Three kinds of table
| Feature | RA1181 benchtop | RA1141 portable benchtop | RA1171 cabinet-style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 27 × 18 in | 26 × 16-1/2 in, laminated MDF | 25-1/2 × 15-7/8 in, laminated |
| Support | Sits on a bench | Folding steel legs with storage | Cabinet enclosing the router |
| Plate mounting | Plate on levelling screws | 'Easy Click' mount, no levelling | Aluminum plate on levelling screws |
| Fence opening (max) | 3-5/8 in | 3-5/8 in | 3-3/16 in |
| Throat opening (max) | 3-5/8 in | 3-1/4 in | 3-5/8 in |
| Dust collection | Port behind the fence | Port; 2-1/2 in hoses fit | One port at the fence, one at the cabinet |
| Weight | 30 lb | 33 lb | 35 lb |
| Template guides | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Bosch's own figures for each table. All three also list a 15 A switch, featherboards, insert rings, a clear guard and a starter pin with its guard. Not a ranking.
The type decides more than the size. A plain benchtop table is clamped to a bench; choosing one is covered in choosing a benchtop table. A portable table carries its own legs, which brings its own setup rules — see choosing a portable table. A cabinet-style table encloses the router, which Bosch says helps with stability, storage and dust collection, and gives the RA1171 a second dust port at the cabinet. Floor-standing cabinets and tables built into a saw's extension wing also exist; this guide reviewed no maker's documents for them.
Equipment notePaid link
Benchtop router table
Bosch RA1181
The benchtop kind in the table above, as Bosch builds it: the RA1181's 27 × 18 in top and 3-5/8 in fence and throat openings.
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The router decides as much as the table
| Question | Why it matters | What the makers' documents say |
|---|---|---|
| May it go in a table at all? | The router's maker decides | Milwaukee: never its plunge-base models; DEWALT: never its DCW600; Bosch: the 1617 in its fixed base, not its plunge base |
| Is it on the table's list? | The plate must be drilled for it | Bosch lists routers by maker and model for each table |
| Can it be adjusted from above? | Saves reaching under the top | The RA1171 plate is pre-drilled for above-table adjustment with many routers; the 1617 adjusts from above with a hex wrench |
| Which collet? | Large table bits usually have 1/2 in shanks | Bosch: 'Use 1/2" shank whenever possible' |
| Variable speed? | Large bits are rated slower | Freud wants a variable-speed router of at least 2-1/4 HP for its door-making set, and its bits over 1-1/2 in only in a table |
Each statement is the named maker's for its own product.
Choosing the router itself is covered in choosing a router, and plunge routers, which most makers keep out of tables, in choosing a plunge router.
Where the documents contradict themselves
Bosch's product pages for the RA1141 and RA1171 both carry the note 'Fixed Base Models Only', yet each lists Porter-Cable's 7529 plunge router as a router it works with, and the RA1171 also lists Bosch's 1613-series plunge routers. The list and the note cannot both be right for those routers. Resolve it from the router's own manual and, if that is silent, by asking Bosch; Milwaukee's and Bosch's own manuals already rule out their plunge bases.
Tables with a lift
A lift raises and lowers the router from above the table. This guide reviewed no lift maker's documents, so it compares no lifts; what to ask is the same as for any table part: is the lift listed for your router, does the router's maker allow table use in the base the lift replaces, and does the table's guard still fit over the bit. Changing height from above without a lift is described in router tables.
What not to read into a specification
- Amps on the switch say what it is rated to switch, not how well the table routs.
- 'Professional' on a listing is a description, not a standard; compare the parts and figures.
- A long router list is only useful if your router is on it, in the base you will use.
- Weight says how easily the table moves; Bosch still asks for each table to be secured before use.
Before buying a router table
- The type suits your space: benchtop, portable or cabinet
- Your router is listed, in a base its own maker allows in a table
- Height can be set the way you want, from above or below
- Guard, insert rings, fence and starter pin with its guard included
- Fence and throat openings suit your largest bit
- Dust ports fit your extraction hose
Setting the table up is in using a router table; bits and their speeds are in the bit profile chart and the speed chart; the router family is mapped in the router guide. A plain benchtop table can also be built, with the plate, guard and switch bought: see the DIY router table.
Sources
Specification-based: every figure is the maker's own for the product named. Bosch's three tables serve as the worked example because one maker's documents can be compared like for like; other makers' tables differ. No lift maker's documents were reviewed, so lifts are discussed without specifications. No table was tested, none is ranked, and no prices are given.
- 1.
RA1181 Benchtop Router Table. Bosch.
Used for: The RA1181 benchtop table: 27 × 18 in, 3-5/8 in fence and throat openings, 30 lb; its router list, several in fixed bases only.
- 2.
RA1141 Portable Benchtop Router Table. Bosch.
Used for: The RA1141 portable benchtop table: 26 × 16-1/2 in laminated MDF top, 3-5/8 in fence and 3-1/4 in throat openings, 33 lb, folding legs, a mount that needs no levelling; 'Fixed Base Models Only' in its notes beside a router list that includes a plunge router.
- 3.
RA1171 Cabinet Style Router Table. Bosch.
Used for: The RA1171 cabinet-style table: 25-1/2 × 15-7/8 in, 3-3/16 in fence and 3-5/8 in throat openings, 35 lb, an aluminum plate pre-drilled for above-table adjustment with many routers, a port at the fence and one at the cabinet; 'Fixed Base Models Only' beside a list that includes two plunge routers; no template guides.
- 4.
RA1171 Cabinet Style Router Table Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2010.
Used for: The cabinet table's plate set on levelling screws; its guard, featherboards, starter pin and fence rules, which match Bosch's other tables.
- 5.
1617, 1617EVS, 1617EVSPK, 1618EVS Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2018.
Used for: 'Use 1/2" shank whenever possible'; the 1617 allowed in a table in its fixed base but not its plunge base; adjusting height from above the table.
- 6.
Heavy-Duty Routers, Cat. No. 5615-20, 5616-20, 5619-20, 5625-20, 48-10-5600, Operator's Manual. Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: 'NEVER use the Plunge Base Router models in a router table.'
- 7.
DCW600 20V Max* Compact Router, Instruction Manual. DEWALT, 2022.
Used for: A compact router its maker says not to use in a router table.
- 8.
Premier Adjustable Rail and Stile System (instructions poster). Freud.
Used for: Bits over 1-1/2 in diameter only with the router mounted in a table; a variable-speed router of at least 2-1/4 HP for its door-making set.
About this buying guide
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