Router Table Miter Slot

[Large Wooden Badger]

I am getting ready to rehab my router table.

My table is currently roughly 2' x 3'  oriented with the lift on the short side with an incra LS positioner going the long ways similar to this image



I do not currently have a miter slot, but there have been instances where I have wished I had.

If I add a slot, is there a preferred distance from the location of the router bit?  I can get a general idea from this image but didn't know if there was a specific measurement to shoot for or stay away from?

Thanks in advance

[rschissler]

Mine is 6 7/8" from center to center, though I don't think I've ever used it.

[fredhargis]

Mine is 7" (C-T-C) away, and I might have used it 7-8 times in over 20 years. I probably need to build a new one (table).

[Aram]

My home-built router table doesn't have a miter slot either. I don't know what I would use it for. I never met a feature that couldn't be solved with a jig clamped to or slid along the fence. It would be nice to add T tracks to clamp feather boards to the table, though.

YYMV.

[Derek Cohen]

There are two reasons to have a mitre track. The first is to attach a feather board. On my table 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 do not use a mitre slot. Instead, the centre of the table is drilled and tapped for four bolt holes  ...



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.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Large Wooden Badger]

Thanks all, 

Perhaps it is unnecessary.  I do have the incra jig that slides along the fence that I have used in the past.  I have a large square piece of plywood with a handle that I also use along the fence for coping or cutting ends of rails for example.

[Tapper]

I am getting ready to rehab my router table.

My table is currently roughly 2' x 3'  oriented with the lift on the short side with an incra LS positioner going the long ways similar to this image



I do not currently have a miter slot, but there have been instances where I have wished I had.

If I add a slot, is there a preferred distance from the location of the router bit?  I can get a general idea from this image but didn't know if there was a specific measurement to shoot for or stay away from?

Thanks in advance

I have the same setup shown in your picture (router table base rather than the frame). From the center of the router bit to the center of the miter track is 6 3/8" (mine came that way). Has worked well for me when using a miter gauge; don't use it a ton but when you need it, it's there.

Doug

[EdL]

I put one on my rt, only use it to hold my kreg jig and dovetail jig.

Its really not needed with my old jointech fence system, I doubt it would be usefull with the incra thats a very similar unit.

Ed

[Tapper]

I put one on my rt, only use it to hold my kreg jig and dovetail jig.

Its really not needed with my old jointech fence system, I doubt it would be usefull with the incra thats a very similar unit.

Ed

Probably not used much with the Incra jig (can't remember using it with mine) however using the tool as a router table, the miter slot has a lot of utility IMO.

Doug

[handi]

I have built literally dozens of router tables over 30 years of professional woodworking. I am ambivalent about the miter slot.

I did add one to my Folding Router Table plans shown on Woodcademy TV (https://www.woodcademy.com/season2/router-table) but mostly because people always ask for one. I just always find that using a sled along the fence is faster and easier than setting up a miter sled.