Bring Routing to the Table

Technically speaking, a router table isn’t a “tool” in its own right. In fact, by itself it can’t do much of anything. However, once combined with a router, it turns that shop staple into a wholly different and more versatile kind of tool. Not only does your router still deliver the goods, but when mounted and properly accessorized, the combination of tool and table delivers a one-two punch that makes your wood-shaping tasks both easier and more productive, offering better results with more repeatability. You can even perform a lot of functions that simply aren’t practical or even possible for a handheld router, like edge-jointing or creating narrow moldings. Add the stability afforded by routing while the work-piece rests on a solid surface and being able to guide the workpiece with fences and featherboards, and even a no-frills router table provides a significant layer of safety for day-to-day routing tasks.

Handheld routers have often been described as the most useful single tool in the shop. They shape edges, cut dovetails, mortise hinges and more. But they can’t do everything. They can’t create molding profiles on narrow work-pieces, for example, or cut the slots for splines on box corners. And you don’t want to even try a paneled door frame; bits for cope-and-stick joinery are too big for