router lifts

[Carol Reed]

I want to put my PC 7518 in a lift without without breaking the bank. Recommendations from actual users, please.

[Paul Gallian]

Carol,

this is a bank buster and I really like mine and I use it... INCRA's NEW Mast-R-Lift II

[Van Huskey]

AFAIK the lifts for the 7518 are all in the $300 +/- range. I love my Woodpecker PRLV1 and V2. I think the BenchDog may be the cheapest of all the 7518 lifts and is a very good lift.

[Neil Brooks]

Either the current, or last, issue of ShopNotes has a plan for a DIY lift. Looks pretty cool, if you're feeling adventurous.

I don't recall whether or not they listed the materials cost, but ... not nearly in the range of one of the commercially available products, I'm sure.

http://www.shopnotes.com/images/issues/121/cover-medium.jpg

[pat warner]

For anybody else: Mount directly to underside of table, no lift.
For you: Maybe: Woodhaven's (http://www.woodhaven.com/Woodhaven-1435-EZ-Lift/dp/B002NM3B7W?ie=UTF8&id=Woodhaven%201435%20EZ%20Lift&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&field_availability=-1&field_browse=3026341011&searchSize=12&searchNodeID=3026341011&searchPage=1&class=quickView&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Cprice&searchRank=salesrank) . Not an endorsement.
Hoping that back gets behind you (painwise).

[glenn bradley]

I have a couple of Woodpecker PRL-v1's. One of them I got cheap when they were blowing out the last of them. There are a flock of $200 players on the market but for the extra $100, you can see/feel the difference. For a cost controlled solution I think building your own or a good deal on a used unit is the only answer. I run Milwaukees 5625 which I used without a lift for quite some time. It was as good as many of the lighter weight lifts I have played with. The main thing that I required was that the motor be locked into the housing and that the whole unit moved on screws and self locked into position. If you still have to fool with locking the rig into position, it loses the advantage I am after in a lift. This doesn't mean that what you want a lift for wouldn't be well served with a setup of this kind. Your requirement priorities will direct you to the end result. Enjoy the hunt ;-)

[Roger Chandler]

Carol,

I use the Jessem Master Lift set up with my 7518......it was around $250 when I purchased about 3 years ago......it really is a great decision ......put it under my shop built router table........have made all kinds of raised panel cabinet doors, etc....super accurate.

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This was one piece of equipment that was worth the investment.........cannot say that about all things I have purchased for woodworking!

[Carol Reed]

Thanks, Pat, but the desire for a router lift is because bending is an issue. Looked at Woodhaven. Had your hands on one? Seems like accuracy may be an issue.

[ian maybury]

To float the question again. I've just installed a Router Raizer which seems to work well although it's not been tested yet. Why are people spending $2 - 300 on a router lift? (a genuine question)

Is one reason is perhaps that it avoids the need for the extender???

ian

[Homer Faucett]

It's generally because of convenience and increased accuracy in the raising/lowering. Above table bit changes and height adjustment are the main conveniences, and the lift generally raises/lowers in smaller increments with less backlash than a typical plunge router mechanism.

Are router lifts absolutely necessary? Generally speaking, no. I do a lot of work with a plunge router inverted in a table. Are router lifts nice to have? I have to admit, they are pretty posh. However, if you do the math on the router, lift, and table components, you might find that you just stepped up into the league of being able to afford a used Delta HD shaper.


To float the question again. I've just installed a Router Raizer which seems to work well although it's not been tested yet. Why are people spending $2 - 300 on a router lift? (a genuine question)

Is one reason is perhaps that it avoids the need for the extender???

ian

[Roger Chandler]

I have found the accuracy of a lift is superior to trying to adjust by hand........especially for things like the cope and stick joints that make the frame on a raised panel door. The setup of being able to turn a setting 1/128th of an inch will allow one to creep up on a setting to get flush joints with stile and rail bits as well as glue joint bits for panels as well.

I have increased my panel gluing accuracy a great deal and with the glue joint bits, you avoid the glue creep that happens with just butting two boards together or even with biscuit joinery, which I have used a great deal in the past, and still do at times.

My opinion is that it is hard to beat a router lift setup.

[John M. Johnson]

I have the benchdog lift and really like it. If you have a Rockler near you, couple that w/ their 20% off coupon, and it is very reasonable.

[Carol Reed]

Gonna save the bucks for a Woodpecker SW420. After weeding out the lifts for plunge routers and concentrating on lifts that can handle the hefty 7518, I am gonna spend over $300. However, my issue is my back and inability to bend over easily, let alone without pain. This is the sidewinder model which will also ease my neck and shoulder. I find that I am making new tool choices based on my diminishing physical abilities. So I will trade a few bucks for an easier and less painful way of doing things.

[Chris Parks]

For easier access to the router whether it has a lift or not you can hinge the top so it can be lifted bringing the router above the table. Really useful when changing bits etc for those with limited movement. I made one for my Dad and he used it for years and his router did not have a lift.

[Larry Frank]

I have an older UniLift with a PC 7518 and love it. Bending is an issue for me with back problems and this makes it so much better. I also have my router table pretty high which also makes it easier to work on it.

There are quite a few good router lifts and unfortunately most are not cheap.

[glenn bradley]

I find that I am making new tool choices based on my diminishing physical abilities. So I will trade a few bucks for an easier and less painful way of doing things.

Amen to that Carol. This is supposed to be enjoyable, not aggravating. Cost is always an object but, having decent tools that you can't comfortably use doesn't make much sense. I have stopped saying things like "oh, that won't be all that bad" as I have learned with a few adjustments to my choices, I can work longer, safer and more efficiently.

[Don Morris]

You spend a pretty penny on a top of the line router and want to go cheap on a router lift? Doesn't make sense. The 7518 deserves a top of the line lift. Any of them would do. I have a Bench Dog Pro Lift for mine and very happy with it. The cabinet is home made to save bucks but the lift is another story.

[Joe Leigh]

Like others have said, not an item to scrimp on. You already spent top dollar on a router, get a quality lift and don't look back.

[ian maybury]

:) Pardon my persistence - there's been one or two answers, but it seems to me that it's still not clear why to spend lots on a lift given the apparently good job the Router Raizer and extension do for much less money. (note i'm not pushing anything but trying get to some sort of understanding of the issues - the question was i think slightly misinterpreted when answered earlier)

This is not to say that one solution is better than the other, and is a genuine question. What does a lift do that the above set up does not? What at a practical push comes to shove level disadvantages and advantages do both systems have?

I can see that it might or might not be felt ideal to run a large e.g. panel raising bit on an extension, but the makers reckon it's OK up to 3 1/2 in dia. A lift may give more travel, and as a result may lift the router high enough to enable over table bit changes without an extension - but so what if the extension works well. A multiple post heavy construction lift may make a better job of absorbing vibration or deflect less too, but is that an issue with a Raizer? Etc

[Jim O'Dell]

Ian, part of the reason, and this is based on what I've read because I've never looked at the Router Raizer, but I believe it is made to work with plunge routers. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. The PC7518 being a fixed based router that the motor comes out of the base allows the motor to mount directly to the lift. The lift in turn does all the vertical lifting of the motor. .001" changes are possible with the Woodpecker unit, and maybe other brands as well. Even bit changes are accomplished from the top of the plate with one bent wrench and one straight wrench. Makes life very easy. Is it a necessity? No. Is it a nice luxury? MOST DEFINITELY!!!! Jim.

[Van Huskey]

Accuracy, precision, ability to adjust in minute increments and robustness. As Jim says a luxury. From my point of view unless you are retrofitting a router you own or one you got a great deal on I would say the routers that do good above table adjustments out of the box like the Tritons make even more economic sense than a Raizer. As for the highend lifts it is nice to be able to adjust the fit of a joint in .001" increments to get just the right amount of friction in the joint. This can be done with a Raizer or most any router but it is far more difficult. It is one of those accessories that just makes you feel good when you use it.

[Stephen Cherry]

I would keep an eye out for used. I bought a masterlift and big PC at an estate sale as part of a large package including many cabinet clamps, and a bunch of other things including an Onieda cyclone with duct.

I just don't buy this type of thing new when I know that it will occaisonally come up used at a much lower price. Depreciation-- tried it, did not like it.

[rick sawyers]

Hi Carol,
I have a lot of experience with your question --but only the question. I have been doing a nauseating amount of online research on router lifts.
I have an Incra table with a PC 8902 which is the base as lift package Porter Cable router, and all I can say is that they call this a lift--I don't.
It takes me too long to get the bits set. It does not accurately adjust and gets jammed up with dust--also I broke the lock for the collet in the first month--only have had it a year.

I have spent the last two weeks looking online at all the router lift reviews and talking with a few woodworkers I know asking which router lifts are the easiest to use and which are the least likely to get jammed and stuck. So much information out there and all I got at first was very confused.

And finally I called the guys at Incra--to discuss all this. I began by simply asking straight out which is the best, in their opinion, and the guy, Mark, I believe, said without hesitation, the jessum mast-r-lift 2. I talked with him about all the pros and cons of each, the PRL v-2, and the Sidewinder and others as well as the Jessum. After this long conversation, I still was going back and forth but did feel I had it narrowed down to one of three.

And the following day I called again--this time I talked to someone different and they chose the same lift--the Jessum-- as being the one they would personally recommend. I really can't give you any first hand advice from usage experience. But the jessum recommendations I gathered seemed to have the most merit and its "features" seemed to be the most accurate and well built--and it seeems like it may be the least hassle to get up and down quickly and accurately. All their lifts are on sale right now--until Tuesday--so I wanted to make a decision soon. I ordered the Jessum and in a month I hope to get back on here and let people know what I think of it. That's all I can tell you

[bill kaminski]

Carol, sorry to hear of your physical limitations...bummer...perhaps a look at the motorized lift from MLCS should be on your short list...as i do not have one i cannot attest to its capabilities...just a thought. bill

[ian maybury]

Thanks for the feedback on lifts guys. I'll report in due course how i get on with the Raizer....

ian

[Mike Heidrick]

I have a PRL V1 in my router table. Its perfect for me.

[Guy Belleman]

Can the Rockler 20% off coupon be provided? I searched but could not find it and would like to order the benchdog router table. Thanks, Guy

[Rick Fisher]

I have 2 x Jessum lifts.. One has a 7518 installed the other has a 690LR installed. I have played with the Kreg lift as well, both are very nice.

There are a bunch of high quality lifts out there.. all seem pretty nice.. End of the day, if you get a really good one, you will have it for life. Once you have a lift, you will never want to go back.

[Carol Reed]

Turns out a very generous fellow made me a deal I could not refuse and I will be getting an older Woodpecker model. Let you know when it arrives.

[Van Huskey]

Turns out a very generous fellow made me a deal I could not refuse and I will be getting an older Woodpecker model. Let you know when it arrives.

If it is the PRL V1 I would say I actually prefer it to the V2 but it may be that I have used it longer. BTW I assume you know you can add the sidewinder to the PRL V1.

[Mike Heidrick]

Yes you can add the sidewinder to the V1.

[Brent VanFossen]

Can the Rockler 20% off coupon be provided?

I think the 20% coupon was in their latest mailer for use in store. I usually forget and leave my coupon at home, but when I tell the good folks at the store, they give me the credit as if I had brought it.

It's worth being on their mailing list. They send me one flyer a month or so, and usually with a coupon.

Brent

[Brent VanFossen]

I have the Rockler lift and use it with a PC 8900 series router. I love the lift. It's adjustable from above the table. One full rotation of the adjuster is 1/16th inch, and a 1/4 rotation is 1/64th. The scale is marked in fractions of a 1/64th. I can make extremely fine adjustments with no hassle at all. I can't imagine going back to working without it.

[Carol Reed]

The sidewinder accessory is a bit pricey but I have a flex shaft left over from my ShopSmith days (if I can find it) and I could fabricate something. Once I set up the table, I'll learn what is more comfortable for me and make the necessary adjustments. This will be a fun little project.

[Van Huskey]

The sidewinder accessory is a bit pricey but I have a flex shaft left over from my ShopSmith days (if I can find it) and I could fabricate something. Once I set up the table, I'll learn what is more comfortable for me and make the necessary adjustments. This will be a fun little project.

If you build something or buy the sidewinder be aware the nut at the end of the left screw is glued on and you will need to heat it with a torch to get it loose, don't try to just torque it off.

[Carol Reed]

Thanks or that tip, Van.

[Alan Schaffter]

Gonna save the bucks for a Woodpecker SW420. After weeding out the lifts for plunge routers and concentrating on lifts that can handle the hefty 7518, I am gonna spend over $300. However, my issue is my back and inability to bend over easily, let alone without pain. This is the sidewinder model which will also ease my neck and shoulder. I find that I am making new tool choices based on my diminishing physical abilities. So I will trade a few bucks for an easier and less painful way of doing things.

Carol- two recommendations- (1) If you decide on the Woodpeckers, I would stick with the PRL-V2. I tested the Sidewinder crank assembly that comes with the SW420 and thought it unacceptable. The main reasons are that the flexible shaft that connects the lead screw to the crank is (a) too short and (b) not flexible enough. What that means is that you have very limited options on where you can mount the crank and if you attempt to bend the shaft too tightly it becomes extremely difficult to crank. I only had this option for two weeks so you may want to check with someone else about my observations. See what Woodpeckers says (http://www.woodpeck.com/product1611.html) about the conversion unit which uses essentially the same hardware. (2) Get the INCRA/Woodpeckers version of the PRL-V2- it is made by Woodpeckers for INCRA but what makes it excel are the precision, laser cut INCRA "MagnaLOCK" steel insert plates that are held in place with rare earth magnets and they can be easily leveled perfectly flush from above the table- they are top quality plus you get 5 INCRA steel inserts instead of 3 plastic ones from Woodpeckers. To sweeten the deal the INCRA/Woodpeckers PRL V2 is on sale on the Incrememental Tools website for $60 less than at Woodpeckers.

Oh, and the INCRA/Jessem lift also comes with five INCRA steel insert rings- same deal. Also on sale. If you call INCRA, ask them when the I-BOX is coming out!:D

[Van Huskey]

Alan, he already bought an older WP, I assume a PRL V1

[Alan Schaffter]

Alan, he already bought an older WP, I assume a PRL V1

I missed that post about the generous fellow.

Carol, my comment about the Sidewinder still holds. It can be adapted to about any leadscrew lift- the one I tested was attached to to a WP Plunge Lift. But again too many limitations. Look and the photo of one while thinking about my comments about the flex shaft (actually a spring) and how it is attached to the bottom of the leadscrew then must bend 180 deg. up then 90 deg. the other way so it is horizontal. For testing I clamped the crank assembly to the cabinet of my NYW router table- a permanent mount would have been impossible.

If you do any sort of metal work you can make your own using a flex cable that operates just as smoothly, or make your own motorized lift. M first attempt at a motorized lift used a $12 HF right angle drill chuck and a flex cable which caused problems so I eliminated the flex shaft and went right to an VERY cheap Ebay drill. That was a pain and the drill didn't last, so I went to reversible gear motor. In my final version which I still use today, I did away with the right angle chuck. It uses a coupling mounted to the bottom of the leadscrew, a length of rod, then another coupling to a motor I got from Surplus Center for about $30. The motor is 120V AC, 1/20 hp, bi-directional gear motor, 160 RPM at the gear box shaft. It works great- much easier than doing all the cranking required on a lift that has a 32 TPI leadscrew, especially when raising the router to change bits.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P4160001.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/IMG_26761.jpg

[Carol Reed]

A very generous fellow from another forum had upgraded his older Unilift and made me a deal I could not refuse. It arrived and my 7518 fits perfectly. It came with two of the three table inserts.. He has found the third one (the stepped one) and promised to send it along. Meanwhile I looked at the set of 8 additional inserts on the Woodpecker site for $40. $5 per is not bad. $15 for shipping is another matter. Not Woodpeckers fault. They are only getting a couple of bucks over USPS rates for shipping and handling. Lest you think this is outrageous, packing materials are not cheap, nor is the labor to get a package into a shipping system. USPS is less expensive than other shippers, so shipping is what it is.

However, everyone likes to save a buck. So two questions. Anyone try to make their own inserts to fit these lifts? Or anyone have a set collecting dust?

[Van Huskey]

A very generous fellow from another forum had upgraded his older Unilift and made me a deal I could not refuse. It arrived and my 7518 fits perfectly. It came with two of the three table inserts.. He has found the third one (the stepped one) and promised to send it along. Meanwhile I looked at the set of 8 additional inserts on the Woodpecker site for $40. $5 per is not bad. $15 for shipping is another matter. Not Woodpeckers fault. They are only getting a couple of bucks over USPS rates for shipping and handling. Lest you think this is outrageous, packing materials are not cheap, nor is the labor to get a package into a shipping system. USPS is less expensive than other shippers, so shipping is what it is.

However, everyone likes to save a buck. So two questions. Anyone try to make their own inserts to fit these lifts? Or anyone have a set collecting dust?

Get the from Carbide Processors they are a friend of the creek (10% discount for Creekers (use coupon code “creekers”). Their regular price is less than $35 so with the discount it should take the sting out of shipping.

[Alan Schaffter]

If the inserts are the same as the ones on my older WP lift, they have a special course, left-hand thread that I doubt can be reproduced without a CNC mill. It may be possible to fashion something that will snap into a WP opening, but I think you will just need to bite the bullet and buy them from WP.

Frankly, I have never had a need to use more than one or two inserts. Router table inserts are not like a TS zero clearance insert, they don't do anything to improve the cut- wrong location- that function is served by the fence. Unless you are routing a short, small, or flexible part that can slip into the opening, a close fitting insert isn't needed, besides it reduces dust collection CFM.

[Guy Belleman]

The sidewinder does seem like a great idea. I have the Woodpecker plate and it is great. If you craft a good alternative to the sidewinder accessory, please share.

[Jim O'Dell]

I posted to Carrol's thread at another forum, but just for others interested, Amazon has them for 39.00 and free shipping. I saw the Carbide Processor's price also, but it would still be about 8.00 higher with the 14.00+ shipping they charge, at least to my address. Jim.

[Carol Reed]

Thanks, Jim. I have since put them on my wish list on Amazon. There is one other item I have to check on locally before I push the checkout button.