Makita router lift

[AFFF]

I have a Makita RP2301FCX 1/2" plunge router which I'm going to mount in a router table. The manual says that its height can be adjusted from above the table by inserting a M6 135mm bolt through the table into a threaded hole in the plunge base and through to a threaded hole on the side of the router. Problem is the head of the bolt is a Phillips head and the bolt is not made from the best steel. I can see the head getting worn very quickly with cam-out. Plus the bolt is only partially threaded so full height adjustment is not possible. The manual recommends manually adjusting the tool height from under the table and using the bolt for fine adjustment with a screwdriver. A "half arsed" solution!
So, I thought. Why not get a fully threaded 135mm M6 stainless steel bolt with a cap head (allen key or torx) to provide a proper above the table adjustment system. The head needs to be <= 8mm in height and <=10mm dia.
I have searched the web high and low for one of these..... Can't find any. Does anybody have an idea where I could get one? I have put a request with one online supplier who offers a bespoke manufacturing service but I suspect the price might be prohibitive for a one off. Any ideas?

 

[AFFF]

Apparently half A R S E D is not allowed, came out as half pineappled?!

 

[Inspector]

A couple suggestions. Use a good regular steel bolt as most Stainless Steel bolts are softer/weaker and subject to galling. If you take out the springs in the plunge columns it will take less force to move the router.

Pete

 

[LeeElms]

Is this (140mm available) any good? It's not fully threaded, but might be enough?

 

[AFFF]

Thank you Lee, I'll contact them to see how much of the bolt is threaded. I suspect not enough. I have toyed with the idea of getting some threaded bar and cutting the head of another bolt and then glueing them together with epoxy. Not sure how good epoxy is in shear though

 

[AES]

Agree about SS bolts. Not the best solution here. MS should be fine, especially if you take the plunge spring/s out.

If you've got a 6 mm die, it's easy enough to extend the length of the plain portion of the bolt so that the threaded portion is any length you need - within a "smidgen" of the head if necessary. And MUCH easier to do on a MS bolt than on SS.

 

[AFFF]

That sounds like a solution. Will investigate, thank you

 

[AES]

Gluing bolts together longitudinally is NOT a good solution, not even with a best quality 2 part epoxy. If nothing else, two nuts tightened on to the length of threaded rod will do, but a bit "clunky". But if going this way you need two spanners and you then tighten one nut against the other.

But a 6 mm die and associated "wrench" ("die stock") will be pretty cheap - you could even look out for the next cheapo Metric set in Lidl/Aldi. Not brilliant but used with care will last well.

 

[HDC83]

How about short m6 cap head bolt with one of these THREADED BAR CONNECTOR M5, M6, M8, M10, M12, M14, M16, M20, M24 A2 STAINLESS. | eBay
Then a length of threaded bar
Like I did for mine

 

[HDC83]

And some thread lock

 

[AES]

That would work, but, only my opinion, by far the easiest & neatest, just get a long bolt (whatever head you like/need) then extend the thread to as long as you need with a die. "Easy peasy", and you won't even get a "drunken" thread 'cos the existing thread is already there to start you off.

 

[HDC83]

Agreed I’m not 100 percent with the way I did my one as the either the adjuster or plunge lock is on the back depending on what way it’s mounted. When funds allow want to get a proper lift but it will do for the interim.

 

[Mickjay]

I have the same router but the bolt that came with mine is fully threaded. Agreed it's not the best quality. My technique in my bench top router table is lift the router by hand to near enough height, use the plunge lock, spin the bolt down with the drill until it just catches, release the plunge lock and then screwdriver for final adjustment, works a treat without too much pressure on screw head.

 

[stimpy]

That would work, but, only my opinion, by far the easiest & neatest, just get a long bolt (whatever head you like/need) then extend the thread to as long as you need with a die. "Easy peasy", and you won't even get a "drunken" thread 'cos the existing thread is already there to start you off.

This. By far the easiest, simplest and most reliable solution. If you don't have a die then post it to me and I'll thread it for you for nowt

 

[AFFF]

Thank you Stimpy for your offer! I have seen some high tensile steel bolts that meet my requirements. Would that sort of steel be suitable and ok to machine with a die? If so, I'll order some and send one in the post. And pay for the return postage, of course.
Could you message me direct with your address?
What a very nice man!
Regards, Paul

 

[AES]

@AFFF: Yes, that's a very generous offer from Stimpy.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I just cannot see why you're bothering with a high tensile steel bolt. It's only got to lift the router (especially if you remove the plunge spring/s first) and high tensile is not only just not necessary but it's also making Stimpy's job harder. If he's got a decent quality 6 mm die he can do the job OK (but it'll take him longer) whereas a normal mild steel bolt will, I promise you, be more than adequate for that job and be much quicker to thread.

Sorry to sound critical, but with respect, since the start of this thread your whole approach to this job is to vastly and unnecessarily over-complicate things.

I'm really NOT trying to make you feel silly, but I suspect you have little previous experience of what a normal 6 mm mild steel bolt can do. Fair enough, we've all got to learn, but about the only possible "danger" with MS is with the head becoming damaged. But you've already solved that possibility by going for a socket head (torx or hex). MS will be fine for this job, I promise you.

If you've got a 6 mm die this whole job will be done and dusted in 5 mins, 'onest - that's all Stimpy will need (if I wasn't in Switzerland I'd just send you a bolt - cost of postage here is - really - 10 times the cost of a bolt).

Only try to help, honestly.

 

[Dr Al]

I did much the same thing as you're trying to do (I have the same router). If you don't have a die I'd be happy to thread a bolt for you. This is what mine ended up looking like:

It gets a bit shabby over such a long length, but it does the job perfectly.

In place:

I've since used the spare bolt for something else (I only bought two), otherwise I'd thread it and send it to you.

It works really well and the screw is good enough quality that I can use the cordless drill to bring the table up & down quickly (I tend to just push it up by hand against the spring and lock it in place if I want to change tool and then drop it back down again and use the adjustment screw to set the location for operation).

 

[AFFF]

AES, thanks for your comments. Really not trying to overcomplicate things. I have very limited knowledge of engineering especially when it comes to different steel types. I asked about high tensile steel bolts because these came up in a search for the bolts I'm after. Mild steel bolts don't seem to come back in any searches (well, not explicitly stated as being made of mild steel). I ask the questions here because I don't have the knowledge myself to make an informed decision. Just relying on other people's experience. I bow down to your superior knowledge!

 

[Jaeger]

Try this search on YouTube there are lots of various DIY lifts there
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=plunge+router+lift

 

[AES]

Understood AFF, and glad you haven't taken offence. None intended, I'm just in the lucky position that I learnt all this stuff in my apprenticeship (yonks ago now)! I bet you know a lot of stuff that I've never heard of.

Because I don't live in UK any more, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that you can buy a box of say 10 off cheapo 6 mm bolts, for just a few quid - Screwfix perhaps? ( They started up after I left UK permanently so I dunno personally).

If you must go on line to buy (and the length you want IS a bit long for the normal DIY places - 140 mm?) then just look for QUOTE: 6 mm bolts, 140 mm long, socket head" UNQUOTE: Don't worry about the "mild steel" bit because unless you specify otherwise in your search (e.g. stainless steel, high tensile, etc) MS is what you'll get "naturally"/"automatically". And as said before, MS will do that job easily - AND BTW, WITHOUT the possibility of damaging the female thread in the Router base (sorry, I don't have a Makita Router myself, so I'm not sure what it's made of, but from the pics, it looks like it COULD be a die cast item).

AND, BTW, IMPORTANT (maybe)! It depends which company you search on. To save you the trouble of having to do any thread cutting at all, a "bolt" is not actually what you want (a bolt has a part-threaded, part plain shank). What you want is a "machine screw" (that will have the shank threaded all the way up to the head).

HTH

@Jaeger: IF I read the OP correctly, he's not looking for a router lift complete.