Making A Router Sled.

[wm460]

I am making a sled for flattening timber and I was wondering what size and thickness would you recommend for plate that the router sits on.
I had a Ali plate somewhere in the shed, I cant find it, I spent a couple of days looking for it. I don't know if it evaporated in the heat.

Similar to this picture.

 

[DuncSuss]

I've been kicking around the exact same idea for a while, I've finally reached the point where I'm actively looking at the rail & linear bearing sets used in CNC machine.

I've got a 12" square piece of cast (not extruded) acrylic acetate that I believe is 3/8" thick, and it seems sturdy enough for the job - it feels as stiff as the phenolic plate in my router table (which is this one from Rockler here in USA.)

That's where I'm starting - if it turns out to be inadequate and I can't get reasonably clean cuts, that's the cheapest part of the entire set-up to change out and I'll treat it as a prototype.

(Oh - I chose 12" square clear because I wanted visibility as to what's going on at the cutter. I felt the table insert plate would not offer the same view from all around.)

Have fun!

 

[howsitwork?]

I’d go at least 3mm thick depending on your router weight and distance to the bearing supports . 6 would be even better but probably overkill. As long as it doesn’t bow or flex when cutting ( you can put support ribs on top ( between the bearing housings to secure the router and reinforce the plate but it’s more complicated that way

 

[wm460]

What size outlet would you recommend for the dust collection?
The only ones I can find in Australia like the one in the photo are 4” that would be too big I think.

 

[DuncSuss]

What size outlet would you recommend for the dust collection?
The only ones I can find in Australia like the one in the photo are 4” that would be too big I think.

This is a tricky one, because a lot of people don't fully understand that DUST collection and CHIP collection are two quite different things.

Dust - very fine particles, hang in the air, very dangerous to breath and potentially explosive. 4" pipe, high volume of air movement needed, but not powerful suction. Important to have as few bends as possible in the pipework to avoid the dust settling in zones of low movement. Your typical dust collector serves for this.

Chips - big pieces, fall to the ground, get in the way so you can't see what's going on at the cutter. For this, a shop vac with 2.5" pipe is typical - it has a high static pressure (suction) but doesn't move a huge amount of air the way a dust collector can.

To keep the shop floor clean, you need a shop vac. To keep the air safe to breath, need a dust collector (or an air filter, which draws in room air and propels it through filters.)

 

[Padster]

I made a much simpler and cost effective version from, in the main mdf offcuts I had left over they were 18 or 25mm as far as I recall without going into the workshop and measuring......crude but it works really well and I've flattened fairly big pieces to make tables.... here's a pic....