Should I Get A Router Table?

[fjl]

Like the topic title says, should I get a router table? Will this make building the parts easier? Or will it just serve as an unnecessary luxury? I've never even used a router before so I'm not sure how good I will be so perhaps a router table will ease things for a noob like me and prevent me from having heaps of scrap wood.

What do you guys think? 

[Rusty]

What do you plan on doing with the router?  I'm assuming t-molding slots and joystick inlays on a control panel.  What else?

Those can be done fairly well without a table.  Actually, a table would probably be less useful for that stuff.

[ScottS]

I agree with Rusty: if you're just going to build cabinets, you really don't need a router table.

A router table is useful for making precise cuts on smaller pieces. So, if you want to make "cope and stick" frames for (kitchen) cabinet doors, or raised panels for doors or room screens, you'd use a router table. It also works well for making (kitchen) cabinet drawers... if you don't use a dovetail jig. And it's also good for some kinds of decorative moldings.

None of that stuff really applies to an arcade cabinet, however.

[ChadTower]

I'm probably going to keep an eye out for one on craigslist but don't have any plans to spend a ton on one in the near future.

[ScottS]

If you decide you need a router table, I'd suggest building your own rather than buying a pre-made table. There are tons of plans available! Building your own table is a great way to get exactly what you need and it's also good woodworking experience. If you can build an arcade cabinet, you shouldn't have any problems  building a router table. The plans from the New Yankee Workshop seem to be pretty popular...

[ChadTower]

I could definitely go for a small one that folds up when not in use.

[Rusty]

I could definitely go for a small one that folds up when not in use.

If you're looking to build a small fold up table, check issue #45 of ShopNotes.  They built a pretty nice one.

There are also some plans for a very small, simple benchtop table in Hylton's Woodworking with the Router (page 57).

[NiteWalker]

Yes you definitely want a router table. The main reason being it's safer for a lot of routing operations. 90% of all routing can be done with a table mounted router. My only gripe with a router table is that I didn't build one sooner. Router tables are not hard to build and I highly recommend building over buying. You can then take the $100 or so saved and use it for whatever else. If you can build a box you can build a router table. It also doesn't have to be a standalone. It can be a tablesaw extension. That's a good method if your work area is short on space.

Some of the applications I use my router table for:
- I use it a lot for cutting dadoes and rabbets on workpieces. Very useful if you don't have a dado set for the tablesaw. I do but when I use the full stack it trips the breaker sometimes, so anything bigger than a 1/2" cut gets done on the router table.
- Probably what I use it for most often is flush trimming with templates. Normally I'd stick the template to the workpiece with double sided tape and clamp it to the bench and trim where I could. Then I'd stop everything, move the clamps and finish up. On the router table I'd just have to double stick the pieces together. It's a bit easier too.
- T-molding slots on the single player panels I build are done much easier on the router table. There's much more bearing surface for the work to rest on. Spacies' video on slot cutting demonstrated that.

I highly highly recommend building a router table over buying one. You can literally build one for less than $25.
I have a lot of router table PDF plans so anyone interested, just PM me.

@Scott: I love the NYW deluxe router station plans. That will be one of my future projects.

[DrewKaree]

If you're considering buying a router table for cab use, it will more than likely be a waste (although that is not to say you shouldn't get one).

What you'll be using your router for on your cab:

T-molding groove
flush-panel bit to create an exact match for cab sides
perhaps some small marquee work
Joystick/button holes


For everything EXCEPT the possible marquee work, a router table will be more of a PITA than anything else.  You're simply NOT going to be able to manage 2 sheets of material on a router table when trying to make identical sides, so no dice there.

Same principle when referring to the t-molding groove - more cumbersome than it'll be worth.

Joystick/button holes - you're better off drilling them or using a jig with your router - a jig for this use isn't going to work any better with a router table than freehand, but it very well may end up working WORSE.

That leaves some marquee work (or perhaps some brace work for a monitor or what have you).  Those will be small pieces, and will be far easier to deal with on a table than freehand.  Freehand, those pieces could actually turn into a nad-crusher/remover.  Seems that L-bracket or U-channel is used for most marquee work though, so unless you're wanting to make an all-wood cab, you won't even need the router table for THAT!

IF you think you're going to want one for projects in the future, BUILD YOUR OWN!  Cheap ones are small and lacking in features, which makes them a waste of money IMO.  Larger ones are far more expensive and CAN be worth it, but if you're asking this question, odds are good you need to do A LOT more router work to know what you're looking for in one of these types of tables.  Also, many of the tables you can buy can be built for about the same amount in basic workable materials, with gadgets and geegaws adding a small amount to that price - building it makes it possible to customize it to YOUR use, something that's not practical or even possible with store-bought tables.  Finally, many cheap table manufacturers (the type you're more than likely looking at due to cost) skimp and save money by having an "open" table - kind of a "spider web" table further away from the bit.  Something that not only is annoying (looks cheap IMO), but can be EXTREMELY unsafe if you catch your material on an edge of that spiderweb or a piece gets trapped in there, making your routing process more difficult than it needs to be.

Build your own table if you want one, and build it before you start your cab.  It's a small enough project that'll give you confidence going ahead with your cab.

[Timoe]

I built an overly complicated little one with all sorts of bells and whistles.

I'm going to rebuild a much simpler, larger one some day.