Wow, I have that same router table and I LOVE it. If you would just build a 16 inch platform right where it’s sitting, you would have your bench to the left as an outfeed table and you could make a drawer under it to store all your router bits, jigs, and featherboards, etc.

Hi, thank you for sharing your thoughts, i admire the honesty and candor. Also you do NOT ramble, in-fact it is refreshing to hear you talk honestly. Keep it up and God bless

The Ruler Issue. I totally agree that extra little bit before zero often gets in the way. Interesting thing I learned form Stumpy Numbs (Great youtube channel btw) is that a "rule" starts at 0 and a "ruler" has extra on the ends.

I’m a hobbyist woodworker, looking at making more things for retail. Take my advice: buy or build a stand for your router table that suits your height. Mine is extremely useful - I use it for every project, even if it is just for roundovers or rounding corners. It’s always ready to go and is at the right height for me. I just bought a good router lift so it is now very easy to set the router to the right height. It’s way better than a palm router for many things. I did use my palm router to make some dados in a set of shelves, but I use my router table much more.

As a woodworker for over 30 years. One of the first thimgs i did with my metal rulers was grind of the wasted space ends. Still use those rulers and love them.

Everything I purchased was needed at the time and saved me money by having it handy. For my work surface heights I use my Worx folding worktable as a guide. Every table is made at that height so it increases my work area.

Good stuff for sure. At some point in my life, I introduced a max budget for tools with time spent to determine whether or not I really needed something.

May I suggest that as you prioritize your future tool investment that you upgrade your dust collection system to include a canister filter that will filter out dust down to the 1-micron size or smaller. This will not make you money, but it will provide a long-term health benefit that is worth the expense. You have a lot of years of woodworking ahead so you might as well take precautions to protect your lungs.

The metal rulers are good, you can sand the excess so they start at cero 😊👌

Interesting video. I'm recently retired and have begun getting some woodworking tools, and it's useful to get candid reactions. I'd say there is 0 chance I'll do anything commercial, but I can see myself making shelves or cabinets. Oh, and that word you were trying to recall is 'hemisphere', I believe.

Really enjoyed this video, thank you. Like the way you think and how thoughtful you are about what needs to be in your shop; definitely struck a chord!

A drill press is a wonderful thing but doesn't necessarily replace a drill guide. If you have to make a hole in the middle of something large - you may not be able to safely use the drill press or you may not be able to get the drill bit anywhere near where you need to make the hole. Often, though, something like the Milescraft Drillblock or even a doweling jig can do the trick very nicely.

Why not build a table for that router? maybe make it as an anex to your current worbench. Regarding those rulers, what about grinfding them to zero?

I purchased a similar Ryobi table top router table. I built a mobile base (from almost all scrap materials) with storage and It keeps my workbench free and is at the right height (by design). And it gets used!

Thanks, Carpenter Katie. Like you, I had a small desktop router table in the corner. So, I hatched a plan to convert to a router platform. I bought a Router table with wheels to mount the desktop router top, made a dust box, etc. In the end, I bit the bullet and abandoned the desktop conversion and built a complete system using the table and other parts, including a fence, top, lift, and dust box from Woodpeckers, Rockler, Jessem, and Bosch. I now have a beautiful, $2k robust Router table that sits in the corner with the remains of the original desktop router in pieces and in the trash. Hope this story helps determine the fate of your little guy.

I 100% agree with you about the portable drill guide. It may have a few unique uses but for the exorbitant cost, it is not worth it. As you said, money better put towards a drill press. Best wishes with your business.

Great video! So many relatable things but also some things I wouldn’t think about!

My drill press was only $50 more than that drill guide, and I love it. Looks like you have enough room for one.

I don’t have any regrets on any tools that I’ve bought so far. I use all of mine at one point or another. I need to buy another room dust filter though. I have one, but could use another to help. I have dust collection, but I still get some dust in the room. Build a stand for your router table, you’ll thank yourself for doing it. I’m going to build a bench with built in table saw and built in router table that will also double as an assembly table and some flip top tool stands for planers and sanders and what not.

As someone who is brand new to wood working and just getting started as a hobby, i appreciate the small details. Thank you for the video, i hope someday i can get good enough to sell random things ive built on a site like Facebook Marketplace. I dont have the time or the space to do what you do, but a jewelrybox or coffee table here and there is more realistic for me. Great video and thanks again for your details. Looking forward to more content.

I love your articulate logic combined with your natural expressiveness. You have an "online presence" with an enjoyable intimacy. I'm going to hangout with your channel a while.

Great video, lots of good info learned by your experiences. Thanks!

Just found your channel, I have a desktop router table and 1st thing I did was make a trolley for it. It helped with having limited space but it also makes it very accessable

It's hilarious how similar my own bad choices have been. Glad to see I'm not alone. Thanks.

Love the videos. I appreciate the insght. Keep making great videos!!!!!!!

You could always build a stand for the router table and grind off the extra ends on the rulers ...

Agree with thebruler issue. Thank you for sharing. Everyone stay safe, warm, happy 😊 and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

I also have the Rockler drill press, I have a floor drill press as well. Sometimes you just need something portable for 90 degree holes. Mine unfortunately had the collet chuck twist off. I couldn't believe it happened, but it came off where it was machine pressed in and now I can't use it at all. Too expensive for the lack of quality. Great video! I think we all have items in our shops that we purchase and after using, regret.

I don’t know if he was right or wrong, but my grandfather taught me the 1/8th of an inch before zero on the ruler was to account for the kerf. He always set his blade to the inside of the marked line for perfect cuts. I used a disc sander to remove the ‘extra’ from the ruler and now cut to the outside of the line. Tomatoe, tomato!

A hemisphere is half a sphere! I can definitely relate to buying in bulk to reduce unit price. I regret buying seven different kinds of organizers rather than investing in a single storage system, but I am really glad that I at least kept it organized from the beginning.

Flippin nice miter saw and decent table saw are priceless. Doing cuts with a circular saw and speed square is for the birds

I can recommend Wynn Environmental for a canister filter for your HF dust collector. I have the same unit and use their filter. I'm very happy with it. Great video!

Re: the router table that's too short and not tall enough....maybe build a mount for it so that the working surface is at/just below the regular workbench? That way it's easier to use.🙂 Edit: Oh drat! You already thought of this! LOL!

Excellent topic. You have a tremendous ability to articulate concepts and provide invaluable information along with the thought process that went into the decision. Beginner and experienced woodworkers alike will benefit. I'd say my biggest regret is spending the money on the dozen, or so, inexpensive palm sanders I've purchased over the years instead of investing in the Festool from the start. Thanks again for all the great content you share.

1" diameter hemispheres, curved side down (countersink the screw), make nice "sliding" feet for smaller carts/stands that don't require casters. Side by side they make nice spherical wheels with a steel rod joining them and the bracket sits between them (like an office chair caster).

The word you were looking for is *hemisphere* - a half sphere. Very helpful BTW. I found a lot of this rather relatable, and to be good perspective and advice. On the router table, I definitely see the downsides of that, even if it were placed at the perfect height on the perfect stand. It's the polar opposite issue of your portable drill guide, though. A fixed-stand tool like a drill press just sits there at its altar. Whereas a portable guide can be brought to where you are, where the material is. But such are the pros and cons of comparing any fixed tool with a portable tool. For you, the drill guide makes less sense. For me, I'm often working outside, so I can't often take advantage of a fixed tool as well. A drill press makes far less sense for me, as does a table router. In contrast, working in a shop, if you _did_ set your table router on something to put it at exactly the right height for you, it might get used fairly often - you just have to remember not to use it as a table! xD

Great video! Thank you so much

Great tips Carpenter Katie, especially #5 - test to see if it will sell before you buy (or make) too many. Viewers: Milescraft makes the mini drill press at a fraction of what Rockler charges. Like Katie, I only use mine occasionally, but for ~$40, it’s less of a regret & more of a tool i’m happy to own when I need it.

As you started talking about bulk-buy, my mind went directly to „sets“ e.g. a set of different sizes of screws, or o-rings … you need one special size, go to the store, see this sets, think oh nice, go home, take this one you need and leave the set-box for years somewhere;)

The best metal rulers I ever got were from American Science and Surplus. I have enough that I can reach in any direction and pick one up to use. They were all zero to the end, and have metric on one side and imperial on the other.

I don't know for sure but you sound pretty darn normal. Count me subscribed. At 70 I'm rebuying things that I regretted buying the 1st time; rebuying now, and realizing their worth. They were for me as an old guy. I'm afraid wisdom was too much waisted in my youth but looking up! Good fortune to you youngster.

Not sure if you have a disc sander (or access to one), but you can fix those rulers. Just take it slow and sand off that extra bit on the end. The word you were looking for was “hemisphere”. When I was a beginning woodworker, I went to a woodworking show and bought a small sled for my band saw for ripping irregular shaped boards. I thought it was something I NEEDED. It’s totally in the way and I’ve probably used it three times in 8 years. Cool video, thanks for sharing!

LOL, Katie. I have the same Bosch router table and presently have it poised atop a work table and agree with you wholeheartedly. I think you once again jump-started my focus on building a mini-table, most likely on casters with locking wheels for it as of the moment, it's sitting flush up against a wall and leaves little space to get dust collection attached or to maneuver pieces across it. Apparently, I didn't receive the adjustment Allen wrench tool when I bought it all second-hand from a guy getting out of the woodworking business, so adjusting it is a mini-challenge, not to mention the process of unscrewing the bloody thing if I want to put the grips back on it and do power routing by hand. And, LOL, I bought the Amazon version of the drill press gizmo and I mainly use it to align Fostner bits for depth-specific holes. However, every blooming time I've used it, the chuck on my DeWalt drill has locked up from being expanded so far to make the darned thing turn. In fact, yesterday, I had to mix channel locks and banging the conflagration to get the chuck to release the tool, and is that ever a clunky process. If I had a dedicated drill to leave attached to it, I might consider that, but alas, we have to make due with what we have, right?! YT recommended this video to me, which has sure taken long enough to do so considering how many videos like this I regularly consume. Keep up the good work!

I bought a drill guide like that for about thirty bucks forty years ago and never used it.

This video found its way onto t feed. Looking forward to future content.

I have the same issue with wood finishes and the same router table issue. I plan to build a short platform with casters to fix my router table issue. I’m just getting started with this hobby so I appreciate you sharing your experience here. Hopefully I wii start a small business with it too.

I generally put my rulers in a vice and file them down. I agree. Non zero rulers are annoying.

I never regret the buying of any tool!lol

Actually the conservative approach to buying tools is the smart approach. You will use the router table more if you put it on a stand at a comfortable height. I use mine daily.

Metal rulers should definitely start at 0. At least those for woodworking. Yeah, I too got one of those drill guides-though I bought the Milescraft one for $50 CAD-and I seldom use it. The few times I've used it I too have found it finicky and the holes weren't drilled as precisely as with a drill press. Quite embarrassing to have off-90° dog holes in my bench. I put a lot of the blame on the dummy operating the drill, but it was still awkward to use. Once I got a drill press, I never looked back: one of the most useful things I've ever purchased. Got the same Bosch router table! I did get quite a bit of use out of it, but mostly because that's all I had. I did build a short table for it to raise it to the same level as my table saw-interesting shop project, but in the end I got frustrated with it: tired of bending/kneeling to make adjustments or change bits or collets, and the rising mechanism was anything but precise or smooth. I finally replaced it with a Jessem table/lift and... what.a.difference! I had to take a loan for that one, lol, but it's such a pleasure to use and the results are top notch. A hemisphere?

Surprising to see that your drill guide doesn't have a spring on one of the guiding rails most drill guides tend to do have them but the metal chuck on your guide isn't big or bulky so it didn't need it maybe add a spring on one of the two rails to make it easy to use and retract your drill out easily, but play with the spring tension and compression a bit to not have the spring fighting against you while drilling. Even if your drill guide doesn't dis-assemble you can still roll the spring onto the guide railing but may have a bit of a hard time removing it after. Cut the extra ends of the metal ruler with some excess sliver of it left then grind the rest to final size and leave the edges of with slightly round corners so you don't end up poking yourself with the ruler while working with it.

Depends on your skills and how you understand the trade , many guys are using those tools as means of reach for tasks that luck approach in the workshop, many Carpenters know what to do but can't afford anything such ideas are generated to fix shortages and solve work, that's why in the USA you have harbour freight, it has primitive things for the low market based Americans.

I modified my router table so I can attach it to my miter saw stand. I don't have much room and have two folding miter saw stands that have feed rollers.

I built a stand that makes it a good height and has wheels so that it can be moved if necessary. Grind off the end of the ruler so it is at zero and then you can use it and like it. I find that having extras is helpful since I make a lot of different things and also fix things rather then throwing them away.

It’s clear you are smart about this business and it’s not a hobby. The question should be, as you note, how does this new tool make me money.

good video , however , if that router table is your worst woodworking purchase you already WON !! ... the resale value is HIGH , the demand is HIGH .. any effort on your part , like reusing the top , or placing it on a lower shelf , as u already suggested , is very useful .. routering smaller peices , you would never do with your palm router , at almost EYE level is also helpful .... put that router away , its day will come ... I do like your call on bulk purchases ... using old wood filler , old stains , old finishes , old paints and a half a dozen other old items , is no fun to use ... gl in your efforts

I can relate on your last regret. I've been wood working for four years and would buy small things thinking I would use, which I've never have lol. I'm sure we aren't the only ones.

Hi! Bench top tools like the bosch router table that have an awkward height work really nicely on a popup table like the Keter work tables. I have a similar Bosch router table, spindle sander, and a miter saw which I rarely use; but they work well for certain tasks so I have a Keter table I deploy and sit the needed machine on there, clamp it in place, and ready to go pretty fast. Saves space too versus building another dedicated floor standing work surface.

You should put the router table on a stand to bring it up to the level you want. You have all the tools needed to make a stand. :)

I recently learned that a ruler that starts at zero is called a rule - who knew? Also, I've found that inventory that I thought I'd never use again, may unexpectedly come in handy someday.

Kate, the router table is a wonderful tool. Of course, it doesn't work on top of a benchtop or the floor so you build a separate stand to support the router table that brings the top of the router table to the table top height that you have chosen. My top surface of my assembly tables, portable table saw and router are all the same distance from the floor and all on casters that lock. Decide on a total common height you wish and build from there. It's more work at the start, but you'll be so much happier as you develop your projects. I've made all my stands and assembly tables they are all 38 inches high but it depends on your height and the height you are comfortale working.

I bought a WEN Dremel knock off. I wanted to do carving. I bought the extended hand held attachment. It was 30 some dollars. It was a waste and I finally bought a cheap Vevor corded palm router. It worked but the cord got in the way. I gave it to my nephew and I bought the DeWalt cordless palm router with a plunge base. It cost twice as much as the Vevor but in selling four things it paid itself off. I gave the Vevor to my nephew he likes it.

Excited for my Berkey Stand!

totally a legit beef with the rulers. i have a couple that are super shiney and really hard to read on account of it.

I had the same problem with a similar router table. I ended up building a flip top stand with my oscillating sander on the other side. Both of them are too tall for a bench and totally unusable on the floor.

A canister top for your DC is smaller than 5he dust bag you currently use. See if you can find one with a spinning handle to clean the filter baffles without removing the filter. Saves a ton of time and mess!

nice video. FYI - you could make a stand for router table; you could grind/sand excess length off of ruler; and, half a circle is e hemisphere or semi-circle. Good luck!

I have a drill guide and a drill press. I use both. Get a comb square the metal ruler is removable and eventually you’ll drop it and the little locking screw will be and you’ll have a dedicated ruler.

I love my Bosch router table. The problem may be your stand is the wrong height. Mine is much shorter than my lathe stand or planer.

There is a stand made specifically for that router table. That stand makes all of the difference.

If you’ve ever used a General or Milescraft drill guide, you’d be a lot more pleased with the Rockler version you have! I agree that the price is a bit on the high side, and forking out over $100 more for the vice got an instant “NO!” from me though! The guide has come in handy in several situations, and although it’s not frequently used, I’m glad I have it! Same with another version of the Bosch router table I have. My biggest regret would have to be either my Porter Cable dovetail guide or Rockler sign routing template sets. I’m ok with the quality of both, but I find them challenging to use, and I almost never use either one. The sign templates were purchased because I thought I could use them to generate some side income. That never happened!

For the router table, I would build an adjustable table in height with a big enough top to sue for other things or a flip top table lower than others - router on top and flip with another tool under it. I have never had a ruler ad come up while watching a KZfaq video. You mention metal rulers - there is a KZfaq metal ruler ad. Someone is watching me.

I'm not even really into "woodworking" per se, but have a few tools around for household repairs and stuff. I definitely relate to your issue with rulers that don't start at zero. I have 5 metal rulers of various sizes. Two of them do not start at zero and they bug me too. Also, I have thought of buying a drill guide but probably wouldn't use it that much. I've been keeping my eye on a small laser light thing you attach to a drill to drill straight, but it has been in development and promised release for YEARS and still is not on the market yet.

YIKES... the vise accessory is now up to $149. When I bought it was $250 as a set for both with free shipping. . Shame, as the vise does make the guide more useful. 😢

I have a router table, and it makes for a safer use of the router, and better control. Now I did build my own router table. I made the top, and mounted to a Kreg steel frame. I built my own top because I could make it the size I wanted and could fit into my space. I bought a commercial fence. On the metal rulers, 0 does not start at the edge, because you don’t have to worry about the end getting dragged and not be true 0.

Ahhh I have that exact set of rulers and my complaint is the same! I never use them and they just hang on a magnet strip taking up space now. 🙄

I had the problem with the router. So I attach it my table saw

Experience cheaper things as you go. Within your experience. I won’t say better tools aren’t better but each tool is a learning tool for the tool and life

I remember seeing something defining the difference between a “rule” and a “ruler”. One starts at zero and I can’t remember which :) Buyer beware I guess.

I also bought that same router table when I was starting out. The top isn't flat at all so it's impossible to level the insert and the aluminum leaves gray marks on wood. Ended up just putting an MDF top on it and clamping the fence on when I need it.

glue the wooden hemispheres onto the ends of your screwdrivers and test finishes on them

thank you . its hard to know what we need . rulers go with starrett , general tools or taylor has great blems for sale .

Interesting the drill guide is on your list. I understand the Rockler price hike, but I love my Milescraft. It’s cheap (like $30 I think I paid), and I find myself regretting my actual drill press. But then again being in a 12x16 shop may sound big, but as you see in your shop, things fill up quickly. I also find that some of the machines like a band saw (and even a table saw in a small shop) tend to be things I can do with smaller tools instead (like track saws for table saws….)

10:32 there are cheaper drill guides that are basically the same. I have one and a small drill press. They are not interchangeable. You can't drill into the middle of a 3x3 panel with a drill press.

Would you mind revealing which platforms you sell on. Would like to see your work!

My machinist Mr. Pen rulers start at zero but are thicker. The Rockler drill guide is excellent for the right job. I had to drill 8 holes on vertical posts that needed to be as close to drill press quality as possible and the results were flawless. It's a terrible "drill press" though

Agree on the portablle router table to an extent, for me it was just about storage and size of the table itself. It is an excellent table and fence setup though, so, temporarily, I set it up as a table on my drill press, works well. You'll get far more use out of a drill press with a good adjustable table than that rockler unit, I have one by Wolf, seldom ever used it, too much of a PITA to set up. I ended up buying a Bulldog router leaf for my table saw., otherwise, I would have built the Bosch top into a table extension for the table saw. Turns out that I can use the Bosch fence on my bandsaw, the bulldog leaf and the drillpress now as well, so don't give up on that.

Clamp your metal ruler between 2 pieces of hardwood with the end you don’t like sticking out. Carefully file that part off and dress the end with 320 wet and dry sandpaper.

Bosch router table is meant to be portable and on not so heavy workloads. It requires a dedicated stand you either make or buy or use what you have. It doesn’t make since to tear it apart to build a stand for the top when you could build the stand at the right height and permanently attach it without having to dismantle it.

Definitely can relate!!

If you want a good steel rule (not ruler, which is like a king) check out Starrett. It won't be inexpensive, but it will be excellent and last you a life time.

If it isn't where I can use it easily, not dig it out...I agree, same way here. Drill press, Drill press...10" benchtop would fit well down there.

The Rockler Drill Guide. I have a drill press and I purchased a rockler drill guide for situations where I needed to drill where my drill press can't reach like the center of a panel. Frankly I use my V-block drill guide the most.

Thanx for the video, sounds funny but i regret buying Shellac for one of my first finishes, to me it makes wood look like plastic

How about a slide-out drawer for the router table set up for your ideal height.

Important thoughts when buying thank you

Words can be hard to find at times you did make me chuckle🤣😂🤣 but im the same. For me there was several but the most costly one was buying a table saw i will stop there because the amount of money will make me sad 🤣

Stack up some cinder blocks to set the router table on to make a more usable height. Hemisphere.

You can route a plate or lift into a bench. It has to be flat, through. A great workbench can be made with a solid-core door, with a sacrificial piece of MDF loosly placed on top. A small rim around the door will keep the MDF from sliding. This makes a very flat, durable, and cheap, benchtop. A router station can be cut into one end. I agree with the drill guide. I got sucked into the Woodpeckers guide. It's just not solid enough. It's good for 3/8s bits, but that's about it. Whenever i buy hardware, i buy large packages, like 25# boxes of sheetrock screws. I also have 100 of every length of every machine screw from 6-32 to 5/16, most in pan, flat, and hex head. Having to make a special trip to the BORG ,just ruins the day. Half of it is shot.

I have that exact same router table and feel the same! I regret buying it for various reasons. Then again, I don't really want to spring for a fancier one because I honestly don't use it that much. And they take up so much dang space! One thing I would not purchase again is a basic, non-sliding miter saw (aka chop saw). I don't know why I thought I needed that for an early carpentry project I was working on. A circular saw is much more useful. I find myself wishing I had a real drill press, but do I buy a little benchtop one with ~2.5 inches of travel? Or do I spring for a big one and figure out how to fit it into my one-car garage? First world problems. I think I'll just continue to think on it. 😂