How should I choose a router table? I’m planning to make trim and molding for a renovation at my house, but I really don’t know where to start when selecting a router table. There are so many to choose from, and the cost varies a lot. Can I make my own?
A router table is one of the most useful additions to any home workshop because it boosts safety and usefulness. There are many different kinds of router tables, but all work on the same idea. Instead of being used free-hand, the router is mounted upside down in the router table. You move the wood over the router instead of the router over the wood.
When I first started woodworking seriously in the early 1980s, you had to make your own router table to find a decent one, but that’s changed. Making your own table is still a great idea, but if you’d rather spend a little more money and a little less time getting to your woodworking projects sooner, there are lots of options for a purchased table.
One way to learn about router tables is to see what I use in my own shop. Check out my router table screencast:
Photo by Steve Maxwell
Steve Maxwell and his family have homesteaded on Manitoulin Island since 1985. You can visit Steve’s homestead online at Real Rural Life.
