Customer Reviews

Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been contemplating getting around to building a router table for far too long. I've been limping by with my tablesaw router insert. I had gotten a great deal on the Bosch 1617 Plunge/Fixed combo a while back. I thought that this would be a good pair, using the fixed base mounted in the table, with above table adjustment, and the plunge base for handheld use.

The table is cast aluminum and it was as square as I was able to measure. The router mount plate is a strong cast aluminum piece as well. It shouldn't sag from leaving a router mounted as I have seen in some other plates. There are adjustment screws for each corner and each edge (a total of 8). This allows you to mount the plate perfectly flush of the table top. The fence is an extruded aluminum piece with adjustable MDF faces. It was square and true. Also included were two 1/16" plastic sheets to slide behind the MDF for using the table as an edge jointer. This is a nice idea for someone starting out, but I prefer a real jointer.

The power switch is a little odd. You lift a plastic lever to turn on a rocker switch. If you press down on the lever at all, it will shut off the switch. This should work well, but I can see a possibility of breaking the plastic lever. That would not prevent the switch from functioning, it would just be harder to turn off.

The featherboards included will be usable and are pretty well designed. The storage area in one leg is a great idea, but it is impossible to put everything not in use in there. I will most likely mount this on top of a rolling cabinet with some drawers. I could also see eventually keeping the aluminum top and replacing the plastic legs with a cabinet. The top should last for a long while.

Overall, I believe that I will be happy with this purchase. I think it is decent at the regular price and I would consider it a bargain with the total of 30% offers that were applied when I purchased it. I would check the Bosch site and verify that your router will fit this table. There is mention in the instructions about drilling holes for above the table adjustments of some Porter Cable and other routers. However, mounting holes are provided for many routers. If your router isn't listed, you would need to drill accurate holes to mount. If you aren't exactly centered, some operations on the table will be very hard to do (such as routing with a template and bushing.)

Although this Aluminum top doesn't need paste wax for protection, unlike cast iron, it is a good idea. On my BT3100 table saw, the aluminum can leave grey streaks if it is not paste waxed. Just something to think about with this.

As a previous review mentioned, this fits a bunch of routers, which can be found listed on the Bosch site. To make things easier, here they are:

Predrilled for following routers:
BOSCH 1617 series*, 1613 series, 1619EVS; Porter Cable 690, 892-895 series*, 7529; Milwaukee: 5615, 5616; Hitachi: M12VC; DeWalt: DW616, DW618*; Makita: RF1100, RF1101; Ryobi: R161K, R162K; Craftsman: Fixed base models with 1/2? collet capacity

*Note: Fixed Base Models Only

Check the table for flatness when you get it! My first one had a high spot about an inch to the left of the table insert. I returned it and the second one did also. I called Bosch and after some time it turns out that they had some production errors. Bosch customer service was very good. I like the design of the table. Hopefully it will work well, but I have had to spend 3 or 4 hrs trying to get a table that works.

PS Look at the bottom of the table for 3 digits in red. My table was batch 787.

I am a novice as this is my first router table. However, I spend a lot of time watching skilled people use tools. Long story short, this is not a cabinet maker's router table. If you're a REAL pro, you probably want to build one that is larger and with better work piece control attachments. But, if you are like me (father of 2 who likes to build stuff like cabinets, benches, desks, etc) then this router table is fantastic!!! The mounting plate is pre-drilled for a number of commercially available routers. The table allows for very precise cuts, the drop in plate is thick steel and easy to adjust, the fence is sturdy and easy to adjust, it comes with three inserts that allow you to use the router/table with a number of different bits and finally, the table is NOT flimsy!

I previously purchased a craftsman router table that I returned because it was flimsy and I would have needed to drill out the drop in plate for my dewalt router. This, in my opinion, would have reduced precision and greatly reduced my satisfaction. For me, you can't beat the quality for the price. IMO, this table is the only one to start with.

Enjoy!

There's a lot to like about this complete router table solution: All the right parts are there and the system works very well . . .mostly. After using the table, I discovered that a few things could be improved to make it more agreeable to work with. Start with the fence. I need to remove the fence for storage, and I spend several minutes just mounting/unmounting the fence each time. I think it would be a lot better if there were a quick-connect mechanism rather than the threaded knobs. Also, the idea of a duplex power recepticle that can control a vacuum is great, but Bosch chose to mount it under the front panel facing back, where you need to climb under the table to find and connect a power cord. Instead of puting it in this most hard to reach place, why not mount it on the rear where you can reach it? I realize the tool is designed to be portable, and these may not be issues used like that, but I installed the table on a rolling cart with storage underneath. Other than that, it's a fine piece of design, and the price puts it in a category of it's own.

After checking out a number of other benchtop router tables and not being terribly impressed, I had resigned myself to making my own router table. That is, I was until I found this item on Amazon and read the reviews -- and I'm glad I did. The unit has plenty of table-top space for working individual pieces or whole cabinet doors and the machining is excellent. The assembly is pretty straight-forward (the toughest part is differentiating between the types of bolts) and I was up and running in 30 minutes after opening the box. It's surprising light AND sturdy and having provisions to plug 2 items into the on-off safety switch (use one for your vacuum) is a great plus. The only real negatives are that the fence adjustments are a little coarse and the guides for the featherboards and chip guard aren't captive so they can be a little tricky putting on. Seeing how effective the unit is once I got it (especially with the RA1165 under-table router base) made the repeated shipping delays all the more aggravating.

Just got it. Cut several peices. Its all I looked for: sturdy, accurate, sufficient size workspace. Quality build and a good tool. Good buy!

I bought this table to run a bunch of moulding for several rooms in our house. I have run a couple hundred feet of stock through it now and have to say that it is a good little table for the price, with a couple of caveats.

Assembly was a bit complex, but not to bad. The parts list was rather hopeless for identifying the various bolts but everything was specialized enough that it was pretty obvious what was supposed to fasten "where" when everything was all laid out and compared to the diagrams. (If the parts list had either had actual "real size" illustrations for the hardware, or had sorted the hardware into various plastic baggies with codes on them, it would have been much easier.) I like pictures better than words and the pictures were lavish and detailed. The step-by-step instructions were pretty straightforward as well, once I was able to identify which bolt was which.

The lock nuts that were supposed to keep the bolts to the legs and the main table all failed. All the nuts jiggled out from router vibration and a couple got lost before I noticed the problem. In its favor, it has a total of 8 bolts to mount the table platform to the legs and remained stable during use with 4 of those bolts completely loose! But, it was a simple matter to replace the missing nuts and lock washers (common sizes) and add a little teflon tape wrapped around the all bolt shanks to secure them in place. The original hardware (that wasn't lost) now is holding fine with the addition of the teflon tape under the nuts.

The mounting plate for the router is a nice solid plate with a total of 6 different mounting configurations for various routers. It will mount just about anything on the market, apparently. A big plus is that it also includes all the various sets of hardware required for each mounting configuration. (It's quite a hefty packet!) If your router is on the list, it's not only compatible, the necessary mounting hardware is included.

Here is the list of compatible routers from the owner's manual - it would have been nice to have this when I was shopping:

Bosch Models 1613 series, 1617 series (fixed base only), 1619EVS;
Craftsman listed as "most Craftsman 1/2" collet routers";
DeWalt DW616, DW618 (Fixed base only);
Hitachi M12VC;
Makita RF1100, RF1101;
Milwaukee 5615, 5616;
Porter Cable 690 Series, 7529 plunge router and 892-895 series (fixed base only);
Ryobi R161, R162, RE170, RE180 PL;
Skil 1810, 1815, 1820, 1825.

I used this table with my Craftsman and tried to use it with the Makita RF1101. The problem there lay with the Makita design, however, not this table. The router mounted beautifully to the table and bit replacement and cutting depth was a dream from the top, but the motor base would not stay locked in place in an undermount setup due to Makita's deficient lock lever design. (If you're curious about the particulars, please see my review of the Makita RF1101). This was a crying shame IMO, since the Makita is supposed to be a real workhorse, unlike my burned out Craftsman. I will be trying this table with the Milwaukee 5616 next, as soon as it arrives...

This table has some nice features:

* The off switch is very sensitive and the lightest touch will shut everything off instantly. Nice safety "panic" feature.
*The on switch is under a flap which must be lifted to power the system on. If you accidentally bump this area, it defaults to the "off" switch, so no accidental "power-ons".
* There is a "lockout" feature on the power switch with a removable key. I have children and it is a simple way to ensure there are no accidental power-ons without having to unplug the power cord every time I'm in and out fitting pieces into place on projects inside the house. The only drawback is that this is all plastic and will likely wear out with constant use. Also, it only comes with one key and there is no way to use the table power switch without it, so don't lose, break or misplace it!
* The table has a two outlet power strip attached to the main switch so you can plug in a second tool (like a dust collector) to switch on and off with the router simultaneously with the push of the main "On" switch. Very nice.
* The table top itself is a nice heavy metal and adds a nice weight to the piece, for stability against vibration. The legs are predrilled for bolt mount to a bench and also have indentations for a secure clamp mount option.
* There are three removable collet plates with various interior diameters. With these out, bit changes with my Craftsman were a snap from the top! There is plenty of room to get a chuck wrench in there to loosen the collet AND my finger to hold the lock pin in place! The back of the table is wide open, however, so reaching around with a second wrench below shouldn't be too much of a problem, assuming the mount configuration allows convenient access to your particular router's chuck opening. (This would be the same for depth adjustment as well, depending on how your router handles that.)
*Since it just rests in a slot on the table top, the mounting plate lifts off fairly easily for removal of the router and access to under-the-table if you need it without actually having to crawl under the table, or completely remove the router.
*not shown in the picture, the featherboards also mount to the horizontal table to give you both top and sideways pressure for greater control of your stock. I only wish this thing came with two more featherboards as a standard! The funky washers for the featherborads fall out every time I remove one from the fence, however, so not a very good design there, but once mounted, they apply consistent pressure to the stock as it feeds.
*the back side of the fence has a mount for a circular hose for a dust collector, although it is too large to accept the end on my shop vac. I will need to find some sort of adapter for that.

Some of the drawbacks:

*As mentioned above, the locknuts failed to keep the leg bolts secure until extra measures were taken.
*The method to level the mounting plate on the table seemed a bit wonky. There are a series of bolts set in hex nuts. Turn the bolts until they are at the proper height to level the plate, which rests on the flat bolt heads. Good so far, except that the bolts and nuts rest loosely in special slots in the table. This is fine, if your table is permanently mounted in place, but the moment you pick it up to carry it somewhere, or turn it over (to check the loose bolts on the legs, maybe) they all fall out! The fix for this is to have the mounting plate in place with the fence screwed down tight and then they are secure. I guess Bosch didn't figure you'd ever pick the table up or turn it over for any reason without the mounting plate on it (as was the case when I had to fix the leg bolt issue)
*the mounting plate is made of a brittle alloy metal and it somehow had about a 1/4" triangle piece somehow chip out of it during assembly. It doesn't affect the function any (thank goodness), but it's clearly not a high quality material.
*the side pockets for the accessories and cord wrap only slide in with gravity to hold them in place. Moving or tilting the table risks these falling off (and spilling the contents while I have my hands full of view-obstructing table *sigh*). I would prefer if they had at least one bolt to secure them in place, since I'm always moving this in and out of my shop to setup for my runs. A little super glue or a shot of hot glue ought to fix that I guess, since it's a plastic-to-plastic mount already.
*I'm not too wild about the fence design. It is really an "eyeball it" kind of grade, with big, fat, bulky hash marks for a gauge. Some sort of feature to keep the fence square & parallel would be nice. I have to fuss with it to get it set just right, and when I tighten the knobs down, the fence still shifts slightly. Not a table for precision demands from the fence! (That works fine for me, since I do the total run for each room at once to ensure all my stock matches, but it would be a deal-breaker for some folks.) And, I may as well ignore the hash marks completely for how useless they are (to be fair, the wide variety of routers it mounts makes the tolerances pretty variable to begin with). I measured and marked my own set directly on the plate and always measure each stock run directly anyways.
*Most of the body is lightweight plastic and all the accessories are plastic. I have to be careful so I don't overtighten anything or I risk breaking knobs, specialized washers, etc. I am meticulous and careful with my tools, so I expect I will get many years use out of this table, but it will require a bit of careful handling to see it through with such lightweight materials. I am a "hobbyist" level of use and this table is good for that. I would not use this table if I were a professional shop or did freelance DIY work requiring its daily use.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 for the lightweight materials and the issues described above. Once I resolved those issues, however, this table is really convenient and easy to use. I have to admit that I love it! The fact that it mounts such a wide array of routers is a real plus, since I am finding that I'm rather going through a number of brands trying to find a router that will do what I need. I have not needed to replace the table as well, thank goodness. The only way it could be better would be all metal accessories and metal parts, which, of course, would drive up the price. So, in conclusion, it is an excellent value for its price.

The Bosch router table is well worth the extra cost. Works great. Be carefull not to order the under table accessory if your using another brand of router other than Bosch.

Just finished assembling the table with the Bosch under-table base and cutting a few pieces. This product exceeded my expectations. The manual is clear, the unit assembles with precision, the table is flat, and the mounting plate is sturdy and easily leveled.

In my view, using this table without a permanently mounted under-table base would be a pain given that the fence must be pulled to remove the mounting plate. The fence is easy to remove but it was worth the extra cost to avoid the hassle of dealing with the fence as well as removing and reinstalling the plastic router base every time I used the table. The aux base for use with my Bosch router makes for a very nice combination.

I am very pleased with this purchase and expect to be using it for many years.