Impressed with FWW Talent

+1 Carols book (again, its a good book what can I say ).

The short version is I'm still recommending you build one. Cost/performance is going to be better than anything you can buy reasonably. The cheaper Kreg gets ~mediocre reviews and anything much better starts creeping up in price pretty quickly.

If you do decide you need a nicer setup in the long run.. watch for a used smaller shaper with router spindles. I've seen them drop into the $200 range for stuff that looked ok from the pictures anyway.

Rob thanks for the heads up on Carol's book. Consider it a done, book is on its way.

Frankly, I wasn't aware that Carol had written a book, let alone one specializing on "Router Joinery Workshop: Common Joints, Simple Setups & Clever Jigs". How nice is that to have the P-C Router Kit & a Book written by Carol! Sometimes the stars align & things just go well!

Also, the comments/suggestions about making a router table sound like a good idea. I love making jigs & fixtures & that might just fit right in. I also like spending fewer $$$ when I can make something for myself.

I have a nice new Corian table top (26 3/4" x 43 1/2") with rounded edges that I made into a craft table, thinking I could get into the hobby of making models (planes, boats, cars, etc.) to pass the the time during winter. Turns out that making a model car is not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. I installed swivel casters, so it's mobile & can easily be stored wherever. It could be modified below to house a router, shelved for storage of router accessories & enclosed for chip collection. Seems like it has potential & since I could still use for craft work, it could be a nice multi-purpose table.

I'm toying with the idea of epoxying/screwing a 3/4" marine plywood sheet section (left over from a boat project) to the full underside of the table to provide additional overall reinforcement & strength/stability in the areas where I may have to route out for an insert plate & miter slot(s). Just thinking about it until I receive Carol's book to see what she had in mind & if the Corian would be appropriate as a good candidate as a router table top.

Overkill. JMHO.

The thickness of the top must be reduced around the router to no more than 3/8" or you lose depth of cut for the router bit. But the more important issue is flatness. The router table top is a reference surface relative to the router bit. I advocate small tables that are dead flat and stay that way. A router table is for the purpose of routing small pieces that cannot support the router in hand held mode. It is not, like most of us use them, a replacement for the shaper. Just my 2 cents.