Clean, straight cuts are pretty important for most projects. A TS or RAS, while not essential, are a lot more efficient for crosscutting and ripping than hand tools. They also reduce setup time for your projects significantly. You should try to get one or the other. IMO a TS would be the choice. I'd invest in that b/4 the router table. Space wise, a benchtop TS has approximately the same footprint as the router table and is a lot more fundamental for the projects you indicate.
Good luck.
My 2C
1.5 hp router. Go with the least expensive table. Kelly Mehler uses a sheet of ply laid over a 55 gallon drum. I wouldn't go much fancier.
Bob,
One of the first tools I bought was a router and the book "Router Magic". With that I was able to stretch to limit of what my 690 is supposed to handle. IMO you can definitely build the items you are describing with a router table alone, especially with the fence you are talking about, but it will take you a lot longer to build them.
You can use the router table to make nice rip/crosscuts, but its not really what its designed to do. At the very least, get a circular saw. Use that to rough cut your stock and then cut it to size on your router table.
Why would you want to pay $159 for a phenolic top if you are concerned about saving money. Go to the BORG, buy a 4 x 4 sheet of MDF and some Watco and screw your 690 to it. Use some saw horse to support it, you don't even need a cabinet. That will save you space and the price of a circular saw.
Like I said, I did almost everything with my router when I first started. Get some books, do some researh. You definitely need to go to Pat Warner's website to read what he has to say, especially before you buy a router table.
Good luck!
Chuck
Newbie questions: I don't own a jointer. I know you can edge joint with a router and split fence (up to the length of the bit), but how would you face joint a board with the router? I always assumed it would take pulling out a hand plane.
- Al
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