# Which router table to get



## stang8689 (Nov 22, 2011)

Hi everyone I am new to the forums and fairly new to routing. I took carpentry in high school 10 years ago but haven't touched a router since. I always loved wood working mainly doing household upgrades and such. I have decided to start building frames for sports jerseys, I want to make really nice frames. I just built a nice work bench that I built a stand for my table saw to make it flush with my bench to gain lots of cutting room. I have a bosch router, 1167 I believe 2.25 horse. I am looking for a nice router table in the $200 range, I will be building a stand that allows me to mount flush with my work bench as well to gain more table space so only looking at table tops now. I have 3 in mind, The 2 bosch's 1171 and 1181, and the Kregg 2000. I want something nice at a resonable price. What are your guys thoughts on what would be best for me. I am open to other suggestions and I am leaning toward the Bosch 1181 right now. Thanks for your help and I will be asking more questions as I try to learn


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## woodmanz (Oct 31, 2011)

How are you doing stang 8689.I didn't know much about the brand of router table,so I looked them up all nice and built by good companies.Check out acme company for prices first the generally beat there competitors plus free shipping and great delivery.I bought 17inch jet drill press all adjustments right on also my 10inch dewalt sliding compound. I use acme as a starting point. Hope this helps in some of your decisions.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Bobby, your timing is excellent since today forum member Joe placed a special price on his RT1000SE router table. Odds are you have seen an identical table on the NYW which Norm claims as his own. For $239 it is a pretty sweet deal, Joe posted he only has 6 available for this price. Your Bosch 1617 would be very happy in it. Depending on your location shipping costs are a big deciding factor. At the very least this is worth checking out. You will find a link in our Vendor Announcement forum near the bottom of our home page. Both Bosch and the Kreg tables are all decent products.


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## soltc (Apr 30, 2009)

I have the same router, and I got the Bosch 1181 Table for it.
I'm very satisfied with both.
I both 2 extra feather boards from Bosch (12.00 +).


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## stang8689 (Nov 22, 2011)

Glad to hear you like it, I watched a you tube video on top 10 router tables and the Bosch 1181 was #1. Any other input, how about the Craftsman tables?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Bobby, Thank you for mentioning that video. I had a good laugh at the ratings. Who decided this? Do you find it strange that 3 very popular tables were not even mentioned? I am speaking of the RT1000 tables and the copy of it Norm of the NYW made, the Router Workshop table(my favorite) and what is the biggest selling router table of all time, the Craftsman stamped steel. The ratings were not based on sales or the Craftsman would of won hands down even though it is an awful table. Not on value for your money or the Grizzly Presidents Special table for $106 would of won. I really wonder what the standards were for this?
Bobby, all the tables have one thing in common: you can rout with all of them. Beyond that it is a matter of choice. "Whistles and bells" tables with lots of T tracks and micro adjusters or the "Keep it simple" tables with no bling just practical efficiency. I am not a big fan of plastic router tables but if you like the Bosch 1181 you can save $50 by buying it from Sears in Black or a whole lot more by buying it in orange from Harbor Freight.(They are identical tables made in the same factory) I suggest you spend the time to read through the sticky thread "Wanted, pictures of your router table" and see what all is available.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Welcome, I have a nice table for sale with a few extras, make Ya a good deal need to sell due to space limits if interested send me a Private Message


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## stang8689 (Nov 22, 2011)

thanks I will look into all


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## Cheerful Charley (Jun 24, 2010)

*Very Workable Router Table*

Several years ago I built a New Yankee Workshop Router Table that has served me very well. I like the storage features for bits and router attachments, and especially the sawdust capture features, that seem suck-up 98% of the sawdust. I built it with decent castors so that I can move it into a aisle to route long stuff when necessary.


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## mantelmakers (Apr 14, 2007)

I bought one of those bosch table at HD about ten years ago. I had a small craftsman bench top and knew I needed a more substantial table. The one I bought came with a base to allow it to be a stand up,I liked the price and it seemed like a very stout table. WRONG! I mounted a 3 1/4 hp plunge router thinking I would do anything I like. I immediately noticed that my cope and stick joints were sloppy. Upon inspection I realized that the plastic plate was deflecting from the weight of the motor causing excessive tearout and incorrect joinery. I decreased the motor to a 2 1/4 but still had other issues. What at the time of purchase seemed like a stout table top actually caused scrathes in my wood. The insert rings never really seated very well. I finally decided to by a router lift to resolve many of my issues, when I purchased a Jessem masterlift, what thoguht were standard sized plates, apparently Bosch didn't get that memo becasue it didn't fit by a 1/4 inch.

Since then I have purchased a jointech phoenolic top for an incra wonderfence and use the master lift in it. The table configuration takes a lot of additional space and when routing profile edges on flat panel doors the narrow width causes problems. Also, it was very expensive. I also bought a jessem excel which was my favorite but the brass fitting on the lead screw have a limited life and very expensive. My last table was a homemade top and cabinet, MDF with plastic laminate and an aluminum miter chanel. very reasonable in cost and not too difficult to build. I initially used an PC890 with the base as a lift. But I found it to be difficult to lock without changing height amd replaced it with the masterlift. The 2 1/4 is a good option for motors. I should mention that I work part time at woodcraft and get to see alot of tools. Good luck and remember by your last tool first, it will be cheaper in the long run and you'll enjoy woodworking much more. Bob


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## kevinsullivan (May 7, 2011)

I just took deliver on and assembled the $106 table (top + stand for $130 delivered) from Grizzly. For a no-frills table, with steel stand, dust collection, usual tracks, etc. it seemed a real deal, relative to other products on the market (including the apparently identical MLCS top, which sells for more without the stand). Now that I've set it up, it continues to seem like a great deal. The stand isn't the last word in stability, and the included phenolic plate will soon be replaced, but, hey, for $100 it's hard to complain.


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