| | |  |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | Let's
face it, the router table is second only to the bandsaw as the messiest tool in
the shop. This nature comes primarily from the fact that the router table is used
to perform
so many different types of cuts. Edgeforming, requires dust collection
at the fence because of the huge amount and size of chips removed from the edge
of your material. Rabbeting
is also effectively controlled by dust extraction
built into the fence. The Wonder
Fence is an excellent solution for these types of cuts with through the fence
dust collection and a
2-1/2" port for your shop vacuum built right into
the fence. Grooving and dadoing however require a little different consideration
if you really want to reduce the amount of dust on your floor and in the air.
Many
grooving and dadoing operations require the fence
to be moved a great distance
away from the cutter. This, combined with the fact that the cutter is completely
covered by the material won't allow fence mounted dust collection systems to do
their job effectively. For these types of cuts you need dust collection that captures
the chips at the source of the cut right where the cutter meets the wood. You
need a downdraft (under
the table)
dust collection cabinet.
A downdraft dust collection
cabinet is basically a box mounted to the underside of your router table that
surrounds your router. The box includes a dust collection port to fit your shop
vacuum system and when turned on, collects the chips right through the opening
in your
router's mounting plate. |  |
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Commercial
downdraft dust collection cabinets first made an appearance on the router table
accessories market about 10 years ago, but they were not very well received initially
because they were small enclosures and did not permit much in the way of access
for changing cutters. While the cabinets have gotten bigger over the years, easy
to lift out router mounting plates like INCRA's solid aluminum MagnaLock
Plates, and the New INCRA/Woodpeckers
PRL-V2 Lift and
INCRA/Jessem
Mast-R-Lift, which permit
quick above the table bit changes have greatly reduced the cabinet size requirements.
The best part about a downdraft dust collection cabinet is summed up in three
words, "these things work", and this means a cleaner, safer and more
productive work environment. But let's talk a minute about noise reduction.
I
doubt there is anyone out there who can say that they actually enjoy the sound
of a finely tuned router humming along at 20,000 rpm. A router table is certainly
one of the most important and most versatile power tools in the shop but these
things are screamers. One of the most interesting side benefits of a downdraft
dust collection cabinet is that of noise reduction. Once enclosed in a downdraft
cabinet, the "scream" is sucked into your dust collector and filtered
to a reasonable purr. OK, the dust collector doesn't really take the sound away.
It is simply the muffler effect of the enclosure, but the bottom line is that
it sounds MUCH better. Ready to add a downdraft dust collection cabinet to your
router table, but don't like the sticker shock of purchasing a commercial model?
How about free plans to build one out some scrap plywood? You got it.
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Downdraft Cabinet |  |
Router
table guru and INCRA expert Mark Mueller from Indianapolis recently spent
a little of his shop time to devise an easy to make and extremely effective dust
collection system that will be perfect for your router table. The
Downdraft Cabinet uses common hardware store fasteners and hardware and
is made with all wood construction. It's a great beneficial project for your shop.
I particularly like
the all wood construction, because it provides even better
noise suppression than the old metal cabinet I used to use. The pivoting door
design is great for wide open router access and won't SLAM shut when you forget
to close the door before turning on your dust collector. For the cover photo shown
above, Mark glued up a decorative panel to dress the design up a bit, but a solid
plywood or MDF panel will work just fine. Treat your woodshop, your lungs and
your ears to this wonderful project.
You'll never regret it! |
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