Every once in a while I get asked about building router tables and selling them online such as Ebay.  Building the tables is fairly straight forward and their are a couple of things to keep in mind.  The real question would be “Can you make any money?”

Building

Building a table is a pretty straight forward process, deciding on a design that works is probably the hardest part.  You do not want to keep reinventing the wheel every time you step into the shop.  Come up with a design that works and rinse and repeat.  People will recognize your work and you will eventually build a reptuation.  Keep in mind that making your table easy to ship is a very good consideration.  The smaller the box the better.

Parts

The biggest challenge is finding the parts, especially if you can find them all in one spot.  You will want to try and use parts that people recognize (brand) and that can be used universally.  Also building tops that are lift capable is a big plus.  Most woodworkers will upgrade to a lift sooner or later when they see how fun it is to use the router table.

Full Size or Bench Size

Specializing in one or the other is a good idea, especially since the size of the project is in direct relation to your budget.  Which ones sell best?  It depends on the time of year and the venue (ebay or amazon)  If you make bench top sized projects make sure you can ship them with the legs broken down

Materials

MDF is an excellent substrate to use for router tables.  If you make your own using standard 3/4″ MDF, glue them together and that will give you a 1 1/2″ thick top.  This is a stable platform and a good selling point.  Find a good quality laminate supply and use contact cement to attach.

Margins

So can you make any money?  It depends.  Labor is the single biggest factor in making anything in the shop.  Every situation is different.  If you are a cabinet shop or individual with a lot of down time, then you could make money.  If profit margin is everything to you, maybe not.  It all depends on your design and how fast you can pop out the units.  Everything has to be taken into account.

You can find some good parts and even router table building kits in our store.  Or use your own favorite brand.