The Best Router Table Reviews & Buying Guide

A router table holds your router upside down under a flat top, with the bit sticking up through an insert plate. You move the wood past the bit instead of moving the router over the wood.

That frees both hands to guide the stock against the fence, which makes edge profiles, grooves and small parts easier and safer to rout. Here are the tables worth a look and what to check before you buy.

Best Router Table Reviews

1.Kreg Professional

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This floor-standing system pairs an MDF top with a precise aluminum fence and a dust port behind the bit. MDF is not the hardest top material, but it is heavy and damps vibration.

The fence faces adjust independently, so you can offset the outfeed face and use the table as a small jointer. It is a strong, sturdy table for a home shop.

2. Jessem

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JessEm's complete system includes the Mast-R-Lift Excel II router lift, which raises and lowers the router from above the table. It fits common cylindrical router motors.

The top is phenolic, with an extruded aluminum miter track and T-track, and the aluminum fence has adjustable faces. A steel stand with upper and lower stretchers keeps it rigid. The trade-off is price: it costs well above the other tables here.

3. Kreg PRS2100

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This benchtop table gives you many full-size features in a portable package. Its 16 x 24-inch top is edge-banded particle core with Kreg's low-friction Easy-Slide surface.

It uses a heavy-duty 3/8-inch insert plate with precision levelers, an aluminum miter slot, and an anodized aluminum fence with adjustable faces for jointing. It balances stability, price and portability well.

4. Keter Compact

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Be clear about what this is: a lightweight folding workbench with built-in clamps, not a router table. It has no router mount, insert plate or fence.

It is useful as a portable surface for clamping work while you use a handheld router, and it folds flat for storage. If you want to rout on a table, pick one of the other models here.

5. Kreg PRS 1045

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This floor-standing Kreg system has a self-squaring fence, so you do not have to measure the fence to the miter slot every time you move it. The steel stand is heavy duty and keeps the top steady.

The precision insert-plate system with levelers keeps the plate flush with the top, which matters for clean, even profiles.

6. Bosch Cabinet

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The assembly of this model is remarkably simple. Leave the fasteners slightly loose until the whole table is assembled, then square it up and tighten.

The mounting plate is easy to level. The dust port can get in the way of the bit guard in one of its two configurations, so use the other one if it does. It is a good-value cabinet-style table.

7. SKIL

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The Skil router table is a simple, budget model with a quick-release router mount. You can take the router out quickly for bit changes.

It is functional for the price, with a guarded fence and built-in scales. Your router needs a good height adjustment to make the most of this table. Pair this router table with a beginner bandsaw.

8. Bench Dog

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This benchtop table's fence can be flipped around so the table handles larger panels without disassembly. Twin steel rails support the router under a flat laminate top.

T-slots let you mount featherboards and stops. It is a reliable, mid-priced benchtop table.

9. Craftsman

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This combo kit includes both a router and a matching table. The router is lighter-duty than the others here, so it suits light-to-medium work rather than large bits.

The fence adjusts for bit clearance, and the outfeed side offsets for edge jointing. It is a simple starter kit for beginners who do not own a router yet.

10. Bosch Benchtop

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This benchtop table comes with a switched dual outlet with a lockout key, so you can turn the router on and off at the front of the table. A starter pin and guard let you rout curved work.

The dust port fits a standard 2.5-inch hose, so you can hook up one of the best shop vacs to keep your working space clean. It has an aluminum fence with MDF faces and an aluminum mounting plate.

Our Favorite Router Tables

A router table gives you specific advantages over a handheld router. You can make specific joinery cuts on the rails and stiles, cut raised panels, or even start routing your narrow stock. It also leaves both hands free to control the stock. The chart below compares the tables above.

Picture	Product	Our Rating	Working Surface (Sq. Inches)	Price
	Kreg Professional	4.6	1200	$$$$$
	Jessem	4.3	768	$$$$$+
	Kreg PRS2100	4.2	384	$$$
	Keter Compact	4.6	693	$
	Kreg PRS 1045	4.9	1200	$$$$$
	Bosch Cabinet	4.2	370	$$
	SKIL	4.0	490	$$
	Bench Dog	4.2	352	$$$
	Craftsman	4.2	334	$$
	Bosch Benchtop	4.3	486	$$

What Is the Most Important Feature of the Best Router Tables?

The most important feature is a top that is flat and rigid. If the top is not flat, you get uneven joints and edge profiles that vary in depth. Check flatness with a straightedge when the table arrives.

A rigid top resists the downward pressure you put on the stock during a pass, so the cut depth stays consistent.

The top and insert plate also carry the router's weight. A weak top can sag around the plate over time, which throws off every cut on your woodworking project. If you need something more portable then try a corded angle grinder.

Many tables use MDF (medium density fiberboard), an engineered panel of wood fibers bonded with wax and resin. It is flat, stable and heavy, which damps vibration.

Good affordable tables cover the MDF with high-pressure laminate for a slick, durable surface. Bare MDF can absorb moisture and sag over time, so a laminated top is worth having. Check flatness with a straightedge after setup.

For heavy use, a phenolic top is the step up. Phenolic is a hard plastic made from phenol-formaldehyde resin, the same family of material used in laboratory countertops.

It is tough, rigid and far less affected by humidity than MDF, but it costs more. A beginner craftsman or woman is usually well served by laminated MDF; daily heavy users get more from phenolic.

How to Find the Best Router Table for Me

Most tables hold the router on an insert plate that drops into an opening in the top. The plate must stay flat while carrying the router's weight.

Machined aluminum and thick phenolic plates are the best choices. Make sure the plate fits your router: universal plates with pre-drilled holes do not fit every model, so check the hole pattern first.

After the plate, check these features:

• T-Slots and Miter Gauges. Most of the work that your router table is going to perform is a form of guidance. You’ll be moving your stock past the cutter with firm pressure on the table’s fence. A good miter slot lets you guide narrow stock across the bit for cuts like dadoes. T-Slots can help you secure other table attachments, such as a featherboard, for additional woodworking options.
• Fence. The fence controls the cut. A split fence, with two independently adjustable faces, lets you close the gap around the bit and joint edges.
• Stand. A sturdy steel stand keeps the table from moving. Locking casters let you roll it away when you are done.

Router Table Safety

• Feed the stock from right to left as you face the fence. The bit spins counterclockwise from above, so this feeds against the rotation and pushes the work into the fence.
• Never trap the stock between the bit and the fence.
• Use featherboards with the fingers pointed in the direction of feed and pressure right at the cutter, plus push blocks for small parts.
• Unplug the router or use the lockout switch before changing bits, and take several light passes with large bits at a lower speed.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ROUTER TABLE AND A SPINDLE MOULDER?

A spindle moulder (called a shaper in the US) does the same basic job as a router table: it spins a cutter up through a table to shape the edge of the stock.

A shaper is a heavy stationary machine with a larger motor, a slower-turning spindle and big cutter heads. It takes large profiles in one pass and suits production work.

A router table is smaller, cheaper and uses ordinary router bits. For a home shop it is the better choice.

What will it cost me to buy the Best Router Tables?

Router tables are a bit of an investment. Prices change often, so compare current prices, but the tiers are consistent.

Benchtop tables are the cheapest and most portable, with fewer accessories and less mass. Floor-standing systems with cast or phenolic tops, router lifts and precision fences cost several times more.

Beginners are well served by a good benchtop table. If you rout every day or sell your work, a floor-standing system with a lift is worth the extra cost. If you’re searching for the best router table, you need look no further than the KREG PRS2100, a versatile yet affordable model.

ARE SOME MANUFACTURERS BETTER THAN OTHERS?

You will see the same names again and again: Bosch, Skil, Kreg, Craftsman, JessEm and Bench Dog. A known brand makes parts, manuals and warranty service easier to get.

A brand name alone does not guarantee a flat top or an accurate fence, though. Judge each table on its top, insert plate, fence and stand.

BOSCH RA1171

The Bosch Cabinet Style Router Table RA1171 is a cabinet-style table with an enclosed base that helps contain chips. It has an aluminum fence, adjustable featherboards and dust ports that take a 2.5-inch hose.

It suits woodworkers who want a cabinet-style table with good dust control at a moderate price.

Whichever table you choose, set it up flat and square and follow the safety steps above. Then let the craftsman in you get to work.

Sources

• Precision Benchtop Router Table PRS2100, Kreg Tool
• Featherboards, Woodcraft Magazine