Woodpecker PRL5625. Step 1: install

Great Review Neil.
There £250 this side of the pond.
But well worth the spend.

Jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

13 week wait? I know there is a shortage of aluminum, but thats a long time…

it does seem like a super lift mechanism. makes small adjustments a bit more convenient to do.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

That’s really tempting, and I haven’t even started building a router table.

It’s only been a day, but do you feel inconvenienced not having the quick lift feature?

-- My broker promised me he would treat my money as if it were his own. Trouble is, he did.

alba: At that price, I would still only be looking at online pictures ;-)

PurpLev: I didn’t get the impression that it was a materials supply delay, but I can’t be sure. Believe me: the 13 weeks was like being stuck at a traffic light for 2hrs in a row ;-)

JJohnston: So far, it is only my thoughts on that, and it’s a valid question.

Personally, I think I’ll think about that situation, from time to time, but don’t really picture me actually regretting it.

A larger issue may be whether the raising/lowering taking 2X as long (because of the 32 pitch vs 16) will ever bother me.

Either way … to the extent that something like that becomes a nuisance … I try to remind myself that it’s a pretty good problem to have ;-)

Since I have the oft-referenced lousy vision—particularly at near—I tend to rely on technology to make the sorts of fine adjustments, so common in woodworking, as easy as possible. Eyeballing, while trying to raise or lower a few thousandths can be a tedious process, for most, but—for me—can mean Game Over … before I get started !

So … gizmos like this, coupled with a digital height gauge, and or use of my gauge blocks, buy me more shop time.

And that’s A Good Thing !

-- -- Neil

Nice set up there Neil, you are on a roll.

Thanks for the review Neil. 13 week wait is a little excessive though that thing is a beauty so it sounds like it was worth it.

PS. You may want to put the review in the Review section. They are sorted there by tool and brand and that is the first and only place I look and I’m sure others as well when thinking of buying new equipment. Good review though.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

Good thought, Eric.

I figured I’d put a few miles on it, though, and try to see what more could be learned, then I would link to this page IN a “proper” review.

And … I’d like to tell you that I exhibited the patience of a Buddhist monk, in waiting for this thing, but … I’d just be lying :-D

Cato: yeah. I’m quickly running out of my much-needed excuses for either messing things up, or not getting things done ;-)

-- -- Neil

Great review, Neil.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

If that’s the same 3 1/2 hp Milwaukee I have, you really do have a great set up. How do you like the Kreg table? I’ve had the urge to upgrade…

-- jack -- ...measure once, curse twice!

I’ve had one of those for several years now (with the big PC router), and don’t know how I’d live without it. I use a cordless drill with an Allen in it to raise & lower the lift, then fine tune the height manually. Enjoy!

-- Gene T

Neil, you will find the wait was worth it. The PRL and the PRL-V2 are absolutely the best in my opinion. I LOVE my V2. I agree with you on the PRL-32 for your circumstances. You have a fantastic set up there. Enjoy my friend. Rand

PhineasWhipsnake: I just saw a tip, in one of the latest WW mags, about using the cordless drill to speed-adjust the drill press table. Yours is a great idea, too! I can even pick up a $10 cordless at the thrift store, and just dedicate it for that !

Spent some time, this afternoon, knocking out 1” UHMW setup blocks for my glue joint router bit. It is amazing how easy it is—particularly with the 32 pitch threading—to dial in just a few thousandths at a time. It made these setup blocks an absolute snap to do.

The height adjustment was the only weak point, IMHO, in the stock 5625. I think the threading would just get clogged up with sawdust, periodically, but … half the time … I had to cradle the motor with one hand, and turn the dial with the other, to get smooth, linear adjustments.

But even then, fine adjustments were NOT its strong suit.

Jack: I’ve really been satisfied with the Kreg PRS2000, and at just over $200, it’s a pretty good value, too. But it’s one of those few things in my shop that—if I had it to do over again—I’d definitely have built my own cabinet. That said … it serves its purpose, and—particularly with this lift in place … I’m likely to keep on using it for the foreseeable future. I think the pros and cons were summed up by the handful of reviewers that wrote it up, on Amazon

Rand: Thanks ! I see you are a man who knows of what he speaks ! Along with the fact that the PRL just works, I think it’s in that class of tools that’s so well engineered and built … that it’s just a joy to use. Kind of like anything Starrett makes: when you have it in your hand … you know you’ve got a solid tool that’s gonna’ do exactly what it’s supposed to … for years and years.

-- -- Neil

Neil, over the years, I have found that there are 2 good things about buying the best.
1. You are never disappointed,
2. You only spend your money once, therefore it is less expensive.

I’m glad that you are so happy with yours. Rand

You should be able to dial in +/- “0” with that :-))

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Wauuu, it makes my homebuild lift look like a toy!
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/39655
Really cool,
Mads

-- Mad F, the fanatical rhykenologist and vintage architect. Democraticwoodworking.