Shop-Made Router Lift

Router lifts are hot items these days and for good reason. Veteran router table users love their ability to make super-fine micro adjustments or rapidly raise the bit right from the tabletop. No more fumbling under the table like a contortionist. The only drawback is the price: $200 to $500. Ouch! That's why we were so thrilled when Richard Tendick walked into our offices with his idea for a shop-made router lift. Not only does Richard's lift offer above-the-table height adjustment (see “Benefits of the AW Router Lift,”) but it costs less than $100. Plus, unlike the expensive commercial lifts, this lift allows you to change bits without cranking the router all the way up. It also features effective below-the-table dust collection. When combined with dust collection in the fence it results in near-perfect dust collection. This design also isolates the exhaust end of the router in the cavity. That leaves the router air intake sucking only clean, dust-free air. And, unlike all the other mechanical lifts on the market, Richard's lift hangs off the back of the router table, not on the top where the excess weight can lead to sagging.

Our router lift consists of two components: the lift mechanism and the router carrier. The lift mechanism uses finely machined steel rods that slide through oil-impregnated bronze bushings set in upper and lower slide blocks. Upper and lower clamp blocks capture the ends of the steel rods and provide attachment points for securing the lift to the router table back. The router carrier attaches to the lift mechanism. A plywood router clamp holds the router motor in the carrier. Adjusting the height is as simple as turning the acorn nut on top of a threaded rod.

Benefits of the AW Router Lift



Bit height changes are quick and precise. A speed wrench allows you to raise the router bit to any height in seconds. For fine adjustments, a one-quarter turn of the wrench equals a mere 1/64-in. change in bit height.

Changing router bits is fast and easy. The lift is mounted to the cabinet, not the top. This allows you to hinge the top for easy access to the router. It makes bit changes a snap.



Router table dust collection that really works! Two side boards mounted alongside the lift create a cavity like an elevator shaft. Wood dust is captured in the cavity and vented out a dust port in the router carrier.

Will It Fit My Router Table?
If you already own a full-size router table don't sweat. A few simple modifications allow you to mount the AW lift into most commercial tables (see “Fitting the AW Lift to Your Router,”).

What You'll Need
This project requires some specialized hardware unfamiliar to most woodworkers, like bronze bearings and steel rod. We recommend you buy your lifter parts from the mail order sources we used (see Sources below). We know all of these parts work in harmony with each other. Plus, our source for the steel rods will cut them to length for no charge and that'll save you a lot of work. Besides the hardware, you'll need a tablesaw, bandsaw, drill press, heavy-duty circle cutter, and 3/4- and 1-in. Forstner bits.

Build the Lift Mechanism
    1.    Cut and assemble the slide and clamp-block blanks (A–D) (Photo1).
    2.     Lay out the holes on the clamp and slide blocks as shown in Figs. B through E. Be sure to mark the back edge of each blank.
    3. Make a jig to register the clamp and slide blocks on the drill press (Photo 2). The jig is simply a board onto which pieces of wood are nailed to form a cradle around the plywood blanks. This guarantees perfect hole alignment from block to block, which is critical to the smooth operation of the lift mechanism.
    4. With the jig and a blank in place, set the table height on your drill press low enough to allow the longest bit to be taken in and out without moving the table.
5.     Clamp the upper slide block in the drilling jig. Insert a 1-in. Forstner bit in the drill press and align its point with a bushing hole center point. Clamp the drilling jig to the drill press table and drill this hole. Don't move the drilling jig! Pull the upper slide block out of the jig, clean the jig if necessary, and insert the lower slide block, clamp and drill.
    6.    Switch to a 3/4-in.-diameter Forstner bit and drill the clamp holes in the upper and lower clamp blocks.
    7.    Now position the drilling jig to drill the opposite side holes following the same drilling sequence. Don't be tempted to just flip the blanks over to drill the second set of outside holes. Any error in the perpendicularity of the holes will get magnified.
    8.     Move the drilling jig and drill the center holes for the threaded rod and the screw on teenuts.
    9.     Lay out and drill the counterbore holes (Figs. B and E) for the barbed T-nuts on the upper and lower clamp blocks.
    10.     Drill the through-holes for the clamp bolts and mounting bolts.
    11.     Saw relief slots in the clamp blocks (Photo 3).
    12.     Hammer the barbed T-nuts into the clamping hole recesses.
    13.     Mount the bronze bushings in the upper and lower slide blocks with washer head screws (Photo 4). Washer heads are screws with a built-in flat washer under the head. The edge of the washer head catches the flange of the bushing. Tip: A self-centering bit held next to the bushing flange provides the perfect setback.

14.     Attach the top screw-on teenut to the lower slide block and run the threaded rod through.
    15.     Attach the bottom teenut (Photo 5). The double teenut system eliminates backlash (that annoying free-spin you get when changing direction on the lift mechanism) because the threads of the rod are always in tight contact with the threads of the screw-on teenuts.
    16.     Remove the threaded rod.
    17.     Cut the lift and carrier back plates (H and J) to size. Clamp these two pieces flush together and drill the four 1/4-in.-diameter holes through them for joining the router carrier to the lift mechanism (Fig. A).
    18.     Drill four countersunk pilot holes near the bottom edge of the lift back plate for mounting the lower slide block. Make sure the pilot holes are positioned so the screws won't run into the bushings or threaded rod.
    19.     Glue the upper slide block to the lift back plate (Photo 6).
    20.     Grind or file a slight chamfer on the ends of the 3/4-in.-diameter steel rods. Smooth away any remaining burrs using a fine emery cloth.

21.     Clamp (no glue) the lower slide block to the bottom edge of the lift back plate. Insert the steel rods through the bushings. Adjust the position of the lower slide block so both steel rods slide smoothly through the bushings (Photo 7), and attach with screws.
    22.    Attach the acorn nut to the top of the threaded rod (Photo 8).

23.     Attach the threaded rod to the upper clamp block (Fig. A and Photo 9).
    24.     Slide the threaded rod with the upper clamp block attached through the hole in the upper slide block and into the screw-on teenuts mounted in the lower slide block.
    25.     Slide the steel rods up through the holes in the upper clamp block and tighten the clamping bolts
(Photo 10).
    26.     Slide the lower clamp block over the steel rods and clamp it in place. The lift mechanism is now complete.

Installing the Lift
    27.     Alter your router table to accept the lift mechanism. Most tables will only require a 3/4-in. back added to the cabinet (see “Fitting the AW Lift to Your Router Table,”).
    28.     Locate the mounting bolt holes in the back of the cabinet by clamping the lift about 3/4 in. down from the top edge of the back.
    29.     Use the mounting holes in the clamp blocks as guides to drill through the back panel.
    30.     Insert the mounting bolts through the back and mount the lift mechanism (Photo 11).
Build the Router Carrier
    31.     Glue up and cut the router clamp blank (E). Then lay out the pattern for the router clamp (Fig. F).
    32.     Cut the hole for the router (Photo 12). You'll need some scrap to make test holes until you get a snug fit.

Super-Tune Your Drill Press
Before you start building, make sure your drill press will drill holes that are perfectly perpendicular. That's the key to a smooth operating lift mechanism. We found that just checking the table with a square is not enough. Here's how to super-tune your drill press:



Step 1:
Adjust your drill press table to 90 degrees as best you can with a square and a 1/2-in. steel rod chucked into the drill press. All drill press tables can be adjusted side-to-side but few can be adjusted front-to-back. Chances are your table is slightly off. Make adjustments by inserting paper shims between the drill press table and an auxiliary table.



Step 2:
Drill a 3/4-in.-diameter x 2-1/2 in.-deep hole in a test block. The test block is just a four-piece stack of 3/4-in. MDF glued together. Label the front of the test block for reference so you know where to shim your table if necessary.


Step 3:
Check the drilled hole for square using one of the 3/4-in.-diameter steel rods for the lift mechanism. Check all around on the rod to compensate for any error in the square. Label the bad holes and keep shimming the table until you get a drilled hole that's perfectly perpendicular.

Fitting the AW Lift to Your Router Table

Our router lift will fit any router table, whether it's an enclosed cabinet or an open stand. No matter what style cabinet you have, you'll want to make these alterations: 1. Add a stiff back (Photo 1). 2. Hinge the top to the back (Photo 2). 3. Add a lock- down bracket on both sides of the top. These brackets hold down the top and stop it from racking side-to-side (Photo 3). 4. Drill a 1-1/4-in.-diameter access hole through the tabletop so you can get at the height adjusting acorn nut.



A stiff back is a must for mounting the router lift. No matter what style router table you own—open-stand or cabinet—you'll need to have a 3/4-in.-thick back.



Add a continuous hinge and a lid support to the top. The lid support prevents the top from closing accidentally. The safety chain prevents the heavy top from opening too hard and stressing the hinges or lid support.

Secure the hinged top with a pair of locking brackets. Screw in hanger bolts centered in the bracket grooves, and lock down the top with plastic T-knobs.



Sources:
Home Depot, One 3/4" x 24" x 48" MDF, Four 5/16"-18 x 4-1/2" Hex Head         Machine Bolts, Fender Washers, Washers and Lock Nuts, Four 1/4"-20 x 3" Hex Head Machine Bolts  and Washers, Two 3/8" Fender Washers, One 3/8"-16 Acorn Nut and Lock Washer, Two 3/8"-16 Hex Nuts, Four 1/4"-20 x 2" Hex Head Machine Bolts,
Lock Nuts and Washers, One 1/4"-20 x 4" Hex Head Machine Bolt and Washer One 3/8"-16 x 18" Threaded Rod

Metal Supermarkets, (651) 643-0600, www.metalsupermarkets.com, Two 3/4" dia. x 18" round ground shafting 1045, $4 each, total cost, $8.

Gopher Bearing, (800) 422-0940, www.gopherbearing.com, Four 3/4" ID x 1" OD bronze "Oilite" bushings, #FF1011-4, $4 each, total cost, $16.

Rockler, (800) 279-4441, www.rockler.com, One 3/4" x 24" x 30" Finnish Birch, 13-ply   Plywood, #63453, $29, 1" Forstner Drill Bit, #21200, $13, 3/4" Forstner Drill Bit, #21186, $11, Heavy-Duty Circle Cutter, #42887, $30, Five 1/4"-20 Barbed T-Nuts, #32034, $3 for 8-pack, Two 3/8"-16 Screw-On Teenuts, #68387,  $7 for 10 pack
Two 1/4"-20 x 1-1/2" Hanger Bolts, #24406, $2 for 8-pack, Two 1/4''-20 x 2'' Plastic T-Knobs, #71506,  $1 each, total cost $2, Twelve #8 x 1-1/4" Washer Head Face, Frame Screws, #38528, $4 for 100-pack.