# Best diy router lift ??



## screwpainting (28 Dec 2016)

I just watched this an I have to say I think it's the best looking diy router lift I've seen so far. I think I will make this unless someone has a better one??


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## monkeybiter (28 Dec 2016)

Errr...


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## Homers double (28 Dec 2016)

monkeybiter":1saykoqw said:


> Errr...



+1
Please share what you've just watched


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## screwpainting (28 Dec 2016)

Oh dear! another senior moment :roll: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotatio ... c9PhfpnNlA

Love the accent...


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## NazNomad (28 Dec 2016)

Didn't have to do anything except pinch the idea from Chippygeoff and shove it under my router.


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## screwpainting (29 Dec 2016)

Well I saw that and dismissed it as a krap looking bodge to be honest, is it safe? accurate or quick?. How good is it? 
I want to decide on a fine adjustable router lift before I build a decent new table, but it has got to be a bit near the mark and I haven't seen much that impresses me so far. 
Any suggestions most welcome.


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## NazNomad (29 Dec 2016)

screwpainting":2guwdig8 said:


> ...is it safe? accurate or quick?. How good is it?



Yes... yes... yes... enough.


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## custard (29 Dec 2016)

In the linked video he glues and screws two blocks together, but if you want more precision (when building a jig for example) then the better method is,

-drill screw clearance holes in one block and countersink
-align and _loosely_ cramp the two blocks together _without_ glue, using a small hammer get the precise location you want, then tighten the cramp. Check the alignment one more time.
-screw the two blocks together and then remove the screws
-apply glue
-re screw the blocks together

Cramping glued blocks generally sees them skating around on each other, furthermore PVA is such a good lubricant that the cramp won't then be able to resist any twisting action from the screws. Normally I prefer _either_ screws _or_ glue, but when you need both then it's screws first and only afterwards apply glue.


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## NazNomad (29 Dec 2016)

custard":10o4pkjh said:


> Cramping glued blocks generally sees them skating around on each other...




You'll often see us experimental luthiers sprinkle a little sand in a scarf joint to prevent that.

I know... It's :shock: :?  but it works.


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## Wildman (29 Dec 2016)

one assumes once set the lock can be reached under the table. From the video it is obvious the lock gets modified in some way. (I've no sound to hear any commentary). I cannot see the advantage of the mod what am I missing. It does look a quick and easy build although I'd like one that incorporates a quick lift as well as incremental and a solid lock, cutters can creep if not locked.


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## NazNomad (29 Dec 2016)

He turns the locking handle upside down so it's not in the way...


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## RogerP (29 Dec 2016)

The built in lifting arrangement with the Triton routers has always been sufficient for my needs.
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/1902


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## MattRoberts (29 Dec 2016)

Before I got the triton, I had one similar to this : 

https://youtu.be/pFcWWbJKnyc

Very simple and easy to use


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## screwpainting (31 Dec 2016)

Its the actual control of the lift that I like. The timber build part is a bit J Arthur but I can ignore that because he's a bloke poncing about in his garage like me. 
I was particularly impressed with his using a piece of copper wire for getting the profile of the router (not seen that before). I bet some u tube superduper copies that! The fact that he has solved the problem of having to have the lift winder directly attached either vertically or horizontally to the router via a rigid mechanism is an absolute genius masterpiece of engineering. He deserves much credit for this. What I like is that the lift adjustment is constantly available anywhere and at any distance on the bench. 

This is, beyond doubt the very best, simplest and most accurate after market router lift mechanism I have seen and I don't expect anyone to improve upon it.

However the rest of the build needs work, in particular... what? 

What would you say?


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## Armagh (31 Dec 2016)

I haven't built this. But I had intended to attempt it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfjeS5jolBs

I'd seen the carjack idea and dismissed it as dangerous looking. Is it actually a good solution? It would save a lot of bother.


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## SammyQ (1 Jan 2017)

Don't trust anyone who appears in his videos more then the concept he is describing.....


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## MattRoberts (1 Jan 2017)

screwpainting":1u8wprx5 said:


> However the rest of the build needs work, in particular... what?
> 
> What would you say?



If you're completely sold on the concept, the only real improvements could be in the construction of the handle mechanism. As you can see, he had to slap a bunch of extra support on it. I'd use sturdier drawer slides and a better ply construction of the housing


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## screwpainting (1 Jan 2017)

SammyQ":2nl945ou said:


> Don't trust anyone who appears in his videos more then the concept he is describing.....




Sorry mate that lost me :?


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## transatlantic (1 Jan 2017)

Another mechanism similar to the car jack is a Lab Lifting Platform


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## Cordy (1 Jan 2017)

I'm with Naz -- ten quid from Machine Mart


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## Cordy (1 Jan 2017)

That Lab Lifter looks well cool  

Is it man enough for the job ?


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## transatlantic (1 Jan 2017)

Cordy":3oyoawkd said:


> That Lab Lifter looks well cool
> 
> Is it man enough for the job ?



I haven't tried it as a router lift, but I think it would do the job pretty well assuming you always locked the router off.


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## SammyQ (1 Jan 2017)

screwpainting? 

Anyone who introduces his video with several minutes of him/her/it facing the camera, talking without getting to the point, is really indulging their ego, publicising themselves, not addressing the supposed point of the video.

Try Alan Holtam, Steve Maskery, Matthias Wendel, 'Poor old chap' and (best of all perhaps) Tubal Cain for examples of how to present videos about the topic, not them.

Sam


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## screwpainting (3 Jan 2017)

Sam, there is no way that guy is video-graphically sophisticated enough to be indulging his ego and if he is, I cannot detect any evidence of it. He is just bloke trying to tell people how he dicked about and came up with a solution he likes. 
I love that! 

I can't watch anymore of this type of thing...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjdoVtL248M

Why doesn't the cupid stunt just learn how to use a hand saw... 

No, its all got to have £10,000 worth of tools and ...

If I were to suggest a role model to this lad it would be...

https://www.youtube.com/user/TipsfromaShipWright

Or maybe Old Ron Fox..

Anyway, I think this blokes idea of raising a router is well worth my time to build and improve upon, just for me. I saw more new ideas in his rubbish video than I have so far watching all your heroes so I guess its all a matter of skill and creative potential and understanding. I expect to design and build a fantastic table and lift system of my own design, but with this lads basics incorporated in it as a start point and will thoroughly enjoy doing so.

Sorry if I misunderstood you mate.


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## NazNomad (3 Jan 2017)

Never trust a video that has a workshop you could eat your dinner off.

Do those guys ever actually make anything except videos?


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## Woodmonkey (3 Jan 2017)

What an incredible amount of faff which can easily be avoided just by having a triton router.


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## screwpainting (3 Jan 2017)

Triton routers are for wimps and Aussie faggots, what you need is a fifteen odd year old DeWalt 621 1/4" like me! 
A proper mans router for doing stuff with. Mind you if I had the money...

I don't consider it a faff, I would if I were making stuff to enable me to eat, but it is my hobby to re-learn and hone some of my old skill set, the ones I can still remember that is. My knees and back are Donald Ducked and I can't carry out my first trade. A man misses what made him who he was and as a an apprenticed tradesman of 45+ years I miss the cred to be honest. I just built my first cabinetry thing in donkeys years and it felt good to get my stuff together and see a finished article unique to me in my house. 
I was, initially, quite in awe of the many tablesaw/powertool stars videos that I watched and felt a bit out of it and daunted. Now though, I find myself going back to what I grew up with and used as a young man, you know, decent hand saws, a plane and a few chisels and screwdrivers hand tool skills.

That's why I liked this Spanish blokes video, a bit hairy pineappled but with good ideas and no tremendousness. 

I'd like to see how Alan Holtman would do making one of his vids in Spanish with the same basic tools as this bloke.


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## MattRoberts (3 Jan 2017)

Er, you might want to tone it down a bit. This isn't a job site - it's a forum with a lot of nationalities taking part.


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## SammyQ (3 Jan 2017)

Screwpainting? I LIKE the original posting. Where we got our wires crossed, was when I commented on the other ejit, the one who starts his video with a facial close-up so near to him, individual nose hairs could be counted...

There is a shockin' amount of redneck wittering on Utube and it's largely done - as far as I can see - for the edification of the poster. AND a shockin' great whack of it is unsafe practice. Like you, I abhor the chequebook craftsman. I was brung up (in my first career as a photographer) by a sage old bloke whose motto was "Ain't what you got, it's how you use it". He had no time for showoffs and all the time in the world for competent, practical practioners of the art. Seconded. So, when I see barely concealed self-gratification (polite way of saying 'show-offs) I remember old Lennie Callan and think of what he said: "show'us yer work, not yersel".

Sam


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## screwpainting (3 Jan 2017)

Gotcha Sam, I completely agree with what you mean now  that guy, though harmless, instantly got on my nerves too, I got the wrong end of the dowel there mate, sorry. 

As for the Aussies, sorry they are fair game and would expect nothing less from an English superior :ho2 .


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## Peter Sefton (3 Jan 2017)

NazNomad":3f7b2b4i said:


> Never trust a video that has a workshop you could eat your dinner off.
> 
> Do those guys ever actually make anything except videos?




Or on the other hand don't take advice from someone who can't keep his own workshop clean, a well run and managed workshop should be kept clean for the health and safety of those who work in it. No one needs to die early from nasal cancer.

This video might interest you.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/wood- ... posure.htm

Peter


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## woodbrains (3 Jan 2017)

transatlantic":2b02vtww said:


> Cordy":2b02vtww said:
> 
> 
> > That Lab Lifter looks well cool
> ...



Hello,

They look cool, but max loading of 3 kilos might just be too flimsy. Springs in plunge routers can be pretty beefy. 

There are loads of workable solutions to router lifts that are not nearly as complex as that cable driven job in the video. I like it, though, but suspect there may be too much backlash in the system to be practical.

Mike.


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## NazNomad (3 Jan 2017)

Peter Sefton":1rqn7sf2 said:


> Or on the other hand don't take advice from someone who can't keep his own workshop clean



I agree, but 'clean' and 'clinical' aren't the same thing.


... and that HSE video? He's flicking it everywhere with a stiff broom. He's got a Festered Sander that doesn't appear to even be inflating the dust bag?

When he uses the hoover, he's already swept it up once (presumably with his flicky broom?).


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## transatlantic (4 Jan 2017)

woodbrains":3qmvto8g said:


> transatlantic":3qmvto8g said:
> 
> 
> > Cordy":3qmvto8g said:
> ...



You might be right, but honestly, the springs shouldn't be that stiff else the router would be difficult to work with anyway. I'll see if I can test it, but I don't think I have room underneath my dinky router table  (table top version)

And just to clarify, you'd definately need to lock the plunge off after adjusting for the height.


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## woodbrains (4 Jan 2017)

Hello,

I suppose it depends on the size of a dinky little router, but most larger ones people use in router tables have springs that must be at least strong enough to raise the router's weight, otherwise they'd be useless. 

Mike.


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## transatlantic (4 Jan 2017)

woodbrains":l41zx6ws said:


> Hello,
> 
> I suppose it depends on the size of a dinky little router, but most larger ones people use in router tables have springs that must be at least strong enough to raise the router's weight, otherwise they'd be useless.
> 
> Mike.



Sure. I think it would take a lot more than 3KG to be honest. I have an Erbauer which is 5KG so will test it with that.


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## keithm (10 Jan 2017)

I love this forum; already finding something new to learn every day and I have only been here for a week or so.
Many thanks to RogerP for pointing out the Triton router with the built-in router lift.
Spot on for my needs.
I plan to build my table saw in to a unit with a router table both using a common fence based on the Axminster Rip Fence.
The Triton router will make it much simpler.
However I did like the concept of the 'fly-by-wire' lift. Cheap and effective(?) and no need to put another hole in the insert.


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## Knot Competent (13 Feb 2018)

I used a scissor jack as a router lift. Not only was it not particularly easy to fine adjust, but when padding between the jack and the router, most of the cooling vents were obstructed.

I'm in the process of building the Woodshop plans lift, shown by Steve Ramsey. I know he's a bit in-your-face, but I think he's OK, just subject to a different culture to ours in the UK, and for a septic he's quite bearable. There are far worse on YouTube!


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## transatlantic (13 Feb 2018)

I the Jay Bates router lift is a really good idea. Very simple and very accurate


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## monkeybiter (14 Feb 2018)

Mine's a non hydraulic bottle jack/screw jack. Works well and gives convenient 'front of the cabinet' height adjustment. I've made a rectangular lifting plate with four woodscrews in where the protruding heads mate against the casing screws of the router, thereby providing ample air gap for cooling, the jack then pushes against this ply plate.


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## Iestynd (16 Apr 2018)

keithm":20axqvqv said:


> I love this forum; already finding something new to learn every day and I have only been here for a week or so.
> Many thanks to RogerP for pointing out the Triton router with the built-in router lift.
> Spot on for my needs.
> I plan to build my table saw in to a unit with a router table both using a common fence based on the Axminster Rip Fence.
> ...




+1 for Triton router


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## colonel-cueball (14 Jul 2018)

SammyQ":3ttp8tv2 said:


> Screwpainting? I LIKE the original posting. Where we got our wires crossed, was when I commented on the other ejit, the one who starts his video with a facial close-up so near to him, individual nose hairs could be counted...
> 
> There is a shockin' amount of redneck wittering on Utube and it's largely done - as far as I can see - for the edification of the poster. AND a shockin' great whack of it is unsafe practice. Like you, I abhor the chequebook craftsman. I was brung up (in my first career as a photographer) by a sage old bloke whose motto was "Ain't what you got, it's how you use it". He had no time for showoffs and all the time in the world for competent, practical practioners of the art. Seconded. So, when I see barely concealed self-gratification (polite way of saying 'show-offs) I remember old Lennie Callan and think of what he said: "show'us yer work, not yersel".
> 
> ...




Yeah the Americans and quite a few Canadian woodworkers on youtube make my rear end clench with some of the stuff they do, cutting twisted wood and worse with no riving knife and standing right behind the wood, just asking for a lethal kick back, whats really galling is when they are called on it, they retreat to insults, claims of "its perfectly safe if your not a limp wristed sissy", "I have years of experience" "I have more 'feel' without all that rubbish" "it aint happened yet" and pass on seriously bad and dangerous behaviours to those just starting out and justify those dangerous behaviours to others - I couldn't give a hoot if someone does it in their own shop and kills themselves, but on a job site where others are at risk...no way.

I have little or no spare cash, so I make do with what I have or I can borrow, when the opportunity comes where I have some spare cash to spend on a tool and its something I'll use a lot, I'll buy the best I can afford.


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## Beau (15 Jul 2018)

Can someone explain why have a router lift instead of just using the regular fine adjust know most routers can have?


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## MattRoberts (15 Jul 2018)

Beau":1j7ikbk4 said:


> Can someone explain why have a router lift instead of just using the regular fine adjust know most routers can have?


Router lifts allow you to adjust the height of the router without needing to reach beneath the table each time, either with a lever or a winder.


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## Beau (15 Jul 2018)

MattRoberts":2pnnsn53 said:


> Beau":2pnnsn53 said:
> 
> 
> > Can someone explain why have a router lift instead of just using the regular fine adjust know most routers can have?
> ...



Only that! Think I will continue to reach underneath. All the complications and possible play for basically nothing. Admit it might be nice with a massive table or if one had dodgy knees and bending down was difficult.


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## MattRoberts (15 Jul 2018)

Some routers at up for a table also allow you to change the bit by raising the router to the top, saying you from having to detach the router in order to change bits


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## large red (15 Jul 2018)

I have a trend T11 fitted with a muscle chuck it's brilliant but I believe the Triton works well ans is cheaper. I honestly don't know why anyone pays for an expensive lift when you have the Triton/T11 option and numerous DIY lifts .


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