Low cost DIY Router Table lift facility

[Simon Pettitt]

I need to get myself set up with a router table for some upcoming projects. I've got the screwfix Titan router (TTB591ROU) that I've used handheld for a while. I have an island-style workbench made from birch ply, and the fence of my dewalt table saw will flip around and serve as the fence for this (with a sacrificial addition), so this post is mainly about how to actually mount the router.

My goals:
- Depth adjustment isn't too difficult. Not expecting a beautifully smooth lift mechanism driven from above the table, but something better than crawling under the table to try and jam the router up with one hand while measuring the height with the other...
- Not looking to hog deep passes out of hardwood, just general routing at no more than 1/4" per pass, and also setting up stops on 4 sides and routing out a tray, again not really planning on more than 1/4" per pass. (thinking: do I have the wrong router?)
- Budget. Aiming to spend as little as possible. 250 gbp on an off-the-shelf solution is out of the question.

Issues so far:
- Of all the insert plates I've seen for sale on Amazon etc, their hole pattern all seems to be for the smaller 1/4"/palm size routers, whereas the Titan has a much larger hole pattern in the base.
- The plunge is poor - the springs are very stiff and the mechanism is sticky and very difficult to accurately set a height on. If mounted upside down, it would be really difficult to try and push the router body upwards to a correct height/stop before engaging the lock...without lifting the whole table.

Therefore, do I:
- Stick with the Titan router, find some way to make it easier to raise and lower, and a way of mounting it to the 18mm ply tabletop without loosing loads of height. Maybe modding an existing plate with new holes?
- Let the Titan router go and replace with something smaller that A) fits standard insert plates and B) has some better arrangement for raising and lowering. If so, what?

 

[Orraloon]

Its a question of what you want to spend. If you are going to be doing a lot of routing then may be better to invest a bit more than if its just the odd job now and then. I only use a router when I have to so kept it modest. I use the extension wing of my tablesaw and the saw fence gets used with a ply fence attached. I got a router with a screw height adjustment and I do need to reach under the table to do that. Add a basic plate. I also removed the springs from the plunge base to make things easier working upside down. It stays in the table and my first one gets used for hand held work. Too much of a pain using one machine for both. Would be nice to have something that all works from above but I cant justify the cost for the amount of work it gets.

I had the plate for years before getting around to it and in that time I was told those plastic plates will sag so I used the fence mounting rails to attach it to the plate. If I was doing it again I would suggest a bit of aluminum plate and drill screw holes to match the router base. Router by the way is a Ryobi with speed control and height adjusting screw. I used the NVR switch and socket from an old Aldi router table so I dont have to reach under to switch it on and off. Being on the tablesaw it does not take up any shed space.
Regards
John

 

[MikeJhn]

If you are only doing small jobs occasionally then one of these may be the answer: Router Table with Lift & Motor | Next Day Delivery

 

[Yojevol]

An economic solution could be one these scissor lifts

You would need a platform for it to support it and you'd need to make sure airflow into the router is not restricted.
Brian

 

[xy mosian]

Or perhaps a scissor jack from a car.
xy

 

[Spectric]

An economic solution could be one these scissor lifts

Maybe an ideal product on which to mount a domino for a Domino bench as the work would be fixed and the domino just raised for cuts.

 

[Simon Pettitt]

I had the plate for years before getting around to it and in that time I was told those plastic plates will sag so I used the fence mounting rails to attach it to the plate. If I was doing it again I would suggest a bit of aluminum plate and drill screw holes to match the router base. Router by the way is a Ryobi with speed control and height adjusting screw. I used the NVR switch and socket from an old Aldi router table so I dont have to reach under to switch it on and off. Being on the tablesaw it does not take up any shed space.

This makes sense - I could get one of the 15gbp aluminium router plates from amazon and just drill it to fit.

An economic solution could be one these scissor lifts View attachment 155956
You would need a platform for it to support it and you'd need to make sure airflow into the router is not restricted.
Brian

This is a great idea thanks. A platform is no problem. The airflow would be more challenging, it appears either the intake or exhaust for the stator is on the top of the router, but I could find a way to support the router while keeping that clear.

 

[HamsterJam]

I’ve just been round this loop and was considering buying the Lumberjack 1/2inch router as it was the cheapest unit I can find with a fine depth adjustment albeit it has to be done from under the table. One issue I never resolved though is whether it has an NVR function (no good for remote on/off switching).
If I had done this, I would have bought a cheap plate to support it in my table.

After much prevarication however, I ended up springing for Rutlands lift and motor combination. It seems quite sturdy but only time will tell how good it really is. Here is a picture of it mounted into the table. The fence is in build.

 

[Simon Pettitt]

I’ve just been round this loop and was considering buying the Lumberjack 1/2inch router as it was the cheapest unit I can find with a fine depth adjustment albeit it has to be done from under the table. One issue I never resolved though is whether it has an NVR function (no good for remote on/off switching).
If I had done this, I would have bought a cheap plate to support it in my table.

After much prevarication however, I ended up springing for Rutlands lift and motor combination. It seems quite sturdy but only time will tell how good it really is. Here is a picture of it mounted into the table. The fence is in build.

The Rutlands lift/motor looks great, it's just a long way out of my budget as a weekend warrior.

That lumberjack looks very similar to the Titan I have. However, on taking some measurements this morning, it seems the hole patten in the Titan (104.8 x 67.7) is very different to the smaller trim router-size hole patterns in these plates, and I can't find a router plate at my budget (<£20) that supports these holes. All of the ones on Amazon have a lattice infill underneath that makes things more tricky. It seems the orange rotation *might* work, so I might just have to give it a punt...

 

[TRITON]

With many routers having a through table winding facility, maybe thats the cheaper route than trying to cobble together something that pretty much does the same.
I think Triton, and Trend have routers that can accommodate this

 

[Woodwork Journey Dean]

I’ve had my Bosch on one of those lifts Yojevol mentioned. It’s been ok but even with taking out the springs it can be a bit of a pain. Mostly due to not having an extended collet and it being a total pain in the backside to change bits

This is a link to a solid DIY affair that I’m probably going to make so I can change my Bosch to a half inch Elu

Steve Ramsey from Woodworking for mere mortals also did his version of it.

 

[Simon Pettitt]

I’ve had my Bosch on one of those lifts Yojevol mentioned. It’s been ok but even with taking out the springs it can be a bit of a pain. Mostly due to not having an extended collet and it being a total pain in the backside to change bits

This is a link to a solid DIY affair that I’m probably going to make so I can change my Bosch to a half inch Elu

Steve Ramsey from Woodworking for mere mortals also did his version of it.

That's useful, cheers. I don't mind reaching under the table for height adjustment at all, as long as it's easy and I'm not fighting against stiff springs. But the bit change does look difficult.

I did mess around with a model of a similar idea I found on youtube - although the one I found used nylon runners rather than drawer slides. Since looking at this, I'd offset the drawer slides so they never fully close, so you never got the 'clunk' at the inwards end of the travel

One of the several issues with this idea though is that you're losing double the plate thickness of bit height - once for the top of the sliding carriage and another for the actual top. It was fun to model though.

Edit: to give proper credit:

 

[Woodwork Journey Dean]

That’s an interesting idea for sure.
I’m also working on a height adjustable process using a right angle drill accessory, no idea if that’s going to work yet though.

By the way solid last name and spelt correctly, I’m a Pettitt too!

 

[Simon Pettitt]

That’s an interesting idea for sure.
I’m also working on a height adjustable process using a right angle drill accessory, no idea if that’s going to work yet though.

By the way solid last name and spelt correctly, I’m a Pettitt too!

awesome, indeed - not many that spell it correctly!

I think I have the way ahead...I took the risk and cut the springs out of the Titan today, and all of the other bits on the base (turret, plastic wingnuts) to be able to tuck the base right up close to the body as much as I could, and it had a nice satisfying stop at the end. The plunge mechanism was still quite jerky though, so I didn't feel putting a scissor lift directly under was the way. But I was pleasently surprised by how far I can get the collet out past the base - 15mm from the base to the top of the big black hex screw, and 21mm to the collet.

I then revisited the design above with a different idea - use some cheap aluminium angle to make the sliding carriage rather than timber. This will save headroom and mitigate deflection. I then use a bit of 18mm black laminated birch ply to make the top, making a recess for the carriage on the underside and a router plate on the top at 90deg, meaning the aluminium angle can tuck right up to the plate. With the plastic insert removed, bit changes should be OK once I find a way to keep the spindle lock in.

Not sure on the lift adjustment yet - possibly a simple scissor lift under the carriage, or I reckon I could do something with some threaded rod in to the angle to give adjustment above the table.

Cost:
Plate - £15
Aluminium Angle - £10
Assorted hardware - £5
Ply and drawer slides - have already

 

[DiyAddict]

I installed a Titan in an old Ryobi router table about three years ago. Had the same problem re. unusual mounting hole pattern, but managed to find a position that worked. Care was necessary to drill a hole that aligned well for the lifting handle, and you need to make it about the same size as the handle shank so it acts as a sort of bearing to keep the handle from wobbling. I seem to remember removing the spring completely.

But I have to say, it's worked really well, and when you wind the spindle to the top, the spindle lock kicks in automatically.

The only hassle is reaching back to switch it off for changing bits, as it won't let you raise the spindle fully in the 'on' position. Since the table has its own power switch, I've been meaning to take it apart to disable that safety mechanism, but haven't got around to it yet.

I'd be concerned about any play in the drawer slides, leading to chatter, especially for cutting dadoes, but presumably you've found some quality slides where this isn't an issue?

 

[Simon Pettitt]

I installed a Titan in an old Ryobi router table about three years ago. Had the same problem re. unusual mounting hole pattern, but managed to find a position that worked. Care was necessary to drill a hole that aligned well for the lifting handle, and you need to make it about the same size as the handle shank so it acts as a sort of bearing to keep the handle from wobbling. I seem to remember removing the spring completely.

But I have to say, it's worked really well, and when you wind the spindle to the top, the spindle lock kicks in automatically.

The only hassle is reaching back to switch it off for changing bits, as it won't let you raise the spindle fully in the 'on' position. Since the table has its own power switch, I've been meaning to take it apart to disable that safety mechanism, but haven't got around to it yet.

I'd be concerned about any play in the drawer slides, leading to chatter, especially for cutting dadoes, but presumably you've found some quality slides where this isn't an issue?

Thanks. When you say 'aligned well for the lifting handle' - which lifting handle do you mean?

I have this one:

Re. slides, I'm pretty sure they are Accuride DZs as thats what we usually order at work, but I will check.

 

[MikeJhn]

A muscle chuck gets over the bit change difficulty: Quick Change Camless Router Chuck Wood Working Accessories

 

[Spectric]

I’ve had my Bosch on one of those lifts Yojevol mentioned.

How good is that lift, I know in your application all it is doing is lifting but how tight is it as to play / slop in a freestanding state. I am thinking of it in a domino bench application where a 700 domino is mounted to it to give height adjustment but if it has wobble then it is a non starter. I would only be looking at about 40mm lift so not at it's full extension and maybe with this reduced lift it would be possible to remove some of the parts so there are less joints.

 

[baldkev]

I did read the last few posts, low on time
I have a cheap aluminium pkate from ebay, about 250mm x 300mm, drilled to take both my 1/2" hitachi m12 and a makita palm router.

If u upgrade the router look at the hitachi, perfect for the money.

As for the cabinet, how about the router being mounted in a box within the cab, similar to woodwork deans, but with pins drilled centrally to allow it to spin right round, so bit change and adjustments are easier?

 

[RogerS]

Or perhaps a scissor jack from a car.
xy

+1 It's what I've used for the last 15 years !