Router table suggestions

[Ryan Eldridge]

Hi there everyone,

I have been looking at building a router table but then was thinking about maybe purchasing one.

I have a line on a used Bench Dog Protop Contractors router table for $135, it is in excellent almost unused condition. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19508

Or I was also thinking of getting a woodpecker table saw extension router table for the side of my unisaw.

I was wondering what you all think my be a good way to go.

So far I have mostly made cutting boards and some frames. My upcoming projects include a couple of coffee tables, a few new cabinets for my basement, and then after that I would like to maybe try a craftsman style rocker.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

[glenn bradley]

The price seems right but, what are you looking for in a table. The unit you show is a "job site" tool and a good one for that purpose. It is scaled along the lines of a job site table saw that one can easily carry from job to job. Sacrifices are made (small table surface, short fence, etc.) for portability but the trade off is worth it.

Since you mention a wing extension being a possibility I am pretty sure you are not looking for the compromise of a portable. I think you might find the portable unit limited pretty quickly. If your TS is stationary, I have found a hybrid between a wing extension with a cabinet built under it very satisfactory while taking up no additional room.

Shown here acting as an assembly table for a glue up :rolleyes::

105234

Router tables and our tastes in them are as varied as our members so you should get a lot of good info from folks in responses here. Factor it all in and benefit from others pluses and minuses. In the end I'll bet you'll decide on a good fit.

[Sonny Edmonds]

From what I can see it does not include a lift in that Rockler ad. :(
So I think you would have to buy the Pro lift to complete the table.
I don't like the other router lifts on the market. But then, I do not like aluminum anyway. It's good for air craft and beer cans IMNSHO.
Bench Dog makes some really high quality stuff for your shop. Have you looked over their site? (http://www.benchdog.com/products.cfm)
Check out the 40-031 to add on to your Unisaw (Non-left tilt). Sez it can be added to the far right though.
I have a Pro Lift I put into the side table of mine so it shares the out-feed table for the long stock I often run. And I made my own fence system that has the same 8TPI Acme type screw adjust-ability as the lift to dial things in.
I added two stations to this side table, the lift, and one I can drop in routers or a spindle sander into. Both are boxed in with dust collection to take care of the mess.

http://home.earthlink.net/~pie/images/new%20saw/rf5.jpg

I also added the T-track for miter use and feather boards.
They gave me two feather boards because I helped them with a minor production error I found and corrected in mine and reported to them so they could fix others before they shipped.
Never a moments regret about getting the Pro Lift. Good stuff! :)

[Paul Demetropoulos]

I have a Veritas (Lee Valley) steel top on a shop built cabinet. It has the disadvantage of no miter slot but is has its advantages . I like using my Grip-Tites on the router table and the steel top allows me to do that. I don't use the Veritas fence but have a shop built one that incorporates the steel plates Grip Tite makes. You can set the Grip-Tites so that your hand can't come in contact with the bit.

The Veritas top has a clever clamping system that makes swapping routers in and out really fast. This would be a major bonus for the shop that has only one router. Because the top is only 3/16 thick the base plate can stay on the router. The inserts they make are very fast to change and you can make zero clearance.

[Jeff Bratt]

Mine's here (http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejeffnann/WoodWorking/Shop/Shop.html#Router_Table_). In this thread - http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=99147 - Dewey collected threads with lots of pictures of Creeker's router tables. Many people make their own, and many people buy them, it's up to you...

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

Here's an an example of the table I just finished, using one of the now discontinued Rockler #1 tops. It's larger than the Bench Dog & I still feel cramped for space with it.
BTW - this design, the "twin towers" from Shop Notes, is also very lacking as far as the stability of the base is concerned.
It's nice and mobile, but it needs outriggers of some sort on the back to make it more stable.

[Ryan Eldridge]

Hey all thank you for the responses I think I am going to pass on the Protop it is a very good price but I think it might be a little small for my needs.

I might take this afternoon off and maybe look at putting a router table in the right side of my table saw top.

Thank you for pointing out some of the pluses and minuses so that i do not have to spend my money twice on this one.