Dennis made a video with the Incra plate with his Triton and an Incra lift with an AEG router, AUKTools is our UK router to use in the lift.
I have spent a lot of time looking into routers, tables, lifts and cost, going round in many circles and with much thought to come up with the best engineered solution long term for me but still not actually proceeded due to round tuits. Basicaly I have broken the issue down into sections, one is the framework or legs, the actual router worktop, the fence, the router itself and finally the insert plate.
All are linked and need to be considered when looking at each section but I can see why it can be a nightmare for some, especially if on a tight budget. What I will say is that like so many things it is cheaper to get something right that delivers your expectations first time rather than a process of itteration and for some frustration. I use a Triton in a Kreg table which has been great but again we learn the limitations and see what else is available that then it makes us want improvements. The setup that
@MikeK built is a great example of what can be done, I do believe he went through a process that was not direct and learnt as he went to get to his final setup and like me would have liked to have gone direct had we realised.
If you do not have a router and are just starting out but want something really good then you cannot go wrong with the Jessem or Incra lift with the AUK router motor because it is very well designed and engineered, the choice essentially comes down to plastic insert rings or metal ones held in by magnets. If you have a big router like the Triton and want to upgrade then the Jessem prestige is the lift to go for because in my opinion the precision and repeatability are better than the Triton lift mechanism which I have lived with for some time. If starting from scratch then do not let the price throw you off, Jessem lift with AUK is £764 and ready to go, the Jessem prestige is £309, a Triton TRa001 is £269 plus add in a muscle chuck for £70 gives a total of £ 648 so for about a £100 more you get what I believe to be the better option. Obviously if you have the Triton then it causes more issues with making a decision, but after a lot of thinking I will just sell the complete Kreg setup once I have built my new one based on the one Dennis from Hooked on wood built. This leads into my next issue, the fence which if you have precision in the Z direction then you want it in the Y direction as well but could easily make your own as there are plenty of good designs out there.
I like the Incra positioner but my problem is that like many sliding mitre saws it requires a fair amount of room behind to accomodate, there needs to be a shorter version as has been previously discussed on these forums and is what is holding up my new workbench/ router setup. There are also other good fences available along more conventional design lines but what I liked about the Incra was that you can make it easily detachable so it can be put out the way when not in use. Hooked on wood's design used a homemade adaptor but you can also buy one from Benchdogs,
Incra and for a design where you want to incorporate the router into your workbench this is important.
The worktop itself can easily be made, just deciding what material and really the same for legs and frame so these are not big issues.