Hold down and safety accessories for the router table. Introduction I have recently been making some improvements to the router table and fence whose making I described on video. Since making the table I have used various ad hoc arrangements for holding work down whilst feeding and for providing user protection. I decided this needed to be made more permanent. I believe that if these accessories are well made and easy to fit they are more likely to be used. It is possible to buy proprietory plastic feather boards and other accessories. However these are usually fitted to channelling in the fence of table. I do not use this channelling on my setup, having never felt the need for it. The accessories I describe are all fitted using M8 threaded rod or coach bolts For work hold down I have used a combination of a feather board and something similar to a Shaw guard (Shaw guards are commonly used on larger machines such a spindle moulders). I started by beefing up the two moveable plates on the router fence. Previously these were made in 18mm melamine veneered MDF, they were changed for 24mm laminate faced birch ply. This made the fences more robust for fitting accessories to and also improved accuracy.
Fence hold down.
For holding the work down onto the table surface I used a sprung curve to act as a Shaw guard.
Route 8mm grooves 50mm long 100mm from the middle edge of both fence plates.
Form a curve 380mm long with a bend of 135mm.
I formed the curve from two layers of 1.5mm birch ply and one of Duropal laminate (the Duropal is not essential) about 35mm wide and 550mm long. These were bent into a curve and glued (using PU glue)and clamped with lots of small clamps of various types. Route 8mm grooves 55mm long in approximately 25 x 75 x 35 wide stuff, I used 24mm birch ply. It’s easier to do this in larger pieces then cut them off. Glue and clamp the pieces to the ends of the curve. The edges will need to be profiled to fit the curve. Another way to do this would be to fit the blocks prior to bending the curvethen you will not need to profile them to the curve. Fit the curve to the fence using 65mm m8 coach bolts, washers and wing nuts.
Clamping the curve, it’s clamped to bench dogs at either end to maintain the curve.
The hold down holding down!
Table hold down.
Drawing of feather board assembly from below.
This is a conventional feather board made in mdf fitted to a birch ply base (the base could be in mdf, I think birch ply is more resilient). When making make sure that you have the boards angled in the right direction ie towards the left.
In two pieces of 330 x 100 x 18mm mdf make repeated saw cuts 4mm apart about 90mm long parallel to the sides. This is best done on the band saw.
Trim off both ends at 75 ⁰.
On a 530 x 290 base piece fit 18mm packing pieces to hold the feather pieces at 75⁰. As shown in the dimensioned drawing above.
On the base assembly route 8mm grooves 90mm long 27 mm from the edge.
In the router table drill two 10mm holes 468 mm apart 320 from the router cutter centre (see drawing). The holes should extend right through. Lightly counter sink the holes from both sides.
From the underneath insert an 8mm threaded insert into the hole, ensure that it is fitted square to the surface
Fit the feather board assembly using 8mm threaded rods screwed into the insert and secured by wing nut and washer.
Feather boards shown from below.
Safety guard.
Some safety is provided by the feather board and “Shaw guard”. However when these are not in use a perspex guard is useful.
In a piece of 15 or 18mm mdf or ply (ply takes screws in the edge better than mdf) rout 8mm grooves in the positions shown in the drawing.
Cut a piece of 5mm Perspe 400 x 100. Perspex can be cut on the saw bench, I have also planed it and worked it with a spoke shave. Drill, counter sink and screw it to the edge of the ply.
Fit the guard to the fence plates using 65mm coach bolts, wing nuts and washers through the same holes as the fence hold down.