BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table Features

Additional BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table Information

Because you're sliding the wood across the surface of a bench router, it's important that the surface be as frictionless as possible. The RA1181 features a generous 27-inch long by 18-inch wide table that's made out of slick but durable cast aluminum. In addition, he surface near the fence is rough-ground to minimize surface contact, which further reduces friction.

Though the caveat "some assembly required" applies here, the manual is clearly written, and I found the setup process to be straightforward. Once fully assembled, the RA1181 attaches to just about any workbench via the leg assemblies, which have flat "feet" that you can clamp to the table. You can also use the pre-drilled holes to screw it to your work surface if you don't need it to be portable. (Note that most benchtop routers need to be mounted on a smaller table-using a standard worktable may leave it uncomfortably high.)

Once secured to the table, the RA1181 is very stable, and can handle high-horsepower routers and larger work pieces without bucking. The cast aluminum mounting plate accepts a variety of routers-and not just those made by Bosch. The fence is good and rigid, and is adjustable from 0 to 3-3/4-inches wide.

This is a great little machine, and its portability and capacity for bigger jobs makes it as good a fit on the job site as it is in the home workshop.--Josh Dettweiler

What's in the Box
Two adjustable featherboards, three mounting plate insert rings, one adjustable clear guard, one starter pin and guard, two outfeed fence shims (1/16-inch thick), appropriate router mounting hardware

What Customers Say About BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table:

Just put my bosch RA1181 router table together, from the table upwards seems to be heavy duty and well engineered was a little disapointed with the plastic base, would have been better if it was at least thicker material. also the on/off switch is mickey mouse, I built a mobile stand for mine and installed a good on/off switch on front corner so it can be turned off with your knee or a slap of your hand. I think I am going to like this set up just fine.

This is a router table top without a full table stand, and it does not work with the Porter Cable 7518 Router. Besides that it seems to be a good table. I sent it back for a refund for a product that works with my router, and it is a complete stand alone table for my workshop.

Usually, they consist of plastic and are not what you would call "precision" devices. After much research I decided on the Bosch RA1181 router table. The quality of the table and fence system is as good or better than tables I looked that cost twice as much and more. A router table is only as good as the fence system in my opinion and the fence system on the RA1180 is simply unheard of in router tables in this price range. Compared to some of the competition, it looks downright HUGE. Even though $180.00 is the most common price range for this table this still holds true.

It comes with a nice set of featherboards and a very efficient dust collection port for you to connect your shop vac to. I was able to purchase it new on Amazon for $152.00 with free shipping which was as low as I had ever seen this table. The fence system on this table is all about precision and it's made from strong extruded aluminum. The pre-drilled mounting plate will accomodate mounting for many popular routers, you can check compatibility before ordering. Unfortunately, my Triton router was not one of those models but I was able to use one of the existing holes and drill the other 3 without a problem and I was ready to go. The table top is surprisingly large when compared to other tables in this price range.

When you look at the junk tables on the market that hover around the $150.00 mark, there is no doubt in my mind that this is by far the best bargain in the benchtop router table arena.

I bought this router table about a month ago and have loved everything about it. It's easy to use and the tabe top is made of top-notch material. And although my router was not listed on the list of routers that this table accepts, the infinite number of screw holes made my router fit just fine. I would recommend this table for the beginner-intermediate woodworker.

Bought this as my first router table and love it. The only downside is a really flimsy plastic plate that holds the ON/OFF switch. So many really well thought out features. Accurate routes, easy to use, well made and really portable. This should have been made much sturdier. Bosch has really come up as my favorite tool company the last few years.