why don't more router tables use self squaring fence

You don’t need the fence to be square to anything with a router table. You could have one side fixed on a pivot and it would work just as well.

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

Build you a table!

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Ditto on building your own table. It’s a fun project and if well planned, you can get all of the features that you want for considerably less money.

Julian is correct, no need to worry about the fence being square to the table with a router table. There’s only one place that matters, the distance from the bit to the fence. Seems that it took me forever to get that to make sense in my head!

-- Build for the joy of it!

Try routing with a pin and bearing bit only and see what they mean about the fence.

-- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy-May all your dovetails fit tight and right the first time

You might want to check the Kreg again. I was pretty high on that one from what I had read and watched on the videos. But, Woodcraft had one on display, and my eyeball said it wasn’t square. I happened to have a tape measure in my pocket to check it with. It was not square. I tried changing it a couple of times and it was not squaring up on it’s own. From that point on, I figured that if I would need to measure each end to make it square, I would look at the fence system with the ruler on both ends.

By squareness, I am guessing you are talking about the fence being squared to the table top, miter slot or the edge of the router plate. In table saw, the fence squaring matters because the fence has to be parallel to blade and that’s quite a bit of distance. Typically, it’s about 7 inches when the bladed raised to its maximum height. So, essentially, there are two reference points when checking the distance of the fence from the blade : the front end and back end of the saw blade.

In the case of a router table, there is really one reference point: the router bit. To be more precise: the axis of rotation of the bit. As long as the fence is straight, the only critical dimension you need to take into consideration is the distance between the bit and the fence.

Kreg tables are nice, but they are not cheap either. As others have mentioned, you can build your own table for less, without really sacrificing anything. If you like Kreg’s fence system, you can add it to the table. But, if cost is not an issue and you want a ready-made table, the Kreg table will be a good choice.

There is at least one scenario where the router table fence needs to be 90-degrees square to the table top.

That would be when you are using a vertical panel-raiser.

Seems it would also be a good idea if you are routing a groove in the edge of a board.

If I had space in my shop, I would have a Kreg. Their stuff is top drawer.

-- The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. -- Vincent T. Lombardi

I think a lot of people here are getting two different thoughts twisted here at once and I am getting confused, so I am sure there are others as well.

one thought being square to the table as in perpendicular to the table edge. And the other as square to the table face, or the L shape between the table top and the router fence.

The L shape between the top and fence is the only one in any situation that matters. The table edge in relation to the fence or bit is relative. All router bits can be approached from any side and they will still cut the same profile regardless. The fence on a router table is used as a guide and as some people have mentioned isn’t always necessary considering pins are used with bearing bits by lots of folks.

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

Self squaring fence sounds like a sales gimmick to me. Don’t know what one is but sounds like I don’t need it. I do however, really like Kreg products in general. As stated above, they are top drawer. Just my .02, BTKS