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A handheld router works fine free-hand, but mounting it upside-down in a table turns it into a much more capable stationary tool — this base is what makes that swap practical in a small shop, since it rolls out of the way on casters when you're done.
Each leg is actually two 2x4s, dadoed and paired into a solid 3"x3" post, rather than a single 2x4 — a plain 2x4 leg would be noticeably less rigid under the side-load a router table sees during a heavy pass, and the doubled leg costs almost nothing extra in material.
The top is two layers of 3/4" plywood glued together with a laminate surface, which gives a dead-flat, low-friction table for feeding stock across — a single layer of plywood alone tends to telegraph any waviness in the sheet straight into your cuts.
Don't skip the safety switch. A router buried inside a cabinet with its own on/off switch out of reach is a bad combination the first time something needs to stop immediately.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Construction lumber, 2x4, 8 ft | 8 each |
| 3/4" plywood, 4x8 sheetDoubled for the top. | 1 each |
| Router table insert plate | 1 each |
| Universal t-track, 36" | 2 each |
| Knobs and t-track bolts | 1 set |
| Carriage bolts, 3/8" x 2" | 4 each |
| Washers and wing nuts | 1 set |
| Workbench casters | 4 each |
| Safety switch | 1 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Leg halves2x4Dadoed 3/4in deep x 3in wide and paired so two boards form one solid 3x3in leg. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 35" |
| Base side rails2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 24" |
| Base front/back rails2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 36" |
| Top panels3/4" plywoodGlued together into one doubled top with a laminate surface. | 2 | 3/4" × 24" × 36" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
6 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Dado each leg pair 3/4in deep and 3in wide so two 2x4s combine into a solid 3x3in leg. Build the 24in-deep, 36in-high base from the legs and rails, gluing and screwing it together.
Attach the safety switch to the base and mount the four casters underneath.
Glue two layers of 3/4" plywood together with a laminate surface on top, and cut dados for the t-track sections.
Rout the opening for the router insert plate and install the plate.
Install the t-track sections into the top, then build an adjustable fence from plywood, locking it down with knobs, t-track bolts, and carriage bolts.
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