New Router Table: Adding Dust Collection

In a video at The Penultimate Woodshop, Dyami Plotke is interviewing Fine Woodworking magazine art director Mike Peckovich. The subject turns to dust collection and Mike says:

You know, dust collection – I used to be pretty cavalier about it. The notion that my dust collector is a broom and a dust pan. But, you know, I have become more sensitized to wood dust over the years. And in terms of the information about the hazards of wood dust; it’s a real hazard and I think it is something you need to take seriously. So I think upgrading to a real dust collection system is not a horrible idea.

Dust collection is a subject which should be near and dear to all power tool woodworkers. I recently turned 53 years of age and among the things I would pass on to a young woodworker would be to embrace effective dust control as soon as possible. As an older woodworker (not an old woodworker), dust has become a health problem since it can shut down my nasal passages pretty quickly. Mike Peckovich is becoming sensitized to dust; I am already there.

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My New Router Table is Finished

The end is in sight. With the completion of the router table top and the fence, I am down to the final items before I can call this project finished. My punch list contains these items…

• Complete the back
• Mount the router
• Install the power switch
• Enclose the router area

Individually, these are minor steps in the project, but collectively, this is a lot to do. Lets get started. Continue reading>>>

New Router Table: Building the Fence

It is not unusual for me to put in more than two hours of drive time on certain work days. This allows me considerable time to contemplate upcoming steps while building a project. Since creating the fence for my new router table has been rapidly approaching, I have been thinking of combining two router table fence designs seen in separate issues of Fine Woodworking magazine.

If you have been following my progress, you most likely have already seen this photo of John White's space saving router table from FWW #216. I also found a router table fence design in issue #211 created by woodworker David Diaman. I am taking the best of both designs and creating my own. Continue reading>>>

New Router Table: Creating the Top

Over the past two weeks I have been working on the top for my new router table. In my last post I described the dilemma I faced concerning a new router lift. My solution was much more affordable than buying a router lift and a new router. Affordable was good because as I continued to purchase items for the table top, I began to rack up a sizable tab.

I picked up some melamine coated particle board for the top – this is the same material I used for the little table that previously resided adjacent to my table saw. I picked up a Kreg Precision Router Table Insert Plate PRS3030 at Woodcraft. I also purchased a Kreg t-track and a 80 tooth table saw blade which hopefully will mean chip-free cuts in the melamine. These items totaled more than $150.00 – it is funny how things can add up in a hurry. Continue reading>>>

Jeff Wins A Contest

Wow, Sawtooth Ideas created a contest to find the best bookcase design in the whole universe and guess who won? Me! Sawtooth Ideas has really been ramping up their collection of bookcase woodworking plans and to incentivise woodworkers to submit designs, the contest came to be. They have a much better assortment of bookcase plans, many different sizes and styles, so I am quite proud to be awarded winner of the contest. Continue reading>>>

Terry B. Builds the Queen Size Bed

This is impressive work. Terry B. from California just completed a woodworking project based on the Queen Size Bed plan I have at Sawtooth Ideas. Terry’s project is impressive to me because he is still in his early days of woodworking. While the joinery in this bed isn’t especially difficult, the bed becomes a large project as completion nears. Large projects, even those with basic joinery, often present some difficulty simply due to their size. Terry took a sizable project and successfully completed it. Continue reading >>>