If one desires fine depth adjustment on a table-based router, is it
best to have the adjustment feature integral to the table or to the
router? Or is there really any choice in the matter? It seems that
only the rather expensive routers have fine depth adjusting capability
built in and I can't even find a table that offers that feature
although I have seen a couple on TV.

FoggyTown

foggytown wrote:
If one desires fine depth adjustment on a table-based router, is it
best to have the adjustment feature integral to the table or to the
router?

Debatable. One is maybe better, but costs money.

Or is there really any choice in the matter?

Not in the UK.

We don't have fixed base routers. You can get them if you look, but
they really are a rarity. So using the fine adjust on a plunge router
is almost universal as a means of adjusting depth.

You can find the US-style adjustable height table inserts if you look
even harder, but these are expensive. They also work poorly with a
plunge router as they leave you very short of working height
(fixed-base routers generally have deeper "reach" than plunge). So all
around your best choice is a good plunge, with a good depth adjust.
They don't all have one (amazingly), but you should choose one that
does.

It seems that
only the rather expensive routers have fine depth adjusting capability
built in

Usual choice is a Freud 2000. 170 quid from Screwfix was cheapest, last
time I looked. Good router, especially for use in a table.