Dedicated Table Router

[glenn bradley]

I’ve been running a Milwaukee 5625 for almost 15 years. It never does anything but work. I run mine in a woodpecker PRL version one which is no longer available. There are many good lifts available today however. I did run the 5625 without the lift for quite some time. This is very serviceable but, like a lot of things in our hobby, somethings work and somethings work at another level :-)

[Jared Sankovich]

I have a 7518 in a jessem mast-r-lift II, but only use it for the odd jobs where one of my shapers don't work better.

[Alex Zeller]

I have the current Bosch 15a router. It came with both fixed and plunge bases. I needed it for a job and it works great but it has the trigger on one of the handles. Much nicer than having it on the top (or if mounted in a table bottom) when using it free hand. However it can't be mounted in a lift. I have a stand alone cast iron stand that has the fixed base mounted to it so all I need to do is slide the router out and put it in the plunge base when I need it. I don't have any plans to switch to a lift so it's fine for me.

[lowell holmes]

I have a Delta Series 2000 saw which has a long table on it. I mount my router in the table, but I don't leave it there when not in use.

I can use my fence or miter gage to feed wood into the router.

[Stephen Bandirola]

I'll jump on the Milwaukee 5625 band wagon, I use the wrench that came with it (way it came from the factory ie no aftermarket router lift) and while it may not be as smooth as an expensive router lift it works great.
And its never been underpowered.

Steve

[John McGovern]

The miter slots are in the main table, not the extensions.

Two additional questions, Frank.

If you are using the miter slot in the saw, you must stand in front of the saw and reach across, or stand on the side and reach over the router. Additionally, the miter slot is quite a distance from the router, no? What am I missing here?

And to all the others, your suggestions are good research for me!

Thanks to all.

John

[William A Johnston]

I had a table with the Porter Cable 7518. The bearings failed twice in as many years. I ended up purchasing a Woodpeckers aluminum router plate and a Triton 3 1/4 hp router that can be used as a lift along with the Rockler dust bucket. The dust bucket is fantastic. I do have a little extra room so I built the router into my table saw outfeed table.
Bill

[Carl Beckett]

I had a table with the Porter Cable 7518. The bearings failed twice in as many years.

!!!

I just replaced the bearings in mine, after what I thought was too little use.

[Jim Peck]

John,

I have a Triton MOF001 as a dedicated table router, and am happy with it. One advantage of the Triton is that it doesn't require a separate lift. At 2-1/4 HP, it's powerful enough for the things I do - but I've never attempted raised panel doors with it. Triton also has a larger (3-1/4 HP) model, the TRA001, that I'm sure would have the power you need, but I'm not sure about the size.

I have the TRA001. It is a beast (in the good sense). While beastliness might be a disadvantage for handheld use, for table use it is excellent. 3.25 Amps. Built-in lift with above-table control. It also has dust-collection hookup, which works fairly well. That said, it takes a small hose (1.25", I think), so you'd probably need to use a shopvac rather than a 4" or 6" DC system.

At about $350, it's a relative bargain compared to the price of a router with similar power plus a lift.

If I used the router for a living, maybe a dedicated lift would make more sense to me. But the Triton works well for my weekend warrior purposes.

[Jim Peck]

... A router that has been popular in table use is the Hitachi though I don't see those mentioned much.

I can't speak to anything substantive about Hitachi, but thought I'd post this as a public service annoucement of sorts. Hitachi's parent is Metabo and they are rebranding Hitachi tools with the Metabo name. I've seen Hitachi tools on clearance at Lowe's recently as this change takes place.

[Rich Aldrich]

I posted this and I saw a post I missed the first read through.

I put a 3-1/4 ho Triton in my router table. It uses the plung as a router lift. It comes with a crank handle that goes through the route mounting plate. It raises and locks the spindle do you only need one wrench and your free hand can hold the router bit while you tighten the collet. This thing was designed for a router table.
I don’t know if you have enough room but definitely something to consider.

[David Buchhauser]

I had a table with the Porter Cable 7518. The bearings failed twice in as many years. I ended up purchasing a Woodpeckers aluminum router plate and a Triton 3 1/4 hp router that can be used as a lift along with the Rockler dust bucket. The dust bucket is fantastic. I do have a little extra room so I built the router into my table saw outfeed table.
Bill

I also have the Rockler Dust Bucket on my table. I agree!! And quite a bargain as well. I use this in conjunction with a dust collection port mounted to the rear of the fence. The dust bucket has an adjustable intake to modulate the ratio of lower to upper vacuum.
David

[Jim Peck]

At about $350, it's a relative bargain compared to the price of a router with similar power plus a lift.

A correction to my post above: Street price of the big Triton is about $250, not $350. Apologies for the typo.

[jack duren]

I thought hitachi and Triton were cheaper options for router tables. I never heard how they held up over the years with heavy usage...

[Jim Peck]

I thought hitachi and Triton were cheaper options for router tables. I never heard how they held up over the years with heavy usage...

It's a fair question. While I'm pleased with my Triton, I haven't put it through heavy usage and have only had it about a year. I trust others with longer experience will be able to weigh in.

For me, as a hobbyist, I tried to weigh functionality (power, built-in lift mechanism) against what it would likely cost for a big Milwaukee, PC, etc. plus a lift. For someone using a tool on a daily basis such as a professional, the additional expense may be trivial over time.