What router lift do you have?

[Michael Dromey]

I am going to break down and buy a router lift sometime soon. I would like to hear from those of you that have them. What brand do you have? Are you happy with it? Pros and Cons between brands? etc, etc......

Mike

[glenn bradley]

Your router will have a lot to do with what you prefer. I have a Milwaukee 5625 in the Woodpecker PRL 16TPI (version 1) that is made for that router. Decision making features for me were:

- Sheer mass and degree of quality in manufacturing; only the original Bench Dog lifts seemed in the same league but, didn't fit a 5625 and they didn't have something I really wanted, which was . . .
- Self locking height so you don't have to reach under the table and turn a locking knob every time you want to change and then commit to a height (this was left off of the PRL-V2 which is why I passed although it is a cool lift).
- Broad carriage travel range; I run some tall bits and I need to be able to get them under the table when not in use.
- Above the table bit changes, no really, not just advertised to do it, actually does it with my router ;-) I only open the lower area for occasional speed changes.

The lifetime warranty is nothing to sneer at and the people are great to deal with. I also enjoy the wide range of throat inserts that allow near ZCI fits on many bits or a larger opening to facilitate airflow if that is your aim.

[Tom Hintz]

I had the Woodpeckers PRL (1st version) but then got real and found a REAL lift plate, the Woodpeckers PRL V2!
I have long been a fan of Woodpeckers products because they are always very well made, nicely designed and WORK. that alone is different in todays market I am afraid. The original PRL was great, the new V2 steps that up to greater yet.

See my review of the Woodpeckers PRL V2 (http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/wdpkprlv2rvu.html)

[Greg Wittler]

Link dosen't work

[Glen Butler]

Bench Dog. They are solid and accurate. Setting up a miter lock was easy.

[Rick Fisher]

I have the smaller Jessem.. It holds any 1.75hp - 2.25hp router.. Its very nice to use.. Adjustments are silky smooth and very accurate..

I regret not getting the bigger lift for the 3hp router.. Most of the time, its not a problem, there are times however where the added power would be useful.

[Paul Greathouse]

I have had the Benchdog for about 5 years and it has performed flawlessly, but like Glenn said your choice could be somewhat limited by what router you own. I have had no experience with the Woodpecker but I'm sure its a quality lift, there are alot of members here that like it.

I have a Porter Cable 7518 attached to the Benchdog and have run a wide variety of bits with it. Everything from a 1/4" roundover to a 3 1/2" panel raising bit.

Setup is very easy. I used the height position lock at first, but then realized that for most cuts the lift is so solid that I don't even bother with it.

[glenn bradley]

I have had the Benchdog for about 5 years and it has performed flawlessly, but like Glenn said your choice could be somewhat limited by what router you own. I have had no experience with the Woodpecker but I'm sure its a quality lift, there are alot of members here that like it.

I have a Porter Cable 7518 attached to the Benchdog and have run a wide variety of bits with it. Everything from a 1/4" roundover to a 3 1/2" panel raising bit.

Setup is very easy. I used the height position lock at first, but then realized that for most cuts the lift is so solid that I don't even bother with it.

I'm glad Paul chimed in. I had read that others also find that locking the carriage is not required on the Bench Dog and don't want to misinform you. Folks have reported the same on the PRL-V2. The PRL-V2 was too new when I made my decision and had little feedback as of yet. The fact that the manual locking is not absolutely necessary would have influenced my decision. That quick-lift feature is pretty slick. Nothing against the Bench Dog at all; it just didn't fit the 5625.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've got the PRL-version 1 in the 32 pitch thread with a PC 7518. The lift is great! The V2 does add some nice features that would up the ante. Lots of good lifts on the market. Woodpeckers is a class company to deal with.
I actually found mine in their scratch and dent page. It had a couple very minor scratches, but still had the lifetime warranty. When they have these, they are in 3 grades, A, B and C. Mine was an A. Saved me 50 bucks or so. They don't always have these available if your look. Jim.

[Stephen Edwards]

I want one, too! A new one will be on the market soon:D. Patiently waiting (OK, trying to be patient).....for them to Hurry Up and get it in production!!

[Bill Huber]

I have a Jessem Fx and really like it, I have not had any other left so this one is all I know about.

Pros
It is made very well.
It is self locking.
It is flat.
It is square to the table.
The inserts go in and out very easy.
The router goes in and out very easy, one lever.
It raises and lowers very smooth.

The cons.
The crank some times get in the way when doing fine adjustments with my height gauge, but I made a smaller one.
I have had a problem with the leveling screws lowering and raising it above the table.

I will have to say the service from Jessem has not been that good. When I was having the problem with the plate screws I sent then 4 different emails over 3 months and got one reply "I will send that to engineering"

Would I buy another one, yes I would, the short falls are just not that big of a deal and I really like the quality of the unit.

Here is the left in my table.

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/image/85312068

[Don Morris]

The Bench Dog Pro Lift is bullet proof. Lock it? Why? I did raised panels this week. Never moved a micro meter. Got a deal on their phenolic Router table top and with my PC 7518, it's a solid combination. I had a Jessem...was OK, but needed some help on an issue, their customer service was so poor, and got me so ^^&*%$$ I went to Bench Dog even though it was more $$$. Absolutely happy I spent the extra bucks. Bench Dog customer service is much better than Jessem's and their products are top notch.

[Stan Mitchell]

I have Woodpeckers less expensive Quick-Lift with a Milwaukee 5625 mounted in it. It's seems to be the perfect router and lift combination for my needs. The build quality is first-rate and it works flawlessly - and no adapt-o-fit hardware or other nonsense to get you frustrated. The model 414A Quick-Lift is made for the Milwaukee so nothing extra parts are needed.

I was worried that I might regret not getting the top-of-the-line PRL V2 - which has some very nifty features. But after using the QL for some time now, I believe it's everything that I'll ever need.

From what I can tell, Woodpeckers makes all their lifts to the highest standards and I don't think you could make a bad choice no matter which one of their lifts you bought.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I started by selecting my router first, the Bosch 1617EVS. Then I decided on my lift. I settled on the Rousseau lift. I like the Quicklift but was afraid of it due to the design, both guide bars are on the same side of the router, right next to each other. I thought that may allow for too much play and flex and not keep the router 90 degrees to the table. I have Rousseau lift (JessEm with a Phenlic top). I don't have a problem with it, like it plenty, and it works great. But if I had it to do over, I would look for an aluminum plate next time.

[Glen Butler]

I used the height position lock at first, but then realized that for most cuts the lift is so solid that I don't even bother with it.

I have never used the height lock. It just doesn't move. When the bushing wears a little, you can adjust the tension, so still no height lock needed.

Paul in the five years you have owned yours have you ever had to re-tension the bushing?

[sean m. titmas]

I have the JessEm Mast-r-lift with the PC 3.25hp motor. this is a very strong set-up and the lift offers fine tune adjustments that make producing quality profiles a breeze.

[Neal Clayton]

i build doors and windows with the bench dog, also have never used the locking mechanism. forgot there was one til someone mentioned it in this thread. have it set in a steel table from quality grinding.

[Larry Frank]

I have the Woodpeckers Unilift with a Porter Cable 7518. My wife got the lift for me a few years ago and it has functioned extremely well. I certainly saves my back and is easy to make small adjustments in height.

[John Harden]

I have the Jessum Master Lift Excel in the Rockler blue version.

http://www.jessem.com/MAST-R-LIFT_EXCEL.html

It works exceptionally well and with both under and over table dust collection, it picks up nearly everything.

Very happy with mine.

Regards,

John

[Scott T Smith]

I recently faced a similar decision, and decided to go with the Benchdog unit. I looked at all of the major router lifts, and although they were all quality units what swayed me in favor of the Bench Dog unit was:

1 - it had the best "feel" when running up and down. There was not observed backlash on the adjustment; the best of all of the units that I looked at.

2 - it was the heaviest duty lift of all - hands down.

3 - I could not find a single disstisfied owner of the Benchdog unit.

[Jeff Miller]

. I like the Quicklift but was afraid of it due to the design, both guide bars are on the same side of the router, right next to each other. I thought that may allow for too much play and flex and not keep the router 90 degrees to the table.



I chose the JessEm for the exact same reason as Anthony.

Went to woodcraft yesterday and got it,have not had time yet to try it out but it looks really well made.

I have a Porter Cable 890 that will be in it.

I'm in the process of making an extension for the router lift on my new Grizzly GO690:D:D I'll actually have a full 35" of rip capacity when I get done:)



JEFF:)

[Paul Greathouse]

No Glen I have not, I'm a little embarrased to say I didn't know that tension adjustment was possible. I guess that says alot about the Benchdog quality. Once I set it up and started using it, I have never looked back at the owners manual. I normally don't go back to the manual on anything unless I have a problem.

My shop is not a production shop but my equipment probably does see a bit more use than your average hobby shop does. I'm kind of in-between.

[Mike Heidrick]

PRL V1 with 16tpi and a Milwaukee 5625. It is all perfect.

[Paul Greathouse]

I'm glad Paul chimed in. I had read that others also find that locking the carriage is not required on the Bench Dog and don't want to misinform you. Folks have reported the same on the PRL-V2. The PRL-V2 was too new when I made my decision and had little feedback as of yet. The fact that the manual locking is not absolutely necessary would have influenced my decision. That quick-lift feature is pretty slick. Nothing against the Bench Dog at all; it just didn't fit the 5625.

Glenn, my next router purchase will definately be a 5625. I've just heard too many good things about it, to not give it a try. I'll use it for a while without a lift on the triple router table that I just built. I'm going to see how I like the above table adjustment on the stock base, but as anal-retentive as I am, I will probably end up getting a lift for it. There may be a Woodpecker in my future.

The only thing that keeps me somewhat satified with the height adjustments on the two Freud 1700's on the triple table is the fact that I won't be adjusting them very often.

[keith ouellette]

I have the router raizer. It wasn't hard to install on my hitatchi m-12v 3 1/2 hp router. I think it works well. My depth lock on the router slips some times but I don't know if its the lift or the router to blame though.

I can adjust it to a difference of a hair in height. very happy with it.

[Peter Quinn]

I have a Jessum router-R-lift with a 3 1/4HP plunge router in it. Seems to work great for my needs. I've made cabinet doors, raised panels, a set of garage doors, and many other things with it. Never a problem. My shapers do the heavy lifting now, but the lift is still great for quick precise set ups and for the variety of cuts a shaper cannot make, like dados for instance. What is all this talk of a lock? I didn't know router lifts had to be locked? Not sure mine has a lock, but I am sure I have never locked it and it has never fallen in use.

I have used a bench dog at a wood working school and that seemed to be a nice unit too, but this Jessum came with my TS, so that decision was easy for me.

[sean m. titmas]

I have a Jessum router-R-lift. What is all this talk of a lock? I didn't know router lifts had to be locked? Not sure mine has a lock, but I am sure I have never locked it and it has never fallen in use.
the Jess-Em lifts have a tension nut on the threaded rod that raise/lowers the lift. it applies enough pressure to the rod that a separate lock(found on other lifts) is not needed. pretty cool, huh?

[Chip Lindley]

I swore I'd never have a lift....BUT....a man can change his mind! Especially for $100 in pristine condition on CL!

JessEm's Mast R Lift (medium table) does everything I need in a lift. Built like a tank, and I LOVE the flat phenolic plate and it's smooth action. The machined aluminum throat inserts lock in place perfectly!

Sorry about JessEm's poor customer service. I doubt I'll need to access it.

Hint: For loose table-levelling set screws, slip a bit of monofilament fishing line through the hole before twisting in the screw. The nylon binds the threads slightly to prevent slippage!

[sean m. titmas]

The machined aluminum throat inserts lock in place perfectly!

Sorry about JessEm's poor customer service. I doubt I'll need to access it.

When i bought mine it didn't have any inserts but the retailer(Woodcraft)came through for me with 5 red plastic inserts that had no cutout. i made zero clearance inserts with 5 of my most popular bits.

Other than that all my experience with the lift has been exceptional. I really like the height adjustment with the removable hand crank. being able to adjust by a 64th with a simple turn of the crank makes it possible to produce quality joints and profiles with extreme accuracy.

[Mike Hall1]

My router lift cost me $3.

["Patrick G Rainsberger"]

Glen,
Thanks for the info on adjusting the tension of the bushing. I have the Bench Dog Package, cast iron w/prolift and PC 7518. I had it less than a year when the lift slipped slightly while making window sashes from vg fir. Ruined about 5 pieces before I caught it. Have been locking it for everything since then
Pat

[Glen Butler]

More on how accurate the bench dog is.

I was routing 3/4" slots at 1/8" depth. Then I needed a couple at 3/8" depth, so dialed it up. Then I dialed it back down to the 1/8" depth, moved the fence, and proceeded to rerun the 3/4" slots into 1" slots, with out even the faintest hint of a line where the two different passes were made. Bench dog's screw adjustment is the best. I tested some other popular brands and there was always just a little bit of slop in the screw.

[Gilbert Vega]

I have three of the Jessem Mast-R-Lifts with the PC 7518 routers and couldn't be more satisfied with them.

[Brad Westcott]

I am using the Woodpecker PRL Ver.2 , the Incra Ultra with Wonder Fence upgrade, Woodpecker 27x34 table top, and the Milwaukee 5625-20.

I have ran more than a few board feet through this setup and I am very happy. No more "router diving" and the fine adjustment and fast adjustment makes this a great combination. The Milwaukee is so smooth and never seems to be under any stress.

As far as Incra, well, what hasn't already been said. Making dovetails for drawers and doing cope and stick work really has never been such an enjoyable operation.

Good luck and send us some pictures once you have it set up!