Wood – without being able to shape it to our will the human race would still be living in dark, damp caves, sitting on savagely uncomfortable rocks and having to get far too close to the mammoth it’s trying to turn into food for even the smallest quantum of comfort.
From basic tools and weapons to warm, welcoming dwellings and exploration-allowing ocean-going ships, wood has played a fundamentally essential part in the successful spread and survival of humanity at all ends of the planet.
Of course, back then, the working of wood involved back-breaking toil, with hand axes, hand saws and hand sores being the order of the day. But fortunately for us here in the largely enlightened 21st century, we evolved electricity long ago and learned to turn its talents into tools, creating the modern-day marvel that is “power tools” in the process. And amongst the most useful of those is the handheld router, a tool that helps professional carpenters, joiners and DIY hobbyists alike cut and shape wood (also plastic and metal in many cases) to the precise dimensions demanded for all manner of projects.
And there’s only one thing that can make a handheld router even better, and that’s pairing it with a suitable router table to further increase performance and precision. A stationary table to which a router can be upside down and underneath, the spindle of the router protrudes through a hole in the table surface, allowing the users to then guide the wood towards it with exceptional accuracy.
Whether you’re working with wood or tougher materials, there is pretty much a router table available to cover all options of routable material, available space and, of course, cost. Here I’ve taken a cross-section benchtop and freestanding tables, each essential in its own way depending on your demands and the depth of your pockets. Routing is precision work and commands quality kit in order to get the job done to the highest standard, and you can put your power tool trust in any of this quintet of top tables.
How we tested
All vaguely similar in form, all varying degrees of different in function, to route you in the right direction, I’ve stepped back into the shed, strapped on my apron and work gloves, secured my safety goggles and ear plugs, and gone head-to-head with five fixed router tables for flawless finishes…
Best router tables at a glance:
Trend WRT
Best for: Freestanding affordability
As I alluded to above, router tables come in a variety of styles and prices, depending on what they’re needed for and, relating to that, how “hardcore” they need to be. There’s also another factor that needs considering: where are you going to put yours? I’m in the fortunate position of having a sizable shed, complete with power and work benches at my disposal, but not everyone has such spatial luxury. So, for them, there’s the freestanding router table; and the WRT from Trend is one of the best for the money.
Strong and sturdy with a durable steel frame, large laminate tabletop, a 68mm extra-deep adjustable fence and a precision aluminium fence extrusion, the WRT works as a permanent fixture in any workshop but is also perfectly portable, letting you load it up and take it wherever your talents are required.
Offering easy access to attach the router, an NVR (Safety No Volt Release) power safety switch and adjustable melamine fence facings keep stuff safe, while the 6.35mm anodised aluminium router plate stops sagging when heavier-duty routers are attached.
Levelling screws around the perimeter of the router plate make adjustment quick and simple, while the cutter height can be adjusted with equal ease and the indexed mitre fence delivers accurate angled cuts.
With a transparent gutter guard and a dust extraction port, visibility is always crystal clear, plus a T-Slot accessory track to keep all you need to hand, the Trend WRT is an excellent, reliable router table for those who don’t have spare surface space or who just want a finely flexibly router platform at a fair price.
Buy now £370.00, Tool Station
ToolTronix 1800W Bench
Best for: The budget route
As we all know, black and yellow are the colours of tools. DeWalt, Stanley – to name two – and now ToolTronix with its 1800W Bench joins the pantheon of tools both noir and jaune.
Whilst not the absolute cheapest router table, the price is as low as I’m willing to go before we lose all structural integrity and end up considering making our own tables out of cardboard, for while you can pay less, you shouldn’t.
So, what does £60 get you? Well, the basics. A nicely sturdy aluminium bench-mountable table with pressed steel legs and dual extension tables that combine to deliver a decently sized work area, four steel clamps to secure your router, and an NVR switch. So, yes, basics, but a damn good start.
With a large, hard polypropylene 100mm fence that comes ribbed for strength, three feather boards are supplied to keep your digits at a safe distance from the spindle and to help keep your face free of fling-off, there’s even a dust port to help keep work clean.
Finally, featuring machined grooves for the mitre gauge when tackling more exciting angles, the ToolTronix 1800W can, as the name beautifully betrays, handle routers up to 1800W and for most home routage usage, it’s £60 enormously well-spent.
Material: Steel, polypropylene, aluminium
Buy now £60.00, Amazon
Lumberjack RT1500
Best for: Integrated router ease
Okay, so I may have suggested at the start that it would be up to you to pair your router with your router table, but the fact of the matter is that many come pre-equipped, so here’s an excellent example of just that, in the rather vibrantly hued form of the Lumberjack RT1500. Not some off-grid rural Terminator model, as the name might suggest, nor aimed at toddlers, as the colour scheme could fool you into thinking, but a sturdy bench-top construct of steel and plastic that offers routing flexibility with a built-in 1500W, speed control motor with which to tackle your timber.
All standard ½- and ¼-inch router cutters can be used as standard, and the RT1500’s handwheel makes precise adjustments a slight turn away, while an adjustable pressed steel and plastic fence, mitre fence and both vertically and horizontally sprung pressure plates make for improved accuracy and ease of use.
Add in a dust extractor port to keep things clean and although the RT1500 may have the vague look of one of those car steering wheel ensembles the likes of Tomy, Vtech and other assorted interactive children’s toy manufacturers make, the Lumberjack is a serious bit of kit with a refined but powerfully savage bite.
Buy now £200.00, Amazon
UKJ Professional
Best for: The Professionals
When it comes to no-nonsense, solid as a Sherman tank, freestanding router table reliability, there are few finer than the Professional from UKJ. Standing a proud 89cm tall (max.) and offering a vast table of 81 x 50 cm, the Pro weighs a whopping 70.8kg making it a solid and sturdy platform on which to perform exacting timber surgery.
The considerable heft comes via the use of cast iron for the tabletop, which adds fresh levels of stability and minimises vibration for the smoothest, cleanest route cutting available.
Supplied with a mitre fence assembly and a cutter tray to keep your bits and bobs always at hand, the UKJ’s one-piece aluminium fence allows for smooth and secure working, while the plated steel stand not only features height-adjustable feet but also foot-operated retractable castors for when you need to move the Professional’s considerably kgs to another location.
And that’s it. Everything else, such as the highly recommended UJK Router Elevator and UJK Precision Mitre Gauge Fence & Flip Stop come as optional extras, for what we have here is the very best basis, the root if you will, of your life-long pro-level router system, the Holy Grail of handcrafting, the most solid base on which to build the set-up of your way-beyond-basic-DIY dreams. And if you can afford it and its associated excellent extras, you’ll never regret it.
Buy now £850.00, Amazon
Rutlands Bench Router
Best for: Compact, top-quality cuts
A name that echoes through the echelons of power tool time, Rutlands is a brand revered and respected in equal measure, the instruments of craft ingenuity it creates desired by all who DIY. And here we see another example why, the Bench Router, a benchtop router table with everything you could possibly need for relentlessly precision routing.
A benchtop option, as the image will have made obvious, this handsome brute stands some 45cm proud and offers a natty phenolic laminate tabletop for ultra-low-friction work complete with an aluminium insert to laugh off the idea of router sag.
With a fence made from extruded aluminium that extends from 60mm to 70mm, insert rings of 50mm and 35mm come included, while feather boards can be added for £25 per pop and table roller guides at £65 for two, all combining to form possibly the neatest solution for router work in confined conditions.
Buy now £295.00, Rutlands
