Buying advice for 1st router table

[bloodeverywhere]

Hi everyone. I've built up what little experience i have tring to stop the house falling down around my ears so i'm no carpenter by any stretch! Fairly recently had my eyes opened up to the world of routing though and loving it. Done some freehand work on simple little projects and recently replaced the kitchen worktops which went OK but hungry for more now. Thinking of investing in a router table to really get the most out of my tools so am after some recommendations. I prefer to invest in quality but don't want to spend silly money. Made the mistake of buying a cheapo router initially which i nearly threw through the garage window and now own a Dewalt DW625EK 240v which i'm deeply impressed with. Been looking at multi-use stuff for DIY purposes like the Wolfcraft Mastercut 1000, and folding / compact design would be handy too. Any thoughts greatly appreciated..

 

[TrimTheKing]

Hi blood, welcome to the forum

What kind of stuff are you looking to do? Do you need a router table or would something like the WoodRat work for your intended projects?

 

[bloodeverywhere]

Thanks for the quick reply

Never heard of woodrat? Have a few furniture projects in mind for some growing infants, cabinets & bookshelves. Hoping to rout a bit of design into basic build and see how i go. Plus some ideas for family presents too, picture frames, boxes. So really looking at joinery elements up to dovetailing someday, as well as decorative work & simple edging.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Well rutlands are doing a router table on sale for about £99 at the moment, some people on here have them and seem quite happy.

A WoodRat is more for the joinery elements such as dovetails etc. Different animals really, I would look at the WoodRat and see whether it looks like something you might get round to one day.

 

[big soft moose]

Well rutlands are doing a router table on sale for about £99 at the moment, some people on here have them and seem quite happy.

A WoodRat is more for the joinery elements such as dovetails etc. Different animals really, I would look at the WoodRat and see whether it looks like something you might get round to one day.

linky http://www.woodrat.com/

i'd love one but cant afford it

 

[bloodeverywhere]

Thanks for all that

Lots to think about. Have looked at the Rutlands table before but read some less than complimentary stuff about quality and customer service. The woodrat looks the Biz sure enough but i couldn't justify the spend.

Cheers

 

[laird]

Just remember that, as in any forum, those that have poor service are frequently more vociferous than the majority that haven't had a problem (or only a manageable one).
Read, read the poster's other comments, read again - the "I've not got a problem" posts, then read their other posts.
Then decide - you've got to live with/pay for it.

Please note that this is not a specific comment relating to Rutlands, or Axminster, or Toolpost, or DB.............................
Or any dealer. Just a comment.

 

[wizer]

linky http://www.woodrat.com/

i'd love one but cant afford it

Really? I've watched the videos and yeh it looks good, but all that setting up and faffing. There's better ways to do the stuff that the WR does without all that hassle.

 

[Tim Nott]

I bought a cheapo Ryobi - around 130 euro including a router. The router ate its own bearings after a few hours use and the table was similarly magnificent - it dipped in the middle and the fences were not parallel.

So I kept the hold-down springs, the plastic featherboard thingie and the no-volt switch and socket and binned the rest.

Made my own simple router table from 2 layers of plywood with a lump of oak as a fence. No legs, but the centre board of my bench lifts out so I plonk the whole thing in there. Works a treat for anything that doesn't need a split fence. Will post a pic if anyone's interested

 

[big soft moose]

linky http://www.woodrat.com/

i'd love one but cant afford it

Really? I've watched the videos and yeh it looks good, but all that setting up and faffing. There's better ways to do the stuff that the WR does without all that hassle.

I like the way you can use the router the way up its designers intended on a rat - as we discussed before i dont likie the idea of inverting them - particularly after seeing your fingers.

if someone said they were going to invert their hand held circular saw, planer , jig saw etc we'd tell them they were bonkers and one step away from A&E , so why do we accept this as normally practice with a router :?

 

[bloodeverywhere]

Looking at it as a total novice i agree with Big fat moose that using the router right way up in the Rat just seems like common sense. It is a lot of cash though and feels like i would be making a big two footed jump straight in the deep end. Feeling more convinced to start out with a simple table and find my feet. There seems to be lots of good and bad reviews out there for most, but the Rutlands Dakota does look good value & plenty of scope to expand it in my own time. Previously bought some Tornado bits from them and no problems so far.

 

[big soft moose]

Looking at it as a total novice i agree with Big fat moose that using the router right way up in the Rat just seems like common sense. It is a lot of cash though and feels like i would be making a big two footed jump straight in the deep end. Feeling more convinced to start out with a simple table and find my feet. There seems to be lots of good and bad reviews out there for most, but the Rutlands Dakota does look good value & plenty of scope to expand it in my own time. Previously bought some Tornado bits from them and no problems so far.

thats big soft moose [-X (you may have me confused with big fat pig)

loads of people use router tables safely - i just dont fancy it - the key is not to remove the safety guards - see the thread on wizers fingers for a graphic demonstration of why thats not a good idea

 

[OPJ]

Well, the WoodRat's are available at a similar price to the Leigh jigs, with the exception of some accessories, of course. For your money, you get what appears to be an incredibly versatile piece of kit, capable of cutting just about any joint. Without having used one, I think they're brilliant and would happily buy one for dovetailing [too late now!!] if I had the cash and space.

 

[white_sw]

I have the Rutlands router table and am pleased with it for the money. Had to bulk up the stand (MDF base,
cross braces) as it moved around a lot. Also setting the fence took a bit of shimming to get it acurate. Has done
everything I have wanted to since I purchased it. I do plan to build a cabinet to put the top on at some stage.
I've had both good and bad service from Rutlands. They are usually the last place I look to buy things from now,
but I do still shop there for sale items (their prices in my experiance tend to be more then Axminster, Tilgear etc)
or last resort if I can't get something anywhere else.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/power-tools-& ... uter-table

Cheers,
Sam

 

[bloodeverywhere]

Sorry Soft!

I must have been thinking about an old girlfriend...

Cheers again

 

[jjc_uk]

thats big soft moose [-X (you may have me confused with big fat pig)

My eyes were watering laughing at that

 

[studders]

thats big soft moose [-X (you may have me confused with big fat pig)

My eyes were watering laughing at that

Ditto :lol:

BTW The Wolfcraft Mastercut is absolute pants, avoid like 'Big Fat Mooses' .

 

[George_N]

Another alternative is to build one. I went that way, using the plan in "Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton and Fred Matlack. Even if you don't build the table, the book is a goldmine of tips and techniques.

 

[bloodeverywhere]

Another alternative is to build one. I went that way, using the plan in "Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton and Fred Matlack. Even if you don't build the table, the book is a goldmine of tips and techniques.

Yes thanks been considering that. Some plans in "The new router handbook" by Patrick Spielman too, which has done me proud so far. I think a decent table for around £100 is worth the money though to get started. Building my own bespoke number could be a job for the future. I will check out that book though Ta..

By the way Studders, when you say 'avoid the Wolfcraft like Big Fat Mooses' do you mean avoid until you've had 9 pints then take one home with a kebab? :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

I couldn't manage without a router table, (even if the router is inverted) to make boxes with 4" ends or 10" sides from offcuts, then needing to put in dadoes etc, these couldn't be done with hand held routers.