# Home built Router Lift for Dewalt DW621 router



## TinmanCarving (Mar 8, 2015)

Hello all. I have been needing to set up a router table with lift for a while now but have been thrown off by the cost of both tables and router lifts. At least with the lifts I can see a lot of engineering and machine work to justify the cost. The tables not so much.

The router I have to work with is a Dewalt DW621. If you have seen one of these you know it is not very conducive to being able to fit on any currently marketed router lift that I have found. During my search for such an animal I ran across the Router Raizor. I like the concept and price was great...but I could not get the thought out of my head that the way it is installed on the Dewalt reduces some of the rigidity of the motor to base mount. It effectively replaces one of the columns with the threaded shaft assembly. To me it looks like it reduces some of the support the original column provides to resist twisting of the motor around the remaining shaft. It might not be the case but that was my thoughts.

So I set out to design, build, and install my own version utilizing the already present components of the depth stop. I removed the threaded shaft from the original stop along with the multi position rotating stop it intersects with. I then transferred the position of the center line of that shaft down to the base of the router. I removed the base and took it over to my mill and drilled/bored the hole location to fit a bronze bushing. You can see in the pics that I installed a bushing from both sides to allow the adjusting nut and stop collar to give a bearing surface for each. I installed a piece of metric all thread and my router lift was born. The nut I used was round so I had to machine it to a hex for a 21mm socket. The nut sticks up above the base 6.5mm so I will have to use a router lift table insert that is 3/8" thick to provide clearance and bore the required access hole to clear the 21mm socket. The original depth gage adjustment is still functional and will be used for rough positioning and the nut for fine tuning the height.

I have provided a few pics below. One of the pics is of the parts I sourced from McMaster Carr. The total price was $37.50. $14.50 of that was shipping, which is shocking. 

My next project is to build the router table and lift insert. My plan is to use Corian counter top and machine it for the router lift table insert and t-track. For the insert I plan on using a 3/8" thick piece of Mic6 cast aluminum tooling plate. That will be a future post after I can find the counter top on Craigslist and the Mic6 from Ebay.

Thanks for looking,
Rob


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

That looks like a good solution. How do you propose to mount the router to the underside of the plate insert,are there hole in the base of the router that will be used or will you have to provide new ones?

Herb


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## TinmanCarving (Mar 8, 2015)

Herb, that is a good question.

Currently the only threaded holes it has on the bottom are for retaining that thin phenolic plate. They are something like #6. I am not sure that is enough to retain the router so I will probably machine a register in the bottom of the insert for the base and use some small strap clamps to hold it tight. I suppose another, simpler solution is what you mentioned about drill additional holes in the base. It would only take a couple/few 1/4" fasteners.

Rob


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Nice job Ron. Everyone else uses the screw holes for the sub base to hold routers to plates so they should be okay. Most of the force against them is shear, not tensile. I made a trimming jig last night for my DW610 and the screws are #8- 32.


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

There are a couple of 6M threads in the casting for x-gone accessories.
I use them to fasten my subbases too. The 4M's are way too fragile.
See sample.


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## osioradain (Feb 16, 2010)

So what exactly is a router lift?


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## richjh (Jan 14, 2013)

Great idea. I think the same setup will work on my old DW625. I rarely use it since I bought the Triton but this idea will allow me to have two routers with above table adjust. Just as soon as I find room for a second table.


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## Mowry155 (Jul 14, 2015)

Adrian,
A lift is a mechanism that allows one to raise and lower a router built into a table without actually having to reach under and manually perform raising and lowering the router. There are several different approaches to perform this task. There are both commercial and shop made mechanisms that hold a router while others use a router that has that built in capability. Personally, I built a router table/cabinet following several different styles seen on the net or woodworking magazines with a mounted a Triton 3 1/4 hp router. I'm quite happy with the unit in my shop but others swear by the former option.
Good luck,
Bob


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## mrgwhite (Oct 8, 2013)

I have a Router Raiser on my Hitachi and it looks to me as if you have re-invented it! The Router Raiser replaces the height adjustment rod not the support column.
A problem I still haven't solved is locking the router after you have set the height. I still have to lock/unlock from underneath for each adjustment. If the router isn't locked the vibration of it running can cause the thread to rotate and ruin the setting. You may have to consider the same thing.

Geoff


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## osioradain (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks Bob


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