BOSCH RA1181 Benchtop Router Table 27 in. x 18 in. Aluminum Top with 2-1/2 in. Vacuum Hose Port

The BOSCH RA1181 is a sturdy, well-designed router table with a spacious 27" x 18" aluminum top. The 2.5" vacuum port keeps the workspace clean, and assembly was straightforward. Great for precision woodworking—fantastic value for the price!

I just finished a set of raised panel cabinet doors which is about the most challenging thing I use a router table for. The doors ended up nice with good fit, the minor flaws are most likely do to the operator not the tools. I am by no means a pro but here are few points I noticed while using the table:1. Assembly was not particularly difficult but expect to take some time to do it right. The instructions were adequate.2. Leveling the mounting plate got a little frustrating, but I tend to get hung up making things perfect when they don't need to be. In the end I got it level with the table (more on this later).3. Setting up the table for use was easy, the feather boards were solid, worked well, and stayed in place as did the fence itself. I have to admit, the guard that attaches to the fence didn't last long with me, but removing it is easier than installing it. I will most likely regret this decision the first time I get my fingers tangled up in a spinning bit.4. The table surface left some mar on the wood I was using, but nothing that wasn't easy to sand out. I imagine that this will go away as the table surface gets used. If you really wanted to I'm sure you could polish the table surface before first use.5. I have a Bosch router so the table top depth adjustment feature worked with my router. However, the combination of having to clean out the dust from the hole every time and keeping track of the allen wrench made it a rarely used gimmick. I ended up just making all of my adjustments from under the table. This is how I adjusted on my old table so it was not a big deal for me.6. Chip collection was decent using a 1HP shop-vac, but I would continually blow the breaker in the table switch with both the vac and the router plugged in to it. Based on the current rating of the switch (15A) I shouldn't have had both things plugged in to it; so chalk that up to operator error.Now for my main complaint. As was mentioned in a few other reviews my table top had some significant crown (a little over 1/32" or 0.03125"). 95% of the time this probably won't be an issue but I emailed Bosch anyway. Per the response I received, the manufacturing tolerances are a max crown of 0.5mm (0.02"), so it would seem my table is out of spec. It's the weekend so I will have to wait for Bosch's response as to what I should do, but even with the out of spec crown the table performed well.Overall, I would recommend this table to a friend who was in the market for a sub-$200 router table.*EDIT* After a brief and friendly email exchange with Bosch tech support they shipped out a new table top which showed up just a few days later. This one was perfect and they did not ask for the old one back making it a rather easy process. I upgraded my review to 5 stars due to the excellent support I received.

This is a very good router table and the fence works well too. This is probably the 6th or 7th router table that I have bought/made/used. The work surface (table dimensions) are quite large for a benchtop router table. Much larger than another Craftsman one that I have. The table top is very flat on mine. 2 things I like about the top are that it is machined aluminum and that it is not corrugated or grooved on the top in line with the router opening so it is stable and easy to slide the work on. I like the fact that the center router attachment piece can be removed to work on the router depth or change bits without having to contort under the table or flip the whole thing over and contend with the legs while trying to work on the router. There are I think 8 adjustment areas on the router attachment piece to align it with the rest of the table (which is very nice) so you can get every thing flat and not have bumps or dips when you are routing. Front switch controls 2 outlets behind front fascia that you can plug your router into and maybe a vacuum for dust control (it would be nice if there was some kind of cord management consideration built in to wrap the router around). One of the nicest features on this is the full size miter gauge slot that will take a full size miter gauge from your table saw. This is really nice for being able to attach jigs to the miter gauge for use on the table (for instance for finger jointing). One thing I don't like is the black end pieces for table cord management and the other end for storage are slip in place from the side, if you pick the table up with hands on each end you can pull those things out, it would have been good if the snapped in place instead of just sliding in place. Other than a couple of minor nits, it is a solid, well built tool with a lot of adjustability. The fence is solid and functions well and is very configurable to the task at hand. Bosch in general makes great stuff. I have tried this with a Craftsman version of a newer Porter Cable router and with an old Porter Cable No. 690 router, both attached easily after figuring out which bolt pattern to use (there are lots of bolt patterns so it supports a lot of router attachments).

We are really liking this table. Lots of details are done very right and it has a quality feel to it. Or only complaint is that the table itself is crowned slightly from side to side. The router mount insert is large and perfectly flat, but the table itself is lower at the ends than it is where the plate sits. Not a lot, perhaps 1/16”..

Industrial-strength performance domestically! Commercial-grade materials in consumer sizing. Safety certifications all up-to-date. Detailed maintenance schedule included. Outperforms competitors at 70% cost!