Bosch Benchtop Router Table RA1181 Review

If you’re looking to up your woodworking game, then you need to get your hands on a high-quality router table. This is a specialized table where a handheld router is placed beneath the table with the router bit protruding upwards through a hole. All that’s left to do is push your workpiece across the provided worktable and through the bit.

Bosch has been among the most trusted power tools and power tools accessories manufacturers for quite some time. One of their router table models – the RA1181 – has garnered quite a few stars, so we’d like to see what makes this table so beloved by its customers.

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Durable, Smooth Table Top

The most important thing to consider when shopping for a table with your handheld router tool is the smoothness of the table. After all, you’ll be gliding pieces of wood across the table and into a spinning router bit, and any bumps on the table could cause unwanted results.

We’re glad to find that the RA1181’s cast aluminum table is super smooth, free of imperfections, and creates an almost frictionless surface that lets your workpieces glide seamlessly.

Huge Worktable

Benchtop router tables need to be small enough not to crowd your workspace but large enough to support a wide range of different-sized boards. This Bosch-made router table comes with a tremendous, 27 x 18-inch aluminum to support almost any board you can get from retailers.

Rigid Mounting Plate

The mounting plate is where the router tool will be placed upside down, so the bit points upward and past the worktable. This plate needs to be strong. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a dangerous wobbling tool that won’t dig grooves or carve edges effectively.

The mounting plate on the RA1181 is rigid, durable, won’t move even in the slightest when pushing material against the spinning router bit, and is pre-drilled to support a wide range of router models (not just Bosch’s). The base stays true to the worktable’s surface for precision cuts every time.

Reliable Dual Featherboards

The feather boards on the fence of router tables help in ensuring that your workpiece slides across the table’s surface without straying from the desired trajectory. This is important for several different reasons, the most important of which are accuracy and safety (preventing kickback).

This router table comes with a pair of featherboards that attach to either side of the router and mounting plate, giving your material maximum support on both the infeed and outfeed sides of the table.

Small Footprint

Any benchtop tool shouldn’t take too much space. This is because they sit atop a table rather than take up your workshop’s floor space. The base of this tool measures 22-3/4 inches in length and 27 inches wide.

You won’t need to dedicate more than a tiny portion of your workshop bench to give this router table some height. There are also four pre-drilled holes on each of the table’s legs where you can drive screws in to keep this tool from wobbling while in use.

Awesome Dust Management

Like so many tools, routers produce sawdust and chips in large quantities. The more the tool is in use, the more sawdust you’ll need to clean up. Any woodworker will tell you that sweeping and scooping sawdust is a pain in the neck, which is why it’s important to find a router table with a working dust port, such as the Bosch RA1181.

This table comes with a standard 2-1/2-inch dust port that connects to your shop vac or dust extractor. The table is designed in such a way that most of the sawdust produced from your router will go flying towards the dust chute, ready to be suctioned up by your vac.

Onboard Storage Compartment

Since routers use a ton of different bits and accessories, you’ll need to keep the detachable items safe and secure when not in use. The RA1181 can be of tremendous help thanks to the onboard storage compartment which can house any and every accessory for your router tool. There’s even a handy place to store your router’s cord to keep it away and out of sight.

Verdict

So what do we think of the Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router TableIt has everything you’d expect for a high-quality router table and more. The ultra-smooth worktable helps keep your workpieces from sticking, letting you produce beautifully carved channels and edges without any trouble at all.

The secured fence, adjustable feather boards, and dust port make this tool not only easy to use but also safe. Essentially, if you have a router tool of any brand and need a durable table, the RA1181 by Bosch is the table to get.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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