I have seen a “shaper/router” table at the local hardware store. This table has the fence and all just like the regular router table, but the motor or router is already installed. It is stationary. You do have the ability to raise and lower the bits and such. I’m just wondering; what are your opinions on this versus the other table available? Pros and cons.
Rob Johnstone: I don’t know what a shaper/router is, unless it is simply a shaper. Shapers are a great piece of woodworking equipment and are able to do all sorts of really sophisticated machining. But they are expensive and with the expanded use of router tables and larger portable routers available on the market, a good question might be: If you have a good router table set up, do you need a shaper? What luck, Charlie Self in the latest issue of Woodworker’s Journal (on newsstands now!) examines just that question. It is a bit more complicated than you might expect, as folks like Grizzly have good quality shapers for about the same cost as a good router and router table setup. Because you are just getting into woodworking, my guess is that you should look at a router and router table set up, as it provides a greater degree of versatility.
