Well, my hubbie's birthday is coming up and I'm considering getting him a portable router table to go with his new router (that he doesn't know about). Our main uses for the table would be making window frames, cabinets, and putting some tongue and groves on wood flooring.
This all leads to my question, is a portable router stand sufficient or would a full size be better? Part of our problem is that the table would need to remain in WV when we travel back to MO. Depending on your answer, what brand/model do you prefer?
I found a small Craftsman router table at a pawnshop for $20. I don't have the model number but it's probably five years old. I've used it for long stock, making baseboards out of 1x4s for my rent property, and I didn't have any problem. You want to have something solid to screw it down to or you'll be pushing it all over the place. If the table moves you'll screw up your cut. You can get a portable for moving around and when you get somewhere that you have room to set up a shop you can build a bigger one. You can buy an insert to screw to your router and then build as big a table as your heart desires. Go to Barnes and Noble, if you have one where you're at, and page through the router books. Most of the ones I've looked through have plans to build your own table.
My "portable" router table is simply a 2' x 2' piece of good 1/2" plywood, with a hole cut near the center to mount the router. Then, clamp it to a solid table or bench, and clamp a fence at the right place and away you go. I use it about 50% of the time, because it will go anywhere easily. I have a fixed table that folds down, and is made out of an old table-saw top machined out to hold my big router.
Some of the projects mentioned are serious undertakings.
Just wondering about the size of the router that isn't. IE, how big a router bit will fit it, can it do the frame mouldings etc?
I have built my own from a 2x4 piece of 3/4 in. plywood. It has groves for movable fences and short legs so it can stand on a bench. It is also set up to fit into a workmate and be clamped into position. It's proven quite adaquate for the little I've used it but my router is only 1/4 in. and probably would not handle mouldings.
The sheet of plywood others have suggested would be far more cost effective and provide much more support than most small router tables. It would be really good for the flooring pieces as you could have 8ft. of support which is critical to good work.
I love routers. My other tools might be left on the benchtop, but each of my four routers has a special enclosed cabinet for safekeeping!
I made a few quick and dirty router tables, but really needed more precision than they offered. So for long stock I built a router insert into an eight foot workbench and put a nice fence on it. For most of my routing, however, I use a BenchDog ProTop portable with my Porter-Cable 3.25HP monster router in it. Great dust collection, phenomenal accuracy and ease of use. Highly recommended!
I usually use a scrap piece of OSB and make a new table every time I break out the router. I use a piece about the same size Egon does (2x4) and srew it down at the corners to a pair of sawhorses. Then I'll usually run a 2x4 underneath the front and back edges of the makshift table, from horse to horse. I use OSB because it is cheap and I can replace it everytime (I don't use it that often). That way, if the top gets a little warp in it, it doesn't matter. The larger table size makes it easier to run long/large stock. I've also got one of the little metal cheapie tables, but I don't like to use it, since the table top is so small (1x1?). The drawback to the larger table is that it holds more shavings and dust and needs cleaning a little more.
When making trim, I find it's easier to just leave the router attached to the top until all of the trim that I will need has been shaped. Otherwise it's hard to set the cutter head back at the same spot. The table with router attached can be removed from the sawhorses for storage just by pulling a few screws.
"None of the other tables priced under $200 seem worth the investment, in our opinion"
From "Router table Review" Wood Magazine March 2000.
This is the quote from my most recent Rockler Catalog in reference to their router table. I have looked at the table in the store and think maybe you should give my wife a call and remind her my birthday is comming up.
They also have a smaller table top model if portability is a big driver. The saleman at the store I frequent are woodworkers and very helpful. Whatever you decide make sure the router base fits the table insert. They sell universal adapters but I think universal means they fit everything poorly. Router Table
Good luck
I would be happy to give your wife a call esp. about the Rockler router table. I like the looks of it and the price. Do you happen to know if on the blank insert if you can drill your own holes? I'm assuming you can but would like confirmation.
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