Homemade Router Table Inserts

In woodworking, router table inserts keep the wood from slipping below the surface of the table in the space surrounding the router bit. They are round and rest on a recessed surface below the opening. While many router tables come with an assortment of inserts, you may find it necessary to make an insert for certain specialty blades. Inserts are circular in shape and have a hole in the center that is slightly wider than the width of the router bit. You can easily make inserts out of an acrylic panel.

6-by-6-inch acrylic panel, 1/8-inch thick
Drill press
2 C-clamps
Hole saw bit, size of recess in router table
Forstner bit, 1/16-inch larger than diameter of router bit
Sanding pad, fine-grit

Instructions

- 1
  Place the acrylic panel on the table of the drill press. Center it under the drill and clamp it down with the hold downs on the table of the press. If your drill press doesn’t have hold downs, you can clamp it down with two C-clamps.
- 2
  Insert the hole saw bit that is the size of the recess in the router table into the chuck of the drill press. Drill down through the acrylic panel in a steady motion, applying just enough pressure to allow the bit to saw the circle out.
- 3
  Remove the acrylic panel from the table of the drill press. Clamp the circle that you cut out down to the table of the drill press with the hold downs or C-clamps. Take the hole saw bit out from the chuck and insert the Forstner bit.
- 4
  Drill a hole through the center of the circle with the Forstner bit. Remove the circle from the drill press and place it on a work surface.
- 5
  Sand the edges of the circle lightly with a fine-grit sanding pad to remove any rough edges from the surface.

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Woodworking