Router lift?

[Dave Cav]

For as long as I have been using a router table it's been a home made rig, either a plywood box with a router inside it, or a plywood deck hung between the table fence saw rails. Right now I have an old single speed PC 75362 hung under a plywood extension wing off the right side of the PM 65. It's screwed into the stock base, which works but is kind of a pain to adjust and makes it necessary to remove the motor every time I need to change a bit. I've been thinking about upgrading to some sort of a router lift, but a quick web search tells me they are pretty spendy. I don't use the router table all day, every day, but it gets a fair amount of use, and if it were more convenient to operate, maybe I'd use it more.

So the question is, if you've upgraded to some sort of lift, what kind, and do you feel it was worth it?

[Derek Cohen]

Dave, I am predominantly a hand tool orientated woodworker, using machines to do the donkey work. My needs for a router table are less than others, but it is a useful tool and so I have always had one. I just did not see one taking up much of the budget.

This one is definitely lo-fi compared to many I have seen

The router table is built into the extension of my Hammer K3 slider. The router is a 20 year old Elu 177e (variable speed, soft start, 2 1/4 h.p) ...



Bits are changed above table curtesy of a MuscleChuck. Easy Peasy - they all need a little balancing, which is straightforward (just rotating until any vibration is minimised).

The chuck is raised and lowered with a Router Raizer. This is the cheapest way that you will get a proper lift. It works very well ...




One could pay a lot more for added sophistication. This does all I need from it.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Dave Richards]

I made a lift for my plunge router years ago. It was simple, cost less than $10, and took about 15 minutes to make. I could send you details if you are interested.

[Robert Engel]

I've also used the router raiser Derek mentioned. Worked "pretty well" for many years. Just don't forget to lock the router!!

When that router died, I went with the Triton (built in raiser) which I am very happy with.

[Jim Becker]

IMHO...yes, some form of router lift is absolutely worth the investment. Note that some routers actually have this capability built in which can simplify things and allow you to use a fixed plate, so you may want to weigh replacing that old, single speed router for table use with one that supports inherent, "above the table" height adjustment AND variable speed (for safety and cutting benefits) vs trying to use an expensive lift with your current router. Single speed routers are great for edging and things like dovetail jig use, but not the best choice for a router table since you cannot safely swing larger cutters with them.

To your specific question about what's in the shop, I have the BenchDog lift (in a BenchDog cast iron table), but there are a number of great choices for lifts available.

[Floyd Mah]

I have been a lower budget woodworker for a long time and used various routers that had adjustments that allowed them to be adjusted from above or below the table. This works when most of your work consists of trimming edges or dados. After struggling for literally over an hour to adjust such a setup to use a bit that required an exact setting, I bought a Jessem lift and it's been the most enjoyable experience since then. If you are trying to make changes that are small fractions of an inch, loosening and reclamping a router body in an inverted base was an extremely frustrating experience because I could vary the height of the cut just by tilting the body of the router in the base. Compare this to a lift that doesn't change the clamping of the body, but just the height using linear bearings. So if you use molding bits (window rail and stile bits), lock miter joint bits or finger joint bits, buy the lift.

[Keith Hankins]

Me, it was the first big project after I got back into wood working back in 98 after being out of it for about 10 years. The router table is one of the most used tools I have. I invested in the woodpecker prl and its still in use today. It's a precision lift as the name says. Many a time i have dialed a cut into by the thou to make it perfect. Mated with one of their fences, its a pair that will last a long long time.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjY6e4rF

[Ted Derryberry]

I've had a Woodpecker lift for about 8 years now and am happy with it. I can't imagine trying to do any type of precision work without a proper lift. I actually have the complete package of a standalone table, lift, fence, etc. With the router motor and all the accessories I probably have over $1,500.00 in it. Sounds like that's more than you want to spend. You could buy just the lift and upgrade the motor and fence and add accessories over time.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am more of a hand tool guy too, like Derek above. I have been trying to match rotted shutters on a house that will be on the market soon. I tried to do the job with hand tools but hit snags matching the remaining shutters. Like the OP and Derek, I decided I wanted a router table with easy to adjust router. I did not want to spend any more money than necessary as I am not sure how much I will use it after this project.

I bought a Bosch 1617, 2.25 hp router, with a base that fits in the Bosch RA1181 table top router table. Then two items cost $340+. I bought these two items for specific reasons. The router can be adjusted from the router base, mounted in a table, using a tool that comes with the router.

The table for the RA1181 is 27 x 18”, large for this type table. The entire table top is one metal piece (other than the metal insert). I have had bad luck with coated MDF table surfaces: breaking,warping..... The metal table has lots of notches in all four sides of the 1 3/8 thick table. Those notches can be used to attach the base that comes in the package or used to hang the whole table in a cabinet built by the owner.

There are two other parts that come with the RA1181 that I think make it very adaptable. There is a, lockable, on/off switch panel, which has screw holes in it for mounting in the base that comes with it. There are also double receptacles mounted in a similar panel to the on/off switch. Either of these components can be mounted in a user designed cabinet too.

The fence that comes with the RA1181 has everything I can ever imagine needing, T slots, attachments for adjustable sacrificial fences on both sides, shims for using the fence as a basic jointer.....

I have a multi-purpose cabinet that I have my router & table mounted on. Currently the table is mounted on a piece of Festool MFT insert that arrived damaged. It is easy to clamp the base to any Festool table using Festool clamps. Ultimately the woodworking cabinet I am using will have interchangable tops. One top will house the Bosch table top, the on/off switch panel, the double receptacle and the Bosch router fence.

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[Nick Lazz]

I have built 2 cabinet router tables. They both originally had plunge routers with Woodpecker lifts. Ultimately, this was not a good set up. I sold one of the router tables and bought a PC motor 3-1/4 hp and Jessem Master Lift. This set up has been fantastic. I could send pics if needed.

I found that by changing routers and getting a solid lift made all the difference. Very easy and fast to set up, which makes me use it more. You could spend less, and try to make something work but in my experience the frustration and problems associated with a plunge router lift etc. deterred me from using it at all.

[Brett Luna]

...bought a PC motor 3-1/4 hp and Jessem Master Lift. This set up has been fantastic. I could send pics if needed.

Same here. I upgraded my table with the same motor and lift and I don't regret it for a minute. If spendiness is an issue, though, the OP might consider the JessEm Rout-R-Lift II. It's just a little over half the cost of the Mast-R-Lift but it does limit one to using a router motor no larger than 3½" in diameter.

[Ted Derryberry]

Why would you use a lift with a plunge router? Woodpeckers doesn't even make a lift for a plunge router.

[Dave Richards]

Why would you use a lift with a plunge router? Woodpeckers doesn't even make a lift for a plunge router.

They used to. I have one with a DeWalt DW621 mounted in it. They still show pictures of it on their website.

[Jamie Buxton]

My router table rig has evolved through three generations over the last thirty years. I've always had it hanging off the tablesaw. The first one was a plunge router screwed to a piece of plywood. The plywood bounced and sagged. The next generation was a torsion box, with the router screwed to a commercial router plate. The router plate was humped, and the torsion box eventually sagged (yellow glue cold creep?). When that router smoked, I took it as a sign to upgrade. I now have a Speedmatic in a Woodpecker lift in a cast iron wing from Peachtree. It works darn well, but I have to admit it wasn't cheap.

Perhaps the biggest improvement I made in this third-generation rig is that I enclosed the router, and hooked my cyclone to it. Now there's no dust thrown up into my face, and the router stays cool.

If I were the OP, who has a Speedmatic already, I'd probably buy a lift, but build the table from wood. And I'd add big-time dust sucking to it. So the out-of-pocket expense would only be the lift itself.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a PC 3 1/4hp router using a Woodpecker PRL-V2 lift in a Norm Abrams' Version 2 self-built router table . It works great. Quick above table bit changes and quick minute adjustments to get proper cuts.