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quick & easy
Router Table
This simple table is easy to build, transport,
and stow away at the end of the day.
This router table is packed with some impres-
sive features. But what I really like about it is
that it takes only one 5' x 5' sheet of 1/2" Baltic
birch plywood (see the cutting diagram on the
next page) and a weekend to build.
Large Top. Fast, inexpensive construction
isn’t the only thing going for this router table.
For starters, the top measures a full 20" x 32".
But there’s more to it than size. For exam-
ple, the top tilts up for easy router access to
change bits and make height adjustments.
And the heavy-duty fence makes accurate
Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 1 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.
cuts a snap. It takes no effort at all to adjust it
quickly and lock it securely to the tabletop.
Simple Joinery. The case is built with simple,
no-frills joinery. You can make all the parts
with nothing more than a table saw and drill
press. Rabbets, dadoes, and butt joints create
a strong cabinet that stands up to hard use.
portable convenience. On the job site or in
your shop, this router table can be quickly
clamped to a workbench or even sawhorses.
And there’s a drawer at the bottom for stor-
ing bits, wrenches, and other items.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 20"L x 32"W x 14!/4"H
Fence is easy Fence brace
to adjust

I O D D
Sturdy
J two-layer top
G
E Router
mounts directly
K H to tabletop
L

F
Q
R S
M N
T

B B P P Pinch
block

U Pivoting arm

A A C

60"x 60"- !/2" plywood

Router table
and fence are built
from one sheet of
Materials, Supplies & Cutting Diagram !/2" plywood

CASE
A Sides (2) 1⁄ ply - 131⁄ x 151⁄
2 2 4
B Bottom/Divider (2) 1⁄ ply - 153⁄ x 24
2 4
C Back (1) 1⁄ ply - 131⁄ x 241⁄
2 2 2
D Front Stiles (2) 1⁄ ply - 3 x 131⁄
2 2
E Drawer Guides (2) 1⁄ ply - 151⁄ x 21⁄
2 4 2
F Corner Blocks (4) 1⁄ ply - 21⁄ x 21⁄
2 2 2
DRAWER
G Front/Back (2) 1⁄ ply - 115 ⁄ x 187 ⁄
2 16 16
H Sides (2) 1⁄ ply - 115 ⁄ x 151⁄
2 16 4
I Bottom (1) 1⁄ ply - 141⁄ x 177 ⁄
2 2 16
TOP Tabletop lifts
1⁄ ply - 20 x 32 open for easy
J Top (1) 2 access to router
1⁄ ply - 2 x 32 Top tilts
K Front Brace (1) 2 on piano
L Back Brace (1) 1⁄ ply - 1 x 32
2
hinge
M Side Braces (2) 1⁄ ply - 3 ⁄ x 17
2 4
N Side Fillers (2) 1⁄ ply - 2 x 17
2
O Arm (1) 1⁄ ply - 3 x 13
2
FENCE
P Inner Faces (2) 1⁄ ply- 3 x 16
2 Arm pivots
Q Outer Face (1) 1⁄ ply- 3 x 32 to securely
2
support top
R Base (1) 1⁄ ply - 31⁄ x 32
2 2
S Braces (4) 1⁄ ply - 21 ⁄ x 21⁄
2 2 2
T Pinch Blocks (2) 1⁄ ply - 1 x 2
2

• (1) Nickel-plated Piano Hinge w/Screws

• (1) 1⁄4" Flat Washer
• (1) 1⁄4" Lock Nut
• (2) 5 ⁄16" x 2" Carriage Bolts
• (2) 5 ⁄16" Flat Washers
• (2) 5 ⁄16" T-knobs

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 2 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.
 A
BACK
SIDE F
3 24!/2
#/4
FRONT F
STILE
CORNER
a. D
BLOCK
24!/2
SIDE
DRAWER 13!/2
GUIDE
B
BOTTOM A
DIVIDER SIDE
E (15#/4 x 24)
!/2 NOTCH DRAWER
2#/4 DETAIL GUIDE

15!/4
15!/4
14!/2
b.
BACK I
2!/2
DRAWER
BOTTOM B
CORNER BOTTOM
BLOCK
2!/2 17&/16 G
BOTTOM DRAWER
SIDE 1!%/16 BACK

G DRAWER
DRAWER DRAWER SIDE
GUIDE H NOTE:
FRONT Both bottom
18&/16 and divider
FRONT are notched
CORNER STILE
BLOCK

TOP VIEW
c. d. !/4 SIDE BACK
DRAWER
TOP SIDE
VIEW DRAWER !/2 SHELF
BOTTOM

build the
DRAWER DRAWER DRAWER
DRAWER GUIDE
!/8 FRONT 2!/2 SIDE BACK
DRAWER BOTTOM

Case & Top

!/2 BOTTOM
!/2
FRONT SECTION VIEW

One of the goals I had when build-
ing the case of the router table
was to make sure it could be built
quickly. But it still needed to be
strong enough for every day use.
Straightforward Joinery. As I men-
tioned earlier, the router table case
uses sturdy plywood construc-
tion with dadoes and rabbets. The
whole table is built from 1⁄2" ply-
wood. (I used Baltic birch.)
Sides First. I began by constructing
the case sides. In detail ‘d’, you can
see that there’s a dado and a rabbet
cut in each side piece. This joinery
locks a divider and the case bottom
in place for a super strong, wiggle-
free assembly. The divider also
creates a pocket for the drawer that
will be added later.
Before assembling the divider and
bottom to the sides, I cut a 23/4"-wide
notch at the front corners of each
piece, as you can see in Figure 1a.
These notches hold a pair of narrow
stiles that keep the front of the case
rigid while still providing a large
opening for access to the router.
The back is a simple plywood
panel that’s sized to overlap the sides.
With these main parts cut, you can
glue and clamp the case together.
Corner Blocks. The divider and
case bottom make the lower por-
tion of the case plenty strong. But
since the tabletop isn’t screwed to
the case, the upper part of the case
needs some reinforcement.
The solution I used here was to
make four, angled corner blocks, as
illustrated in detail ‘b.’ You can see
in the main drawing that I positioned
them 3/4" from the top edge of the
case. The reason for this is simple.
The hinged tabletop is designed to
nestle down over the top of the case,
so lowering the corner blocks ensures
that they won’t interfere with the fit.
There are just two parts left to
add to the case before moving on
to the drawer. And those are a pair
of drawer guides. They’re cut to fit
behind the front stiles to keep the
drawer from binding in the opening,
as shown in detail ‘d.’
Simple Drawer. The drawer in the
router table provides a place to
store wrenches, bits, and other sup-
plies. And like the rest of the router
table, it’s straightforward to build.
In the drawing above, you can see
that a rabbeted frame simply wraps
around the drawer bottom. The rela-
tively thick bottom provides plenty
of glue surface for a strong bond.
Large, Flat Top. With the case com-
plete, I set it aside and turned
my attention to the top, shown
in the drawing on the next page.

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 3 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.
K L M NOTE: This
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew
FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew
X Y Z CROSS SECTION
SECOND: This #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew
END VIEW #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew
F F GG THIRD: This
TOP VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew
MM NN SIDE VIEW !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4
T T UU PART NAMES
#/8 !/2 %/8 &/8

: NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew

17!/4
OVERALL
FIRST: This is DIMENSIONS: NOTE: This
#8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew
SECOND: > Tilt-Up
A B C D
This Top.E #8FThe top
xG1#/4"
H FhI is J attached
K L This
woodscrew
FIRST: M is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: NOTE: This #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew
CROSS SECTION #8 xhinge.
2" Fh woodscrew #8 x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew
with a piano
THIRD: ThisN O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z This allows
SECOND: This FIRST: This is #8 x 1!/2" Fh woodscrew
END VIEW #8 x 3" Fh woodscrew CROSS SECTION
#8 x 2" Fh woodscrew #8 26!/2
x 1#/4" Fh woodscrew
easy access to the routerTHIRD: withoutThis
#8VIEW
x 3" Fh woodscrew
SECOND: This
TOP VIEWA A END #8 x 2" Fh woodscrew
SIDE VIEW
havingB B to Cbend
C !/16Dover.
D!/8 E E!/4 F #/4
F GG THIRD: This
#8 x 3" Fh woodscrew
TOP VIEW
!/16 !/8 !/4 #/4 27#/8
PART NAMESHH I I J J #/8K K!/2 L L%/8 M M &/8 N N
SIDE #/8
VIEW !/2
%/8 !/16 !/8 !/4 #/4
Since this is where all the work will diameter,
PART NAMES
it’s&/8plenty big enough to fits over the case like a lid. You can
OO P P QQ RR S S T T UU #/8 !/2 %/8
take place after the table is complete, handle most common bit sizes. To see this in Figures 2a and 2b.&/8
VV WW XX
the Ygoal
Y ZZ
here is to make the top as attach the router to the table, I  sim- Tilt-Top Design. Rather than screw-
flat and rigid as possible. ply screwed it to the top. ing the top to the case, I attached it
Making a large top from plywood The other two openings are a pair with a piano hinge along the back
isn’t a challenge — just cut it to size. of slots that will be used to connect edge. This allows me to tilt up the
But with 1/2" plywood, you want to and adjust the fence that will be tabletop and get at the router to
make sure it won’t flex under the added later, as in drawing below. change the bit height — without
load of large, heavy pieces. So, to Fillers and Braces. As I mentioned, having to stoop over.
make this tabletop stay flat, it’s rein- the top is strengthened by attach- Then, to hold the top open so I can
forced around the bottom edge. ing cleats to the underside. Besides use both hands, I bolted a prop arm to
The top has a few openings cut into keeping the top from flexing, the the inside of the case with a carriage
it. In the center is a hole that serves as cleats also serve another purpose. bolt, nut, and washer, as shown in the
the opening for router bits. At 2" in They are positioned so that the top drawing and arm detail below.

J
20 2"-dia. hole TOP 1!/4
1#/4
32
N
7!/2
SIDE FILLER #/8 Dia. hole
(2 x 17)
L
24"
Piano hinge BACK BRACE
M w/screws (1 x 32)
SIDE BRACE NOTE: All parts
(#/4 x 17) are !/2" plywood
K
FRONT BRACE
(2 x 32) a. Side Side
6 filler brace
Top
2!/2 1
Arm
FRONT SECTION
!/4" x 2"
Carriage
bolt
b. SIDE SECTION

1!/2 Top
O
!/4" 24" Piano hinge
ARM w/screws
Hex nut (3 x 12!/2)
Front Back
ARM brace brace
DETAIL Corner
block

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 4 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.
 INNER 3 FENCE
FENCE FACE BRACE
P
8!/2 Rout a %/16"
S washer
#/8"chamfer
on cutout
in base
n BASE
R

1!/4

1#/8 16

3!/2
1#/8

Q
OUTER 32 1#/8
FENCE FACE

T
PINCH BLOCK
a. b. (1 x 2)
2!/2 Fence brace
%/16"
Brace T-knob %/16"x 2"
Inner Carriage
2!/2 fence n
1"-Rad. bolt
face n
cut out
Q P n
Base
END VIEW Pinch block
(Cross Section)
{ Router Fence. Grooves in the top
BACK VIEW
allow you to easily position the (Cross Section)
fence and lock it.

a precision Fence
The last assembly to build to com-
plete the router table is the fence,
as shown in the drawing above.
And it’s really what transforms the
router table into a precision tool
you’ll come to rely on.
For the fence to work its best, it
needs to do three things. First, the
fence needs to be rigid so it won’t
deflect as a workpiece slides across
it. Second, the fence face has to be
square to the tabletop. This way,
you can be sure your cuts are accu-
rate every time. Finally, it has to lock
securely to the tabletop.
Heavy-Duty Face. The first step in
building the fence is to make the
faces. Here, I used a double-layer
fence assembly. The added layer of
1⁄ " plywood makes it less likely to
2
flex or warp over time. A centered
cutout in each layer is large enough
to accommodate most router bits.
You’ll notice the inside face of the
fence is made from two pieces. I did
this in order to get all the parts from
a single sheet of plywood.
Stable Base. This assembly is then
glued to the front of a base that
has a matching cutout. To help
dust and chips clear this opening,
I routed a chamfer on the cutout in
the base (Figure 3a). To reinforce
the joint between the fence and the
base, I glued braces to the base and
the backside of the fence face.
Attaching the Fence. The fence is con-
nected to the table with carriage
bolts, washers, and knobs. A pair
of pinch blocks slide in the channel
created by the brace and filler on
the bottom side of the table.
Once the fence is attached to the
table, all you have to do is plug in
your router and get to work. W

Woodsmith No. 195 Online Extras Page 5 of 5 ©2011 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.