# Router Table - Build your own vs. Buy



## BP-MI (Jan 2, 2016)

I am a beginner and have decided a router table would be a good addition to the arsenal of tools in my shop. I know a lot of people build their own. As a beginner, should I just buy a basic router table for ow and then build one down the road when my skills are a little more advanced or is building your own something a beginner can do?
Thanks.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

You can make a router table fairly easily. Search the site and you'll find many examples.

Welcome to the site!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*what do you want to do?*

If you build one you'll gain experience, not so if you buy one. Here's the deal on router tables... it's all about the insert which supports the router. 

The most basic tables have a small hole and the router base is screwed up from the bottom. The router will be difficult to adjust for height unless it has a separate height adjustment for above table top.... some do, some don't. A plunge base won't be easy to use under a table. A fixed base with a threaded height adjustment would be typical of a low cost solution.

There are insert plates in different sizes depending on who makes them. The plates are made from Lexan, or other hard plastic, or Aluminum., have adjusting screws in the corners to make them flush.
Here's some examples:
http://www.ptreeusa.com/rtr_router_plates.htm

Then there are router lifts which have their own plates and are the high end of router table set ups. The router lift makes adjusting the height so easy and accurate I wouldn't have mine any other way.

As you move up in features you also move up in cost. A router table fence does not need to be parallel to any edge of the table since the cutter is vertical and doesn't care, unlike a table saw blade. A low cost fence can be a simple board with a clearance hole for the bit and clamped or bolted to the table top.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I suggest you buy a router table top and build your own cabinet to mount it on. 
You can also build your own fence.


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## TerryQ (Apr 8, 2014)

I think it is a matter of priority. If you have plenty of time to research it and build it then do so, it is a chance to gain experience. But, if you have several projects in mind that you consider more important than a router table, buy the table and get working on those other projects.


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## BP-MI (Jan 2, 2016)

Thanks guys. I think I am just going to make one. The more I read/watch others make them, it doesn't seem too difficult to make a basic one. It looks to me like the key is selecting a router that will make the router table an efficient tool in the shop, especially one that allows for above the table bit changing and depth adjustment.


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## UnisawGuy (Jul 20, 2014)

Build your own.


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

Great advice from all previous posts. Hopefully in your "arsenal of tools" there is a table saw/circular saw and electric drill, which are IMO two of the main items to start most projects. Building your own router table will give you WW experience, and the table can always be improved/replaced if needed. Investing in a good name brand router - say PC or DeWalt, and a few better brand router bits would be a wise choice too. Plan your work, then work your plan, and be safe.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*make the table top tilt*

Put a hing and lock stops on the top so you can access the router motor easily and change the bits. Like these:


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

I have three home made router tables---an prefer them to any store bought ones that I have seen--

Over the years I have tossed together many job site router tables, using whatever flat plywood I could find on the job.

For your first table, build your own---that will tell you the features that you might want if you were to buy one--

I run a lot of long trim---so all my tables are 5 feet long---that is about as short as can be to support a long length of trim.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Ask a general question like that and you will get many different answers, all valid and it will certainly give lots to think about.

There is a vast range of tables you can buy, from flimsy pieces of future garage sale items to some very good products that will be a pleasure to work on.

What you need will depend on what you want to do with your router, for some it is the "go to" tool, used as often as possible even when a dado blade on a table saw, or another tool would do the same job. For others it is a tool that they use when there is really no other choice, they get along fine with only a basic one and a couple bits.

Personally I would buy a good table or build a good table to start with and go from there, either it will be all you need, or you can eventually throw a spare router on it and use it for a dedicated purpose once you have built that ultimate table for one of your many routers.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I had a craftsman table saw that went belly up so I gutted it and turned it into a router table. It has a large table with the miter gauge slots and when doing dado work you can just set the fence where you need it.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I suggest that since you are a beginner, make the table very simple. As time goes by, you can build a better one later on. 
Many people spend more money building a router table than buying a new shaper. 
My first router table was a simple box with the router mounted upside down. The fence was a long board the I clamped down in position with 2 small clamps. It worked just fine. 

Make a few projects for the home or friends and then you will know better as to how elaborate a router table you need. 

Everyone is different, I am one of those that just wants to jump in and start making stuff.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

As a novice woodworker, I wanted a router to help me do several projects. After bouncing around different ideas, I decided to build the cabinet bit buy a top. I budgeted and bought a WoodPecker phenolic top.

For the cabinet, I built this one using plans I purchased at Woodcraft. I think they were about $8-$10.


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## MEP1 (Aug 14, 2015)

I'll eventually build a router table with this:

http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/


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