A smarter tool for small workshops

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✅️ TOOLS AND SUPPLIES IN THIS VIDEO:
Power-Loc bench dogs (x2) - tsoproducts.com/bench-dogs/ts...
UJK Chamfer/Reamer Tool - tsoproducts.com/bench-dogs/ac...
Spiral Flush Trim Bit - bitsbits.com/product/cm250ft-... 10% OFF using code MWA10
Bowl & Tray Router Bit - bitsbits.com/product/1372b/re... 10% OFF using code MWA10
20mm Forstner Bit - amzn.to/48iZseD
Countersink Drill Bit - amzn.to/3I2BxWk
5 Minute Epoxy - amzn.to/48jFbpe
¼” Acrylic Sheet 12”x12” (comes in clear or black) - amzn.to/47p0TYM
T-Track (x3) - amzn.to/3vp7ghf
Threaded Knobs (female)- amzn.to/41QOZWb
T-Bolts - amzn.to/3S9U9JV
Threaded Inserts - amzn.to/48KQ6ZI
Thumb Screws - amzn.to/3TOp4ws
Router Bit Storage Inserts - amzn.to/3TRjSb3
Shop Vac Dust Port - amzn.to/3P8xSKH
Phenolic Plywood (optional for Top) - amzn.to/3NVIWdf
Router Table Leveling Inserts (optional) - amzn.to/3H7Hr8f
UJK Parf Guide - tsoproducts.com/tools-equipme...
DeWalt Cordless Router - amzn.to/3OHDtHq
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Organize any Workspace - • 11 Simple Ways to Orga...
9 Tools I Regret Not Buying Sooner - • 9 tools I regret not b...
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In this video I'm building a dual use mini woodworking router table!
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 I've needed this for a while
00:35 Let’s start from the top
02:49 Can’t fence me in
05:28 My bit has a fro
07:00 Don’t muff the peel
09:12 The problem with me
13:43 Home base
18:27 Base meets top
20:00 Bougie tool tray
#diyprojects#woodworkingproject#howto

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

Yep, the sign of a true craftsman: knowing how to fix the inevitable mistakes. Great job finding a solution, and great job building a portable router table. I’m gonna keep those Kreg leveling brakets (?) in mind. The powerlock dogs are amazing. The Parf guide system is wonderfully accurate, but sure is pricey. My method of duplicating dog holes on pieces smaller than my MFT, is to clamp the piece I want holes in under the MFT, then use a router w/ a pattern bit (on top of the MFT) to make the holes. Thanks for reminding us that you can cut aluminum on the table saw or miter saw - this is the one thing that the crappy blade that came w/ your saw is good for. Thanks for the tip on cutting acrylic. Very helpful. To your viewers concerned about the price of Baltic Birch ply, I can only suggest shopping around lumber yards. I finally found one that sells a BB knock off made in Vietnam that comes in 12 & 18mm thicknesses and full 8x4’ sheets. Still pricey, but ~$65 for a full sheet of 18mm hurts your wallet less. I usually don’t use this stuff for shop “furniture,” but a router table would be an exception. Just be careful when sanding the knock off BB, since the outer ply layers are often very thin. Thanks again for practical advice that will make us better makers. As usual, lots of good tips in this video that apply to more than just making this one item.

[@MWAWoodworks]

Thanks Jeff 🙌

[@davidcole333]

The immortal Bob Ross used to teach "There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents in our world." I like how you have happy little accidents and just roll with them.

[@dallee777]

I love these videos. They are very inspiring and informative. Has anyone else noticed the irony that the people who make these videos have all the nicest tools and shops, especially in the background? It does get frustrating sometimes when you see them using a nice finishing tool to complete the project they are showing us how to make.

[@jeanchance9334]

Really enjoy your "How To's". This today about the making of the Router Table was one of the best I have seen. As a r3sult, I ordered your instructions. Wish me luck!! Thanks for showing some possible mistakes to avoid.

[@5280Woodworking]

Turned out great. I like that phenolic/BB sheet, thanks for the link. I'm glad I'm not the only one that makes obvious mistakes!

[@j.u.c.o]

Another homemade option to those kreg levelers:leveler. 90⁰ triangles from 1/2" ply, mount to the back/ underside, and just put a flat head screw in each corner to act as adjustable levelers.

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

Great idea. I’m definitely going to have to look into those lock dogs.

[@-11BRAVO-]

As with some of your projects you should find a way to batch out these parts on your CNC and sell kits with hardware included.

[@ChrisHornberger]

Yep. Those adjusters rock, and trying to get that rabbet just right would be an exercise in frustration.

[@MCsCreations]

Really fantastic work, dude! 😃 I'm definitely going to make one of those!!! Stay safe there with your family!

[@BOROTECH1]

Nice, practical and inspiring, I wish you much success 👍

[@robbennett7129]

I'll be building one of these!

[@Viktor.Borisenko]

WOW! KZbin woodworker using tablesaw bladeguard! You dont see that everyday))

[@michaelplays2449]

Great video !!! thank you

[@BigBenAdv]

17:33 You can stick on a layer or two of tape on each side of the tool caddy to act as shims for the feet when clamping too

[@afpitbull60]

Great job! Love the play-by-play commentary. Question: What is the brand of your Equidistant Measuring Tool? Thanks!

[@toddwilliams830]

I don't get it, how can all these guys afford to make all their shop tools out of Baltic Birch? That has got be close to most expensive plywood.

[@Andersfraser]

Great build 👍🏻 do you sell your plans in metric measurement to?

[@JohnDlugosz]

My first table was even simpler: I mounted the router directly under the plywood, not using a separate plate. I clamped the plywood to the edge of a workbench, without any special system. The fence was just clamped on either side -- but I also worked with a single peg rather than a fence, and IIRC I just screwed a piece of dowel down to the table.

[@j10001]

Nice!

[@ChrisHornberger]

Unrelated, it was so cool seeing you at the Bourbon Moth event in Nashville, and hanging out a few minutes. Loved chatting with you. Next time I'm in town (which might be soon), dinner on me, yeah?

[@TheLastPharm]

I'm rather amazed that you installed those t-tracks without screws. You wouldn't think that the epoxy alone could keep them in place. Nice build overall, good luck!

[@MWAWoodworks]

Oh yeah plenty of hold for this purpose

[@uechikid8088]

I really like this table. As a new woodworker I’ve been looking for local sources for materials. All of the pro woodworkers are using Baltic birch. I can’t find Baltic birch anywhere around me. All the plywood I can find is no better than what’s available at Home Depot.

[@j10001]

Does that include looking for lumber stores on Google maps?

[@uechikid8088]

@@j10001 Yes. However, 1 lumber yard just got some Baltic birch plywood in. $$$$ though.

[@Griffinwoodworks]

You just poked both my inner 5 year old and my inner teenager with those clips. 😂 Then you gave me a purpose for an old cordless router that I don’t use much since upgrading, so that’s a pretty perfect video lol.

[@AAK007]

This is an awesome router set up. Do you sell these?

[@JLanc1982]

I like this design very much! Incorporating the Power-Lock dogs is pretty slick! Well done. 😎

[@misury]

Okay, I know it's a woodworking shop, but hear me out. You could always get something like an XTool P2 CO2 laser and do some of that acrylic work and such. I have one and it's fantastic. Or you know I'm sure one of your loyal subscribers might help you out too. 😊

[@aaronstill]

why make the t track the full width for the fence ???

[@mor8266]

Thanks for another great video. You inspired me to do this one.

[@PaulMillhouse7]

Great ideas here. Looks unfinished though, maybe some walnut stain to match the holder and a sealant over the plywood?

[@MWAWoodworks]

That's the beauty of a shop project you can make it however you want 😁

[@foxmoulder7724]

Coming from somebody who fabricates sheet plastics. Depending on the size of your offcut, and the popularity of that particular size and type of plastic. Your black 1/4 cast acrylic could have been on the shelf for month, even year's 😅, older it gets the harder it is to remove the paper.

[@willmorrison1022]

If you don't want to pay an arm and another appendage for some UHMW covered plywood, a source can be the treadmill that is sitting in your (or a friend or family member's) garage or living room. I have gotten into taking these things apart for parts, and the first one I took apart had a nice floor of this stuff. There are PLENTY of uses for such stuff. But you also get some rollers, a speed controlled DC motor (usually around 2 HP or so), and all kinds of frame pieces, among other things. They don't ALL have that for a floor, but the better ones can. Even the cheaper ones have a nice piece of something in there. And hey, it's free. Now, here is the best part of treadmills: NO ONE WANTS THEIRS! They are nothing but a reminder of their failure, and now it's just burning a hole in their minds about how much of a failure they really are. It's taking up space they want to use for other things, they just want it gone, no money must change hands most of the time. I've never paid for one yet. So when you come along and remove the evidence of their failure, you are a HERO! They will love you forever. And you've got a ton of things that you can use for other tools, fixtures, modifications (those DC motors work great in lathes and drill presses- imagine never having to change a belt again!), or whatever floats your boat.

[@T.S.Beez01]

Pry bar? looks like a hive tool to me? should we bee in similar groups for two hobbies?

[@MWAWoodworks]

It's a pry bar for removing trim

[@T.S.Beez01]

@MWAWoodworks still looks like a hivetool, and I've rewound & watched that bit again at least 5times.. lol anyway, I'm enjoying your VIDEOS here in the UK 👍🏻👍🏻 KEEP THEM COMING 🤞🤞

[@MWAWoodworks]

Awesome thanks!

[@misury]

One quick question and I'm not trying to be facetious here. How come you didn't just use the edge guide and palm router to make the grooves for the t-tracks instead of the table saw?

[@jaimecastells9750]

Throughout the video I kept noticing the router table you have built into your table saw. Does the small router table solve some specific problem that the larger one does not, or is this entirely a guide for those of us that need something smaller?

[@MWAWoodworks]

It's an idea for smaller workshops or portable needs, not a replacement.

[@TomRubicon5949]

Oh you don't need a special blade for cutting aluminum? I never knew that!

[@Murgoh]

No, carbide will cut it just fine, I have used a regular woodworking miter saw to make hundreds of cuts in aluminium profiles at work.

[@su-mu]

11:35

[@tammamakkari8046]

Dude what is this futuristic MFT attachment in minute 3:04? 😃😃😃

[@9P38lightning]

That’s Mint….

[@JohnDlugosz]

I don't understand... you showed laminating a Formica sheet to plywood, but said you didn't do that, but bought the sheet directly coated? But it's coated with layers of phenelic resin (a.k.a. Formica), not just the melamine top layer... so it's that just the same as sticking the Formica to the plywood? The only pre-coated stuff I've seen is the melamine bonded directly to the plywood which is more durable and whatnot then using a sheet of phenelic to make laminate tops.

[@MWAWoodworks]

Yeah I almost always use Formica. But because I wanted experience working with phenolic coated ply I bought some of that instead. The two are not the same as Formica gives a much thicker and more durable cover, the downside being you have to buy it it 4x8 sheets which I didn't needs to make one small router top. Hope that helps!

[@ChrisHornberger]

Also, at ~17:50 you (properly) said "drill pilot holes" and didn't say "pre-drilled". Thank you for that. The use of "pre-" is getting silly in the wood working community. :-)

[@brianrobertson877]

Every screw up is a "design opportunity".

[@almclester]

Regarding using a regular woodworking blade to cut t-track, yes, you can, but it’s not a good idea-I learned this the hard way and nearly lost a thumb in the process; even though my thumb was over six inches from the blade! The problem isn’t the material that the blade is made from, it’s the size of the teeth. The larger teeth on a wood blade are more likely to “hook” the t-track and YANK it, pulling you hand toward the blade, wrecking your hand, the t-Track, and possibly damaging your saw in the process. Don’t use any blade with teeth larger than a “plywood blade”. I feel really stupid telling this story because I used to be a professional studio jeweler and I have cut a zillion miles of precious metal in my life. I KNEW BETTER! But the woodworking guys at my local wood-candy store swore that the wood blade they wanted to sell me was fine. However, as a jeweler, you choose your saw blade size/number of teeth based on the thickness of your metal, and one look at the size of the teeth on that wood blade set my alarm bells ringing. But, I didn’t listen and the trip to the ER cost me way more than the price of a metal blade. For the curious, the general rule that jewelers use to choose a blade is that the size of the teeth must be such that three teeth will be in contact with the material being cut at all times. So, if the teeth of your wood blade are so big that you can’t fit three of them within the thickness of your t-track, DON’T USE THAT BLADE!!!! Sooooo… while you technically can cut t-track with a wood blade, that doesn’t mean you should. Save your fingers, and buy a metal blade with small teeth. You can get one at Harbor Freight, if you are cash strapped.

[@nanoIQ]

Did you use some AI magic on audio track because I dont hear room echo? 😅

[@MWAWoodworks]

😁

[@outrun79]

Congratulations on your work! I wanted to know what kind of treatment the multilayer of the countertop has. I would like to buy it here in Italy but I don't know what it's called. Thank you.

[@stevezentner4161]

I love when these guys wear masks for certain cutting tasks and not others. After the pandemic fiasco the C.D.C. finally admitted that masks don't work and those of us in the medical field have known that for years. We use them to keep blood and other fluids somewhat off our faces. So woodworkers, if you feel compelled to use a mask, get a respirator otherwise your just wasting your time. That, my friends, is a heads up moment. Cut safely.