Getting a router for your workshop is a great addition, and moves you to a new level on the types of projects you can do. But without the proper table, your router is not nearly as effective. Since you're already a woodworker, instead of shelling out big dollars to buy a table, you can easily build your own using router table plans.

A quick word of caution. Routers are extremely demanding on the tables holding your projects. Don't use an untested free plan which could fail and endanger yourself. Routers are a high speed power tool, which can be very dangerous when used improperly, or allowed to get out of control. This is not a time to trust your safety to chance. A good set of professional router table plans are very low cost, and you can be confident it will be a solid and secure work area for having fun with your router.

One thing you should look for in your router table plans is a design which will give you plenty of storage. No point in building a table only for the purpose of running your router, when you can also increase the storage of your work area. This will also give you a great place to put away the bits for your router, where they are easily within reach anytime you are working on a project. A good set of plans is going to give you recommendations on the hardware to use for the drawer slides, hinges, and other hardware to make everything work smoothly.

Don't you hate when you go into a friend's workshop, and you need to fight with the drawers to get them open? They slide crazily left and right, and then just when you give them a good tug to get them open, they pop out, and the tools and supplies go flying all over the workshop. When you choose a good set of router table plans, your drawers are going to slide open straight, smooth, and will hit a stop at the end of the pull, instead of falling on the floor.

Don't forget about the necessity for good air circulation when checking into different plans. The router is mounted under the counter top, so it must have good air circulation to keep the motor cool. Many times this is an open area in the table. Router table plans designed by a woodworking professional will take all of these factors into consideration. They use their router all the time, and know exactly how the table needs to be designed for the best performance of your router.

You can find plenty of router table plans scattered all over the internet, but are you really willing to trust your own safety, and the performance of your router to someone unknown? Anyone with professional plans knows they have a certain amount of liability, and their own name to protect. Their plans will be well thought out, both for safety, and for performance. This is not the place to save your money. Choose your plans carefully to give yourself the finest router table possible.