The best table-mounted router needs a solid and flat base to allow timber to pass smoothly and accurately along it. My preferred material is cast metal like aluminium: it’s hard-wearing, not too heavy and reliably flat. Don’t discount laminated MDF though, it’s a reliable flat surface that might not be as hard-wearing as metal, but it’s a lot cheaper. On the Fence The outfit of this dovetail tool includes two aluminium templates for cutting joints straight out of the box. The template 4211 is designed for making half-blind, rabbeted half-blind and sliding dovetails. The 4213 template allows making box joints and through dovetails. Having this arsenal of templates, you'll be able to make reliable joints for assembling drawers, window and door frames. The jig can be also used for joining parquetry and making furniture of a custom design. For example, with these templates, you can cut finger joints for chair legs to attach them to a seat. A plus point of this router table is the cast aluminium bed. It’s nicely flat and combined with the featherboards on the table and rear fence, should hold the workpiece down securely. The overall dimensions of 597 x 457 x 355 mm are modest, which makes it the ideal addition to a small workshop. It might not be the first power tool you think of, but the humble router can do more than you might think. But before you pull the trigger on the best plunge router you can afford, here’s what to look out for: Speed Matters

The powerful 2,100 Watt motor has a soft start feature and spins up the router bit from 11,500 – 28,000 rpm. You can drop the depth down to 50 mm, which isn’t the deepest but enough for most routing jobs. If you already own a router, you don’t need me to tell you how versatile they are, but when you combine one with the best router table setup, it becomes an awesome tool that any proper woodworker should learn to use. All About the Base However having said that the downsides of this cheap device can be fairly easily remedied to provide a reasonably useful 1/2"router that will suffice for the majority of home DIY uses. For instance, you would be able to route edge profiles and grooves that you would have never achieved working with a standard router without a router table. In simple words, a router table can help you accomplish stylish woodwork.

My Top Recommended Plunge Routers

Unlike some of the budget router tables on my list, this one comes with a 1,500 Watt router already installed. Controlled by a safety switch and speed selector wheel on the front, there’s even a big stop button in case of emergency. The motor can spin bits up to an impressive 28,000 rpm.

The table should come with a large enough opening and set of reducing rings to accommodate at least ¼” and ½” router bits. Wide dado or mouldings require a larger hole than a straight-cut bit.

My Top Recommended Router Tables

A dovetail jig consists of a metal template and the base it rests upon. The base features clamps for wooden pieces and fasteners for securing the base on a countertop. In general, the jigs are divided into bench-mounted and router table jigs. Speaking of bench-mounted jigs, they are usually secured with vises. Router-table jigs are used with guides that are mounted on tables. After deciding on the device type, you need to determine the jig width. Generally, bench-mounted models are 12 to 24" wide while router table jigs are of different sizes. That's because router table jigs can handle one workpiece at once while bench-mounted models can work with four and more pieces. Moreover, pieces can be arranged so that you can cut tails on one workpiece and recesses on the other in one pass. A rigid aluminium fence that sits nicely at 90° and a set of feather boards should enable you to accurately secure your workpiece to the table.