Rout-R-Lift II from JessEm

5301 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by mjadams61, May 7, 2018

Midnight Shadow

Discussion Starter · Apr 26, 2018

I have the Incra router table and LS positioner. I use a PC 892 series router. I am somewhat, well actually quite new to doing much routing but the little I have done I have found just mounting my PC router in its base underneath to be very cumbersome.
I have been thinking of buy the Router-R lift II but don't know much about it. Can someone give me information about how well it works? Does it lock in position or is there a chance it will slip and the dado will be less deep?
Also it appear to only come with one insert so I am wondering if the other inserts are needed. I having only used the one insert that came wit my Incra table and so far it has seemed to work fine.
I have also been looking at the Kreg router lift but know very little about it. Has anyone been using it and if so what do you think of it.
I should say that while I do some general woodworking and furniture building my main use of the router lift will be in building jigs and templates for my acoustic guitar construction. For example making braces, and kerfing, and side profile templates from a master profile template.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Midnight Shadow

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Stick486

· #2 · Apr 26, 2018 (Edited)

I have that one Chuck...
well worth the investment...
the cam lock is rock solid...
CS is next level right now... TS is even better..
1/128'' increment adjustable w/o effort... fussing can get you 1/256'' increment...
real sweetheart to adjust...100% N American made...
easy table to bit change..
it does come w/ one insert but I have found that a fi8tted insert is safer and helps a lot w/ DC...
mine came w/ a full set...

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Gene Howe

· #3 · Apr 26, 2018

Mine came with five inserts. One solid one and four graduated ones. But, mine is several years old. I'd bet they'd sell you perfectly fitted ones. As Stick said it's a very well built piece, easily adjusted in minute increments. And, the inserts are a must for safety and DC.

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greenacres2

· #4 · Apr 26, 2018

I have the Mast-R-Lift version with the incra Clean-Sweep inserts. I don't know that it improves on the accuracy of the Rout-R-Lift, but I do like the Clean Sweep rings. The lift itself is very well machined, and there is no lash (slop) in the adjustment. I'm with Stick, 1/128" depth increment is easy--splitting that is a trick. But if 8 thousandths isn't close enough in wood i'm in big trouble!!
earl

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WurliTzerwilly

· #5 · Apr 27, 2018

I have the Incra Sidewinder lift (now discontinued) with the Clean Sweep inserts and I'm about to fit the Clean Sweep dust collector box, because my home made dust extraction didn't work as well as I had hoped.
There is a similar Incra lift available without the sidewinder handle and I'd buy one in a flash. All the adjustments you need to get it to sit right and takes the Clean Sweep system - which is magic! As with the Sidewinder, there's plenty of room to fit accessories such as the Wixey Digital Height display.

Regards,

Alan.

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Herb Stoops

· #6 · Apr 27, 2018

I have the old sidewinder also and it doesn't get better than that. Mine has the old PC 3hp. router dedicated to that jessem table.
Herb

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WurliTzerwilly

· #7 · Apr 28, 2018

I must admit that setting up the Sidewinder was a bit of a ***** because I fitted the handle to the side of a home built cabinet, so had no reference point. If you don't get the curve of the cable just right, the lift tends to seize up in use. Once it's right, the Sidewinder is brilliant.

I was using a UK supplied (probably made in China) router as it was the only one that has a completely round body, but that stopped working one day in a cloud of smoke and it's been discontinued, so I had a PC 3HP router shipped from the USA and it runs on a 120V step down transformer. All domestic mains is 240V in the UK and I guess PC may make some 240V routers but I'm also guessing they might be expensive as they won't be made for the mass US market.

I have the Clean Sweep inserts and they work very well, but my dust extraction didn't work as well as I had hoped. I use a high pressure vac with a small bore hose (which turns on automatically when the router's switched on) with the hose entering the rear of the cabinet into a square box, but unfortunately much of the dust just drops into the bottom of the box and doesn't get fully extracted, so I just bought the Clean Sweep dust collection box and that needs an extra hole drilled in the base, to take the Sidewinder cable. I wonder if that's one of the reasons they discontinued the Sidewinder?

Unfortunately the shelf and drawer system in my home built cabinet doesn't allow enough space for the Clean Sweep box to fit, so I've decided to scrap it and I've just bought the Incra stand with shelf and wheel kit, which I assembled yesterday. I've yet to fit the stand to the router table and I'm trying to avoid dismantling the entire Sidewinder lift and the LS positioner, but I may have to give in as trying to fit the table and screws from underneath may be too much for my back!

Regards,

Alan.

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Herb Stoops

· #8 · Apr 28, 2018

WurliTzerwilly said:
I must admit that setting up the Sidewinder was a bit of a ***** because I fitted the handle to the side of a home built cabinet, so had no reference point. If you don't get the curve of the cable just right, the lift tends to seize up in use. Once it's right, the Sidewinder is brilliant.

I was using a UK supplied (probably made in China) router as it was the only one that has a completely round body, but that stopped working one day in a cloud of smoke and it's been discontinued, so I had a PC 3HP router shipped from the USA and it runs on a 120V step down transformer. All domestic mains is 240V in the UK and I guess PC may make some 240V routers but I'm also guessing they might be expensive as they won't be made for the mass US market.

I have the Clean Sweep inserts and they work very well, but my dust extraction didn't work as well as I had hoped. I use a high pressure vac with a small bore hose (which turns on automatically when the router's switched on) with the hose entering the rear of the cabinet into a square box, but unfortunately much of the dust just drops into the bottom of the box and doesn't get fully extracted, so I just bought the Clean Sweep dust collection box and that needs an extra hole drilled in the base, to take the Sidewinder cable. I wonder if that's one of the reasons they discontinued the Sidewinder?

Unfortunately the shelf and drawer system in my home built cabinet doesn't allow enough space for the Clean Sweep box to fit, so I've decided to scrap it and I've just bought the Incra stand with shelf and wheel kit, which I assembled yesterday. I've yet to fit the stand to the router table and I'm trying to avoid dismantling the entire Sidewinder lift and the LS positioner, but I may have to give in as trying to fit the table and screws from underneath may be too much for my back!

Regards,

Alan.

Have you thought of this? the router is pulling air out of the box and blowing up through the hole where the bit is cutting. The vac is pulling air out of the box down through the the same hole in the table.
I cut a hole in the bottom of the box so my router base sticks through the hole. It is now sucking clean air,no chips, though the router motor to cool the motor.
Instead of the vac,I have a DC system. So I split the 4" flex hose and run a 2 1/2" to the back of the fence and a 4" to the box below the table.
In order to give me enough air flow to keep the box clean ,I have an adjustable hole in the side to adjust for more air to get into the box. In addition the hole in the bottom is quite sloppy cut to allow for the lift posts and router and I cut a vertical slot for the sidewinder cable this also allows for make up air in the box.
I do get a small accumulation of chips in the corners of the box , but is of no consequence,as the outlet is on the back side.
Herb

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mjadams61

· #9 · May 1, 2018

I to order the jessem rout-r-lift II and the template. I did had a bosch router plate and was going to get the bosch 1617EVS because I could adjust the height from above but seeing that I only needed to spend about 30 dollars more on the jessem plus I already had a PC 690LR i could use I went the jessem route. Having used DIY router lifts in the past at a couple of woodshops I work at I really wanted one. So waiting on it to get here

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WurliTzerwilly

· #10 · May 1, 2018

Thanks for the photos Herb, it's an interesting concept. As I already bought the Incra Clean Sweep box, I ought to give it a try first, but if it doesn't work out, I'll probably copy your project. I'm just waiting for a couple of UNC nuts, which should arrive tomorrow, then I can mount the Sidewinder handle on the Incra stand.

In the meantime, I've been constructing a run for our cats, so I've not been idle!

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Herb Stoops

· #11 · May 2, 2018

WurliTzerwilly said:
Thanks for the photos Herb, it's an interesting concept. As I already bought the Incra Clean Sweep box, I ought to give it a try first, but if it doesn't work out, I'll probably copy your project. I'm just waiting for a couple of UNC nuts, which should arrive tomorrow, then I can mount the Sidewinder handle on the Incra stand.

In the meantime, I've been constructing a run for our cats, so I've not been idle!

You can test your vacuum cleaner by turning it on and then disconnect it from the box. If the noise changes,you need more air going into the box. I see where the Cleansweep has a sliding door in the front. You maybe able to regulate the air fow by cracking open the door similar to a blast gate on a dust collection system. It is something to check once you get it all together so that you are running maximum airflow through the box.
I just looked again and the door has 3 screws in it and you would probably have to drill some holes in the door flange to fasten the door from sliding all the way open if you used it for make-up air.

As far as the cable for the side winder, I don't see any way aside from cutting a notch or slot in the side to get it into the Cleansweep box. anything you do is going to keep you from returning it to Incre.

How about the power cord for the router? They show it going to the side,but not through the side, but must for getting power.

Let us know how you solved your problem

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mjadams61

· #12 · May 7, 2018

Well here are some pictures of the jessem rout-r-lift II and it came with 3 inserts including one to put router guides in. Dang solid buit.

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Rout-R-Lift II from JessEm

Midnight Shadow

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Gene Howe

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WurliTzerwilly

Herb Stoops

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