Cutting-Board Router Table

Here's the router table top I made from a kitchen cutting board set

The board set was soft and thick enough to stay in shape for my hobby routing

Step 1: Measure and Cut

I was looking for various tabletop options for my home made router table.

a '$' option was to source a blank Phenolic sheet from the web [Google up "Leecraft BK-1 Blank Phenolic Sheet"]

The other more creative option was to use from the 3-pc kitchen cutting-board set that I got at the neighborhood discount store for $7 it was nearly 1/2" thick and was already designed tough to take the abrasion & abuse in the kitchens.

As this was a 3-pc set, in this step, I chose a size that suited the router table base.

Next I removed the router base plate & transferred the screw markings onto the board.

Using the standard high school geometry tip I marked and bisected two (2" long) chords with a trisquare I get the center of the circle for the hole-saw.

Drill pressed the center opening and voila! I had the board ready to mount the router!

Step 2: Prepare the Top

- Using a Jig Saw I cut open the approximately 2" margins on all sides

- Lightly Taped up the board to position it using a double sided carpet tape

- I cut out a 2"wide strips of scrap wood pieces cut approximately matching the sides

- Using some more of the double sided carpet tape I stuck the sides of the board to form a frame and routed out the thickness from the table top.

- That's the kitchen board on my router!

Step 3: Coming Up Soon!

With this small success! I now have plans to make a

slider that I can share with a dado-jig , mortising jig from the smallest cutting board in the set for the hand router in the shop.

Stay tuned for more!