What to compare
| Feature | Why it matters | What Bosch publishes for the RA1181 |
|---|---|---|
| Routers it takes | The plate must fit your router, in a base its maker allows in a table | A list by maker and model, several marked 'fixed base only' |
| Fence | Guides straight work; adjustable faces close up around each bit | Aluminum fence with two facings; 3-5/8 in maximum opening; jointing shims |
| Overhead guard | Covers the bit above the work | A clear guard, bolted to the fence |
| Insert rings | Close the gap around the bit | Three rings; each at least 1/16 in larger than the bit on every side |
| Starter pin | For curves with piloted bits | A pin with its own guard |
| Featherboards | Hold stock to fence and table | Two, mounted in the miter channel |
| Switch | Starts and stops from the front; prevents unwanted use | A 15 A switch box with a lockout key |
| Dust port | Connects extraction behind the fence | Takes common 2-1/2 in hoses; adapter for 35 mm hoses |
| Top and size | Room to support the work; the bench space it needs | 27 × 18 in aluminum top, 27 in working length; 30 lb |
| Miter slot | Lets a miter gauge guide end-grain cuts | Takes gauges 3/4 in wide and 3/8 in deep |
| Height adjustment from above | Saves reaching under the table | An access hole for Bosch's 1617 series; drill one for other routers |
| Template guides | Some jobs use them on a table | Not accepted |
Each figure is Bosch's for the RA1181. Use the left two columns to read any other table's documents.
Equipment notePaid link
Benchtop router table
Bosch RA1181
The table whose published figures fill the table above: Bosch's RA1181, with its guard bolted to the fence and its dust port behind the opening.
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Start with your router
A table is only as good as the router its maker lets you put in it, and the router's maker has a say too. Bosch's RA1181 lists the routers its plate fits, many of them in their fixed bases only. Bosch's 1617 manual allows that router in a table in its fixed base but not its plunge base; DEWALT says its DCW600 compact router is not to be used in a router table; Milwaukee says never to put its 2723's plunge base in one and to operate that router only when held. So a small table for a compact router depends entirely on what the router's manual says. A kit that pairs a table with a router should state which base goes under the plate; check that against the router's own manual.
Tops, plates and tops sold alone
The RA1181's top is aluminum. Tops are also sold in other materials, phenolic and cast iron among them, and sold on their own to fit a stand or cabinet you build; this guide reviewed no maker's documents for those and compares none of them. What matters for any top is in the table above: a plate that can be levelled flush (Bosch's sits on levelling screws), inserts sized to the bit, and room for the fence, guard and featherboards. A top bought alone still needs a fence that carries a guard, a switch you can reach, and a stand rigid enough for the work — Bosch warns that long or wide work without support can flip off the table or tip it over. A table that brings its own folding legs is compared in choosing a portable table.
Fence, guard and dust as one system
On the RA1181 the overhead guard bolts to the fence, and the dust port sits behind the fence opening, so the three come as a set. That matters if you plan to make your own fence: it must carry an equivalent guard. A shop-made split fence that keeps the table's guard is built in router table projects. Setting fence, guard and featherboards for each operation is in setting up a router table, and the parts are drawn in router tables.
What not to read into a specification
- Amps on the switch say what current it is rated to switch, not how well the table works.
- Weight says how easily it moves, not how steady it is in use; clamp a benchtop table to its bench.
- A list of included parts is a list; what counts is whether the guard, fence and inserts suit your router and bits.
- 'Fits most routers' is not a compatibility list. Ask for the list.
Before buying a benchtop router table
- Your router is on the table's list, in a base its own maker allows in a table
- An overhead guard is included and mounts over the bit
- Insert rings to suit your bits, with 1/16 in clearance a side
- A fence with adjustable faces and enough opening for your largest bit
- A front switch that locks out; a starter pin with its own guard
- A dust port that fits your hose; room on the bench to clamp it down
Bits and their speed limits are in the bit profile chart and the speed chart; the router family as a whole is in the router guide.
Sources
Specification-based: every figure is the maker's own for the product named. One table's documents serve as the worked example; other tables publish other features, and their manuals govern. No table was tested, none is ranked, and no prices are given.
- 1.
RA1181 Benchtop Router Table. Bosch.
Used for: The RA1181's published specification: 27 × 18 in aluminum top, 27 in working length, 3-5/8 in maximum fence and throat openings, 15 A switch, 30 lb; included featherboards, three insert rings, clear guard, starter pin and guard, outfeed shims; the routers it lists, several in fixed bases only; common 2-1/2 in hoses fitting the port and an adapter for 35 mm hoses; no template guides accepted.
- 2.
RA1181 Benchtop Router Table Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2010.
Used for: The plate levelled with its screws; insert rings at least 1/16 in larger than the bit each side; the overhead guard; a switch box with a lockout key; the miter slot taking 3/4 × 3/8 in gauges; the access hole for over-table height adjustment on Bosch's 1617 series, and drilling one for other routers; supports for long or wide work, which can tip the table.
- 3.
1617, 1617EVS, 1617EVSPK, 1618EVS Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2018.
Used for: The 1617 allowed in a table in its fixed base; its plunge base not recommended there.
- 4.
DCW600 20V Max* Compact Router, Instruction Manual. DEWALT, 2022.
Used for: A compact router its maker says not to use in a router table.
- 5.
M18 FUEL Compact Router, Cat. No. 2723-20, Operator's Manual. Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: A compact router whose plunge base its maker says never to use in a router table, operated only when held.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.