Good job, Gale, those are becoming pretty popular these days. Have to say that it is a simple solution to a router lift. Keep us up to date on how you like it.
What did you make the plate out of? and did you use the 1/2" 13tpi threaded rod?
Herb

 

Thanks Herb!
I already had a MLCS Router/TS extension which has it's own sizing so went with their aluminum pro plate. I had their plastic one for a few years but it went saggy on me.
I used the 3/4-16 threaded rod. There was a place in town that stocked a 3 footer for less than $14 so went with it.
Have only tested so far but seems real stable and minimal vibration. I have some bf of some trim to make here shortly so will get back on the functionality after that.
Thanks for the encouragement!!!

 

Impressive work Gale . Your going to fit right in here

 

Very nice work Gale. I like the crank, how well does it work?

Bryan

 

Thanks Bryan!
The 3/8's drive speed wrench works really good, better than a ratchet for me. It hardly got used for anything else lately, so now has a new home. When I first assembled it, it was very stiff to move up & down. One reason being the largest hole I was able to drill in the plate for the socket to fit the filed nut on the rod was 3/4". And with the filed nut (1/2") not being perfectly centered the socket would rub significantly. Reamed that on out to about 13/16's and that made a vast improvement. I also coated the rod with a spray can of lithium grease, that was a significant improvement also. It now goes up & down much easier. I have the rail adjustment set pretty tight and had pre-coated all those surfaces with Johnson Paste Wax. It's a bit of an effort to move it, more than I imagined but moves with no binding or hanging up. I've never had access to a lift before so expectations are minimal. I'm sure I'll be tweeking it as I run projects thru it. I'll have more to report in a couple weeks.

 

Looks like a very nice setup Gale. I have a similar saw and there's a lot of space to the right of the table for a project like yours. I was wondering if the router table is just held by the rails of the saw, or if you had to add something for support.

 

Thanks!
Yes the table is held with 2 bolts per side on the front & rear rail. I got the table extension about 10 years ago from MLCS as it was fabbed to fit, width wise my Ridgid TS3650. It is 1.5" thick and has a box frame around the bottom perimeter, that is 1"x2" lumber. The attachment bolts have pockets in the bottom of the table top. Pretty straight forward design and was easy to install. Recently I cut those black plywood braces from some junk wood and cut them to just wedge in place. I'll eventually use them as patterns and fab some outta 1x3's. Before that I didn't have any bracing and the saw rails have stayed true.

Gale

 

Thanks for sharing. I too have been considering building this lift for quite a while now (ever since I received that issue of Shop Notes). I have a RouterRaizer connected to a PC690 router that no matter how I have tried, it has never been as smooth of operation that I would like. It is a common problem with the PC690 connected to a RouterRaizer. I can't see spending +$350 for a new lift. What has keep me from building the ShopNotes version is I have always wondered how well it will work after it gets broken in. I would be very interested in knowing your experience with your new lift.

Thanks again for sharing!