don't NOT recommend using the same fence as on your table saw because when you have the router all set up to make a certain depth of cut and fence location it's real pain to break that down and rip one more piece because you made an error on one of the pieces you were working on. You can use the table saw fence of course, but make a few extras to avoid this issue. The table saw fence will NOT have a hole for the router bit, so you'll have to make a slip on cover with the correspond hole to allow for the cutter to spin behind it, another reason to have a separate router fence.

You may have to extend your table saw rails to support the router table as well. This may mean getting longer rails OR sliding them to the right enough to support the table and the weight of the router.
Additional weight from feeding pressure or just a casual leaning on by the operator is another factor. So, support it well. Some folks use two legs at the end, others use a diagonal brace back to the table saw base, because it's on casters and the legs won't work.

So those are things to be aware of. Good Luck.:smile2: Here's mine:


----------



## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Sorry, but I can't help with plans. What I want to share is my experience trying the same thing, which did not work the first time. Look carefully at how the router table will be supported on the table saw and how the table saw fence may or may not integrate into your plans. 

I tried to build a crude drop-in router table for my table saw extension. I have a Bosch REAXX table saw, similar to the Bosch 4100-09. I wanted to have a drop-in that would fit into the space between the main table and the extension, and I would attach an auxiliary fence to the table saw fence, and use the table saw fence for the router table too. The problem is that the back "slide" on the extension could not support the plywood without the plywood interfering with the table saw fence.

I will have to find a way to support the back of the router table from underneath the table saw, or acknowledge that the router table must have its own separate fence. It might not be a bad idea to give it its own separate fence anyway. I have noticed that a lot of people use T-track slots to hold and adjust router fences. 

I hope this information helps.


----------



## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

Here's mine, since I have a small shop, most everything does double duty to save space. It sits to the right of the saw blade and attaches to the rip fence's T-slot on the top of the fence. It is hollow so the vac attachment plugs into the rear of the router fence, rather than sticking up like a lot of aftermarket router fences. It is made of 3/4" plywood and is quite substantial. The router mounts on the underside of an accessory table on a plate that is held to the table with four machine screws and nuts. I also have a jig saw and a drill with sanding drums. mounted on plates so they can be used with the table saw tables. I can add other accessory tables to the outside for wider work pieces. You can also see the tall rip fence to the left of it mounted on another saw rip fence. Both of these slide right off of the rip fences. 

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/memb...cutter-guard-outfeed-table-acts-infeed-table/


----------



## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Type "router table extension wing plans" into Google, when results come up click on "images".

That should give you some ideas, I have used both the built in style on a table saws and dedicated router tables and prefer the dedicated table. All to often I found that after disturbing the router set up to use the saw I then needed to make another identical cut with the router so had to do the set up again instead of just walking over to the router table.


----------



## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

One of the issues with a small shop is the lack of space, so having things do double duty is a bit of a necessity. The drawbackis you have to do set ups a lot. It just goes with the territory. For years, I had a really small shop I had to make do with a real lack of space. Putting the router table function on the saw simply saved precious space. I would uuse a machine and then put it away . Now that I have a larger space, I'm puttimg machines on rolling stands to make better use of that space. The idea is that I can leave a machine set up and roll it out to use and then roll it back out of the way.


----------



## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

My shop is 16'x11'. All my shop cabinets are the same height as my table saw.

I had my router table in the right extension of my table saw for years. I would definitely make a separate fence. The small size wasn't an issue except when raising panels. It was a bit awkward having a shop cabinet in front to help support them. Running long moldings was fine. I just put carts on either side.

I'm making a separate router table now. It will be the same height as my table saw and all my other shop cabinets so it can double up as an outfeed table if needed. I'll see how I like it.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*router table fences .........*



sanchez said:


> My shop is 16'x11'. All my shop cabinets are the same height as my table saw.
> 
> I had my router table in the right extension of my table saw for years. I would definitely make a separate fence. The small size wasn't an issue except when raising panels. It was a bit awkward having a shop cabinet in front to help support them. Running long moldings was fine. I just put carts on either side.
> 
> I'm making a separate router table now. It will be the same height as my table saw and all my other shop cabinets so it can double up as an outfeed table if needed. I'll see how I like it.


Definitely have a separate fence on your router table extension. Frank C recommends it. I also recommend it (see post no. 2) for the reasons Frank stated. A router table fence should have the following:
1. Adjustable side panels to close down on different diameter router bits.
2. A T track for hold downs.
3. A vacuum port for dust collection surrounding the cutter.
4. Slots on the base for adjustments for depth of cut.

Peachtree USA has a great selection of router table accessories including fences:
https://www.ptreeusa.com/rtr_router_fences.htm

You can make a fence with all those features but use MDF or other stable plywood, Marine or Baltic Birch. T tracks are available from Amazon, Woodcraft and Peachtree:
https://www.ptreeusa.com/ttrack_track.html

Your dust port would not be easy to make, so use one of these:
https://www.ptreeusa.com/dust_ports.html


----------



## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

This sort of shows the combo I came up with in my old basement shop. I attached the table to aluminum angles and attached them to the extended fence rails with oak pieces I milled to suit. It had an Incrajig fence that I had to take off when using the saw on sheet goods. I had a braced leg under the right end with a caster on the bottom for support.


----------



## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> Definitely have a separate fence on your router table extension. Frank C recommends it. I also recommend it (see post no. 2) for the reasons Frank stated. A router table fence should have the following:
> 1. Adjustable side panels to close down on different diameter router bits.
> 2. A T track for hold downs.
> 3. A vacuum port for dust collection surrounding the cutter.
> 4. Slots on the base for adjustments for depth of cut.


Agreed, I had a separate fence on my extension router table because I included most of these features.


----------



## Woodshop Therapy (Nov 15, 2017)

About 10 years ago, I bought a solid metal router table top from Lee Valley Tools with under mount supports for a router. I inset this into the right side of my Delta table saw wing and it is a great space saver. I even built a dust collection box underneath to help control the mess. I use a 3 1/4 hp Makita with raised panel bits and it works well. My shop is a 1 car garage, so I try to maximize space as much as I can.

Cheers,
Scott


----------



## OldDon (Feb 19, 2018)

I'm in the process of adding a router extension to my T.S. too. I looked at various ones I can purchase or make and have decided to purchase the Peachtree cast iron extension. I already have a JessEm Rout-R-II lift to drop into it and a couple of routers, but decided to replace my MDF stand alone router table with a T.S. extension. My T.S. is a beast, an old Craftsman cast iron top contractor with 3 cast iron extensions, and has a Vega 50" fence system. Not pretty, but it works. 

Don't know if I can shift all 3 existing extensions to one side and put the router on the other side or if that's going to be just too darn big. Or will require new legs to prevent tipping. The Vega fence sticks out past the 2nd RH extension now and determines the overall width for storing when not in use.


----------

