I’ve decided that a router table would be a useful thing to have. I want to be able to cut slots perpendicular to planks, so I think that requires a sliding table (rather than just using a fence). Also more normal things like rounding edges along the length of planks. It’s very much a hobby and I don’t want to spend a fortune, but have had a quick look around it seems less than £500 gets something fairly shonky looking. Anyone got any recommendations?
Cheers,

For perpendicular slots I use a hand router and a ‘fence’ clamped to the job and for rounding edges of big piece a bearing guided bit running on the work piece. Router table for me is for littler pieces that can be easily held by hand or are tricky to clamp. I’ve got the axminster table which is fine. Seems pretty well made, does the job.

Rutlands have some decent looking ones at sensible prices.

As said though, for cutting a groove across a board it’s probably easier to clamp a guide and move the router across rather than the other way around.

I made my own, there’s so many possible combinations of features you may or not want, none of the ones you can buy will do everything you want, it won’t be any cheaper mind you :), loads of designs out there for ideas…

As above, make your own. It can be cheaper too, depends how fancy you want to get.

After having a cheap Aldi one for a while (£30), I was probably going to make my own. They don’t look particularly difficult in all honesty.
Just routing for the correct channels.

I had this one bookmarked
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGTDKzoq9eU[/video]
But there are loads. (I was going to just use thick MDF for the top – maybe with a laminate)

But now I’m assembling a CNC router instead (or maybe I’ll need both).

or maybe I’ll need both

I probably use my router table more since getting a cnc router. Great for rounding over cut parts or knocking off the arris. Can also be a quick way of neatly dealing with holding tags

I got a really cheap Ryobi one with my router – it works just fine, is surprisingly solid in use.

nickjb – Member

or maybe I’ll need both

I probably use my router table more since getting a cnc router. Great for rounding over cut parts or knocking off the arris. Can also be a quick way of neatly dealing with holding tags Yes, tab removal is definitely going to be a common requirement. TBH, even the Aldi one does the job as long as you sacrifice a router to it (swapping is very painful)
I’ve just bought a cheap Katsu trimmer for the CNC (£39 from Amazon) and it’s easily as good as my cheap Trend 1/4″ router which cost £79, so having one fixed permanently wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Thanks chaps. I don’t have a router at all yet, so hadn’t really thought about what could be done with fences. I certainly like the idea of making my own, or incorporating into my work bench – the garage is cluttered enough as it is!

incorporating into my work bench

If you can, this sounds ideal.

This guy builds his own morticers / routers – very impressive…

http://woodgears.ca/slot_mortiser/index.html

If you are building your own then don’t scrimp on the safety features. Seen a few accidents. Still worth doing and done well will be safer than the alternatives.

That said if you haven’t got a router yet then I’d get that and start using it then see if you hit any limitations. You can do a lot with a hand router, clamp on fences or bearing guided bits.

I’m having a browse now, and it’s tricky to decide what to get. Not likely to be doing worktops or really heavy work, so (probably) don’t need the 1/2″ shank. It would be nice to be able to change the cutter and adjust the depth of cut from above the table, and this is not generally obvious as most routers aren’t intended to be table mounted. It’d be a pain having to clamber under the table every time I want to adjust something.

This is our workshop made router table. I didn’t make it actually, as it was before my time, but it works very well.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ZQLcgk]Untitled[/url] by kayak23, on Flickr

Basically a melamine-faced board and the (Dewalt 1/2″) router is housed into it slightly underneath.
The handiest thing though is we have a car jack mounted underneath it which serves as a fine-adjuster.
It’s sooooo much easier than lifting it and trying to hold it at the right height while locking it into position.

You really don’t need anything this elaborate though. As mentioned above, router tables are really for when you need to machine smaller stuff. Long boards etc can easily have the router run along them using the router fence or a clamped down fence.

I made this little bench top version to house a smaller 1/4″ router. It’s all you need really for small stuff.
Again, the router is housed slightly into the surface underneath and bolted to the table, and then you just clamp a straight bit of ply wherever you want it as a fence.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/216TdCo]Untitled[/url] by kayak23, on Flickr

Remember that the fence does not need to be square to the table edges. No matter what angle the fence is clamped across the table, the distance between it and the cutter always remains the same. I find a few students struggle with that idea.

Good luck! 🙂

It’d be a pain having to clamber under the table every time I want to adjust something.

That’s what those rectangular plates are for.

I’ve got a Triton TRA001 mounted in my router table. You can remove the spring making it simple to adjust the height from below – it also has a fine adjuster. So much easier than the Dewalt I used to use.

Excellent thread timing! I too am contemplating router and table. Probably just the router initially. Mr C do you use the Triton TRA001 just in the table? I’m looking at the 1400W version hoping to do fence guide routing and fix it to a table if I do get one. Is the TRA001 a bit cumbersome when not fixed to the table?

This is the router I use with my table: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-45368-230-Volt-350-Watt-Combination/dp/B00142B980 It comes with a fixed base and a plunge base. The fixed base is fitted to the table and that has a built in screw height adjuster. Its very easy to pop it out and into the plunge base for hand use. It also has a proper on/off switch which is easier than trying to bodge a trigger switch.

I’ve scoured the internet this evening, and the only options I’ve found for routers which come with both a fixed and plunge base (which seems to be most useful if intending to use a table) are:
Draper Expert above – though not available anywhere
Dewalt 26204K for £250, 1/4
Bosh GMF 1600, 1/2″, dogs danglies but £380

Plus some weedy looking trimming tools from Bosch and Makita which are probably a bit small for what I want.

Oh and this from Bosch whic looks great -1/2″, two bases etc – only in the US though. Why are US power tools always so much cheaper than the UK?!

Well, you don’t need a fixed base with a fine adjuster.
Most folks manage without a fine adjuster. It’s just a nice addition.

Pretty much any router can have a scissor jack mounted underneath it, thereby giving you fine adjustment.

Not bothered about the fine adjuster – just after a kit which comes with plunge and fixed bases to make it easier to swap it around.

I’ve got the Makita baby router with multiple bases, it’s a good tool and probably an even match for the Dewalt you’ve linked to above.
IMO only suitable for use on a table unless you are only doing delicate/fine work.

Our router attaches with two bolts through the table.
You couldn’t get much simpler.
🙂

Ah ok. I thought the base ended up getting fixed fairly permanently to the underside. Perhaps I don’t need all the extra clutter then…

Draper Expert above – though not available anywhere

just stopped being available just when I decided I wanted to buy one

Bosh GMF 1600, 1/2″, dogs danglies but £380

Theres a bit of a saving to be made buying the bosch fixed based routers from the US (as linked to above) if you already have a 110v transformer – I just received on the the Bosch 1617s from the US to stick on the bottom of a Router Lift I picked up cheaply and with import duties and shipping it was still a decent saving over any of the UK-available options. I use one of the mahoosive Festool nutter-bastard routers and the base is too large to fit the lift so I was just looking for something cheaper to fit and forget under the lift

Why are US power tools always so much cheaper than the UK?!

Some are, some aren’t – its a bigger market and sometimes that means theres just some old stock swilling about thats no longer available here. There can also be a lower quality threshold for the US market – I’ve had some mexican made Dewalt stuff from the US and the quality was pretty shocking compared to UK stock – a drill driver where the chuck isn’t on straight for instance.

That fixed base router style seems to have been a bit US-centric design, even european brands seem to pitch models to the US only.

I’ve gone for the DeWalt combo kit in the end. Bit more money, but read that the height adjust on the Bosch was a bit crap, and the spindle lock on the Makita prone to failure. Also the DeWalt is 900W compared to 700 and 600. Can finally stop browsing tool review websites. It’s a harder choice than buying a bike!

I have a Trend bench top table, and coupled it with a Trend T11 router. It has a height adjuster from the top of the table which is handy.

I’ve seen a lot of home made ones that use a car jack as in the images above.

looks like a wise choice. The router market seems to be pretty stagnant. Theres a lot of models that have been around unchanged for ages even if they’re designs with well known flaws. The biggest problem with that is they’re mostly designs from an era when dust was good for you so long as you inhaled via the fag hanging from your bottom lip – so they don’t have any decent provision for dust extraction.

Dust extraction looks pretty well considered on that wee one – shame Dewalt haven’t done the same with their 1/2 router, which is a rebadged Elu design that hasn’t changed for around 40 years – very reliable but filthy to work with.

The biggest problem with that is they’re mostly designs from an era when dust was good for you so long as you inhaled via the fag hanging from your bottom lip – so they don’t have any decent provision for dust extraction.

If you want good dust extraction then very little can touch Festool, although you pay for it, their Router’s are not cheap…

If you’re still after a table, this one gets well reviewed and is cheap enough to take punt on:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-premier-benchtop-router-table-951186

Holy thread resurrection Batman! 😀

I’ve finally got around to making a workbench a bit like the one in this link, and am going to set my table saw and router in it…
https://www.remodelaholic.com/table-saw-workbench-building-plans-rockler-t-track-system/

Does anyone know a decent place to buy the T-tracks inset into the top? I’ve been searching but all I can find is some stuff from Axminster with negative reviews, and a load on eBay from China.