Best Router Table

The router table is an incredibly useful tool, but it is surprisingly absent from many workshops. While the router alone is an incredibly useful tool, allowing us to counter the edges of boards for our projects and relief carve out the interior areas, shapes, and lettering on a wide range of workpieces, attaching that router to a router table adds more flexibility, especially with smaller workpieces. It turns the router into a small shaper, allowing for a more comprehensive range of edge moldings.

As with buying any other tool, the trick is finding the right router table to meet your needs and fit your budget. These tables range from budget-friendly to quite costly. But do you really get anything more for those high-dollar router tables? It helps to know before starting to shop.

We can divide router tables into two general categories: stand-alone units and those intended to be mounted to a table saw. While both perform the same purpose, attaching a router table to a table saw can reduce the overall space required in your workshop.

Generally speaking, router tables that attach to a table saw are built into a table extension made by the same manufacturer as the table saw. A few models on the market are considered “universal” and intended to be mounted to any table saw. Before buying one of these, ensure it will work with your table saw.

Of course, you can build your router table and attach it to your table saw. Many people are now building a workbench to set their table saw, extending the table, and saving money over buying an expensive cabinet saw to support large pieces of plywood. This may be partially motivated by the proliferation of “portable” table saws for contractors. While powerful, they tend to have too small a table for a home workshop. Mounting it into a workbench also solves that problem while giving you someplace to mount your router.

One thing I’ve noticed from my own experience is that if you’re going to mount a router into a table, you want to own two routers. While it is possible to dismount your router from the table anytime, it’s a hassle. A second router eliminates that need, allowing you to keep one attached to the table and use the other for larger projects. I have a fixed-base router connected to my table and a plunge router for freehand use.

What to Look for in a Router Table

If you’re in the market for a router table, you want to buy one that will meet your needs. Take it from me; a cheap router table will give you plenty of headaches. While many of the areas we’re going to talk about below can be a problem, my hassles were with the quality of the fence, which did not adjust easily and was hard to remove and install every time I needed to.

Table

The table itself and the material that the table is made of are of critical importance. More than anything, there’s a need for the table to be as flat and rigid as possible. Router tables are used to cut both joinery and create edge moldings on boards, which are precision work. Any deviation in the table’s flatness, whether due to flexing or warping, will result in joints that don’t fit and uneven moldings.

A weak table may flex just from the router’s weight, even without the pressure of holding a board down on it. Yet if the middle of the table sags from that weight, then none of the cuts will be accurate. It’s not like they will be precise consistently either; they’ll be different at the ends and corners than in the middle.

The absolute best tables are cast iron, just like table saws. Cast iron is durable enough to withstand even rough working conditions while resisting damage. It is heavy enough to help dampen vibration. A few tables are made of cast aluminum rather than iron. But most router tables aren’t made of cast iron but rather from MDF, with a few made of phenolic resin.

While the lightest and least costly option, MDF is not a poor choice for a router table because it is incredibly flat and stable. But you want to be sure that the MDF top is at least one inch thick. Any thinner, and you can’t trust it. You must also be cautious that MDF router tables don’t become wet, as soaking up water will cause permanent damage.

Base Plate

The base plate is what the router itself is mounted to. Not all router tables have a base plate; some cast ones will have mounting holes directly in the table. However, all phenolic and MDF router tables must have a base plate to mount the router.

The base plate is usually a ¼” thick piece of aluminum plate predrilled for the mounting holes for several different routers. Some of the better router tables might have more than one plate available to avoid weakening the plate with too many holes.

The plate must fit perfectly into the router table and flush with the top. If it is higher than the table, your workpieces will catch on it when passing them through the router. On the other hand, if it is low, you’ll have the same sort of problem that you would have with a weak table because the cutter bit will be low compared to the rest of the table. Ideally, there will be adjustment screws so that you can fine-tune the height of the plate.

If you plan on using the same router in and out of the table, then the base plate will be necessary. How easy is it to mount the router to the plate? How easy is it to mount the plate on the table? If it turns out to be a hassle, you will become annoyed whenever you have to change.

Miter & T-Slots

Much of the work done on a router table involves router bits that have a bearing on them, but not all. Sometimes, you’ll use a straight bit with a miter gauge to cut a tenon or a dado. You might be thinning out a board to make a lap joint. You might need a feather board to keep a piece of material tight against the fence.

All these operations require a router table with a good T-slot. T-slots have primarily replaced the rectangular slots that were used previously because they provide a more secure contact. Such slots may be cut on the table itself or the fence. A table with more slots will offer you more options for clamping and guiding your work.

Fence

A fence must be extremely straight and solid to be effective. Ideally, it will also be easy to position and lock in place. While many operations are done without a fence, when you need a wall, you want a good one to make the work easier.

There are two basic types of fences: solid and split. A solid wall is easier to work with in that the infeed and outfeed sides of the fence are factory-aligned, saving you that problem. But being fixed in a relationship with one another, you can’t adjust how close they are to the other. In most cases, there will be a gap between the fence and the bit, limiting the wall’s support, especially with smaller workpieces.

A split fence allows you to individually adjust the two sides so that they are offset from each other. This makes it possible to use the router table as a jointer, working with a long, straight router bit. However, if you’re looking at a router table with a split fence, you want to be sure that it is made in such a way as to make the alignment of the two sides perfectly parallel.

One solution to this problem is a solid fence with a split portion. In other words, an insert into the outfeed side of the table can be pulled out from the wall to provide support in those joint operations. That inset is unnecessary for most edge molding operations, as the distance to the edge won’t change. But by definition, jointing will cause that to happen.

Always remember that when working with a router, especially when using a router table fence, you must run a test piece before cutting your project parts. Even a router that looks set up ideally can be of a small fraction of an inch, which can mean a significant error for a router.

Stand

Most router tables are benchtop units, but a few have a complete stand. In either case, stability is essential. You don’t want your router table moving while you are cutting. I used to have my router table mounted onto a base with casters, which was disastrous. It would move when I was making a cut, causing me to ruin many boards.

If you are using a benchtop unit that is not permanently mounted to a bench, fasten it in place with clamps while using it to prevent it from moving. However, if you’re going to use it a lot, you’re better off mounting it permanently somewhere, such as in your table saw’s bench extension.

Some of the Best of the Bunch

Choosing the best in any tool category is challenging, as many excellent choices often exist. In many cases, what you end up with is the writer’s favorites rather than the best. That’s okay if the person writing about the item is experienced in using it, but when they aren’t, it’s hard to say what you might end up with.

In this case, I am an experienced woodworker who regularly uses a router table. The information I’m using to make these selections is based on the criteria I’ve mentioned above. So, these router tables are not just my favorites; they are the ones that best meet those criteria.

Kreg Precision Router Table System

Kreg is a specialty tool manufacturer that has decided to try to come up with the best router table on the market. There is plenty to make this router table impressive, but its main attraction is its fence. The 36” aluminum fence is self-squaring, making it easier to use. The two faces (infeed and outfeed) are split and independently adjustable, allowing you to adjust them right up to the router bit with almost zero clearance.

The table top for this unit is 1” thick MDF and measures 24”x 32”, giving you a large area to support your workpieces. The MDF is covered with a high-pressure laminate that resists dents and damage. Steel-enforced struts support this tabletop to help keep it flat.

Even the stand is designed to be easy to use. It is easily adjustable for heights from 31” to 39” and comes complete with levelers installed. The highly customizable router table has accessories like a precision router lift.

Rockler High-pressure Laminate Router Table

Rockler makes an excellent free-standing router table for a more reasonable price. The table is made of 1” thick MDF, covered with laminate, and measures 24”x 32”. T-slots in both the tabletop and the router fence allow you to add stops, clamps, feather boards, and a miter gauge.

Four different phenolic plates are offered for this router table, as well as two different blank plates, which you can drill to match your router if you have a router that doesn’t match up with any of the standard plates. The phenolic plate is low-friction, helping your workpiece glide easily over the table without hanging up. An eight-point leveling system allows you to fine-tune the height of the plate perfectly.

Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

If you’re looking for a benchtop router table, Bosch seems to have the best one around. Made with a cast aluminum table, you can ensure the top is smooth and level. There’s an aluminum plate to match, keeping the tabletop consistent. It is a benchtop unit with a respectable 27” x 27” table.

The fence on this particular router table is faced with MDF and backed up with an aluminum channel. So you get the strength and rigidity of the aluminum, along with the smoother surface that the MDF provides. It comes with two feather boards, which will be mounted on the T-slot in the fence of the one on the table. A 15-amp power switch is included, so you don’t have to reach for the switch on your router.