Router Table Safety

[MrMuckle]

Check out page 113 of Martin Koch's "Building Electric Guitars" and look at that guard he uses on his router table. Does anyone else use something like this? If you don't have the book, picture a piece of plexi-glass attached to a threaded rod on the side of the table. The plexi extends out over the table and sits just above the cutter. After a couple of close calls, this thing makes sense, but I'm not sure how solid it is.

[Woodenspoke]

First anything that obstructs the ability of the user to do the job is just that an obstruction. The amount of chips generated in most pattern operations is excessive for almost any guard. Meaning the space between the plexi and the bit will start to fill up and obstruct the view. If you are having router close calls it is your technique or safety procedures that are at fault. Any operation where your fingers may get too close requires either a jig or push blocks.

That said the easiest jig holder would be (with a steel router table, which few own) using the new magnet clamps that came on the market witin the last year. You can build a small guird that can easily be moved and small enough to let the chips fly out. With a wood table just make a very long plexi cover attached to an L shaped wood bracket clamped to the side of your table.

Routers are a pain, there is no really good answer.

[MrMuckle]

Sorry, Spoke. I guess I didn't describe it properly. It's a guard to prevent your hand/s from being pulled into the cutter if there's the off-chance that the cutter grabs the wood and throws it. It's not a guard to block any flying chips. The photo I mentioned is under copyright, so I can't reproduce here. Thought there might be some people on this board who own the book and had maybe built this safety device. Thank you for your reply, though

[Woodenspoke]

Sorry, Spoke. I guess I didn't describe it properly. It's a guard to prevent your hand/s from being pulled into the cutter if there's the off-chance that the cutter grabs the wood and throws it. It's not a guard to block any flying chips. The photo I mentioned is under copyright, so I can't reproduce here. Thought there might be some people on this board who own the book and had maybe built this safety device. Thank you for your reply, though

First I have looked at the page and it is just a plastic guard only it is attached to a single bolt with some nuts and washers. Not going to stop fingers getting sucked in if they are too close to begin with. Just mount the plastic to an L bracket made of wood so you can clamp it to the edge of your table and remove it easily. the only thing is to figure out how to change the depth without a bolt. Also his router table is small so the distance from the edge is short in the picture. Remember this is way back when I started building. Looks like he has a 3/8 to 1/2" thick piece of plastic. Thick enough to stay rigid.

Here is a link to something more profound..Router Jig Page 39-41 ... scroll back to page 39.

If your wood is getting thrown, there are several reasons. Crappy bits or running the router in a climb cut direction. Also always start your cut straight in (or toward) to the pattern edge never start at an angle or angled to the edge of the pattern. That will also make a mess. This is the most critical step to stop kickback at the start by meeting the patterns edge first, then rotate the work counter clockwise on your router table.

[MrMuckle]

Wow! Awesome jig! I'd certainly feel more comfortable with that. The close calls I had early on were because I wasn't given proper instruction. I now use the proper technique, but I make the mistake of going onto woodworking forums and always come across some horror story about losing fingers on a router (and they usually include pics!) Always makes me feel my time will come, but as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!