Portable router table

[Ken Higginbotham]

I was thinking about getting a portable router table, the kind you clamp to workbench, and set it up as a dedicated finger joint rig. Any ideas or suggestions as to a good unit? I kind of like the Bosch unit...

[Rich Riddle]

The one thing I would warn you about is that some of the portable tables prove proprietary and demand you utilize their specific router. Some Craftsman tables demand a Craftsman router for instance. I know that Bosch indicates you need an adapter RA1186 to enable some routers to fit their table. Good luck finding that adapter.

[Bill Huber]

Do you really need it to be portable?

What are you using as the jig to make the joints?

I have the I box and use it on my router table and it works very well and does a great job. So for the price of a portable table you could get an I Box and not have to take up the bench space.

[John M Wilson]

I have the Bosch unit (model RA1181). No one will ever mistake it for a "real" Norm Abrams style router table (which I hope to build some day...) but it does what I need it to do until I build my own with all the bells & whistles.

There have been a couple of threads over the years about what folks need in a router table, and that ranges from a sheet of plywood with a hole in it to very customized and sophisticated pieces of precision equipment. From what I can tell, much of this depends on what you will do with the table and the router. I'm sure you will get many suggestions on this.

I haven't set up a finger joint rig on mine, but I have installed the Jessem roller guides, and I don't see any technical issues with the Bosch table that would prevent it.

My bottom line on the Bosch unit: very portable, decent fence, handles featherboards & other accessories just fine, and for me the convenience of buying something that I could use right away trumped the knowledge that I could build something far better, if I only had the time...

[Ken Higginbotham]

I just want a dedicated set up for box joints so I don't have to keep putting the dado blades on my table saw or hassle with setting up the router table. I'm looking at doing some production type work. I just saw a video on the IBOX and like it! I wonder if it would work ok with the Bosch RA1181 John referenced...

[Bill Huber]

I just want a dedicated set up for box joints so I don't have to keep putting the dado blades on my table saw or hassle with setting up the router table. I'm looking at doing some production type work. I just saw a video on the IBOX and like it! I wonder if it would work ok with the Bosch RA1181 John referenced...

I don't see why the I-Box would not work on the Bosch, it has a miter slot and once set up you can take it off and then put it right back on and still have the same cut, if using the same bit.

If you do a search on the I-Box you will find a lot of post on it and they are all good, I know I love mine and would not think of doing a box joint without it.

I have mine set up a little different then most do to the way my router table sets in the shop and it is hard to get the fence on an off so I made a different miter slot for it.

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/ibox