MOTHER'S ROUTER/SHAPER TABLE
(Page 3 of 4)
A FREEHAND STARTING PIN
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Many routing jobs-especially those involving small pieces of wood that must be hand formed-will be much easier if you lock the router in place and work the wood against it, rather than vice versa. A guide that allows you to brace and pivot the wood can be an enormous aid in such crafting. You can form your starting pin by cutting down a 3/8" X 2-1/2" coarse-threaded bolt. Trim the threaded portion of the fastener until only 3/8" of the grooved metal remains, and then lop off the shank and head of the bolt so that the fastener's overall length is 1-3/4".
Position the starting pin by center- punching a point-in the 1/4" steel disc which appears to be at about 4:30 (or 135°) . . . when you stand on the side of the table you'll work from. Drill this mark to 5/16", thread the hole with a 3/8"-16 tap, and spin the stud into the aperture.
A MITER GAUGE AND SHAPER
With the router mount installed and the shaping stud in place, it's time to fasten the guiding mechanisms to your router bench. You can buy both the miter gauge and the shaper fence from Sears, Roebuck and Company, and you'll find these accessories nearly indispensable for accurate molding.
To position the groove in which the gauge rides, draw a line parallel to (and 5-1/2 inches from) the long edge of the table that's opposite the inlay. Begin the mark five inches from one end of the top, and finish it 12 inches from the opposite edge. Then, with a temporary fence to guide you (which you can cobble up from angle iron or a 2 X 4 and a couple of C-clamps), rout a hole 3/4" wide and 3/8" deep all along the line.
The shaper fence will face you and be mounted-with its wooden surface set about 1/8" behind the center of the router hole-perfectly square to the table edge. Place the fence on the table end mark the points-in its mounting slots-that will be closest to you (allowing for the diameter of the 1/2" mounting bolts). Use a 1/2" bit to bore the holes in the tabletop, and attach the fence with carriage bolts, nuts, and washers. (If the 2 X 4 frame piece interferes, chisel away some of the wood as shown in the illustration.)
REMOTE SWITCHING
To avoid having to reach under the table to turn your power tool on and off, just mount a switch on the side where you'll be standing. The safest method is to use a single-pole switch with an overload cutoff, because such a device will cut power if the router bit jams a piece of wood against the fence. (A less expensive approach would be to use a standard receptacle box and switch.)
Set the switch into the 2 X 4 frame by chiseling a 1/4"-deep indentation the size and shape of the toggle's base. Then drill two holes, each large enough to accommodate the wires which will run to the switch. Two of the wires from the male plug can go directly to the female receptacle for the router's plug. The other wire will be "hot" . . . and should be connected into one side of the switch and out the other.
