Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table 27 in. x 18 in. Aluminum Top I put it together. Haven't yet put it to use. I'll only speak to what I can tell from the assembly. Great instructions! Bosch has gone to great lengths to take all guess work out of the assembly process, something other manufacturers should take a lesson from. The paper booklet is much better than online manuals, although I used both at different times. For those of use who think manuals are an unnecessary imposition on our God-like intelligence; I suggest you read the manual at least a little in advance of the parts you're assembling. It might save you some assembly-disassembly-reassembly. Don't ask me how I know. You know how I know. Ever wondered which bolt is the #10-16 x 1/2" and which is the #10-24 x 1/2"? The paper booklet has a true-to-size print of each and every bolt, washer, nut, etc. that solves the mysteries of identifying an incredibly large number of parts that come with the router table. How many parts is a large number? There are 161 parts, a few of which are for other models of Bosch router tables. A key identifies each part with a number that matches the true-to-size part's representation in the booklet. BTW: I didn't notice any Chinesium fasteners whose Philips head screws round out with the slightest bit of aggressive twisting of the old driver bit. All the fasteners are of a quality you might find in something like automotive manufacturing. All the main component parts are solid and well-made. Plastic is not all made the same. Time will tell how the plastic components hold up, but I expect they'll do just fine. I was very surprised at how sturdy the aluminum fence was. The same for the aluminum router plate and table top. I did not expect them to be so heavy. When I was removing the table top from the carton I wondered, due to its weight, if it was steel rather than aluminum. Leveling the router plate: I've seen reviews that made comments about the difficulty of leveling the router plate and aligning it to the same plane as the table top. I found no problem with this at all and verified the results with a TSO MTR-X triangle. I didn't go so far as to get out a set of feeler gauges to look for thousandths of an inch differences, but I don't expect to be routing components for use on Space-X. It's woodworking, not rocket science! Price: I got a terrific Black Friday price of $172.81, or so I thought. It's still (12/20/24) listed at about the same price on Amazon. I am not a connoisseur of router tables. I did the usual due diligence one might expect a penny pincher to do when making a purchase that offers the best of everything at the lowest price available and I think it went a lot better than expected. I wasn't looking for a table that cost $400 or more. I wasn't looking for the largest table or one that attaches to a Festool MFT. I wanted a table I could use in the basement or out on the driveway and pick up and carry to a job site without too much muscle strain that was suited for making moldings, dados and so forth. I was first looking for a table with a two part fence so it could be used for jointing. I admit to being disappointed that the best table I found did not have that feature. It took a while to find a Youtube video that spoke to this problem. But Bosch solved it by including two 1/16" "Jointing Shims" that slide behind the out feed fence to allow edge jointing in increments of 1/16" to 1/8". It's not an infinity of adjustments but then no fiddling is required to set up the table for jointing. Just slide a shim behind the fence and you're ready to go. So, that may actually be an advantage over two separately moveable fences that require careful alignment to get the right cut on an edge joint. I rarely give five stars but I think they are well deserved in the case of the Bosch RA1181 and the great Amazon price. For $175, how can you go wrong?

Disclaimer: I'm a wannabe woodworker headed for retirement and a mechanic of 40 years experience. Assembly was a breeze really. I got it mounted and running in 90 minutes. Identifying and sorting all your parts first will help. Having a ratchet with an allen-head socket will speed things along too. Although I would have preferred a full sized router table with a cabinet, my limited space made it impossible. (If I told you how small my shop was, you probably wouldn't believe it.) Naturally, in the process of buying something I really didn't want to buy, I did lots of research. I buy with value in mind employing a computation of price, quality, quantity, reputation and life cycle. I have NO allegiance to any brands or where any product is made. I had a chance to see and touch some of the competing models of bench top tables including Bosch's other model 1171 and rejected them all for one reason or another. The numbers (including a great sale price from Amazon) landed me on the RA1181 with trepidation after reading many reviews and not being able to get my eyes and hands on one. As a mechanic/technician, I'm fairly picky about machine tolerances so, I was a bit put-off by some of the reviews I've seen complaining about warped tops. I fully expected to go into this with having to do my own machine work to the top in mind. As soon as I opened the package I went over the top with a 12 inch machinist's bar and a feeler gauge. I did it again after assembly. I found no high points and the lows did not exceed 0.004. I don't know about everyone else but, that's damned near perfect and less of a variant than I know I'll experience from the materials (wood) I'm working with. Wood, depending on how dense the species is, will expand and contract over time, humidity and temperature at least as much if not more than 0.004. If you want better than that, I would recommend prying out a few grand for a cast iron shaper. Testing by bridging the over the insert found it dead-on. That's good enough for me. I found the fence to be fine. The hardware is robust enough that they all stay put during operation and should last. I saw some complaints about the fence material. The metal extrusion is also dead on and the faces are what appears to be melamine. Good enough when you consider that they are sacrificial. Replacing them shouldn't cost much and they shouldn't really be replaced with anything other than what they are. I really like the dust extraction feature. Some bigger chips do fall underneath but, the flyable dust seems to be getting sucked up pretty well. I'll put the efficiency, conservatively, around 70%...'your mileage may vary'. The included shims to set up for edge jointing is a nice touch and I've used it twice already. Works great. Speaking of 'nice touch', there is an outlet to support your shop vac or whatever you're using as a dust extraction system, a real time saver. No Miter Fence? The track on the table is not for a Miter Fence, it's for the feather boards. Everything I've studied says that you shouldn't use a miter fence on a router table or any other tool that has a parallel, rip, oriented fence. I square up a piece of scrap and tack a guide on the end so it follows the edge of the table top. Works fine, quick and easy to do and provides a nice back-up to prevent tear out. Downers: Of all the dimensions I was able to find prior to purchase, there was no mention of the base. There is a dimensional diagram on the box but, still no mention of the base bottom. I incorrectly assumed the dimension would be the same as the top. Be warned that the base, at the mounting holes, is wider than the table top. It didn't fit the workbench I had to make in advance of receiving the tool. I wish the carriage bolts in the feather boards were a little beefier but, that's only a little annoying in initial set up of a project. Yes, the base of the table is plastic but, it's made with enough ribbing support that it's very strong. The unit doesn't rack at all. I just wish the same theme was followed with the switch fascia. It's sort of adequately supported on one side only and feels cheesy as it deflects when operating the switch. But, it does work and we'll see if it lasts. I'll just have to discipline myself to use my fingers rather than my knuckles like I do all the rest of my tools. Summary: Other than those couple of nit-picks, I'm pleasantly surprised by the convenience and functionality of this tool and would recommended it to the small-shop woodworker without much reservation. I've done a couple of projects with it, got no surprises and it has already paid for itself in saved time and aggravation. The days of having to whack together all sorts of elaborate jigs to compensate for not having a router table are over, thank goodness.

I'm writing this from the perspective of a beginning-moderate woodworker in a 2-car garage who bought this table when I was still quite green. I wouldn't say I regret the purchase as I got a screaming goldbox deal on it, but I wouldn't say it's a good value either. I'm now mounting this table on the extension wing of a new table saw and this is DEFINITELY the way to go, especially if you'd like to dual-use a good table saw fence. Pros: - Aluminum top is excellent, mine is perfectly flat in every measurable way - Included plate fits many routers (including Craftsman Professional 27680 (FANTASTIC router) WITH ABOVE TABLE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT, no accessories required!) - Included accessories are numerous, but don't see much use. Nice to have - 2 x 1/16" shims and a separable fence to use as a make-shift jointer with a gigantic straight bit (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T7CW/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1). It's no 8" jointer, but nice to have in a pinch. - Power switch is well-built and handy, and removable - Standard 27" width accommodates mounting between the rails on a standard-sized table saw top (had to shim mine 1/2" on each side). This was perfect for me as a growing woodworker, as I acquired a full sized tablesaw later Cons: - Super chintzy plastic legs hold table steady but don't inspire confidence. Could be improved with rubber feet. Just pitched them after Table saw attachment. - Featherboards have very limited range of movement - this is better left to jigs anyway - Fence is limited to ~3" of inward cut. Also corrected by mounting to TS - Mounting plate is very hard to get leveled perfect with 8 contact points Other Thoughts: As a standalone, stowable router table, you'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile machine. The Bench Dog is nicer but at 250 it's pretty far into DIY territory. However, if you have or ever want to buy a full sized table saw, this is a pretty bad buy. When I bought, I was too green and didn't have the confidence that I could build a good router table, but looking back it's a no brainer. Another $20 buys everything you need (kit or self-designed), there are hundreds of tutorials, and you can customize it to your application. Now that I'm mounting mine in an extension wing, I see the amount I paid as a kind of sunk cost, even though it's nice to have a good-looking aluminum top. Special note with Craftsman router: I didn't know this in advance, but if you use non-Craftsman holes for the 27680 (don't remember which), you can actually line up a hole for above-table adjustment. Bosch charges for an attachment to do this on their OWN routers that looks inferior, and I got a 2.5+ HP (14 amp), soft start, variable speed, LED-lit plunge-and-fixed base combo kit with tons of accessories for less than half what Bosch markets their big router for. The combo of table+router gets five stars, and I couldn't beat it unless I employed a router lift.

A result of downsizing was that I sold my wood shop of 50+ years that held some pretty serious equipment for a serious but hobbyist woodworker. As I lost my great router table to the downsizing, I still needed some sort of router table for my projects. I've always had good luck with Bosch tools, and this router table has not changed my views. It is compact enough to allow me to store it in a small space, but stout enough to handle small to medium sized routing needs. The fence and adjustments are fairly precise and fast to set up, the bulk is enough so that I can simply clamp the table to my workbench and create a solid base. Excellent product. If I had room, I would build it onto a cabinet which would hold bits and accessories. Very happy with this purchase.

Okay, I know my needs are quite specific, but I've not seen my solution anywhere and it's working great, so I wanted to share it: I bought this Bosch router table because of the size of its top and the fact that the top is METAL (I'm distrusting of the durability of those MDF tops). The table is terrific and an incredible bang for your buck! My specific needs, though, were for a capable and PORTABLE router table. I use it at home but also will need it for building film sets at my company's first video studio (we're currently building the studio itself). "Benchtop" implies that you could set this on a bench and use it... bad idea. You'd be routing at face level. The stand makes the tabletop too tall for a bench or a miter saw stand and too low for the ground. "Tabletop" would be more accurate, but even a kitchen table height makes it uncomfortably tall. Regardless, I had portability to consider and a budget I wanted to stay within. My entire routing solution was as follows: I purchased the Dewalt 618 router package with the fixed and plunge bases. I mounted the fixed base to this Bosch table, leaving the plunge base available for buying a second DW618 motor only for handheld routing. Then, after a lot of research, I bought the DW7440RS Rolling Table Saw Stand. It's very low and puts the Bosch router table at the PERFECT operating height for me (I'm 5'9"), with the added bonus that it folds up and rolls away. I may have the world's most portable routing setup. Haha! Anyway, it took me a lot of research to figure all of that out, but I feel those three items were a great compromise for my budget requirements. On the DW7440RS stand the Bosch RA1181 is sturdy but portable, and I've really been enjoying it!

I purchased this router table recently for my Bosch MR23 router. I have a small shop so a huge router table is out of the question. I have always liked Bosch products so I gave this a try. After reading a bunch of material on the different Bosch router tables I was directed to go for the aluminum top model instead of the other models for durability and accuracy. TAKE HOUR TIME putting this together and make sure you use the exact recommended screws in the exact positions they go in. The direction photos can be hard to make out at times but the directions are thorough enough to allow you to get the job done. It took a few hours to put together properly and square/level everything up. You will have to use a zip tie around the trigger button of the router because you will now turn it on from the included switch which is a nice included avcessory. My first job was rooting a bevel edge on a door threshold piece of corian I was needing and it handled it flawlessly! The table exceeded my expectations. It comes with 3 different inserts to fit different size it’s, a corner guide pin starter, feather boards, etc. For this price I simply can’t imagine anything being better than this. I checked the squareness with my gauges and the table/fence is dead square out of the box. If you are looking for a small benchtop router,I think this is the best in its class by far!

This is my first router table, so take this with a grain of salt. It's definitely not cheap, and I can't really comment on whether it's worth the price. However, the table seems like quality to me. The top is made of cast aluminium and weight more than you'd expect. The legs, although made of plastic, are thick and appear durable. The table I got is level. I've seen a few low score reviews that clearly show a straight edge going across and leaving a 0.2 in gap one end. Mine doesn't have that. A few of the reviews claim to have gotten a replacement that still had the same problem. I don't see why anyone would lie, especially since those people provides video evidence, so I would say that there is an element on luck here. Buying this may be a bit of a gamble. Given the overwhelming number of high reviews, I would think you're more likely to get a table that is straight than warped. The fence is also very heavy duty. I wish there was a built-in way to move the fence as a whole in line with the table instead of having to adjust the two slots and line it up by eye using the two gauges or a straight edge, but that may just not be a thing with router tables I guess. The other thing I'd say is you probably want a router that's compatible with the above table height adjustment. I tried it at first with my Dewalt router and having to adjust it under the table with the twist mechanism was a chore. Made me dread using the table, to be honest. It's pretty smooth sailing with a Bosch router, though. Again - take that with a grain of salt since this is my first table, but this seems like the best table you're going to find for this price range.

It's a bit of a challenge to put together, but once assembled, it work wonderfully. I just wish changing bits was a little easier. I would recommend this router table.

Alles gut - schneller Versand für aus USA!

Todo ok

Excellent quality and value. Good strength and easy to assemble. Only be very sure you buy a router that fits the mounting plate holes. They list the brands and models.

Great router table and easy to assemble. My only disappointment is I wish there were 60mm mount holes for mini portable routers. I know many use corded routers for this table as it was designed for that but considering I have the Dewalt DCW600 compact router already I wasn't ready to buy another router, but needed a table option. Either way, I was able to create a solution where I can still use my Dewalt DCW600 compact router. I already had the Oneida Universal router hood that I use for dust collection. When installed on the router there are hole mounts that actually fit under the Bosch RA1181. Bought some M4 bolts and nuts in 25mm length and 4 of these snug up the Oneida very securely under the Bosch table. Bonus is I can easily reach under the table to adjust the variable speed and the fine height adjustment of the Dewalt router UPDATE: Been wanting to update my review for quite some time, got lazy, but here it is. After my extensive use with this Bosch Router Table RA1181 I'm confident in stating this table is fantastic and well worth the investment. As I stated earlier, it's unfortunate that the aluminum router table plate does not have pre-drilled holes for 60mm compact routers such as my Dewalt but I had found a solution for that issue and here it is with photos. I currently use the Oneida router hood due to its very wide foot print and ability to funnel dust to my vac. The good thing is this acrylic plate has multiple holes for fitting any kind of router you may have. So obviously it has pre-drilled holes for 60mm compact routers. It also has pre-drilled holes for every full sized router on the market right now. The best part about this is these pre-drilled holes all fit and line up within the pre-drilled holes of the Bosch router table plate. There are a number of mounting solutions that can be used to mount the Oneida plate under the Bosch router plate. You can use 3 bolts, or 4 or even 5 bolts. In my above picture I am showing a 3 bolt solution. Using metric #4 bolts in 70mm length with thumb knobs for easy and quick removal. What I am doing now is in the process of trying to buy another Dewalt compact router sleeve then have it permanently mounted under the router table, that way, I can then just release the core router. Hope all this helps some buyers out.

It took me approximately 60 minutes to assemble this router table. However, upon first try, i realize that my initial mounting plate adjustment wasn’t accurate enough to work properly. The wood would « drop » on the other side of the table after passing in the router. I removed the fence and then took a good 45 minutes with a set of FEELER GAUGES and a 4 feet aluminium level to fine-tune the mounting plate. (Feeler gauges are easy to find on Amazon and very cheap). *A business card could probably be used to get acceptable results for most*. Loose all 4 corner screws and with a Feeler gauge, look for how much each corner needs to be lifted or lowered. Re-tighten corner screws and try again your 4/1000 feeler gauge. The middle hex screws on each side can help « bend » the mounting plate slightly. It takes some time and patience to do this process. Also, doing so, you will notice that this table isn’t perfectly flat. There is close to 3/16''between opposite corners. This feeler gauge method is probably not the fastest but the most accurate to get your mounting plate close to level with the rest of the table. I was also very happy to be able to mount my 15 years old Craftsman router (made by Ryobi) on the table without any kind of issues. Dust collection is acceptable but will need some improvement. Approximately 25% of the dust exit from under the table. I use a powerful 5HP DeWalt shop-vac with a Oneida Dust Deputy. At 200$, you get a very good table that will accept most routers on the market. *This review will be updated regularly with any valuable insights i get along the way.*