Router Table Reviews 2017

Sliding Table Saw – Router Table

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There are plenty of different sliding table saw options that you can check out for your workshop or next DIY plan. As with all woodwork machinery and tools, the key is making sure you find a slide table saw that is precise and can help you with your favorite woodworking projects.

Along with a quality router and router bits, make sure it has the features that you’re looking for such as dust collection via a dust port, a jig, guide rails, fence, and a router plate and/or a router insert, miter gauge, and other table attachments. In this way, it will let you accomplish a new work piece every time you want to use it. You’ll be surprised just how many options there are for this type of slide table saw and just how many projects can be made with one.

Sketchnbuild SNB95 Sliding Table Panel Saw

Sketchnbuild Sliding TableAvailable in a three phase or single phase option, the Sketchnbuild Table Saw is extremely heavy duty and provides you with precision, no matter what you’re looking for. It’s definitely a heavy unit, so once you get it where you want (which you’ll need equipment for that) you’re not going to be moving it again.

This is the type of tool you get when you’re planning on really committing yourself to woodworking and you’re looking to get some of the top-of-the-line options for tools. It is a little more rugged, but it’s definitely accurate and high quality, which is why you’re going to pay a little more for this saw as well.

You will get what you pay for, however, with a tool that you can rely on to get you what you’re looking for when it comes to machining. No matter which of these two options you choose, you’ll have the same quality to look at. You also get a control panel to manage all of the switches and to make sure you and anyone else using your workshop is a whole lot safer.

Grizzly G1023RL 3 HP Cabinet Left-Tilting Table Saw

Grizzly CabinetThe Grizzly G1023RL is a large table that features a range of different options for whatever you want to do. It has head sliding rails with fully adjustable grab plates and comes in at a much lower weight than the previous option. While still very difficult to move (and requiring equipment) it’s a bit more user-friendly.

It’s super easy to assemble as the main part of the saw is already ready for you right off the truck, and everything that needs to be level will be right out of the box. Just tighten the pieces down and you’re pretty much ready to go. Made in the United States, this is a solid unit that is as easy to operate as it is to put together (or even more so).

It’s a little lower horsepower than some other options and takes a bit more effort to get things done, but you’re definitely going to have the power you need for most things. If it starts to overheat it cools down quite quickly and you can be off and running just that fast again. The operation is extremely smooth and simple and you get plastic guides for your fence as well.

Grizzly G0623X Sliding Table Saw 10-Inch

Grizzly Sliding TableThe Grizzly G0623X Sliding Table Saw has large panels that are entirely supported, so you don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to ripping or crosscutting. You also get a scoring blade that gets rid of the issue of tearing out all the time, so you always get a factory style edge.

Plus the main port helps you keep the dust down—always an important aspect when it comes to doing anything in a woodworking shop or with wood cutting tools of any kind.Moderate weight compared to other similar units, this one has plenty of blade options and features and is capable of creating dados of 13/16”, rips of 33”, and crosscuts of 78 ½”.

But that’s definitely not all you’re going to be able to do with this unit because it’s designed to really get you off and running for your next project. It’s great for commercial purposes and it’s capable of executing whatever you may be looking for. It’s a smaller system than some of the others, but it still has a lot of the features you’re looking for.

Shop Fox W1811 10-Inch 5 HP Sliding Table Saw

Shop Fox Sliding TableThe Shop Fox W1811 has a 5HP motor, so you’ll get a little more power than some of these others. You’re also going to get a decent size table with the extension wings you need in order to get a good quality cut for longer boards as well. You get plenty of space for crosscutting, dados and a whole lot more, which is important in a table saw.

You’re also going to get fully supported pieces that increase the quality of everything that you produce and a similar weight to the other options here.Complete with a two-year warranty, this table saw will give you a good cut for a range of different projects and makes sure that you have the power and speed to get everything done quickly and accurately.

No matter if you’re putting this in a personal workshop or if you’re putting it in a woodworking shop, you’re definitely going to have something you can rely on and something that you will enjoy using as well. There’s plenty of features and options and it doesn’t take up as much space as you’ll find with other table saws of similar capability. With plenty of safety features and more, you’re not going to find a better saw for this type of price range.

Any of these table saws are going to help you get a great cut every time that you want it. It’s also going to ensure that you have a lot of fun with your router and your other woodworking tools. There’s no reason that you should have to sacrifice the quality and the styles that you’re looking for in order to get a great tool, just keep in mind that these tools, in particular, are going to be a bit more expensive than some of the others that you might be looking at in the home improvement or tool stores.

Dewalt DWP611PK Review

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Dewalt is a company known to make design upgrades in their wood routers after listening to customers and the DWP6611PK is advertised to be the most well-thought-out routers. We tested it and here is our review.

Initial Impressions

Out of the box, the routers looks compact. You expect this from a low power router but Dewalt have gone an extra mile with this. Now don’t let the small size fool you, the features and the capabilities of this router, are top of the line.

You get two different bases, the fixed and the plunge, variable speed settings, some amazing adjustment capabilities and high end features like the soft start.

The feature set probably makes this low power router a bestseller.

Specs and Built

The Dewalt DWP611PK has a perfect combination of metal and plastic. The manufacturers have used high grade aluminium in areas which take the maximum load, while they have gone with plastic to house the motor. This combination makes the router super lightweight.

This router has a 1.25 horsepower 7 amp motor which makes it suitable for medium to low load operations. You also get variable speed which range from 16,000 to 27,000 rpm. The variable speeds makes it possible to use different sized bits more effectively.

The diameter of the two bases is on the lower side but you can make a lot of adjustments with the depth of the cuts.

Fixed & Plunge Base with Variable Speed

The DWP611PK comes with two bases, the fixed and plunge. Its size and construction is similar to the Bosch Colt. It is quite easy to change the bases and both of them lock nicely with the motor. You can change the speed with the help of a knob. The standard recommendation is to use the first three levels for larger bits and the other three for smaller bits.

The fixed base offers nice one hand operation and can help in achieving precise cuts. You can use the plunge base in any direction you want. If you don’t like the traditional position where the speed dial and the switch face you during the operation, you can easily make 180-degree change.

Overall both the bases give you a lot of flexibility to handle all kinds of cuts at decent power. 

Adjustability

We were in awe of the kinds of adjustments you can make with this router. It reminded us of the Festool 1400 EQ, but that is one heavyweight router. Clearly the DWP611PK offers great value regarding adjustability.

With the fixed base you get 360-degree micro adjustment ring that helps to achieve the perfect depth. On the plunge base, you also get five position turret which allows greater depth control. The adjustable reference needle can be used to get precise cuts at the right depth.

We were also quite impressed with the locking mechanism for both the fixed and plunge bases. Apart from that, you can lock the bit at any position you want which makes its quite convenient.

With such micro adjustments you can get the exact cut. This capability make this router a sure shot winner.

Convenience

Finally this Dewalt router offers a lot of convenience. While reading the customer reviews we found that the LEDs were quite appreciated. We were little apprehensive about that. But once we started working on the router with the LEDs, we were absolutely addicted. It really enhances your performance as you are able to clearly see whether or not you are getting the desired results. It’s fair to say that LEDs should be made an industrial standard.

The handles on the plunge base are also of good quality. Usually with compact routers you get sub-par handles, but the rubbery texture on this makes it nice to hold.

As we said earlier, you can easily switch the two bases, which adds to the convenience of the Dewalt DWP611PK.

Cons

There is nothing much to complaint about this router. However handles on the fixed base like the Bosch 1617EVSPK, would have made its use much more comfortable.

You also don’t get any edge guide but that can be purchased separately.

The biggest issue would have to be the power cord. It doesn’t look durable and you might have to get a replacement after some time.

Recommended For

It is a compact router with all the features you would expect in a high end router. This makes it the clear winner and must have for low load operations. If you do light woodworking and use routers for simple operations, you should definitely get this. For heavy woodworkers this can prove to be a great alternative while handling simple operations.

==> Click here to See Today’s Discount on Dewalt DWP611PK

Bosch RA1181 Router Table Review – Do NOT Buy Before Reading this!

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The Bosch RA1181 is the best selling router table on Amazon and for all the right reasons.

While Bosch might not be premium brand like Festool, it definitely delivers the best value-for-money router tables in the market and Bosch RA1181 is a pretty good example.

This table is built for the DIY dads and casual woodworkers. However, If you’re planning to take up complex or professional projects, you might want to invest into something a little more high on performance.

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Initial Impressions

At first look, the Bosch RA1181 comes off as a sturdy and ergonomic router table. Despite the low price, the RA1181 boasts every important feature that you’d need from a router table. From a large work-surface to an aluminium router plate and an efficient dust collection system, it covers all your bases.

Built and Design

The router table comes in three major parts i.e. the table, the router plate and the fence, thus the assembly process is pretty straightforward.

What we like about it is that it’s a 27”-long by 18”-wide cast aluminum table which is as close as it gets to a full scale models. The surface is very flat and is designed to reduce friction when sliding the piece across the table.

The RA1181 features a standard ¾”-wide by 3/8”-deep miter slot that runs along the table and is compatible with any common miter guide or jig.

Aluminum Router Plate

One thing we loved about the Bosch RA1181 is that it comes with an sturdy cast aluminum router plate that comes pre-drilled to be compatible with a variety of routers. That means if you already have a router that you love, there’s a good chance that you wouldn’t have to buy a new one just for the sake of upgrading to a table.

The router plate is tough enough to counter the torque created by even powerful routers like the 3 1/4Hp Bosch 1619EVS.

It also comes with three snap-in inserts that reduce the diameter to 1”, 2” or 2 ¾” as per your requirement.

Adjustable Fence

The adjustable fence is supported by an aluminum extrusion 25”-long by 4 7/8”-tall and a pair of 12 ½”-long by 3 ¾”-tall MDF (medium density fiberboard) that can produce a center gap from 0 to 3 ¾”-wide and thus you can use a bit of size upto 3 ½” in diameter.

Dust Collection System and Other Accessories

The RA1181 features a dust collection system that can be attached to a  standard 2 1/2-inch hose.

Apart from the router table, you get a set of three mounting-plate insert rings, router mounting hardware, dual-outlet 15 Amp switch with overload protection, two adjustable featherboards, adjustable clear guard, starter pin and guard, and two 1/16-inch outfeed fence shims.

So that covers up pretty much everything you’d need to get started with most of your basic projects.

All in all, the Bosch RA1181 is a very well-designed, sturdy and functional router table that offers ample of working space and at this price tag, it makes for the perfect table for DIY guys and new woodworkers.

==> Click here to See Today’s Discount on Bosch RA1181