# Home built router lift



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

You folks are the people who would most understand that I am excited about this project, so I thought I would document it and get your thoughts on some of the aspects of it ...

the holder for the router ...

































































it will slide on 4 tracks. that should keep it firmly in place ...









































































here it is mocked up on the table top into which it is going

















A pretty getto insert huh?


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## LiLRdWgn (Dec 31, 2011)

Good Morning Chris, I read anything I can about router tables. I need to build one myself. LOL, I really like your shim stock, looks to be a yard stick. Good idea. They used to be give away many years ago as a advertisement, now you have to buy them, So much for freebe goodies.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Yep, that is exactly what it is. At 61 cents apiece and 1/4" by 1 1/2", the Home Depot yardsticks are a good option for cheap people like myself. The insert plate is made out of them too, as are some of the little drawers I store stuff in. I could have also used them for the runners on the sides of the holder (the part that rides in the track), but I decided to go with poplar for that because it is a harder wood.

Thanks for looking.


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## TomE (Dec 17, 2010)

Might need to "swiss cheese" the containment box or reduce the amount of enclosure around the motor to allow for ventilation and dust mitigation. Think in terms of cooling and the additional collection of dust packing around the motor when in use.

Very imaginative, keep 'er going.


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## thrinfo (Jan 21, 2012)

I've found this router lift on the net, only a car jack that push the router in is own housing up and down.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Good point Tom, I will do that.

On this router (a Ryobi R163K), there is a vent on the bottom, which I was thinking I should not block, so I designed the holder to be able to hold it off the floor. But I will also put a hole in the bottom for added circulation.

Up till now, I have been ignoring the whole dust collection question, I guess it's time to start worrying about that ...


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

I am designing this to be a drop in surface for my workbench. The workbench is 24x48, and I have it setup to be able to replace either half of the surface with a different surface. So long as the sides are both 3/4" thick, it will be flush.

What is a typical size for a router table, and is 24x48 large enough for most projects?


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Normand that is a neat idea, and I was considering a car jack too, but I want to be able to raise and lower it from the top, so I have decided to go with a 3/8-16 bolt on the back of the holder. And since it is 16 threads per inch, one time around is 1/16", so it should be easy to control the incremental distances.

Plus, I didn't have an extra jack in the garage, and 95% of the parts for this contraption came from rummaging through the clutter scattered throughout the garage.

This is all part of a larger project to finally organize the garage and workshop area.


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## theartist09 (Feb 9, 2011)

I've used a bottle jack for some time now, works fine for me and you don't have to take the router apart. But i would like to build one that will adjust from the top.

Jim


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

*video*

Here is a video of the lift in action:

Home built router table 1 - YouTube

thanks for watching


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi Chris,

Thanks for sharing this project with us. I commend your craftiness in the creation of this mount & lift.


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## Admin (Feb 13, 2012)

G'day
Any reason for the tracks on the side instead of guides front and rear edges for the lift box, seems a lot of work to get the same result.

Enjoy life and people.............you only ever get 1 chance at it!


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Ray, I am not following you. The way I did it was the way it made sense to me. I put 2 tracks on each side because I wanted to be certain it would not move when being used. Did you make your own? Mind sharing it with us so we can learn from it? 

If anyone has any improvements, or a better design, please post up a pic or diagram of what you mean. I'd be very interested in seeing them, and I am not against scrapping this and starting over, so long as the new way is better in one or more ways.

Is it the most elegant and straightforward design? Maybe not, but it was very easy to make, was made with stuff I had lying around, and it works great. That fits my goals.

I still need to figure out how to integrate a dust collector into the design so that it will be complete. I also need to take it all apart and glue it, as it is currently just screwed together for the prototype.


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## BRAVOGOLFTANGO (Oct 11, 2012)

That's awesome Chris, indeed thanks for sharing, gotta love home-built ingenuity!


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## n6vc (Oct 11, 2012)

Hello Again Chris,
My thoughts turn to the lift guides. I don't see a way adjust the slop.
Did you consider using sliding dovetails?
The one presented in Shopnotes used "V" grooves. I am always looking for ways to control and/or eliminate clearances without causing binding.
I can present a drawing, if you are interested. I always say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Jon, there was some side to side motion under stress, so I put a threaded rod with a knob at the bottom to tighten it up, and now there is actually very little slop any more.

I recently acquired a copy of the shopnotes router lift article, so I am familiar with what you mean. When I get around to version 2, I'll definately be reviewing that approach as it looks like an effective solution.


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## n6vc (Oct 11, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> Jon, there was some side to side motion under stress, so I put a threaded rod with a knob at the bottom to tighten it up, and now there is actually very little slop any more.
> 
> I recently acquired a copy of the shopnotes router lift article, so I am familiar with what you mean. When I get around to version 2, I'll definately be reviewing that approach as it looks like an effective solution.


When you get around to version 2, you might consider using gibs. With the "V" grooves, you can adjust the router in a single plane to center the bit. With the gibs, you can move the router in both axes to align the router and remove the slop.


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