Router lift recommendations?

F

festal

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Joined
Dec 12, 2019
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745
So this arrived and I have no lift lol
Currently using triton with incra plate.
Looking for recommendations?
So far in my research I came up with the following
Incra-prlv2 - woodpecker’s version with incra cleansweep
Incra jessem version
Mlcs powered lift with Bluetooth
Any other recommendations or what you use and like?
I was going to cancel the order but it shipped before I did so now no turning back lol
dfc1d0e6a7903a03de0f9e5d3fd9f251.jpg


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Ha - I'm getting old and so are my tools! I love my Woodpecker's PRL-V2 lift that I got back in 2008 or 2009. Works like it did day one. Plus, I thought I had an issue with it last year and they offered to repair it for only shipping to their company. Can't beat that.

I have a Milwaukee 5625 router in my table. I hardwired (not so easily) an external high precision pot onto it and I never have to touch the router. Your setup will be the cats-meow for sure.
 
Mike Goetzke said:
Ha - I'm getting old and so are my tools! I love my Woodpecker's PRL-V2 lift that I got back in 2008 or 2009. Works like it did day one. Plus, I thought I had an issue with it last year and they offered to repair it for only shipping to their company. Can't beat that.

I have a Milwaukee 5625 router in my table. I hardwired (not so easily) an external high precision pot onto it and I never have to touch the router. Your setup will be the cats-meow for sure.
Click to expand...

Thank you.  Actually I might have found a used Incra version of PRL-V2 also from 2008.  Hopefully the seller responds to me and I can pick it up.  Will just need to get the new pads for it to fit jessem router motor.  If not I was leaning towards new Incra prl-v2 because of the quick adjustment and micro adjustment via thumbwheel as compared to the incra jessem version where it only has the rod and no fast adjustment, only microadjust
 
It looks makeshift, but is quite precise.  Cost about $40.00 in stainless steel.  Called a “laboratory jack”.  I bought as a stop gap, but it worked so well I never replaced it.

I put a platform for it to work on.  A big Mikita plunge router.

CH0642A.jpg-650.jpg
 
Packard said:
It looks makeshift, but is quite precise.  Cost about $40.00 in stainless steel.  Called a “laboratory jack”.  I bought as a stop gap, but it worked so well I never replaced it.

I put a platform for it to work on.  A big Mikita plunge router.

CH0642A.jpg-650.jpg
Click to expand...
Interesting. Do you have any pictures of your setup?

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I have the Jessem MastRLift II.
For the most part it is great.

But the one thing that I really don't like is their router mounting system.  They have these pivoting steel blocks that you can reposition for different diameter routers.  But the blocks have too much play in their pivot post.    So when I clamp down the router, the axis of the router is not necessarily square to the table top.  I almost never get it square on the first attempt.  For most operations, if the bit axis is out of square to the table top by a degree or so, it really won't matter, but when I am cutting miters for joining panels, I need it dead nuts.  If you use your table saw for miters, it might not matter much.
It's the only router lift I have ever owned, so I am not sure what other manufacturers do, but it probably a good idea to download the manual from the lifts you are looking at, at check that the mounting method looks precise.
 

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Took couple pics of my table/lift. I built my own cabinet but used WP lift/table/fence. This is a perfect combo for me. They used to offer a sidewinder crank for the lift. I modified it years ago with a 1/4" square drive on the end of it. Just put a ratchet on it and dial in your bit height in no time:

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]
 

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It is very hard to beat that Triton. Mine is on a Kreg plate, but overwise the same. The "lift" is built right into it and it just works.
 
Crazyraceguy said:
It is very hard to beat that Triton. Mine is on a Kreg plate, but overwise the same. The "lift" is built right into it and it just works.
Click to expand...

it does work fairly ok, though has its small annoyances.  I drilled the above table hole in incorrect spot so my router controls are now facing inward.  Annoyances i noticed:
flipping power switch to off to change bits
going under table to lock/unlock lever
dust collection is not the greatest with tiny dust port in the cover
it does work fairly well
I managed to find used Incra PRL-V2 lift, my friend picked it up for me.  So I should be able to install it next week as well as new router motor
 
Crazyraceguy said:
The "lift" is built right into it and it just works.
Click to expand...
Until it doesn't.  Then it becomes a candidate for a boat anchor.

I had a Triton TRA001 and Incra plate for my router table project.  Before I could start building the table, I had the opportunity to spend the day with a friend who had the same setup and wanted help milling a bunch of railings for his remodeling project.  Yes, it is easy to set the height of the cutter from the top of the table, but it quickly became a pain to reach under the table to unlock and lock the router so it wouldn't constantly drop during the cutting operation.  It seems I don't bend as easy as I did in my youth.

After about an hour of continuous use, we could not raise the router to change the cutter.  The sawdust had accumulated inside the router housing and we could not force the router to lift high enough to lock the spindle.  My friend removed the router from the plate, disassembled the housing, blew out as much dust as he could, and then put it all back together again for another hour or so of fun.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

I decided the Triton was not going to be for me, so I sold it and the Incra plate, neither of which had been used.  My current setup is the AUKTools router motor in the Incra Mast-R-Lift II, and after over two years of use, I doubt if I could be happier.  After seeing my router table, my friend got rid of his Triton and duplicated my system.

I realize some people adore the Triton in a router table, but I am not one of them.
 
Make your own lift, I provided information to do that not that long ago, it is inexpensive and relatively easy to do and very accurate with a cheap DRO.
 
It's hard to beat Incra's setup with their lift. I would imagine  that it would work well with what you already have purchased. The precision is amazing and I have never been sorry that I  bought the table, fence, router lift (which was Jessem then), and the dust collection accessories. I crank control to raise and lower is precise and accurate. I can set the depth with a gauge or with the piece I'm trying to fit, then test it, possible make a tiny adjustment (as tiny as 1/128th which is usually more precise than would ever be wanted with wood), and do the task.
 
festal said:
Packard said:
It looks makeshift, but is quite precise.  Cost about $40.00 in stainless steel.  Called a “laboratory jack”.  I bought as a stop gap, but it worked so well I never replaced it.

I put a platform for it to work on.  A big Mikita plunge router.

CH0642A.jpg-650.jpg
Click to expand...
Interesting. Do you have any pictures of your setup?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I mounted a big, heavy Hitachi plunge router in the table on my table saw for a project I was working on at the time. I found that it was nearly impossible to adjust the depth of cut.  And since I was in a hurry to finish the job, I ordered the lab scissor jack.  It has about 5” of travel, but 2” is all you really need. 

I built a particle board box as a platform for the jack to rest on. 

The Hitachi has a lever lock for the depth adjustment which I used for the first few times.  But the scissor jack holds its position and I “forget” to lock the depth. 

It seemed like a space saving installation, but changing bits means climbing under the table.  I should mount is somewhere else.  But when I do, the scissor jack will accompany it. 

8IYzOpe.jpg


Kg191TP.jpg
 
I used the Kreg plate, so it was pre-drilled for the mounting holes and the above-table crank hole.
It tilts the router so that the large coarse-adjustment knob is to the left, with the lock lever just above it toward the front. This puts the power switch to the right.
As a left-handed user, this really works for me. It is a slight nuisance to have to turn the power switch off and pull that cover over it, but that also allows it to raise completely, which locks the spindle.  That makes for easy one-wrench bit changes.
One criticism I have is with the wrench itself. They are that thin stamped-steel garbage, at least the newer one are. The first one I bought, years ago, had an actual forged proper wrench. I just bought a real 24mm wrench off Amazon, problem solved.
The above-table crank is of no consequence to me, I don't use it at all. Since you have to reach under to lock/unlock anyway, I just use the knob.
The ability to release that ring in the coarse adjustment knob and have the whole thing drop to the bottom instantly is fantastic. My router is built into a much larger table, not a dedicated space. I don't leave it set-up. I drop the bit and remove the fence every time, to keep the table open.

The only lift I ever considered was the tiltable one from Sauder Shop, but I have yet to find a satisfactory motor to run with it. Nothing in the 110v range seems adequate and 220v would require a transformer of some kind, adding to the expense. At that point, a spindle moulder is a better choice.
 
[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] thats pretty much my experience as well.  Only issue is i drilled the above table hall incorrectly so my controls are on the inside of the router extension table on the tablesaw, I just flipped the plate to bring it forward closer to me but that caused the router controls to face the other way.  Makes it a bit inconvinient to adjust.  I also started using the knob for fine adjustment as it was easier then alligning the above the table rod into the router port to engage it.
I actually picked up incra prl-v2 lift off craigslist, my friend got it for me so i should have it installed next week
 
festal said:
So this arrived and I have no lift lol
Currently using triton with incra plate.
Looking for recommendations?
So far in my research I came up with the following
Incra-prlv2 - woodpecker’s version with incra cleansweep
Incra jessem version
Mlcs powered lift with Bluetooth
Any other recommendations or what you use and like?
I was going to cancel the order but it shipped before I did so now no turning back lol
dfc1d0e6a7903a03de0f9e5d3fd9f251.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Where did you order the router motor and are you finding it to be any good. I’m considering one as I don’t have a 3 1/4hp router

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TSO_Products said:
[member=73185]Bencan[/member] -  you may be able toi take advantage of JESSEM's "Boxing Day" Sale
** BOXING WEEK SALE - 15% OFF ALL ORDERS OVER $150 + FREE SHIPPING! - USE CODE "Boxing Week" ** (exclusions do apply)
https://jessem.com/products/jessems...h-variable-control-box?variant=40345048711238

enjoy - and repport your experience on the FOG [smile]

Hans
Click to expand...
Ya when I look at the router on the site it doesn’t seem to have an option to buy the router. Maybe they are sold out I dunno. I emailed them about it but haven’t heard back yet

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