Benchtop Router Table Recommendations

[John Finley]

I am looking to buy a benchtop router table (very limited garage room). I have done some research and it looks like there are four choices out there that I should consider: Rockler, Benchdog, Veritas, and Kreg. I am now looking to get some first-hand suggestions from people who have used any of these (pros and cons). Also, are there any other tables that I am missing.

I am a hobby woodworker and really appreciate good tools but do not have a huge budget. Down the road, I plan to build a full size router table, but would like to get some experience using one before I invest the time and money in making a custom one. I currently own a Bosch 1617 as my only router and am not planning on buying a dedicated router for this benchtop table. Thanks for the help. -John

[glenn bradley]

A few folks have posted about the small Bench Dog or the Bosch setup. Have you considered just cutting a hole in your bench for the plate and dropping the router in? That way you wouldn't have to store the benchtop RT when not in use. If I couldn't make a TS extension RT work, this would be my next choice for space saving. If you do a lot of rough work you could make a filler plate to swap in and stash the router/plate under the bench where its safe while you work.

[Mark Smith, too]

I have the Bench Dog tabletop router table and like it a lot. It is solid, very well constructed, a very good fence, and the insert can be leveled fairly well (but there could be some improvements on that front). The one down side is that Bench Dog uses a smaller router mounting plate than seems to be standard on other router tables. This could limit some choices if you want to add a router lift later. Some come in the Bench Dog size and others do not. I'd give mine 4.5 stars out of 5. Since I haven't used the others you mentioned, I can't compare.

[John Finley]

As far as a TS extension, I only have a Rigid "contractors" TS, so I can't put on an extension. It is a nice thought though.

I plan to keep the router mounted to the table most of the time. The 1617 has the height adjustment through the bottom plate, so I think I will use that for now instead of a dedicated lift.

[Don Morris]

I've had the Rout R Lift and the Bench Dog. The Bench Dog is my choice because of it's ability to be leveled precisely. They have plates that can accomodate most of the the routers I know about. Bench Dog is very responsive to inquires too. Had questions to ask Jessem and their response time was terrible. Fact is, I'm going to put my old Rout R Lift in the sale section soon as I get around to take some photos of it. Wouldn't part with my Bench Dog. Haven't used any of the others.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

As far as a TS extension, I only have a Rigid "contractors" TS, so I can't put on an extension. It is a nice thought though.

I plan to keep the router mounted to the table most of the time. The 1617 has the height adjustment through the bottom plate, so I think I will use that for now instead of a dedicated lift.

I believe you can put a TS extension on that saw. Just take off one of the steel wings. It has a front and a back rail right?

[Chris Tsutsui]

Home depot has recently put the ryobi beginner bench RT on clearance for $10, normally $79.

I would buy that first, then think later. :) (though your mileage may vary if you can find one)

I know lowes sometimes has sales on the bosch, otherwise I probably would get it from amazon or something.