Introduction: DIY Portable Router Table and Drill Press Table 2 in 1

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About: I am an industrial designer and a maker. I like to make prototypes, unique pieces, equipment and other stuff. In this channel I will show you what I do, and in particular the making of design pieces, with var…

I designed this little table with the idea of doing a dual function. I wanted to have a fully functional and flexible table to fit my drill press, but also the possibility to transform it into a router table, by simply fixing my palm router under it, when I needed. This is the solution I found. It has two t-track, two fences, three feather boards, a Lexar protection and a dust collector. It is made out of 18mm and 27mm thick birch plywood with some 3D printed parts.

The table can be easily transformed from a router table to a drill press table by unscrewing two knobs and detaching the two main parts composing it.

If you are interested in building a table like this, or you want to change the size to suit your needs, you can download, through the link below, the Fusion 360 file of the assembly, and STL files of all parts to be printed. DIY

DOWNLOAD 3D MODELS ▶ Router Table 3DFiles

Step 1: Design and 3D Modeling

The first step was that of measuring my drill press and my router to define the dimensions of the table. WIth that dimentions, I defined the detail of the project and 3D modeled every single piece, to be sure that everything worked and also because I needed the 3D models of some parts to 3D print them.

Step 2: 3D Printing of Some Parts

While I was working on the wooden parts of the table, I have 3D printed all the plastic parts of the model, such as the feather boards, the protection holder, the dust collector, the table caps and the knobs.

Step 3: Cutting Out All the Parts

The first woodworking step has been to cut out all the parts from a 18mm thick sheet of birch plywood (3/4 inch thick material can be used instead) with my bandsaw. To cut narrow curves I used a Forstner bit of the right size on a drill.

Been that the was only simple cuts, to mark the sheet I have reported the measures with a pencil and a ruled without the necessity to print full dimension drawings.

Step 4: Rabbets and Grooves

To assemble the table together I decided to use rabbet joints, to give it a certain solidity. So, after cutting out all the parts, I have made all the rabbets and the grooves for the T-track with my router and a rabbet router bit.

Step 5: Assembling the Table

To assemble the table I used a strong wood glue and some little nail on the sides, while to fix the table top and the t-tracks I used only screws, so that, if I want, I can change the table to and use a different one.

Step 6: Finishing the Tabletop

To finish the table top I used some coats of floor finish to give it strength and make it smooth.

Step 7: Making the Fences

To make the fences I mounted the already assembled table under my drill press and I drilled all the holes to fix the feather boards, the protection, and the dust collector and to fix the fences to the table. After that I rounded all the corners and finished them with the same floor finish I used for the table top.

Step 8: Making the Transparent Protection

To make the transparent protection I used a piece of thick Lexar. I first printed on paper the shape of it and transferred it into the plastic with a knife and then I cut it out with a coping saw. After that I sanded it with a belt sander to refine the shape and finally I glued it to its holder with some plastic cement.

Step 9: Final Assembling

When all the parts, both wooden and 3D printed, were ready, it was time to assemble all them together to see if everything was working properly. I also check for squareness and collisions, but the final test was to try it and see how it worked.

Step 10: Trying It

To be sure that everything worked perfectly I tested it in many different ways, both in its router table and drill press table configuration. I was very pleased with the many ways to fix and align the working piece and by the efficiency of the dust collection system. I'm very happy it, it works great! It is a very small table, but it fits perfectly my drill press and is very useful when you need a portable router table.

Thanks for checking out the build and don't forget that you can download, for free, the 3D models if you want to build one yourself.

You should also check out the build video, so you can also better see how it works: