# DW621 router lift project



## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Been playing with my DW621 router more lately since it in the a new router table. However I would really like to make lift for it.

Found three ideas on the web:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ultra-cheap-router-lift/
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/poor-mans-router-lift-8040/ 
http://www.eaglelakewoodworking.com/post/Motorized-Router-Lift.aspx

I am thinking of using the DW621 depth gauge and the three passive stop to my advantage and connecting them somehow. Once connected, the depth dial should be able to regulate the the height. I made quick prototype out of string, and it has some potential.

Another way to connect the base to depth gauge would be to find a reducing coupling nut that I think goes from 5mm to 6mm.

Any thoughts?


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

The screw sizes are M5 and M6 I believe, not sure where the Xmm came from.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Found this product which has great reviews but a major modification.

http://www.routertechnologies.com/instructions%20pdf/DW621%20pack.PDF


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## barryvabeach (Jan 25, 2010)

I made a lift somewhat like the middle one, it works great, though you need to have a platforn under the router for it to sit on. When I am not concerned about the precise height, I put it away, when I need it it slips into place very quickly.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Last weekend I was working on a prototype for a few hours. I have rockler/bench dog metal plate and put a single threaded rod down it. Now that plate is just plain wierd on the 621, the router is at a 23 degree angle to the front of the plate. It took me near 30 minutes to find the right holes during the first install. There are extra holes that the thread rods go in about 1 inch in front or in back of the router almost exactly dead center (23 degrees off center front the plate).

I was looking for parts at home and ran across a wierd 4 inch angle iron that must have been a hook of somesort. Its kind of like an over the cubicle wall mounted coat hook. For the 621 I placed in hook on top of the router casing where the motor vents wedged in a vent and had the base toward the middle of the router body. Ran the rod through the base, secured with two nuts and it worked to some degree.

Then I kept trying to make it more steady and permanent. I made a spacer that rested on router where the black top and yellow middle meet. The center of the spacer is straight and also rests on ledge with slides of the space curving inward around the router toward the speed guage. This worked as well, but the spacer would tilt upwards or downwards depending on the thread turn direction.

Was going to return the rod, and buy a thicker one and use the larger back hole of the router plate to reduce flex. In addition I was going to use a large stainless steel pipe lock to secure the spacer around the base. Note sure if was go to use the hook or put threads directly into the spacer.

Well when searching for more ideas, and I ran across the router raizer. Then I started search for examples of people using it. Everyone loves it. However I could not pull the trigger on it at $90 shipped.

Then I found this link on the router lift using draw sliders. Figured this found be around a $50 implementation.

To make a long story end, <cough> I ordered a router raizer this morning for $60 shipped. I found a link in my next search with a miss marked/made up part number but the right picture and description. Confirmed the product with the seller as being correct part and then purchased it. But I think there made up part number meant no every bought this from them and now the store is dumping it. Soon as I can confirm its the right item in person I will post a link to it.

My understanding also is the router raizer is just a kit of parts and a plan. When your done, you have extra parts that can only be used on other routers models. You can use there plan, or maybe make a better one. But I will probably stick with there plan.

For 621, I think the easier mod would be to replace the 621's custom rod with a longer one and drill through the base, and take out the precision top dial. You have a secure steady metal tube already there asking to be used. You need to figure out how to thread 1/4 of circumferance of a rod though. Maybe something like on mythbusters where the slice up one plane with prop blade of another plane with cutter plane running at a steady speed for the entire length.

Will keep everyone up to date on my progress other wise none a time alone in the basement.


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## fredf (Mar 29, 2008)

What I did for a lift on my dw625 is to use 1/2" PVC and a coupling. I glued the coupling to a piece of pvc that would slip over the adjustment screw, and come a bit over the top of the router. I pressed and epoxied an appropriate metric nut in the coupling and made a fluted wooden knob which I screwed to the end of the pipe. I still have the quick adjust nut in a plastic baggie "somewhere". There is a washer under the nut. The coupling was cut to length so the nut would sit on the barrier ring and slightly protrude


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## barryvabeach (Jan 25, 2010)

Fred, nice work.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Got the kit in the mail today and its it the right part (RZ-100 vs listed RR-RAIZER).

On clearance at Sommerfeld's Tools for Wood.

$59.99 with free shipping.

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/Router-Raizer/productinfo/RR.RAIZER/

Note there is a sticker on the box not to open the box if you own a porter cable router and it does not pass a free movement precheck test.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

I started doing this upgrade last night. An it is no as intimidating at the directions look. Yes you are hacking your router, drill into existing pieces, etc. It was easy than assembling my 4511 Table saw.

I did run into a snag however, one of the parts shattered during install. Its a purple bushing that it hammered into plunge shaft. There are two of these. I go the one in after a while and some sanding on the lip as the direction indicated. With the first one installed the second one would not install. I could see a flattening occurring on busing where the hammer was striking and was hoping it would straighten out as it go into the shaft. Next hit however the bushing pretty much disintegrated. Shop is basement so, 59 or 60 degrees.

Left a parts question on their website late saturday night, nothing back today, Sunday, so lets see what Monday brings. Box store did not seem to have anything like this plastic bushing.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Well its been two business days and no response from the form submitted on the router technologies web page. Guess I will to call them.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Called router technologies on the way to work Wednesday. Talked to Bob Sr., he owns the body shop which is 50% of the building. Bob Jr. owns router technologies (the other 50% of the building), but was not in yet. Left a message with Bob Sr. that the purple bushing bushing for the 621 broke when installing, left my email, phone, and address. Bob Sr. said I would be taken care of. Not reply from Bob Jr, was a little disappointed.

Today Saturday get a package in the mail. 4 purple bushing, and like 10 replacement magnet covers. All this at no cost.

Had to run out to get a tamper jig at wood craft, to finish install the hard wood installation. Went to home depot too, they might have had the bushing there, not sure the exact size.

Played with the jig for awhile and then went back to the router.

Sanded a bevel into the bushing, like before it wont go in. Tried the suggested use a blow dryer, and its fun blow the bushing around the sink, but it still wont hammer in to the hole. I try a little liquid hand soup and it goes in and does not over slider which was my worry.

From there the installation is pretty much done. Just assemble the main kit pieces and tighten. Putting back the modified power cover was pretty tricky, eventually it snapped in. The modification had nothing to do with the trickiness, just a very tight fit.

So the router is now modified and it works just like before when the router raizer shaft is fully raised. As the shaft is reduced, the router is lowered and has a reduced plunge range.

Somehow my basement does not have a 3/4 drill bit in it. So I not drill through the router base plate and the router table plate yet.

The direction could have been more verbose. An extra page per router would have allowed more clarifications on things. For example it said to put the rod in the bushing and make sure it rotated freely. Inserted the rod, and it rotated freely. However the end of the rod had head and then a middle part. The middle part hit the bushings. Looking at the diagram and then router, it dawned on me that the middle was suppose to be inside the bushings. The next line said if the rod does not fit, ream out the bushing with a 5/8 drill bit. Reamed the bushing (1/8 extra material) and the middle part rotated freely inside the bushings. It did have the best parts listings page though of any directions I have ever seen with each part drawn to scale.

After the mod, I have to say this was a very good/great $60 investment. In fact, looking at the router and how it operates; all routers should have this feature out of the box. Any manufacture could add this to there product line for $10 to $20 tops. Bob Jr. had already figured it out for them.


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## williams (Feb 21, 2010)

In terms of router raizer. Is it true you still need to use the lift lock on the router? If so, doesn't that negate the benifit? Still need to reach under router. And locking always seems to change the depth a little (maybe just my cheap router). The idea is sound. Seems a waste not to leverage existing plunge mechanics and replace with another lift.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

You can control the router height from the top of the router and also the a hole in the router plate.

Not sure what you mean by lift lock.

In my case my rockler/bench dog router plate has two lock screws that secure the plate to the router table. So if you change bits often, this might get annoying. <cough>

Router Technologies has a bit Xtender that solves this issue by raising the big out of the router and also using an allen wrench instead of a router wrench(es). There also is one or two other manufactures with similar products bit extension products.

If you mean the plunge lock, I believe the router raiser replaces it. You dial in the height and that is the maximum height. From the dialed in height you can plunge into the project, but on the router table you have gravity the router spring acting as opposing forces to any plunging. You could set the plunge lock at this time to secure it more if desired.

My guess is the locks on the router plate have more play than the plunge lock. But I have not used it yet and worked some more on the finalizing the hardwood floor (I left the last row in every room of the house to be done last, its la lot of cuts and going up and down the stairs.)


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

For the 621, the router raizer does not replace the existing height mechanism, instead is just another height mechanism, such that the router now has two.

The router raizer is the maximum/outer height adjustment and the 621 is the minimum/inner height adjustment. For some of the other routers it looks like it replaces the existing routers height mechanism.


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## sambo56 (Feb 24, 2010)

Check out this guy's site. He did a pretty nice job on his router lift-mostly all out of wood. http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/index.html


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

I saw that one before. This might have been where I go the idea for the pipe lock I mentioned earlier. Everyone loves those wooden gears.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

It was work on tools day today. Dropped off the Nail gun to get fixed. Headed to Rockler to get stuff that was very much on sale. And finally tackled the drilling of the plates.

Well the 621 base plate I did not line up with where I marked it from the dimple. Took like three times to enlarge the hole enough.

However I nailed the router plate dead on, but I lost my first router plate cover today as well. 

I did have an issue with the lift slipping however. It took me a while to figure out how to tighten it up so it would slip. There is is nut in the 621 inside the compartment by the power cord that is surrounded by plastic on top and bottom. It is suppose to tighten with a bold on the outside of the compartment. The way I eventually tightened it was to lower the router via the raizer all the way down while holding the bolt with a wrench to hold the slipping blot. This then eventually pushed the nut in the compartment up such that it locked with the bolt. With this secure, the lift worked flawlessly.

So I tested it out by make a sliding miter gauge face to fit a recess flat head screw. It took about 5 adjustment to get the fitting right. Left the router on while doing the adjustments. The one thing I noticed was the adjustments where very fine. I was turning about 1/8th a rotation each time. Its going to take some time get down the rotation to depth.

My only complaint now is the adjustment allen wrench tool is a little on the cheap side. Also the cover could be magnetic to stay in place. The adjust allen wrench could have a more power magnet to pull it out when adjustments are needed.


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## thekingofspain (Jan 15, 2010)

Oh one side benefit of the router raizer, I now can line up the holes on the crazy rocker plate with ease.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

Fredf 
thanks for the tip and pictures.
This is an old post but much appreciated.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

> Check out this guy s site. He did a pretty nice job on his router lift-mostly all out of wood. http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/index.html
> 
> - sambo56


Matthias is awesome. I've been following home for years and he has some great stuff.


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## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

When it comes time for me to hit up a router table, this is what I was thinking about a router lift. So simple and yet "looks" effective!


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