Project Working

A Router Power Bench for my shop

I have found that whenever I have my PBB set up to do SRK (router) work, I then need to use the rail and bridge to cut some wood.  I finally decided to design a Power Bench for the router (Router Power Bench-RPB).

The frame is 2x4s and a couple of 2x6s.  They were straightened, squared, etc.  for uniformity.  Here is a shot of the the frame.  It has the mortise & tenon rig (M-T) that I had built previously for the PBB fastened temporarily to the end.

I am trying an idea I got from Paul Greathouse on the old EZ Forum, slotted sliding modules and a dust collector connection to help with all the dust and chips that routers spew.  This drawing shows the DC and shelves added to the frame.

The DC box has a slanted bottom and a 4” port.  With the SMEs added, the slotted sliding modules can be put on the top.

The plan was to stagger the slots but once I got to building, I decided to just put slots between the ribs of the top.  I guess I need to change the drawing.

The shelves on the RPB were designed to hold a lot of the accessories that I planned for the RPB.  It can hold the M-T rig, the door/panel clamp, the bench top extension parts, and the router/SRK.  As I use it, I will design and build storage for the smaller accessories (clamps, squaring stops, SRK stops, etc.).

 

I haven’t decided if the bench top extension is really going to be necessary, so I haven’t built the parts yet.  I will probably wait  until I have a need for them, but here is what I have designed.  The extensions for the SMEs are connected with EZ connectors and some set screws.  They have a wooden rib attached, the end of which will press against the structure of the RPB, providing some support for the end of the extension. 

Sliding modules go between the SMEs to give an additional two feet of bench top.  I have thought of using the RPB as a sanding station so that the dust will be caught by the DC.  If I do that, I guess that the extensions will be useful since I often have to sand 6-8 foot pieces for jambs, face frames, molding, etc.  I’ll have to make a fourth SME extension so I can have an extension on each end.

 

If I build the extension, I will probably slot the sliding modules for it as well, since I have designed a hold down clamp/stop to be used in the slots to help position and hold work pieces.  (Notice that I have rounded over the top side of the slots to improve dust collection.)

 

The hold down clamp/stop consists of a 5/16-18 hex bolt, an aluminum hold down clamp arm, knob, metal washer, a “T” made of UHMW, and a plywood disk that is threaded.  The wooden disk locks the hold down clamp/stop in any location in any slot, thus allowing the disk to act as a stop.  The disk also provides a fixed place for the short end of the clamp arm to rest. 

The “T” is threaded and the bolt screws into it.   The wooden disk is then screwed on the bolt and the clamp arm, washer, and knob are put on.  The “T” is slipped through a slot in the sliding module and then the whole thing is turned 90 degrees and lifted so that the top part  of the “T” goes into the slot, preventing the part from turning as the disk is tightened.

I have similar hold down clamps for the SMEs, but I use the knurled metal nuts found on the SRK clamp/stop, to lock them in place.  That nut is not large enough for the short end of the arm to rest on properly, so I think I will be switching to this wooden disk idea for those hold downs as well.

The M-T  that I built to use on the PBB was the first accessory for the RPB, and its dimensions were used to size the RPB.  I have used it a lot, although not for mortise and tenons yet.  It is great for milling small parts.  This is a picture of my setup for milling the “T” for the hold down clamp/stop.

The various clamps and stops I have built for the M-T make it very versatile.

I originally designed the RPB so that the M-T would go between the two outside SMEs on the top, but then I decided to us a center SME and that made it difficult to do what I had planned.  I also found that mounting the rig to be problematic.  Originally I was screwing the M-T to the side of the bench through the back of the rig.  Then I realized that I could just rest the top of the M-T on top of the bench, and lower the rail on a B100 bridge to sit on top of it.

  I made slotted brackets to mount to the sides of the rig, into which I can slide short connectors with knobs into to lock the rig to the SME on the side of the bench.

Another accessory is a clamp for holding doors on edge for routing hinge mortises and lockset mortises, for using the hand plane for the relief angle on the lockset edge, etc.  The clamp may  also be user for large panels.

I have also used the RPB to extend the PBB when straight line ripping long lumber.  Here I am straight lining some 10-12 foot oak.