Router tables

Abstract

Router tables, generally used for woodworking, have fences used to guide workpieces during cutting. The router table has a table top which has a top work surface and a router bit hole through the table top. A plurality of support legs are provided below the table top. A safety shield is positioned above the router bit hole. The workpiece fence has left and right fences which operate independently of each other. The left and right fences slide on the top work surface in a front to rear direction and a side to side direction. A feather flap extends from the workpiece fence and holds the workpiece down against the table top during cutting. A miter guide is provided that has a slide guide for stabilizing the work piece. Also, a dovetail/boxjoint bar that can be slidably adjusted is provided. A variety of routers are accommodated by a number of hole patterns provided in the table top.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A router table comprising: 
 a table top having a top work surface with a guide channel, and a router bit hole through the table top;    a plurality of support legs below the table top;    a safety shield positioned above the router bit hole;    a workpiece fence slidably positioned on the top work surface; and    a feather flap extending from the workpiece fence, wherein said feather flap is comprised of a resilient material and is configured as a flat L-shaped strip.    
     
     
         2 . The router table as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a miter guide, said miter guide comprising: 
 a protractor having a half-circular shape comprising a flat side and a half-circular-shaped side, said protractor comprising: 
 a protractor adjustment slot that is parallel to said half-circular-shaped side; and  
 an angular scale comprising angular measurement indicators;  
   said miter guide further comprising: 
 a miter bar that is affixed to a bottom side of said protractor and that rides inside of said guide channel permitting movement of said miter guide in a linear direction, said miter bar utilizing a fastener between said miter bar and said protractor adjustment slot for adjusting the angle of said protractor; and  
 a slide guide attached to said flat side of said protractor that operates to hold a workpiece against a table top by applying a downward force to said workpiece, said slide guide being in contact with said workpiece.  
   
     
     
         3 . The router table as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 featherboard flaps that are flat and are generally L-shaped, said L-shape defining a mounting leg of said featherboard flap and a workpiece contacting leg of said featherboard flap, said featherboard flap being mounted according to at least one of the following configurations: 
 a) said mounting leg being inserted into a featherboard flap hole of said workpiece fence to provide a downward force on said workpiece against said flat table top; and  
 b) said mounting leg being inserted into a featherboard flap hole of said flat table top to provide an inward force on said workpiece against a front surface of said workpiece fence.  
   
     
     
         4 . A machining table having a table top, comprising: 
 a dovetail/boxjoint bar that is used to produce dovetail joints, box joints, and combination joints, said bar having a cross-sectional width that is equal to the diameter of a cutter mounted in said machining table;    wherein said dovetail/boxjoint bar is affixed directly on said table top so that its inner edge is a distance equal to the diameter of said cutter away from an outer edge of said cutter.    
     
     
         5 . The machining table as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said dovetail/boxjoint bar is affixed utilizing fasteners that pass through two or more holes in said dovetail/boxjoint bar and respective slots of said table top permitting said distance to be adjusted.  
     
     
         6 . A router table having a table top, comprising hole pattern groups having Group B holes, Group C holes, Group D holes, Group E holes, and group F holes within said table top.  
     
     
         7 . The router table as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising hole pattern groups having Group A holes, a threaded pilot pin hole, and a pilot pin storage hole.  
     
     
         8 . A method for adding a dovetail/boxjoint bar to a router table for producing dovetail joints, box joints, and combination joints, comprising the steps of: 
 affixing said dovetail bar having a same width as the diameter of a router bit on a table top of said router table, a horizontal mounting position of said dovetail/boxjoint bar being located at a distance away from an outer edge of said router bit that provides a gap between said outer edge of said router bit and an inner edge of said dovetail/boxjoint bar that is equal to the diameter of said router bit;    said step of affixing comprising the steps of placing two or more dovetail bar fasteners through two or more respective holes in said dovetail bar and through two or more respective dovetail bar mounting slots in said on said table top, thereby permitting adjustment in a horizontal direction, said fasteners having a securing mechanism for tightening the secure mount of said dovetail bar to said table top.    
     
     
         9 . A miter guide comprising: 
 a protractor having a half-circular shape comprising a flat side and a half-circular-shaped side, said protractor comprising: 
 a protractor adjustment slot that is parallel to said half-circular-shaped side; and  
 an angular scale comprising angular measurement indicators;  
   said miter guide further comprising: 
 a miter bar that is affixed to a bottom side of said protractor and that rides inside of a guide channel permitting movement of the miter guide in a linear direction, said miter bar utilizing a fastener between said miter bar and said protractor adjustment slot for adjusting the angle of said protractor; and  
 a slide guide attached to said flat side of said protractor that operates to hold a workpiece against a table top by applying a downward force to said workpiece, said slide guide being in contact with said workpiece.  
   
     
     
         10 . The miter guide according to  claim 9 , wherein said slide guide is constructed of a flat strip of a resilient material, said slide guide having a flattened end that slides into a slide guide slot located on said flat side of said protractor.