No mitre gauge track!

A router table is a wonderful resource. However, a good router table does not need to be complex. In fact, I much prefer the KIS principle. My first router table was simply a piece of MDF with a hole for the bit. The fence was a 2x4 clamped alongside. It did good work. While this latest router table has many bells and whistles, it is still relatively simple compared to many.

This is my solution for a mitre track ...

There are two reasons to have a mitre track. The first is to attach a feather board. As I mentioned earlier, the JessEm guides do the task of holding the workpiece both down and against the fence. If the JessEm is not sufficient, I can still attach a feather board.

I was using a feather board on the table saw today to size drawer backs ...

The feather board can do double-duty at the router table. I drilled and tapped four bolt holes in line with the centre of the table ...

The feather board can slide back-and-forth when bolted this way. It can reach to the fence ...

The forwards holes are where a mitre track would go. This is as far back as it would extend if in a mitre track ...

However, the second set of holes allow for a wider range ...

The second reason for a mitre track is to use a mitre gauge to either rout out tenon cheeks, or joints such as cope-and-stick frames or box joints. There are alternate solutions for these.

The main issue I have with the mitre gauge method is that it requires that the fence be parallel to the mitre track. Fences are rarely so in my experience. The closest I came to this was when I had a router table in a previous table saw, and it shared the table saw fence (which tracked parallel to the blade). This is not the case now. The fence rides unequally in tracks, and one side is moved to fine adjust the setting. In short, a mitre track is useless.

To make a tenon cheek, or cope the end of a stretcher for a cope-and-stick joint, simply use a backing board against the fence ...

This will not make box joints. In reality, for myself, it is unlikely that I would ever make box joints. I just cannot see a need. The closest is a dovetail joint, and I prefer doing these with hand tools. Still, were I to make a box joint, the accessory of choice would be a linear fence. These are easy-enough to build ...

Here is an excellent video on YouTube building a linear fence ....

https://youtu.be/DCTmrLgaGVg

Regards from Perth

Derek

February 2021