Shopsmith Forums

A couple of posts have prompted this question. There was the unfortunate accident one of us suffered recently, and someone else showed a picture of an ancient, jury-rigged router table he's replacing with a very nice-looking replacement.

My "router table" made the one in the "before" picture look like a properly engineered device. I needed to round over 27 drawer fronts, so I quickly rigged up a piece of plywood with a hole in it, attached my router, and c-clamped the "table" to my deck railing. Since my bit had a nice bearing, I figured I didn't need anything else. So, no fence, no finger boards, no pin. It all went well. But, was it a bad idea?

davebodner wrote:A couple of posts have prompted this question. There was the unfortunate accident one of us suffered recently, and someone else showed a picture of an ancient, jury-rigged router table he's replacing with a very nice-looking replacement.

My "router table" made the one in the "before" picture look like a properly engineered device. I needed to round over 27 drawer fronts, so I quickly rigged up a piece of plywood with a hole in it, attached my router, and c-clamped the "table" to my deck railing. Since my bit had a nice bearing, I figured I didn't need anything else. So, no fence, no finger boards, no pin. It all went well. But, was it a bad idea?

Since "all went well" I would say that it was quite ingenious.

You can't argue with success.

As long as you are using a router bit with a bearing and using proper technique you don't need a fence or a starting pin.

I don’t see any safety hazards with that setup. It should work just fine, as long as the plywood is flat when clamped in place.

I guess I would have gone with some sort of safety pin or starter pin but that is only because I find that I can work faster when I know that the work piece has the added support then it starts. You don't need it once the cut is started but you do risk a catch at the start and that can mess up the work piece or worse fling the part out of your hands and who knows were it might end up.

In the case you mentioned a simple nail driven in or similar would have only taken a few moments and provided the support for the start.

Ed

Using a pin of any sort to help with starting the cut on a router table is a good idea. Keep in mind that even using a pin there are still risks involved. The best technique as always is to use any method necessary to keep your fingers away from the bit. Taking the time to make a jig to make the operation safe is the best plan. Using foam lines paddles to guide a piece past the bit is far safer than using your hands. You can make your own or buy a pair. The basic SS style paddles work great and are relatively cheap or you can spend the bucks and buy a set of Grippers. Either way they keep your fingers away and safe !
Paul

Thanks, everyone. It's nice to know it wasn't stupid, but that it could've been better, too.