Router Table Build
A shop-built router table with a cast-iron top, lift, and fence so joinery and edge profiles are repeatable and safe.
I was tired of handheld routing for long edges and dados. A proper router table with a good fence and a lift made sense, so I built the cabinet and bought a cast-iron top and insert plate.
The base is a simple cabinet: 3/4” ply carcase, drawer for bits and wrenches, and open storage below. The top is a standard 24x32” cast-iron router table top with a phenolic insert; I mounted a compact router lift so bit height is adjustable from above. The fence is a two-piece design with T-track for hold-downs and a replaceable facing.
Dadoes, rabbets, and edge profiles are now repeatable and much safer. Dust collection hooks up to the fence and the cabinet. Total cost was less than a mid-tier prebuilt table, and it’s sized for the shop.