Mount DeWalt DW621 router to Kreg Precision Router Table insert plate

This weekend I finally had some time to mount my router on router table's insert plate. This router table has been sitting un-assembled since April, 2009. It will take me another weekend to finally get this router table fully assembled.



Here are the steps:

Step 1: Mark the edge of the router base plate that you want to face front with a piece of masking tape

Step 2: Place the insert plate face down on work surface with Kreg logo close to you

Step 3: Position the bull’s eye template so that the concentric rings line up with the opening of the insert plate.

Step 4: Remove the base plate from the router and using it to find the correct drill bit size for drilling holes in the insert plate

Step 5: Place the base plate face down on the bull’s eye template and center it on the concentric rings. Use the masking tape to secure the two together

Step 6: Place a sacrificial board on the drill press under the plate to reduce the possibility of blowout

Step 7: With three items secure, drill the holes using drill press

Step 8: Clamp the insert plate to drill press and drill holes into the insert plate

Step 9: After the holes are drilled separate the three items and using a counter sink bit to counter sink each hole on the top side of the insert plate to accommodate the mounting hardware

Step 10: The screw head should not sit above flush or too far below. I used 20mm long base plate screw to connect the base plate to router

I tried to ensure that the router bit stay at the center of the circular opening of the router table's insert plate. One of the mounting screws hole is on the edge
. I used a 14 mm long screw for this lower height hole.

Metric measurement in a world of US measurement system

I have never thought about the type of screws in my power tools, let alone the measurement system used the measure them.

Things changed this weekend. This weekend I was planning to mount DeWalt DW621 router on Kreg precision router table. I had to get longer screws than the ones originally mounted on router to mount the router to the insert plate of the router table. The insert plate for router is 3/8” thick. Kreg provides a video to install a router on the insert plate.

I have an inch-system micrometer which measures thickness in fraction of inches. I used this micrometer to get an approximate measurement of the screw. I thought the screw is 5/32” thick at its threads. I could not find any odd fractional machine screw at my local Lowes. I picked up a few 8-32 ¾” screws. When I came home and tried the new screws on router, they did not fit.

The next step was to do some online research on this particular screw. eReplacement parts.com has a nice picture of all the router parts for DW621

Fig # 7 in the above link is the screw type I was looking for but twice its original length. The Part Number is: 945121-00. The length is 10 millimeter.

It is a M4X0.7 screw. What is a M4X0.7 screw after all? In the metric measurement world, M is followed by the value of the nominal diameter D and the pitch P, both expressed in millimeters and separated by the multiplication sign “×”.

I need a M4x0.7 screw with 20 millimeter length. I could not find 20 mm M4X0.7 screw online but I found a 25mm long M4x0.7 screw at amazon.com

Once I get this screw, I will use a hack saw to cut it down to the required length.

I also ordered a metric drill bit to drill a hole for this 4mm screw.

Next week I will be experimenting with the metric drill bit and metric screw from amazon.com.

Couple of interesting links on metric measurement system, I came across during my research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_metric_screw_thread

http://www.france-property-and-information.com/imperial-system-and-history.htm