Router tables

[Bill Fields]

Looking to upgrade my ancient Sears sheet metal router table to something more serious.

I have a new Sears (tiny) combo fixed/plunge router (about $100) that seems Ok for light duty, and a newly acquired Chinese copy of a Makita 3hp plunge router that is powerful indeed--Harbor Freight--$80. Definitely NOT a Porter Cable -but basically OK.
BTW--not knocking the little Sears thing--it cuts dovetails and roundover edges in oak w/o whining at all.

HF has a 96# table that looks OK, and Rockler has a "heavy router" price on their nice package for $180.

Anyone with experince in this??

Thanks--

Bill

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Bill Welcome to SMC! You have joined a great forum! I truely hope that you enjoy your time on SMC.

As far as router tables go, the ones that I have liked the best are the ones that people have built. It just seems like you can't really buy a good router table, you have to make one. A lot of people like norms design, that is the one that I am planning on building.

Good luck!

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to SMC! A good place to hang out.

Like Jeff, I favor shop-built router tables for a number of reasons: 1) You're a woodworker and projects like that are great skill builders 2) you'll get more for your money and most importantly, 3) your table can be exactly to your needs rather than to someone else's idea about how a router table should be set up. By example, that last one was important to me...I prefer a larger table surface and most of the commercial units are only 32" wide. I wanted a minimum of 36" wide and 24" deep since I also use it for other purposes. Am I totally please with everything about my present table (the second one I've built)? No. There are some things I'll do "better" or "different" the next time, not because what I have is bad, but because I've learned more about how I use the thing and also have better skills than I did when I built the current one.