Does this bring the router up to change the bits above the table? It
doesn't say that in the description (it says it has 2.5" of movement, which
seems inadequate) but you sure can't reach the router below the table.

Anyone have this? What do you think of it?

In article , "Toller" wrote:
Does this bring the router up to change the bits above the table?

No.

It doesn't say that in the description (it says it has 2.5" of movement,
which seems inadequate)

Certainly adequate for adjusting the bit height... but not enough to bring the
collet above the table.

but you sure can't reach the router below the table.

Pull the whole lift out of the table, router and all, and lay it on its side
on the table to change bits. Not as difficult as it sounds, and only a little
bit less convenient than changing bits in a non-table-mounted router.

Anyone have this? What do you think of it?

Yep. Like anything else, it has its pluses and minuses:

+ Sure beats a table-mounted router *without* a lift.
+ Height adjustment is much easier with the lift than with the router.
+ Easy to make precise, repeatable height adjustments.

- Swapping routers in and out of the lift mount is a real PITA. If you can
afford a second router, put one in the lift and _leave_ it there. If your
budget won't accomodate that, buy an extra router base on eBay, and leave
*that* in the lift -- and swap the router motor in and out.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article , "Toller"
wrote:
Does this bring the router up to change the bits above the table?

No.

It doesn't say that in the description (it says it has 2.5" of movement,
which seems inadequate)

Certainly adequate for adjusting the bit height... but not enough to bring
the
collet above the table.

but you sure can't reach the router below the table.

Pull the whole lift out of the table, router and all, and lay it on its
side
on the table to change bits. Not as difficult as it sounds, and only a
little
bit less convenient than changing bits in a non-table-mounted router.

Anyone have this? What do you think of it?

Yep. Like anything else, it has its pluses and minuses:

+ Sure beats a table-mounted router *without* a lift.
+ Height adjustment is much easier with the lift than with the router.
+ Easy to make precise, repeatable height adjustments.

- Swapping routers in and out of the lift mount is a real PITA. If you can
afford a second router, put one in the lift and _leave_ it there. If your
budget won't accomodate that, buy an extra router base on eBay, and leave
*that* in the lift -- and swap the router motor in and out.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug,

Make4 life easier for yourself and purchase the bent wrench from CMT and
leave the router where it is. As I recall, Jessem (Router-R-Lift) at
www.jessem.com is the OEM for several manf, like Jet. Just remove the
insert plate (has hole in it that router bit comes up thru) and use the bent
wrench to loosen/tighten the collet. I have Freud router mounted in mine
and the locking mechanism to stop the collet from turning is easily accessed
from the top with the insert removed. Other routers, the stop mechanism may
not be quite so handy and you have to pull the whole thing up and out of the
table as you stated. I purchased the 26mm wrench CMT used to offer for the
Hitachi router and filed it open to 27mm (I believe) to fit the Freud
router.

Works like a charm and the only time I have to pull the router up is when it
gets flooded like we did on 12 July. But hey, 3 feet of water does a great
job on cleaning out routers...............

Bob S.

wrote:
On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 02:47:55 GMT, wrote:


On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 02:35:32 GMT, "BobS" wrote:


"Doug Miller" wrote in message
.net...

In article , "Toller"
wrote:

Does this bring the router up to change the bits above the table?

No.


It doesn't say that in the description (it says it has 2.5" of movement,
which seems inadequate)

Certainly adequate for adjusting the bit height... but not enough to bring
the
collet above the table.


but you sure can't reach the router below the table.

Pull the whole lift out of the table, router and all, and lay it on its
side
on the table to change bits. Not as difficult as it sounds, and only a
little
bit less convenient than changing bits in a non-table-mounted router.

Anyone have this? What do you think of it?

Yep. Like anything else, it has its pluses and minuses:

+ Sure beats a table-mounted router *without* a lift.
+ Height adjustment is much easier with the lift than with the router.
+ Easy to make precise, repeatable height adjustments.

- Swapping routers in and out of the lift mount is a real PITA. If you can
afford a second router, put one in the lift and _leave_ it there. If your
budget won't accomodate that, buy an extra router base on eBay, and leave
*that* in the lift -- and swap the router motor in and out.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug,

Make4 life easier for yourself and purchase the bent wrench from CMT and
leave the router where it is. As I recall, Jessem (Router-R-Lift) at
www.jessem.com is the OEM for several manf, like Jet. Just remove the
insert plate (has hole in it that router bit comes up thru) and use the bent
wrench to loosen/tighten the collet. I have Freud router mounted in mine
and the locking mechanism to stop the collet from turning is easily accessed

from the top with the insert removed. Other routers, the stop mechanism may

not be quite so handy and you have to pull the whole thing up and out of the
table as you stated. I purchased the 26mm wrench CMT used to offer for the
Hitachi router and filed it open to 27mm (I believe) to fit the Freud
router.

Works like a charm and the only time I have to pull the router up is when it
gets flooded like we did on 12 July. But hey, 3 feet of water does a great
job on cleaning out routers...............

Bob S.



I have the Jessem Router-R-Lift and to change bits I first take out
the removable insert plate. Then using an electric drill with a 1/4
inch hex bit I raise the router enough to change the bit.

The drill makes it a lot faster, and saves a lot of cranking.

I am using a Porter Cable router.

Gary



Sorry, the one I have is the Mast-R-Lift.

Gary

I have the original Rout-R Lift. All the magazine comparison reviews
always say that it does not allow changing the bit from above the table.
With the big PC router in it I never had any problem doing so with the
insert ring removed. With this router you use two wrenches; the lower
one was at a bit of an angle but worked fine. I now have a bent wrench
( I think from Woodpeckers) and it is easier to use.
John

"Toller" said:

Does this bring the router up to change the bits above the table? It
doesn't say that in the description (it says it has 2.5" of movement, which
seems inadequate) but you sure can't reach the router below the table.

Anyone have this? What do you think of it?


I own one, am pleased with it, and have never given serious
consideration to replacing it. That is not necessarily a
recommendation since it is the only router lift I have ever used and,
therefore, don't have much of a basis for comparison.

I'd prefer the lift mechanism to be based on fractional rather than
decimal measurement One turn of the handle changes the height by
0.050 inches. Seems like it would have been just as easy to use a lead
screw with 16 or 32 TPI instead of 20. But, to each his own.

The specific problem of changing the bits above the table might
possibly be dependent on the specific router. I have used two
different routers in the lift. First was a Bosch 1617. That has been
removed for hand-held use and replaced in the table with a
Porter-Cable 7518. In both cases, the bit was/is easily changed from
above the table. I did install a collet extension
(http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...er_collet.html)
on the PC which makes changing the bit a trivial exercise. But I don't
recall whether or not the extension was necessary to permit changing
the PC's bit above the table.