Guide · Measuring and buying
Router table safety: marks, standards, recalls and the manual
What OSHA and CCOHS list as router hazards, which safety marks apply to the router (not the plate), how IEC 62841 treats table-mounted routers, and how to check recalls.
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Short answer
The router is the powered part, so its safety listing and its manual govern; plates, rings and fences carry no electrical certification. Check the router's mark, check it for recalls, and follow both the router and the table manuals. For anything electrical, ask a qualified electrician.
The hazards OSHA lists for routers
OSHA's woodworking eTool lists contact with the rotating cutter, clothing or hair caught on the cutter head, tool projection, flying chips and kickback among router hazards.[2] It says tools can be flung from the cutter head if they are poorly fastened in the holder, if the wrong tool is used, or if the tool speed is too high.[2] It lists feeding stock too abruptly or in the wrong direction among the causes of kickback.[2] Follow the bit maker's maximum speed; this site gives no speed figures. OSHA's guidance is written for workplaces, but the hazards are the same machine's.
CCOHS refers readers whose router is mounted in a router table to its separate guidance on shapers.[1] We could not confirm the wording of Bosch's RA1171 manual on disconnecting power, so we cite CCOHS for that point instead.
Standards: what covers a router in a table
IEC 62841-2-17 covers hand-held routers, and treats a hand-held tool mounted unaltered on a support or working stand as a transportable tool covered by the relevant Part 3.[3] The standard applies to the powered tool. We cannot certify any router-and-table combination; the router and table manuals say how each maker intends them to be used together. See the IEC 62841 glossary entry.
Safety marks belong to the router
- What an NRTL is. Under 29 CFR 1910.7, a nationally recognized testing laboratory is an organization recognized by OSHA that tests for safety and lists, labels or accepts equipment, for the specific equipment it is recognized for.[4] OSHA says NRTL approval may be required only under specific circumstances or conditions of use;[5] that page says nothing about home shops either way.
- Who is on the list. OSHA's current list includes UL LLC, Intertek Testing Services NA and CSA Group Testing and Certification.[6]
- Canada. Health Canada advises consumers not to buy or use electrical products that plug into an outlet without a certification mark such as CSA, cUL or cETL, and to check the mark on the product itself when buying online.[7]
- Checking a mark. Intertek's ETL Listed Mark Directory lists products that bear its ETL or Warnock Hersey marks.[8] UL Solutions describes Product iQ as its certification database.[9]
A plate, ring, fence or featherboard has no cord and no motor, so these marks do not apply to it. A listing that calls a plate "certified" is not telling you anything about electrical safety. See NRTL, ETL listed and CSA mark.
Ring and plate limits: one maker's rules
Some limits come from the table maker. In its RA1181 manual, Bosch warns not to alter the insert ring or plate bit hole, and to match the bit's cutting diameter to the ring's inner diameter so the difference is no less than 1/16 in on a side.[10] Bosch also says not to use the table with bits over 3-1/2 in in diameter, because they exceed the clearance hole in its rings.[10] Those are Bosch's rules for the RA1181. For other plates, follow your ring maker's figure; see ring opening size for bit diameter.
Recalls
The 2014 Porter-Cable recall is the example most router-table owners meet. On July 2, 2014, the CPSC announced recall 14-221 of Porter-Cable fixed-base production routers, models 7518, 7519, 7519EC and 22-7519-60, and the 75361 router base.[11] The notice ties the recall to listed units made from 1990 to April 2014 by date code, so not every surviving 7518 is covered. The Porter-Cable recall guide explains the date code. We found no separate Health Canada notice for this recall.
To check another router, the CPSC recalls page lets you filter records by date range, hazard type, product category and country of manufacture.[12] Read the model and date-code lines of any notice you find; the page does not promise a model-number search. See CPSC recall.
What this site does not cover
We give no wiring, switch, plug or guard-removal advice, no bit speeds, and no freehand routing or machining steps. If anything electrical on your router or table looks damaged, stop using it and ask a qualified electrician or the maker.
Rings that keep the opening right
Using the right ring for each bit is part of following the maker's rule. These approved sets name the plate system they fit.
Picks that fit2 products
Kreg plates and the Kreg PRS5000 lift: Kreg PRS3050, the 5-piece Level-Loc set. Woodpeckers plates and lifts: Woodpeckers TLRSET-ML, the 8-piece Twist Lock set.
More on choosing
Neither fits another maker's plate. On Amazon, check that 'Ships from / Sold by' shows Amazon.com or the brand.
Kreg Level-Loc plates and lift
Woodpeckers Twist Lock plates and lifts
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Questions
Does a router plate need a UL or CSA mark?
Those marks concern electrical products. Health Canada's advice on CSA, cUL and cETL marks is about products that plug into an outlet, which a passive plate, ring or fence does not. Check the mark on the router itself.[7]
How do I check if my router has been recalled?
Search the CPSC recalls page, which filters records by date, hazard, product category and country of manufacture, and read any notice's model and date-code details. The 2014 Porter-Cable notice, for example, covers listed models made from 1990 to April 2014.[12][11]
Is it safe to mount a hand-held router in a table?
We cannot certify any combination. IEC 62841-2-17 covers hand-held routers and treats a hand-held tool mounted unaltered on a support or stand as a transportable tool under the relevant Part 3. Your router's and table's manuals govern how to mount and use it.[3]
What causes router kickback according to OSHA?
OSHA lists feeding stock into the tool too abruptly or in the wrong direction among the causes of router kickback, along with poor-quality lumber and stock poorly fixed to the template.[2]