Another Router Lift Question With A Couple of Wrinkles

[Ken Krawford]

I'm ready to take the plunge ( pun intended) and get a router lift but have a couple of factors to contend with. The router mounted in my table right now really needs to be replaced. A number of years ago I scored a great deal on a Hitachi M12V but find that it can't be used on most of the lifts available. Is that correct? I'd really rather not spend a couple hundred dollars on ANOTHER router if possible with the Hitachi collecting dust on the shelf. I am also very fond of single wrench collets. I curse every time I use my PC690 and one (or both) wrenches slip off the collet.
Any input would be most welcome.

[glenn bradley]

Lifts are made for router 'motors'. Plunge routers generally do not have removable motors. As for gathering dust? I have a small herd of routers and none of them gather dust. "Another" router is as useful as another plane, variable speed drill or chisel. Fear not. The basic rule applies . . . cry once.

Many folks use 2-1/4HP routers in the table with good success. I prefer a reserve of power. I run a Milwaukee 5625 and it has done nothing but work since I put it in years ago. The Porter Cable 7518 also continues to be a favorite table router. It is hard to spend $300 on a lift and then spend $300 on a router to go in it. An alternative is you do not want to go the full distance to a lift/motor combination would be the large Triton. Certainly not an equal but, a good step up towards what a lift/motor can be for those that don't want to take the full bite.

[Paul K. Johnson]

I have a Porter Cable (can't remember the model but it's 3HP) and it does production work on my router table. I don't turn it off to cool it. I turn it off when I'm done or taking a break. It has literally run for hours at a time without a break and it's done that a few hundred times. It still runs great. It's a dedicated motor for my router table. I never take it out to use for anything else. Every once in a while I take the whole lift out and disassemble it for thorough cleaning - the posts on mine rust and the lift stops working smoothly so I have to take steel wool to the lift rods. Then I oil and wax it all and put it back together.

I would definitely recommend not using your router table motor for freehand routing. Taking it out and putting it back in would get old really fast.

[Robert Engel]

I would recommend you consider a router with a built in lift like the Triton.

I think the lift works fine + my way of thinking saves enough money to buy 2 hand held routers.

I recently bought the Triton 3 1/4HP. In conjunction with a Kreg insert I'm really quite impressed with the accuracy.

I used the Hitachi you mentioned with a Router Razer for years till it died. Have to say the Triton is quite a step up.

Something to consider before you "take the plunge".

[George Bokros]

If you drill the router plate the Milwaukee 5625 can be adjusted from above the table if you purchase the wrench Milwaukee sells to do so.

[Tony Leonard]

I believe that is the same router I use in my table. Not fancy, but the Router Raizer has worked well for me for many years. Nice router, btw. I had to take it apart to tighten the collet once, but aside from that, it has been a real workhorse.

Tony

[Mike Kreinhop]

I've never used a lift, and no one I work with here has ever used one, or seen the need for one. Four of us have the Triton TRA001 router mounted in different tables, including Triton, Kreg, and some homemade versions. I'm sure I must be missing something fundamental, but I don't understand what I'm missing by not having a $300 lift when my router does everything I need it to do, including automatically locking the spindle for cutter changes when fully raised.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a lft and a Porter Cable 2.25HP router (890). It's done everything I need, including panel raising. I've had it for a bunch of years now, used it a lot, and no problems.

Mike

[Randy Heinemann]

I used a Makita plunge router that was purchased in 1976 with a Rockler table top and a Router Raizer installed for many years and upgraded to an Incra table/fence combo with Incra's lift and a Porter Cable 7518 router only about 3 years ago. From experience, I know you certainly can operate without a router lift and use one of the routers on the market that come with an above table mechanism for raising and lowering the bit and still do high quality work. At least I feel that's true if you are not doing production work where you need to get things done as fast and as accurate as possible. I have been a woodworker for 40 years and do it for my enjoyment. I still wish I had bought the Incra table/fence/lift combo many years ago. It ranks as the most accurate tool in my shop and allows easy and quick setup. Whether you have the whole Incra table/fence/lift or not, the lift allows very tiny adjustments up and down as needed to make parts fit.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Another plus on the "Router Razor." As for 690 wrenches, drop by plumbing section of local BORG, or hardware store and pick up a couple of "Mac Washers," along with a SMALL bottle of rubber cement. FYI, the mac washers are used where pop up assembly goes into lavatories. You can either glue two mac washers to one wrench, or one to each. After its set up, use a razor knife to make an opening same as the wrench. This will space wrenches. No more banged knuckles.

[Rick Potter]

No comment on the lift, but as to the PC690.....do yourself a favor and get one of the replacement collets that just take an allen wrench to tighten. They work great. Rockler sells them, along with lots of other places.

[Ken Krawford]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I thought I would get a bunch of comments on the various lifts but based on the remarks posted, I may have to re-think this matter. I was aware of the Triton and it's capabilities but didn't know how well it worked in real world use. Maybe I could sell my lightly used Hitachi and put it towards the Triton. The Router Raizer also sounds like an intriguing option.
Thanks again for the help and if anyone else would like to weigh in, I'd love to hear from you.

[Jared Sankovich]

Pc 7518 in a jessem mast-r-lift ii

OR get a shaper

[Malcolm McLeod]

Or PC7518 in General #40-125 (only 4-post design i know of).

Maybe just my paranoia in full-bloom, but panel raiser bit side-loads on the 2-post lift designs don't make me feel all buttery.

[Keith Pitman]

Or, you could wait until the Sawstop lift comes out in September.