# Inexpensive router tables (??)



## WROB (Oct 24, 2004)

I have read on many forums the different kinds of router tables that can be purchased or built. Unfortunately, I have been very frustrated as the price is usually so much more than I (in my neophyte stage) would want to invest. Building my own is not an option. What about the very inexpensive Wolfcraft router table that sells for $99. I have the DW router kit just waiting for me to use. There has to be better alternatives for those of us at the beginner level. No?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

If you are going the economy route your best bet is to look at flea markets and garage sales. Often there are used tool resale shops where deals can be found but they change daily. Good luck!


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

I have the Wolfcraft table and find it to be adaquate for my my amatuer needs. I must warn you that it was a real pain in the arse to assemble though. I have the DW618pk and it mounted fairly easy without the generic plate they provided. Mounted it directly to the table with the screws that were in the base plate. I hope to build my own table after the holidays for the experience and have more flexibility of options.


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## g-man (Sep 10, 2004)

*Cheap router table*



WROB said:


> I have read on many forums the different kinds of router tables that can be purchased or built. Unfortunately, I have been very frustrated as the price is usually so much more than I (in my neophyte stage) would want to invest. Building my own is not an option. What about the very inexpensive Wolfcraft router table that sells for $99. I have the DW router kit just waiting for me to use. There has to be better alternatives for those of us at the beginner level. No?



If I wanted to build another router table and cost for me is a factor, I would go to garage sales or second hand kitchen cabinet suppliers and use an old cabinet and put a top on it made from a counter top. If you have the knowledge you can buy a router plate. Carefully rout out the opening for the plate. What I did was rout out the underside of the top of my table just enough to screw the router in from the top,took the baseplate off the router and bored a hole in the center of the table for the bit to come through. 

g-man


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## Steveanson (Nov 10, 2004)

I made my router table out of a garage sale wheeled microwave cart. This cart has one drawer, and cabinet space on the bottom. A perfect starter platform.

I cut off the elevated microwave portion, removed the fiberboard top, reinforced the inside with 1 X 2 furing strips and replaced the top with 3/4" MDF. The MDF top is also hinged on the back, for easier router access.

At first, I just mounted the router to the bottom of the MDF, and bought a well used delta fence. This worked, mmm, ok for a while, but whenever I had a little extra money, I would upgrade the top. It now has a Rockler router plate, and a used freud fence that I bought off of ebay. Lastly, I mounted a dial guage behind the fence, and now have what I feel is the perfect router table for me. None of the parts for this project, broke the bank, and with a little patience, I think anyone could assemble a similar very accurate yet low cost table. Matt


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## Peg Leg (Jan 3, 2005)

Building your own is not an option. Sounds like you really don't need a router table.

Cheap - I bought counter top sink cut outs for $2 each. Route out an opening for the plate and cut one into strips for a fence, L-shaped one strip for the base glued and screwed to another for the face and a few gussets for strenght.


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## FordPrefect (Sep 24, 2004)

My first table was a scrap of counter top attached to a three sided 2x8 base (also scraps) on scrap 2x4 legs and an MDF fence. I did buy a retail plate for it (big mistake $50!), I should have bought a phenolic sheet ($20 to make a plate) and that would have cut the cost of my table by 3/5!


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

My first table was a sink cut out (lovely granite color, very nice) but the table was a little small. My next table was the extension wing of my table saw, but the top was even smaller. My next table was too big and too fancy, so I switched to just the router workshop table and plate dropped onto a steel cart that came from a department store. The cart is about twice as deep as the oak-park table so I mounted a piece of MDF on the extra space. This I use as a cutting surface for above the table work, and replace when necessary. I also am able to clamp my shop vac floor nozzle underneath the table at the joint (which was purposely left to allow clamping of my fence), and it collects a ton of sawdust as I cut.

In short, simple and cheap works very well. Plus having it on locking casters makes it easy to move around the shop to get out of the way.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

I saw a skil router and table combo at lowe's in December for just 89.00 check it out. I know what you are going through I'm in the market to up grade my router table and they are some pretty high price stuff. I am a little afraid to build my own not enough skill to build my own yet.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Glenmore, router tables are not a demanding project. You can do it! We all make mistakes from time to time. This is a good skill bulding project. Go for it!


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## fredsintheshop (Sep 10, 2004)

My router table consists of the following...

Table: Sink cutout from kitchen cabinets
Insert: Square of scrap melamine. Router screwed to it, then plunge bit through.
Base: Black and Decker Workmate.
Fence: Anything straight that I can clamp to it.

I screwed two 2X4 scraps to the bottom of the Sink Cutout so that It would clamp into the workmate. I then routed the melamine insert and the sink cuttout so the insert would sit flush in the table.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Yes I know I intend to just not confident enough yet. Still bad excuse. It is coming up this summer though. Thanks for the incuragement.


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## Exboss (Sep 24, 2004)

I went to a cabinet shop and they "gave" me a sink cutout for the top. I cut it 16"x30". I had just purchased a new PC895 router and along with it came a CD with the plans to "The Router Workshop" table. I used Baltic Birch 9 Ply plywood for the cabinet structure. Purchase the Oak Park 11'x11' base plate and mount your router. Make up the top first, clamp it to a work bench and use it to make your cuts. It is a well built table and with the base plate cost less than $50.


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## Learning Herb (Sep 11, 2004)

Rockler has about the best table for the best price. I have one and it is great and for $75.99 you cant go wrong.After I had it for about a month I built a cabinet for it just like the one in there book. It sells for $69.99.I think I built mine for about $20.00 bucks.If you want to look at it here is the site, www.rockler.com. It is a very nice table.
Learning Herb


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## reds_21 (Dec 24, 2004)

heres another question about router tables............i am a real BEGINNER to wood working and i bought the 1 1/2 hp craftsman router to get me started. when i bought it, it came with the router table and router for 100 bucks. i have found out the first disadvantage of it!!!! when it comes to changing out the bit, i have to take off the three mounting screws that attach it to the table just to do it, one of these times the screw driver is gonna slip and strip the head of one of the screws, then im in real trouble,,,it's a pain in the rear. now, i took a trip up to the columbus wood working show yesterday and saw a lot of router table where the top plate comes off and on without haveing to take any screws out. i thought it was pretty slick but for the table with the plate it was anywhere from 150-300 dollars. now heres my question. is there anything that i can do to the craftsman router table to have a place for a plate? the table top isn't very big so im limited to size. if possible i'd like to use the table i have with the fence and mitre gauge etc.... any suggestions? i am noting how you guys keep mentioning building our own BUT if possible, i'd like to use what i have if possible.

any help would be appreciated!!

reds_21
shawn


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Shawn, This is what got me a negative feedback from one of my first responses. The Craftsman tables are a pain. I own one of the early ones, identical to the Black & Decker version. It has cast ribs on the surface which make it difficult to work with small pieces, the fence fastened down with regular wing nuts that were at best difficult to get tight enough to make a difference. No dust collection or bit guard on mine either. I made my own fence which I clamped on the table, added a dust collection port for a shop vac. It is useable but rarely gets any action. Now that I have finished my rant, here are some suggestions for you. First, replace your mounting screws with flat head hex screws. They are hardened, no more worries about stripping the sloted soft screws. Just take one of your screws to your hardware store and match it up. As far as converting your table to use a mounting plate, I'm afraid that is a losing cause. By the time you got done paying somebody to machine the cast top to accept a plate, you would of spent more money than the cost of building a new table, and weakened the table considerably. Most of these tables are 7/16" thick. Mounting plates are as a rule at least 1/4". You would end up with a 3/16" lip to support the router plate, and removed most of the rigidity. If your table is one with a sheet metal top you would end up having to screw the mounting plate to the table to keep it rigid enough so the table wouldn't flex. That defeats the purpose of using the mounting plate. All of that said, lets look at ways to make good use of your table as it is.
When you are ready to change your bit, the first step is to lower the router all the way. Lock the shaft, you should have enough room to loosen the collet and remove the bit. When you try pushing small pieces across one of the cast tables they dont always move smoothly. To get around this do what so many people have done for their table saw, build a sled. Use a piece of baltic birch 1/4" plywood for the base. Cut a piece of wood to fit in your miter slot and glue it to the bottom of the plywood. Glue a piece of 1"x2" to the right side of your plywood to act as a push block/fence. Now you can easily move small pieces with good support. If you need more details on how to do this let me know.


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## Maurice (Sep 24, 2004)

For an inexpensive, all purpose, do almost anything router table.
Check out The design of Bob & Rick Rosenthal's table.
You can get the dimensions and build your own or see www.oakpark.com
for a ready made top.


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## reible (Sep 10, 2004)

reds_21 said:


> heres another question about router tables............i am a real BEGINNER to wood working and i bought the 1 1/2 hp craftsman router to get me started. when i bought it, it came with the router table and router for 100 bucks. i have found out the first disadvantage of it!!!! when it comes to changing out the bit, i have to take off the three mounting screws that attach it to the table just to do it, one of these times the screw driver is gonna slip and strip the head of one of the screws, then im in real trouble,,,it's a pain in the rear.
> 
> You should beable to replace bits without taking the router off the table. You might have to do as was said lower the router as far as it goes and if you have a plastic chip guard on the router that can come off, take it off it give you a lot more room to work in. I too have a small table from mid to late 70's and it was my only table for a lot of years and trust me it will work for you, maybe not as nice as another table but it will work.
> 
> ...


 After using the table for a while you can find all the things you don't like then look for a table that is more to your liking or make your own....

I still have the old table and it has a lot of memories..... working around the limitations of the tools you own is one of the things I like about woodworking. After all what fun would it be if you just sat the wood on a converyer belt and pushed a botton and it popped out finished on the other end..... you might as well have gone to the store and bought it.

Ed


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## Learning Herb (Sep 11, 2004)

I got mine from Rockler For $75.99 and it is great. I all so built a cabinet for under it ,Rockler sell them for $69.99 bucks but it just as easy to build one..
Learning Herb


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## Chipper (Feb 14, 2005)

I have to agree with the other post. Don't understand why you are hesitant to build your own router table. Your 1st table doesn't need to be a Norm special. Besides you need a router table to build that one. I started with the junkie sears one talked about above, then got their better table, still wasn't happy. Build one into my 6 ft table saw ext. Just finished the Ex-ex ultimate router table this week. 26" x48" all the bells and lights. Double fences. Maple and Cherry, with storage for 200 router bits. 
The little plastic and tin ones will work, but once you have used a solid table, you will understand why there are so many of those on ebay!
Do a Google search for "router table" you will find photos of home built tables of all levels. The sink cut-outs work well but may be a little small, unless you can get a double type. They are usually free! The Corian ones are great and can be had for $5.00. I pick those up all the time, I find a lot uses for them. I saw one made from pallet wood, looked useful. So give it a try, What's the worst that can happen, you made some firewood, and start over. No one will know. Just be safe!!!
Chipper


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## presumed_druid (Jan 24, 2005)

Allthough I had some experience with routers, the first project I made when I got my own was to build a table. I was lucky enough to have gotten some large "scraps" of laminate covered 3/4" ply that would serve as the top from an industrial renovation job. 

What I did first was cut a rectanglular piece (about 8" by 12") to serve as my mounting plate. The material was thick enough that it would limit the depth of cut I could achieve, so I removed some material with a spiral cutter in the shape of my router's base plate. I left 3/8" of material to ensure rigidity. The router fit snugly into the recess I'd made, so I had to be careful drilling the holes that mounted the plate to the router. 

Once I had the router mounted, I took a piece of the same material and cut a slightly undersized hole in it with my jigsaw. Then I trimmed this hole (with the same spiral bit) using a clamped on fence (another piece of the same material that still had a factory edge) so that the fit between the mounting plate and the hole was snug. Being novice, I should have used a stop. Well, I did, but not on the first side!

Next, I used a second piece the same size (length and width... but only 5/8" thick because that is what I had) as the top and cut a hole in it that was big enough for my router to pass through. I fastened this bottom piece to the cabinet, then I glued and screwed (from the bottom!) the two pieces together. 

With the mounting plate secured to the router, I simply drop it into the table and it bottoms out on the bottom piece. With the material of the top and the plate being exactly the same, I end up with a nice flush surface. Taking the router out to change bits is extremely easy. So far it has worked great and is totally rock solid. I've saved enough of the material so that if the plate ever becomes sloppy in the hole that I can make a new one.

I still need to edge the top (to reduce any movement from moisture), and I may use some mahogany for it that I've reclaimed from a pallet. I also need to build a proper fence and plough a miter-gauge slot. I'm fairly sure of my fence design, but does anyone have any comments on putting the miter slot in?

Admittedly I lucked out on the materials... I built the table for exactly $0.00 unless you count the gas I used going back and forth to the construction site (I went several times and sometimes came back with nothing more than firewood) and the hardware and the leftovers for the cabinet. I've admitted it on the forums before... I tend to be cheap.

You could make a top in the same way using the sink cutouts for very cheap too.

A good (free!) source for finding plans for router tables is www.woodworkersworkshop.com

It also has tons of other projects. 

I hope someone gets some use out of this post.


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## JCouch (Feb 16, 2005)

I am new to the forum, but am an avid woodworker. First, a router table, for me, is indispensible. A decent table can be built from a couple of 2x4s and a piece of scrap formica counter top scrounged from a 'friendly' local cabinet shop. It doesn't have to be pretty to be useful. Most cabinet shops have excess pieces of counter top laying around that will work for your top. Most will either give them to you or charge a nominal price. I paid 2 dollars for a piece big enough to make a 42" x 24" top made of white formica already mounted on particle board. Or you can get a piece of formica and contact cement it to double layerd 3/4" MDF, which is extremely flat and stable. Build a support stand from a couple of 2x4s, mount the top, mount your router from underside, and you can have a crude table for under $20 or $30. Of course depth adjustments and changing bits will be a pain, but most 'cheap' tables you buy are like this. I built one like this many years ago and it served me well. I eventually made my own removable router mounting plate out of 1/2 birch plywood, modified the top to accept the plate, and that made things a little easier.

But I found a plan for a home built depth adjustment mechanism which mounts to the back of a table, uses a separate hinged top, making depth adjustments and bit changes a snap. The depth adjustment mechanism did require a few 'bought' components, but they were easily found, and I ended up having less than $75 in parts and the new table I built is the easiest 'cheap home built' tables I've seen to change bits and router bit height. My fence is simply two pieces of 1x4 solid oak glued together perpendicular to each other, run through a joiner to insure true flatness, and I use c-clamps to mount the fence to the table. It's not pretty, but is a snap to use and works great.I would be glad to share pictures of my table with anyone interested in seeing what I'm currently using and email the plans for the depth adjustment mechanism. I use a Dewalt 2.5hp 1/2 or 1/4 shank router and have yet to run into a problem with my table, and the ease in changing heights and bits make it more enjoyable to use. Total cost was around $100 for my table and, even though it's not as pretty as Norm's, I 
think it is just as useful.

EDIT to add additional info: I will add that to change bits, I simply raise the hinged top, prop it up, and I have easy access to the router. Height adjustments are made from the top with a socket wrench. I can change the height of the bit by simply turning the socket wrench.


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

i would love to see your table.

regards 
jerry


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## JCouch (Feb 16, 2005)

*Image on my web site*

I've put some pictures and other instructions out on my personal web space. 

router lift mechanism

You should see everthing you need.


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## OldGuy101 (Feb 21, 2005)

Checked Rocklers site but couldn't find the table (maybe the price has gone up). Anyone have a link/part number for this table?

Thanks
OldGuy



Learning Herb said:


> Rockler has about the best table for the best price. I have one and it is great and for $75.99 you cant go wrong.After I had it for about a month I built a cabinet for it just like the one in there book. It sells for $69.99.I think I built mine for about $20.00 bucks.If you want to look at it here is the site, www.rockler.com. It is a very nice table.
> Learning Herb


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Old guy, the best deal going for an inexpensive router table is the Craftsman 26609. This table is identical to the model 26608 shown in this picture.
This is a special package deal including the table, a 10 piece bit set and a worklight. This table sold for $199.99 and is on clearance in the US for $47.97. You may have to visit several Sears stores to find one of these packages.


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## Grumpy Old Bill (Sep 1, 2006)

I got my Ryobi router and table as a package at HD for $99.00. It has worked well for me for a couple of years now. 

Grumpy Old Bill


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

WROB said:


> I have read on many forums the different kinds of router tables that can be purchased or built. Unfortunately, I have been very frustrated as the price is usually so much more than I (in my neophyte stage) would want to invest. Building my own is not an option. What about the very inexpensive Wolfcraft router table that sells for $99. I have the DW router kit just waiting for me to use. There has to be better alternatives for those of us at the beginner level. No?


WROB,

Buy the Wolfcraft/Skil/Sears unit and use it for a while. After that, figure out what you like or hate about the unit and modify, or replace, as necessary. This isn't rocket science or a life changing decision.

I hated the deep grooves in my cheap Skil table, but I cut a lot of molding for my kitchen and basement renovations on that lowly tool. It worked, I learned and moved on.

TTG


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