router lift questions

[David Lawhorn]

All,
I know that there have been many threads asking about router lifts, I have looked through a lot of them and have found a lot of information.
I am a hobbiest and use my garage as a workshop - it also houses my wifes car which I move out to "set up" shop, so not a commercial setting.

I currently have a PC892 and a Bosch 1617 along with a small Rockler router table and plate. This has worked OK for the things that I have needed to do on it, but I want to do some raised panels and am a little cautious that the ~2 hp routers should not be used to cut them so I purchased a PC7518. I will be receiving my PC7518 sometime today and of course do not yet have a home ready for it.
I am convinced that I will need a lift for this router and have pretty much decided on one of the Incra lifts. Right now I am leaning toward the Master Lift II since it should be able to hold any of my routers without the need to purchase additional pads or whatnot to mount them. From everything that I have read, it is pretty much a toss-up between the JessEm (Master Lift II) and Woodpecker lifts (PRL V2), so the main thing leaning me toward the Master Lift II is the fact that it will hold different routers.

Can you give your opinions regarding the Master Lift II versus the PRL V2?

Of course, when looking around for these lifts, I have been distracted by their (Incra) fence systems and think I would really like one of the LS Super (either 17" or 25", I cannot decide), but of course am being hit with sticker shock.
Can anyone provide comments on using the LS fence system(s), either the super or standard versions, that would be helpful as well.

I am trying to find the best price/deal that I can but have not come across anything to write home about in that arena.

Lastly, does anyone have any recommendations for how, when, and where to get the best price on at least a (Incra) Master Lift II, and LS fence system? I think I can build a top and table that I can be happy with once I decide on the lift and fence.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Rick Fisher]

Hey David.

Its funny .. I am in Atlanta at the woodworking show. I went by the General booth and Excalibur has a new router lift. It seems to be a really well thought out design .. At the show, I saw 4 different router lifts and then went to look at the new Festool $1000 router table.. It occurs to me that a router lift is a pretty simple machine. It makes it easy for the user to adjust the height, and cant move due to vibration.. lol

I have 2 x Jessum lifts at home.. They work very well.. One has a 7518 installed and the other has a 690.. I really like the newer style Exalibur but would I spend any money at all to upgrade ? Nope.. The Bench dog is another great idea because it is made of ferrous metal and my magnetic feather board would stick to it .. but there again .. I wouldn't swap it out ..

IMO .. The brand of lift is not really that big a deal to me because they preform such a simple task, they either work or don't work .

Now ... having said all that .. I think it would be prudent to look at fences... Some are lousy, most seemed mediocre.. Some are really nice.. I would spend money on a fence over a lift, so long as I had a lift in place ..

[David Lawhorn]

Hi Rick,
Thanks for the input. I totally forgot about the show. I will definitely check out the Excalibur lift, but the main reason that I am leaning toward the Incra lift is the magnalock rings, I like that idea very much and it really appeals to me.
I agree that for the most part the lifts are the same, as long as they work right, so I am really struggling with deciding which fence to purchase.

By the way, were the vendors at the show offering any good deals for these items?

Thanks.

[Rick Fisher]

I wasn't pricing lifts per say, I suspect they had some type of special ..

Woodpecker had a really nice looking fence with a single handle in the middle.. The woodpecker lift is nice .. could make for a great pair ..

[Jim O'Dell]

I went with the Woodpecker original PRL, the Incra Super System in 25" (overkill, but you can't make a 17" longer without buying more parts!!!) an built my own table to my specs. Note: the 25" fence needs a bigger table top...Mine is 54" long. Otherwise you can't use the entire 25" travel.
Yes, I like the Incra magnetic lock rings...it wasn't available when I got my PRL. That said, the gold of the old style PRL and the gold of the Incra fence really look nice together. Shame the new ones aren't that color. Jim.

[David Lawhorn]

Rick
Thanks again for the feedback. I will have to check out the Woodpecker fence offerings.

Jim,
Thanks to you also for the feedback. I am thinking about the 25 inch Incra for the very same reasons. I would hate to purchase the smaller unit (especially if just to save a coupe of bucks) only to find later that I need the extra width that the larger one provides.
I am planning on making my table at least as large as the Incra tables. Did you find that you had to limit the short width of your fence tomatch the fence width to accommodate the dust collector port?

So, I think I am pretty close to having decided that I want the Incra Master Lift II and the Incra 25 inch LS Super system, now I need to find the best prices for these.
Does anyone have any suggestions for this

[Jay Jeffery]

I've occasionally seen some Incra bargains on Craigslist and Ebay, but the good prices are seldom on the latest models.
You might also see if you can find a deal on the original Jessem Mast-R-Lift. It's only real problem is holding any router smaller than the PC 7518/7519. That wouldn't be an issue for you.

[Prashun Patel]

David-
I just bought the Incra MastRLift II and the LS 17 standard with the 43" router table. For me, the best deal was getting the lift from the big online 'book' store. Toolking has a great deal on the 43" top + stand + LS17" package (router combo #2, I think). Both had free shipping.

I think the lift from Incra direct might even be onsale; email them. But u pay shipping that way, so it might be a wash.

I also just got the WOnderfence from Woodcraft. They might still have their $20 off sale going on.

I'm usually a penny pincher, but I decided to get the stand because the package deal was good.

Of course, getting the lift and one of these packages will leave you with an extra insert plate. I'm trying to sell mine now.

[David Lawhorn]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for the idea about the older Master Lift. I don't recall seeing one in the Incra "flavor" but will take a look around for it. I do think that I would like the current Master Lift II though, just in case I ever want or need to use one of my smaller routers with it.


Hi Prashun,

I too have found that book seller to have about the best prices I have found so far, which is the main reason that I am asking for any help. Usually I have been able to find better deals than from them in the past...
I have also been very tempted to buy at least the Incra table and fence combo, but I do not want to buy the stand as I really do need the storage that I can gain by building my own table/stand.
The extra plate would not bother me too much, especially if the magnalock plates fit both the plate and lift, since I could see me using the plate in my smaller existing table (if I decide to keep it around once I build the new large unit).

Thanks again to all for the feedback.