"the_tool_man" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all:

When I built my router table last year, I decided to buy a router with
built-in above-the-table height adjustment (Freud FT1700). My
reasoning was that it was less expensive than buying a router and lift
separately, and would be just as good. My experience has been
dissapointing. When I first used it, I found that the router spindle
would move horizontally when reversing the direction of height
adjustment.

I'm using Porter-Cable 7518 in a Mast-R-Lift. While there is no horizontal
movement I find that it is still helpful to always come at a height setting
from the same direction--there is a little bit of play in the adjustment and
by going past and coming back when going in one direction that slack gets
taken up.

This was remedied by always adjusting height from the same
direction - a pain, but acceptable. I also found that the height
adjustment socket built into the router base was blind, which allowed
it to fill up with dust quickly, rendering it useless without blowing
out the dust.

The socket in the Mast-R-Lift is open at the bottom--this is not usually a
problem but there's a relieved area at the top of the hold that will
occasionally get a chip stuck in it--if I notice and blow, vacuum, or pick
it out then it's not a problem--if I sock it down with the wrench before I
notice that it's there then sometimes I end up having to push it out from
the bottom--I've only had to do that a couple of times in several years
though.

Then, the spindle lock stopped working, making bit
changes difficult.

That's really an issue with the router, using a lift wouldn't address it.

Last week, the above-table height adjustment
stopped working altogether. I disassembled the router, only to find
that the internal parts of the height adjustment are plastic, and that
one of them stripped out.

The Jessem seems pretty rugged in that regard--at least I haven't broken it
yet grin.

So now I have to adjust the height from
under the table. Yesterday afternoon, the motor died, so I'm in the
market for a replacement (and I'll never buy another Freud power tool).

I've been comparing various router lifts, and considering buying a PC
7518. However, I am once-again tempted by the Milwaukee router with
built-in height adjustment. After reading reviews on Amazon, I see
that a couple of users have had problems with the height adjustment
stripping, just like on my Freud, so I'd like to hear from other owners
of this router.

Here's what I want:
1: Height adjustment from above the table without significant backlash
or horizontal spindle movement.
2: Height adjustment that doesn't collect dust - either covered to
prevent entry or with a hole in the bottom to let dust out.
3: Spindle lock that does not require extending spindle all the way up
to actuate, but has a separate mechanism that can be activated at any
time. An alternative would be a two-wrench collet.

The PC has this--works nicely.

4: Robust lift mechanism that will last more than a year - prefereably
with no plastic parts to wear out.

I would appreciate your recommendations.

BTW, I considered a shaper, but I don't have room for another
stand-alone machine in my shop right now.

It's an expensive solution, but Jessem has teamed with Milwaukee to produce
a router motor specifically for router table use--it comes as a bare router
motor with no base and has an external speed control that can be mounted on
the front of the table. If I had it to do over again I'd be sorely tempted
to go that way.