# Home Made router lift



## remsen (Jan 21, 2010)

*Home Made Router Lift*

This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.

Here is what it looked when I first cut the plywood and the runners for the sled




Here is the sled moving in its tracks. It moves quite nicely with very little play. Initially I thought that using a wood sled there would be too much wobble or movement, but that does not seem to be the case at all.


Here is the sled in two pieces with the screws showing. On the left you can see the nut that I embedded in the wood for the threaded rod on the right to go into. On the bottom right you can see the rough for the handle that will be the crank. There is a bearing in that piece of mahogany at the bottom that allows the crank to turn tightly yet freely


Here is a better shot of the bearing and crank




!

Here is the sled with the piece that will actually hold the router. I cut the cove by running the wood obliquely across the blade. I adjusted the angle until I got a cut that was pretty close to the router diameter. This piece is important as it really holds the router stiffly. The piece at the top was glued in to prevent dust from getting in.


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Here is the back side where I have a locking mechanism once the height is set. I just embedded a nut inside a piece of red oak and made a crude knob. The threaded rod is 1/2 inch. Later I will fix up the knob by carving and sanding. Right now I just want it to work.


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Here is the setup I used to cut the cove. It is pretty crude, but it worked. I don't cut a lot of coves.


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Here is the router strapped to the base with 4" hose clamps. The fit is very tight and the router does not move at all. If you notice at the left of the picture I have a 5" bolt that serves as a crank handle right now. I will probably change that to something a bit nicer, but for now it does the job.


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Now I have to mount it underneath the table saw. I am currently constructing that. As I finish I'll post more.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


very cool! I always wanted to do this. very well done!


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


That is nice. Please post the link to the plans.


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## remsen (Jan 21, 2010)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


PurpLev, thank you for the kind words.

Hi Dave,
I don't really have formal plans that I worked from. Like I said I wish I could take credit for the design, but I really just copied the idea from a guy named Matthias Wandel. His personal webpage is http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/ 
He has a lot of amazing ideas and does a lot with gears made of wood

As far as my router lift, I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants and built it from stuff I had or bought locally at a hardware store. Sorry about the lack of formal plans. Let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything in particular or take better pictures.


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## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


Here's the link to the lift: http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/index.html


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


Looks like a good home made device which otherwise would cost few hundreds $. 
And I noted that you have anticipated vibration issue by having the locking mechanism. Great job!


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## Diamondback (Oct 21, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


I have downloaded a couple of Wandel's designs and am impressed with his ingenuity and quality of work. He does so much more than designing and making woodworking jigs. Take a look at Wandel's stuff. It's fun!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


This is a great design and I really appreciate your post Remsen. I downloaded Wandel's router lift plan today. I have to use a plunge router though, so I will probably have adapt the plan to allow for that. Very nice set of plans that download into your Sketchup 7 program. I'm really looking forward to building it. I am so tired of the hassle I now experience with height adjustments.


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## RvK (Nov 22, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


THAT is freakin cool!


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## remsen (Jan 21, 2010)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


Mike,
I too have a plunge router that I was going to use, but I just went ahead and bought the porter cable 1.75 hp fixed base router and used the motor on my lift. I'm probably going to use that old router for a slot cutter.

With regards to the lift I built, I think when I get a little more time, I'm going to hook up an old drill to a switch and motorize the router lift. That's probably overkill and I'm really going to do it for the novelty.

As far as the problems with the height adjustments go, I too was just fed up. I couldn't ever get it exactly right. With this lift it is a breeze and very accurate.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


I would do the same, but unfortunately they don't sell any fixed base routers here in Norway. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they are illegal here, so I will just have to try and adapt my plunge router. The only other option I have is to use my lightweight plunge router where the motor housing can be demounted from the plunge and handle part. It's round and would work well for the mount, but it doesn't have much power and it doesn't take 1/2" bits either. We are pretty limited here on what is available in some respects. Thanks for your comment though.


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## JoshJock (Aug 14, 2010)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


nnniicee! This is going into my project workbench!! I have an older 1 1/2 hp craftsman router. is the type that has the knob depth lock system which is broken … so this is the perfet use for it!! thanks guys!!


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


This post is a perfect example of what woodworking is all about. I always admire the guy who can make something that duplicates a tool or machine that can be built for pennies. It shows the ingenuinity that some woodworkers possess. There are many examples on U-tube of how woodworkers can use simple tools and create machines that are as good as commercial products. If you can do this, you can be considered a woodworker in my book. Anybody can make a dovetail with a jig, but how many can do it without such a jig.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

remsen said:


> *Home Made Router Lift*
> 
> This was my attempt at a homemade router lift. Working with a router under a table has always been frustrating to adjust to just the right spot. That's why I decided to research doing my own. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I found a really bright guy from Canada named Matthias whose example I copied. I cannot stress enough the enormous help his site was for ideas. Let me know if anyone wants a link to his site.
> 
> ...


Good thinking ,nice work.


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