We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.
This router table design is a composite of ideas I’ve seen and used over the years. What sets this router table apart from the others is the router carriage lift mechanism. It holds the router and controls the up-and-down adjustment without having to stand on your head or lift the whole top, carriage and router to change bits. All I need to do is open the top (it’s hinged on the back), grab my wrenches and go to it. I then flip the top down and I’m ready to go. It has proven its durability as I’ve used it for the past four years.
I’ve added detailed plans and instructions showing how to make the router carriage/lift and the table.
A few weeks ago I looked up, in my garage, and saw a bunch of 1×4×8′ yellow pine boards just collecting dust. (I recently moved into this house and learned that this wood has been in the garage for about 12 years.) It was my favorite price (free) and it’s definitely dry. So, this new router table has a raised-panel back and sides and matches my rolling tool chest (see Building the Perfect Tool Chest, project 6) that is made from old pallets. The hardware for this router table is available at any home improvement center or hardware store. The top and insert are available from a manufacturer (I’ve named the supplier in the parts list), but I’ve included the materials you’d need to make your own top.
With a router table, I recommend using a 3-hp router. It makes it easier to use large cutters, and the final cuts are smoother and cleaner than using a smaller-horsepower router.
When using a router table and a large horsepower router, you need to be aware of some safety concerns. What we’ve done is turn our router into a stationary power tool called a shaper. Any commercial woodworker who has used or been around a shaper will tell you it can be the most dangerous power tool in the shop. Shapers and routers spin at incredibly high speeds — the speeds vary from 5,000 to 20,000 rotations per minute. That’s more than 150 to well over 300 rotations per second. The speed at which things can be thrown from the cutters is about 100 miles per hour. None of us can think that fast. That’s why we use feather boards, push sticks and shrouds around the cutters to protect our fingers, hands, eyes and other body parts. Whenever I’m making a setup on the router table, I run through my mental checklist. Is the collet nut tight and the router bit secure? Is the fence set correctly and tightened down? Are other attachments securely in place? Then I run through it one more time — check twice before powering up.
These are photos of my original router table. It has served me well for the past 4 years, but it was time for a face lift and some drawer-space redesign.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
