See Our Comparison Chart Below With Links to Manuals, Reviews and The Websites

Hi – My name is Daniel Walker and this is my router table review. If you are wondering what qualifies me to write this review, I have over 20 years of experience working in the construction field. I have used, at one time or another, just about every tool that has ever been made.

I started out pushing a broom and carrying supplies, I am now a licensed general contractor. This review is written from hands on working not hypothetically speaking. If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me anytime, I usually will answer within 24 hours.

My contact information is support@routertablereviews.com

What I Know

I believe that for every home that has a shop then a router and table is a must have.  If you are a person that does home repairs, woodworking and improvements by themselves, then it is a must for you to have a router table.

If you have done house repairs before, then I’m sure you know how hard it is to cut  wood using a hand held plunge router or even a fixed router.  Precision wood cutting wood with any hand held is not exactly that easy, since it does not have stability and safety when making the finer cuts therefore it is next to impossible to cut a straight line let alone two or three in a row and at different depths.

Popularity

It’s a good thing that router tables are getting more popular these days.  A router table can have its own table or installed in any workbench.  It is equipped with a work surface.  This work surface offers a working space large enough for you to work on wood. 

This work surface is designed to be very flat, perfect for working on wood.  Aside from that work surfaces are also designed to have minimal friction to keep the wood from moving.I personally have built a huge extension on mine for large items and so have some other friends of mine.

If you are wondering where router tables can be fitted it really depends on the table itself.  However most of them are pre-drilled, specific routers for specific tables, you can mount any router to any router table very easily.

Facts

It is designed to hold the router in place, so instead of moving a handheld  over the piece of wood, you are actually doing it the other way around with a router table.  They are also highly flexible and adjustable to fit the different needs of your project. 

Aside from that, there are additional paraphernalia to hold the router table securely and minimize noise and vibration for a more convenient working environment.  Easy-to-use feather boards are also included with the purchase. It works very similar to a table saw.

They are also equipped with a saw dust port to gather the saw dust.  This makes your working environment cleaner and more hygienic.  There’s also no need to worry about decreased visibility as the work progresses thanks to the dust port.  This will not be achieved by simply using a router without the table.  There is decreased visibility and is pretty hard to clean the mess after wards let alone the crookedness you will get.

Common Usage

Some models come with a storage cabinet instead of just an open frame.  These cabinets are great for keeping all of your  accessories together such as:

• _{Router Bits}
  

• _{Wood Working Jigs}
  

• _{Push bar}
  

• _{Frequently Used Tools}
  

• _{Power Cords}
  

• _{Anything Else You Have}
  

This is much more convenient than hunting all of your stuff each time you use your router.  It really helps keep your work area nice and clean so that things are not just left all over the place. In one word – organization.

The Extras

Of course, the extras that you get with your router table can vary quite a bit depending on the manufacturer that you choose.  When you buy a router table the things that are included are usually the dust port, featherboards, mounting plates, router mounting hardware, and a fence. Jigs can be bought separately or you can make them to fit your specific cuts.

In my professional opinion a router table is a must-have for any home workshop period.  It is just as important as a table saw.  You can not expect to do the fine precision detail without this tool, you know the old saying "you are only as good as your tools". A router table will allow you to put those finishing touches on your wood working projects that give it your character. It like how a painter paints a picture.

Shipping & Assembly

They are not fully assembled when shipped.  It is very easy to put together, you might figure about 20 minutes from start to finish.  The most important aspect is the fence, you must make certain that it is square with the router. If it is out of square then you will cut deeper on one end than the other or you will cut wider than one end or the other. A simple 18" or longer T- square is all you need to get it exact and I highly stress that you take the to be sure it is exactly squared.

Conclusion

What I love about my router table, for example, the crown molding throughout my entire house is custom cut and no other home has its unique design.  My youngest son makes some really cool knick knacks that his wife sells at the local farmers market. For me, mine has paid for itself a 100 times over. After I bought my first router table I do not know how I ever made it with out it, I promise you will say the same thing. 

So if you have had your eyes on a good router table do not hesitate to buy it as long as you are going to use it.  It will be worth every penny you spend on it.  I have seen no other tool that can offer you as much as this can for its purpose.

It might be a little difficult to get the hang of using the it at first if you have never used one before.  Be sure to practice with an old piece of wood before you start on your good wood. Always remember to measure twice and cut once, another old saying that my Dad use to tell me when I was learning how use all of his tools in his wood working shop. I sure do miss him a lot, hard to believe he has been gone for 11 years now.

To see my Bench Dog Router Table Review Click here

Comparison Chart

 

1. All in all the Bench Dog offers the best features and durability for the price. If you are needing a router table in general then this is the one to get. The warranty is the best that there is so you just can not go wrong getting it, period.
2. If you are needing specialized, heavy duty and are going to run it all day every day then I would suggest the Grizzly .

This has nothing to do with a router or tools for that matter but it is one of the funniest videos I have ever seen so I wanted to share it with you. It is a talking dog.

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