router table

Each of us has his own list of preferences and therefore, our own conceptions of how to go about finding the best router table within our budget. That said, there is a always a bare minimum that each table has to adhere to in order to be a value for money proposition and equally importantly, to ensure that cutting wood is not a life or limb threatening operation. Further, since many woodworkers are people looking to sell their handiwork, waste of wood through poor cuts, jamming and so on, can lead to severe monetary losses. Hence, while we shall leave the finer points to your discretion, we can provide a list of the key features of the best router table to help you make an educated decision.

Table Surface and Fence

1. Table Surface – Rigid and Durable

Expert woodworkers know that the rigidity of the surface is as important for getting maximum benefits of using a router table as the fence or the router itself. This is because if the surface is not rigid, heavy pieces of wood would bend it, thereby causing the fence, base plate and router bit to lose alignment with the surface. This would lead in awkward cuts and in some cases, no cut at all.

Second to rigidity is the durability of the surface. If a surface gets easily scratched and dented, wood would have to negotiate all the bumps and ruts on its way to the base plate and this would make cutting a much harder task.

Keeping these in mind, some users suggest that an iron tabletop is one of the key features of the best router table. However, iron tends to make the table heavy and unduly expensive. More value for money alternatives include MDF and Phenolic. Both these products are known for being highly durable and capable of sustaining high pressure blows (from falling pieces of wood, etc.) without sustaining dents or damage.

MDF surfaces generally come with a layer of high durability laminate to provide the smooth surface required for optimal functionality. Phenolic on the other had does not require such lamination as the surface itself is hard yet smooth.

Whether you go for MDF or phenolic-surfaced router tables, it is important to note that the material must be at least 1” thick in order to be durable.

2. Fence – Thin and Perfectly Shaped

Woodworkers learning how to build a router table most often build their own fence, even if they purchase other parts of the table (or the table itself) from the market. This is because the fence is nothing more than one or two pieces of wood connected – or sometimes kept separate – that ensures that the cutting piece moves in a straight line.

To this end, it is vital that the fence be of perfect dimensions. As a rule of thumb, most fences in the market have a height of 4” and a depth of 4-5”.The length of the fence of course would be the same as the table’s breadth. These dimensions, furthermore, must be strict and uniform since a misshapen fence will cause the wood to move in a diagonal, thus producing a non-uniform cut.

Further, as the dimensions suggest, the fence must also be quite thin compared to the space available on the table. This is because minute adjustments are best made using thin pieces of fence and moreover, a thin fence would allow for placing of spare wood, safety equipment and other units on the side of the table that is not being used.

Router Mounting Plate and Height Adjustments

Not to be confused with the base plate that sits on the top of the table, the mounting plate is basically a structure used to hold the router on the underside of the table. Most mounting plates come with either the table or the router itself. Now while most routers will fit into the average mounting plate, the compatibility of the table and plate cannot be taken for granted.

Ideally, the mounting plate must attach to the table without there being any space between the top surface of the plate and the table. Any space could be a sign of loose connectors and this may cause the plate to fall off due to the vibrations caused by the functioning of the router.

Further, as we mentioned while discussing how to maintain a router table, it is always good to have a mechanism that allows the height of the router to be adjusted without having to access the underside. Usually, this comes in the form of an additional hole through which a screwdriver can be inserted to raise and lower the cutting bit.

Table Height and Stability

One of the key features of the best router table is sufficient height, since an excessively low or excessively high table would force users to bend or arch their backs during operation. The good news is that even if the unit you are considering does not come with adequate height, you can raise or lower the height by replacing the stands or adding small pieces of wood between the stands (especially if they are made of wood themselves) and the table surface.

Note, however, that equally important is the question of stability. A wobbly table can never produce good cuts and can even lead to grave injuries. Prior to purchase (or construction), make sure that the legs are of equal height and are able to bear the weights involved. Due to such requirements, experts often suggest that units that are attachments to other woodworking tables, or those that come with folding legs, are not ideal for heavy cutting. Dedicated metal or hardboard legs, on the other hand, can provide the stability you are looking for, even if they take up more space and are on the costlier side.

Conclusion

While going through the above list of key features of the best router table, one may be struck by the absence of features like ideal bit size, base plate size and so on. We have omitted these because their choice depends on the current needs of the user and prescribing an ideal unit would be tantamount to restricting the creativity of the woodworker. Indeed, once you have made your purchase and have become familiar with the dynamics of the router table in general, you are free to make as many modifications to the above list as you like. Such modifications, however, must never compromise precision, durability and safety and it is our hope that this guide will help woodworking amateurs achieve these facets of woodworking regardless of the complexity of the task they are undertaking.

Ask the average woodworking enthusiast what the benefits of using a router table are, and he will most likely argue that router tables relieve the hands of the strain involved in holding a router table for long hours. While the most basic router table would provide little more than this benefit, the top rated router tables in the market today offer a lot more. While “lot more” varies from table to table, technology has created a number of features that, through gradual diffusion, have reached the majority of good products in the market. Below we’ve listed the most important of these benefits:

Precision and Speed

One of the major benefits of using a router table that most users realize only after they start using one is the high precision to be had from using a mounted router in a table setup, as opposed to a handheld router. While the actual precision of any machine depends on one’s knowledge of how to use a router table, it is true that unlike the handheld router, the cutting bit of the router table is fixed and allows the wood to pass along without itself being moved in any direction.

Such precision, furthermore, also allows for users to apply substantial pressure on the wood in situations where the vibration of the machine is causing the piece to shake and slide on the table. Applying similar pressure on either the wood or the router in a handheld router setup would inevitably result in the router knocked off course and this, in turn, resulting in a poor and irregular cut.

Precision, however, has yet another benefit – speed. Since the user doesn’t have to worry about the router going off course, he can move the piece of wood at a rapid pace and still obtain a decent cut. This can improve the output of the woodworker substantially.

Complex Cuts and Inlay Work

Handheld routers are primarily meant for cutting in straight lines or in geometric patterns. Hence, irregular pieces of wood or those involving complex patterns would require a fixed router bit that is capable of allowing the user to manoeuvre the wood to his liking without having to adjust the router in any way. Needless to say, the router table is the only way to achieve such a feat.

Indeed, many of the router tables come with special slots for pins to act as router markers for the pieces of wood, while a good number of those learning how to build a router table attach specific pins and wood pieces to customize the table surface according to the shapes of the wood pieces involved.

As a corollary, convenient handling of complex inlay work is also included among the benefits of using a router table. Inlay work, or cutting patterns within the wood piece (as opposed to along one edge) is a specialty of the plunge router. While plunge routers can be operated without the use of router tables, they most often require frames that are attached to router tables for stability and precision, thus making the router table a vital component of any project involving inlay work.

Depth of Cut

It is commonly assumed that the depth of the cut can be customized more easily if the router is handheld and not bogged down by a table. This may be true for simple cuts that allow for quick adjustment, provided the person using the router is highly experienced and knows the pros and cons of using say a ¼” bit as opposed to a ½” bit. In more complex situations, handling the handheld router again and again can become a difficult chore, even as the lack of precision causes the different bit depths to overlap and cause the edges to become jagged and uneven at places.

Router tables on the other hand, have a fixed, easily accessible bit assembly that lends itself to rapid modification. This makes choosing and modifying the depth of the cut easier, even for users who have been tasked with complex multi-depth cuts and/or have little experience in woodworking. Further, since all cuts have improved precision, the end result of a multi-depth cut is a piece of wood with well-defined and smooth edges.

Maintenance and Safety Enhanced

As we have shown while explaining how to maintain a router table, the maintenance procedures for the router table are among the simplest in the world of woodworking benches. Indeed, even router maintenance is made easier because the sawdust that would otherwise end up getting into the niches of the router is left on the table and only a small portion moves below the table and onto the router.

This is not to say that the router in a router table does not require maintenance, and it is often thought that because the router has to be removed from the mount, the process would be nothing short of tedious. In reality, a good part of the dust can be removed from the router by simply vacuuming the bit assembly (with bit itself removed) from the top of the table. This, coupled with the fact that actual removal and reattachment of the router is also simple should such procedures be required, make thorough router maintenance extremely simple.

Finally, it is well known that the stationary cutting bits are far safer than moving ones, regardless of the safety mechanisms of the cutting machine itself. This dictum applies especially to router tables because cutting with a handheld router requires one to apply pressure on the router and this can easily cause a mishap if adequate care is not taken. With a router table however, the danger of an exposed bit is never present because it is always sandwiched between the fence and the piece being cut.

Conclusion

While the benefits of using a router table may be many, it is important to remember that they can only be enjoyed through proper preparation and operation. For instance, if adequate care is not taken to avoid the sawdust and occasional splinter coming out the cutting bit, eye damage may occur despite the router table and the router itself having the best safety mechanisms possible. Further, as our router table reviews would show, the mode of operation and exact safety/maintenance specifics would vary and if these aren’t followed properly, damage and malfunction may occur. All considered however, the fact that features like easy mounting and the easily adjustable fixed router assembly have become common to virtually all good router tables means that the benefits outlined above would be applicable, partly if not wholly, to any good router table you purchase using our buying guides.

While there are a good number of high quality router tables in the market today, highly experienced and well-skilled woodworkers often find that the market is unable to provide them with a product that they can customize to their exact specifications. The only route open for such professionals is to build their own router table from scratch. Alternatively, folks may find that perfectly good pieces of wood lying around the house that would otherwise have to be thrown away. In such cases, learning how to build a router table is more economical than buying one. Regardless of which category you fall into, you’d be happy to know that constructing router tables – at least when they are basic ones – is a skill-intensive but not overtly difficult task and as we shall see below, can be completed in a few hours.

Materials Needed

1. Tabletop material: Hardwood measuring about 36”x26” or roughly 3’x2.15’, with about 1” extra on each side to compensate for error. Some folks prefer a larger size if they have to fit in huge pieces of wood or are using complex setups. Regardless of size, the wood should be 1” thick at the least and most importantly, perfectly flat.
2. Fence material: Softwood/featherboard of length equal to the breadth of the tabletopie 26” or 2.15’. Fence frames made of iron can be purchased from the market to provide better customizability. If frames are purchased, one should ensure that the frame’s length does not deviate from that of the table by more than 1-2”.
3. Stands: Unless the product is a latch-on variant, it would require a stand. As we noted while studying the key features of the best router table, stability is necessary for the ideal cut and so the stands must be stable and of equal height. Height of the stands can vary but ideally they should not raise the tabletop above the user’s waist level. Cast iron with rust-resistant coating is ideal for most situations.
4. Screws and bolts (depending on router variants to be used).
5. Drill and drill bits for cutting holes into the wood.
6. Forstner bit for widening the holes.
7. Ruler, protractor and pencil

Preparing the Tabletop

Estimated Completion Time : 45 min-1 hour

Any course dealing with how to build a router table must begin with the tabletop because it is on the tabletop that actual cutting occurs. To prepare the tabletop:

Preparing the Fence

Estimated Completion Time : 30 min – 1 hour

• Take the frame and place the piece of wood in it. It will likely be a little too big for the frame since provision has to be made for the thickness of the metal frame itself.
• Measure out the parts that would need to be cut to fit the wood into the frame.
• Cut out the pieces and try placing the wood in the frame again. Continue this process till the wood fits snugly.
• Take note of whether the frame requires a single wood piece or two. If a single piece is required, drill holes in appropriate places and screw the wood onto the frame, thus completing this phase of learning how to build a router table.
• If two pieces are required ie the unit is a split fence, you would need to take note of the sizes of each wood piece.
• Cut the pieces according to the size requirements.
• Most units have rails along which special washers can travel, allowing the wood pieces to be adjusted according to the cut. Take note of the size of the rails and drill washer holes into the wood accordingly. Attach washers on them.
• Fit the washer-embedded wood pieces onto the rails. Move them to the extremities to see if any resistance is encountered. Now move them to the middle and see if they touch completely. If both conditions are fulfilled, the split fence is ready for use. [/su_list]

Attaching Stands and the Router

Estimated Completion Time – 15-20 min

Conclusion

Once the router is secure, it is time to run a test of the unit and see whether all the benefits of using a router table – fast and accurate cutting, ability to carry out complex inlay work, etc. – are available. While such benefits would vary from build to build, it is true that the basic procedure we’ve outlined for learning how to build a router table is still capable of producing a unit that offers most benefits possible.