The easiest and often quickest way to set the height adjustment of router tables and table saws is to use setup bars. Setup bars are metal bars that have been precision cut to specific dimensions. Not unlike metalworking gauge blocks, woodworking set up bars are often longer, set to fractional measurements, and machined from brass or aluminum stock.
In my experience, setup bars are faster and more accurate than using a measuring tape, quicker than making trial-and-error cuts, and easier to use than setting cut or routing depth with a large wood workpiece or sheet of plywood.
Setup bars are much handier and more commonly used for setting router table bit height, but I’ve found them to be useful for setting table saw and circular saw cutting depths as well.
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Router Table Setup Bars via Amazon
Photo: Rockler’s Brass Setup Bars (via Amazon)
uthscsaedu says
I just saw something similar at Sears recently.
Craftsman #40099
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00940099000P
A little cheaper than these setup bars and hopefully less pieces to lose, but I haven’t used it personally, so I don’t know which is more accurate or easier to use.
AndrewC says
I have this Sears/Craftsman set, and am looking at getting setup bars. TheCraftsman tool are made from stamped aluminum, and have rough edges because of the stamping process. Because of this and the tool’s thin profile, its hard to tell if you are holding the tool perpendicular to your table surface. For a few bucks its okay, but I always perform a test cut and measure. A true set of setup bars would be much better.