Opinion NEEDED ASAP! Please Ryobi table & Router on sale this weekend

[Evil Scotsman]

Good morning,

I am brand new to this forum AND to woodworking in general. I am looking to purchase a router. I was looking at a B&D Firestrom plunge router. and then came across this

Ryobi Router / Router Table combo

Model R163RTA

$99.00/EA Each Free Shipping
can be seen at Home Depot
Any opinions would be appreciated. I think I would get more use from a table router than a handheld? But I don't even know if that is true?

Thanks

[AxlMyk]

Many of us prefer to build our own tables.
That table has an aluminum top, which I don't care for. Aluminum can have a tendency to leave marks on your wood. That's one reason I got an iron top table saw.

For $100 you can build a real nice router table.

[Mike]

For not much more you can purchase the new Craftsman combo kit. This would give you a fixed base to mount in a table and a plunge base to use free hand. Switching between bases is easy so you get double the utility for about $20 more. Building a table is not the nightmare so many people think it is. It is a task most people can accomplish on their own with great results. This is also the best way to get to know your tools: using them on a project that does not have to meet ultra critical standards.

[Glenmore]

Welcome to the forum. Don't get the aluminun top I did when I first started went right to the dumpster. I wouldn't even give it away. I use a 690 porter cable router in my table. I bought my router table from Rockler for use on the bench top. But like Mike said the sears line seems to be stepping up on their combo kit.

[yarget]

Great thread

[jerrymayfield]

Buy a high quality tool and you only complain once-buy a low quality tool and you complain every time you use.

Regards

Jerry