notbob wrote in news:dkljg4Ft51cU4
@mid.individual.net:

I think I'll need one with a "lift". Is a lift for the purpose of
allowing a rounter to do plunge-cuts from sed same router table?

No, you don't do plunge cuts on a router table. If you need to
start in the middle of a piece, there's three ways to do it:

1 - use your plunge router in it's normal hand-held manner.
Clamp straightedges to your workpiece as needed to guide
the router (I keep an assortment of longish scraps with
straight edges for that purpose).

2 - with the router in the table, running, and your workpiece
held at an angle above the table, butted up against a stop,
carefully lower it onto the bit and then make your cut.
Myself I consider this a dangerous technique and don't do
it, but I've seen others do so.

3 - drill a starter hole a hair larger than the router bit,
and with the router in the table put the workpiece over the
bit, turn the router on and make the cut. This is how I do
it to make stopped grooves and similar cuts. (*)

The purpose of the lift is simply to make it easy to adjust
the bit height when the router is in the table. Particularly
if it's a plunge router, the normal depth adjustment is hard
to use in a table.

I've so much to learn.

Gotta start somewhere, and this is (usually) a good place.

John

(* note that a lot of times it's simpler to make a thru groove,
and then plug the ends with scrap stock cut to the groove's
width)