Build your first router table in just a few steps
Quick, minimal setup that gets you routing today—no complicated components needed.
Ask any accomplished carpenter which one, single discipline enabled them to elevate their work to a truly professional level. Odds are, many of them will say mastering the router table.
That's because truly professional edges, precise grooves and exact joinery require excellent control of your tools.
Where handheld routers can be unwieldy, with a router table you move the workpiece toward the router - and that makes all the difference in terms of control and repeatability.
A router table doesn't have to be costly or complicated
Nonetheless, many DIY woodworkers shy away from putting a router table in their shop. They may be intimidated by building one, unsure about its safe use, worried about costs - or about the amount of rooom it will take up in their workshop.
In reality, all you need to start is a working surface, a router and a router plate from sautershop. You can add and expand with other components at a later date, and as needed.
The cutout in a work surface.
With router plate insert.
With handheld router and other extras.
Step 1: Using a template to rout an exact cutout
For most, the hardest part of building a DIY routing table is cutting out an opening for the router plate. This kit from sautershop makes it easy:
A flush cutter
A cutout template
A leveling frame
With this set, there's no improvisation involved in making the perfect cutout.
Step 2: Insert the router plate set with router
If you already have a router at home, all you need to do is purchase a corresponding router plate from sautershop. If you're starting from scratch, these sets containing a router plate and router contain everything you need for a basic router table. These sets ensure:
that router plate and router are compatible
a quick start to your DIY router table
maximum freedom of design for your router table
Step 3: Expand for more precision and comfort
The more demanding your projects get, the more accessories you may want to add.
A router fence will improve reproducibility. A safety switch means you can turn the router on and off without crawling underneath the table. Featherboards, push blocks and a starter pin, increase precision, safety and control.
You don't need all these at once. Instead, you can expand your table as your own expectations grow.
Hybrid router tables: a viable alternative
If you already own a table saw from Bosch or DeWalt, a router table add-on compatible with these saws may be just the solution you''re looking for. Especially if space in your workshop is at a premium. We carry router table add-ons for:
Bosch GTS10XC table saws
DeWalt DWE7492 table saws
Frequently Asked Questions about DIY router tables
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