Build your own table, and use a router lift in the top. Add a precision fence like an Incra and you'll be all set.

 

second that. If your new to woodworking, building jigs and stands and benches are skill building exercises. like the apprentice of old, to become a craftsman one of the tests were to build a toolbox and the master would grade/judge the workmanship to decide on advancement.And since it's a shop tool, beauty isn't a big deal and the wood you use is cheaper than the nice wood you'll use for projects. yes some on here build mahogany works of art work benches, that are nicer than the furniture in your house.but it doesn't need to be.
and if you google router tables every woodworking site has drawings plans for one.I would bet rockler,woodcraft has free plans for one.(they want/hope you to buy parts from them).

 

If you do not what to build your router table. Look at the RT1000 at RT1000.com

 

+1 on the RT1000.

 

Excalibur tables and lifts were rated best in a fine woodworking shoot out but are on the pricey side since the top is cast iron.

 

thanks for all the replies. FANTASTIC info and products i have not yet seen. man, that rt1000 is sure nice looking and sounds quite solid. i will give making my own table some thought. i have several door blanks (3' x 7' x 1 3/4") commercial, birch veneer) that may just work for that and i can weld or wood a table. i'll look at the costs of buying parts separately. john

 

...........I am looking very hard at the Milwaukee 5625-20 router for under the router table, but am open to suggestions there, too; there are several that look real good. That said, pls zap any recommendations for a quality router table. Thanks for helping me wade through the plethora of tables out there.

- jklingel

Something like this.

 

Brad - beautiful table. What is that lift>

Curious what everyone else thinks. I thought that the PC 7518 was the best table router you can buy. I am wrong about that?

I use an Incra master lift and it is perfect. Don't think there could be anything more precise or convenient than it. I would also like to build my own table some day. Using a Rockler Pro top now, it is fine, flat as you can expect. But a nice wood top would be beautiful and will be a fun project.

 

Build your own table and fence. Definitely worth the savings.
Double sided formica gives a lot of stability.

I cheaped out on my router lift (Router Raizer) and now I regret it.

 

When new, i bought a nice table, 24" x 32". Very good table, came with a very good fence. Then a few years later i went down the Incra fence path. I've had to add an extension off the back to mount the carriage-still nice but it's time to build something more along the line of Brad's set up.

Moral of that story-if you want accuracy and (more importantly) repeatability, Incra makes great stuff but it requres a footprint on the table top. If space and money are not issues-their big tops are sweet. You could still build your own cabinet to go under it, with storage.

You don't mention what types of projects you expect to work on, and you may not even know yet. As your hobby evolves, your wants will become needs that may or may not fit your prior wants.

I will say this, i've seen a few RT-1000's in person-their cabinets are first rate and look like great bank for the buck.

earl

 

Brad - beautiful table. What is that lift>

This is the Woodpecker PRL V2 router lift. A really nice bit of kit hooked up to my Milwaukee 5625-20.

Curious what everyone else thinks. I thought that the PC 7518 was the best table router you can buy. I am wrong about that?

The consensus in the router forums is that PC is no longer the company it once was. To be fair, most are not the companies they once were like Craftsman, DeWalt, etc. I think most agree that Bosch is the best among those in its price class. I use a Milwaukee and I am very pleased with it but I bought mine several years ago. Time does affect quality and it is hard to say if the Milwaukee made seven years ago is the same company.

I use an Incra master lift and it is perfect. Don t think there could be anything more precise or convenient than it. I would also like to build my own table some day. Using a Rockler Pro top now, it is fine, flat as you can expect. But a nice wood top would be beautiful and will be a fun project.

- BroncoBrian

Building your own table top is a fun project. You can buy templates to help you cut out the router lift and you can not go wrong with a couple of pieces of laminated birch and some melamine.

Good luck. Building your own does have its advantages.

 

++1 on the Incra. They make great fences!

The first table I made started to sag. The moral is to make sure that the top is thick enough to hold the router and lift for an extended length of time.

My second table had a top of 3 pieces of 3/4" MDF glued and screwed together. It is still in use and has never sagged.

My third table came from Sommerfeld tools as three pieces of extruded aluminum that fastened together. Others have had great results with this top but I could not get the three pieces to properly align. I won't buy another table top from them. (I do love their cabinet making bit sets)

When I replace one of the two tables, or get a larger workshop where I could have a third table, I will go with a steel or cast-iron top. I like the Mag-Jig magnetic system which would allow me to place jigs or featherboards wherever I want.

 

Welcome to LJs
As a woodworking instructor, I'm asked this question all the time. I agree with those who have said build your own.
Why build your own when you can afford any of the ready made router tables out there? There are a couple good reasons, the first being,building a router table is a great project for new to intermediate woodworker. You gain experience with design,cabinet making and the use of the tools necessary to produce a router table. You also get to have a design that is specialized for your use and location in your shop. Another issue I have with store-bought router tables is that they are too small for many projects. When you design and build your own router table you have bragging rights for an actual piece of equipment you have built in your shop. You can also design features that are not in store-bought router table.
If you build a router table and your not happy with it you can build another design or then buy a factory made table.
What new woodworkers don't always realize is that as time passes you will be upgrading and changing your shops layout and tools and equipment.
Good luck with what ever route you take.

 

Brad, thanks for the pics. That is beautiful.

As far as the companies moving manufacturing oversees, I don't think it is all bad. Too expensive to build a router in the US and I am not sure it would be that much better. If companies gave us options to pay for the level of precision we wanted that would be enough for me. For a motor that just has to spin fast for a long time, that PC is great. No vibration and easy speed selection.

Best advice for any router table: build it on a flat surface!

 

First, I really appreciate all the information and opinions, as mind boggling as they are, and the welcome. At this point, my tendency is to get that RT1000, or similar, and get going. I understand the concept of "build your own", as I've done that my whole life. But, I am presently burned out (finishing my second, and last, house right now) and I am impatient to just get to smaller projects for "house things" and gifts for grandkids, etc. If/when time and expertise arrives, Brad's table looks like an excellent way to go. If this RT1000 (or whatever I get) is quality, it will resell for good $$ when I replace it with a home-made one; the $$ loss is not of consideration right now. No, I am not in the Bill Gates/Warren Buffet club, but $100 really just means less for my kids. Time is beginning to become a more valuable commodity. My hunting buddy also does woodworking, so among him, magazines, youtube, and here, I am looking forward to a different way to pass the long winters; Fairbanks. cheers. john

 

If this RT1000 (or whatever I get) is quality, it will resell for good $$ when I replace it with a home-made one…

Don't count on it… you will generally lose 50% just by taking it out of the box.

Cheers,
Brad

 

Jessem top and lift, built my own cabinet. I purchased mine in 2008 and have yet to find something to complain about.

Jessem top- http://www.jessem.com/MAST-R-TOP.html

 

Brad: Yes, you sometimes take a hit on used stuff, sometimes not. It all depends on how hurting the cat doing the buying is.
Joey: Looks like a nice setup for sure, but it looks like $350-400 for the table top and fence. Are you using their lift? $729 for it? Wow. I could deal w/ the table and fence and will have to check about plates for a different lift. Thanks; more eye candy! BTW: Nasty review here, but who knows who the reveiwer is and their motive. http://www.jessemdirect.com/product_p/04010.htm j

 

J, one of our own LJs sells plans for one of the best router tables I've ever seen in terms of flexibility and ease of use. I bought the plans for my SIL and he built it himself. Mark55 is a clever designer and makes several plan sets available at his web site.

Good luck! and welcome to LJ1

DanK

 

i just built the one that Norm Abram's from New Yankee Workshop designed. I works great, the only thing I noticed was the fence doesn't slide as well as I like so I might redisign that sometime. One thing I noticed about the store bought router tables is that they all seem to have an open bottom which allows dust to fall through and go everywhere. The other problem with that is that they are a lot louder, I opened the door on mine while it was running and it amazed me how much that thin plastic door with holes driiled in it cut the noise.
Mike

 

I use a Jessem lift but not the $729 version. Mine is the rout r lift http://www.amazon.com/JessEm-02304-Rout-R-Lift-4-Inch-Milwaukee/dp/B00092CPUM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427599394&sr=8-2&keywords=jessem+rout+r+lift

I use a bench dog fence. If memory serves is was about $100 at the time.

 

Wow. More good choices and some really neat looking home-made stuff. Now to decide where to put the time and money. Thanks again. j

 

A question on table material. A snag is that this machine, like all of mine, will be sitting a good part of the time in a cold shop; that means as low as 40 below. My gut feeling is that a phenolic table would be suitable, and a cast iron table would be better. I have no idea what the cryogenic properties of phenolic are, and suspect that those temp changes may be a tad tough for MDF. Does anyone else have a cold shop that is heated intermittently? Thanks. john

 

A question on table material. A snag is that this machine, like all of mine, will be sitting a good part of the time in a cold shop; that means as low as 40 below. My gut feeling is that a phenolic table would be suitable, and a cast iron table would be better. I have no idea what the cryogenic properties of phenolic are, and suspect that those temp changes may be a tad tough for MDF. Does anyone else have a cold shop that is heated intermittently? Thanks. john

- jklingel

I do not have experience dealing with temp swings that large. My garage shop is only heated during use but the lowest inside temp is (guessing) around 30 F.

I would call the different companies that you are considering and ask them for advice. Explain to them your intended use and that the product will be exposed to huge fluctuations in temperature. I would think they can point you in a direction that fits your needs.

 

I vote . . . make your own router table.