Hi Fred. It will not damage your router having the springs in it. It will make it more difficult to adjust the height under the table. This is the reason springs are removed for table mounted routing. As far as an inexpensive way to easily adjust your router the Woodrat plunge bar is the answer. As you can see in the second photo I am plunging the 625 (with the springs installed) with my finger tips.
Shop made router lift??
Hello from New Brunswick, Canada....where I'm currently sitting out another Maritime Blizzard....and no better place to do that, than in the shop!
I have two routers, a DeWalt DW625 & a DW621. Last week I purchased a Kreg PRS1040 router table & stand, assembled it & installed on it the 625. It seems to work quite well, although, never before having had a router table, I've nothing to compare it to. My question relates to the ability to easily adjust bit height. Are there any other solutions other than spending $300. plus on a commercial lift system? A second question would be...Will I damage the plunge spring if I keep the router mounted in the table all the time in the compressed mode? I'm a greenhorn when it comes to this & would appreciate some experienced input!
I have two routers, a DeWalt DW625 & a DW621. Last week I purchased a Kreg PRS1040 router table & stand, assembled it & installed on it the 625. It seems to work quite well, although, never before having had a router table, I've nothing to compare it to. My question relates to the ability to easily adjust bit height. Are there any other solutions other than spending $300. plus on a commercial lift system? A second question would be...Will I damage the plunge spring if I keep the router mounted in the table all the time in the compressed mode? I'm a greenhorn when it comes to this & would appreciate some experienced input!
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
Hi Fred, glad you found us, it's great to have you as a member of the community, welcome to Router Forums.
welcome aboard...enjoy the forums
Hi Fred, I have a table mounted DW625 that I have been using since 1994. I purchased an adjustment knob (see picture) from Eagle America that works pretty well and after I bought, I realized I could have made it myself plus I don't see this offered any more on their website.
It consists of plastic tube that has a threaded nylon nut in one end that screws onto the long threaded shaft of the router and has a knob attached at the other end. You could epoxy the nut and knob onto the shaft. This has worked for me for years since you are not raising and lowering the collet all that far.
I'm sure it takes longer to raise/lower than the WoodRat Plunge Bar but it also costs a lot less than $50.
I was ready to buy the plunge bar after Mike's post but I can't see spending that kind of money. Woodrat charges $24 for the bar for the DW625 router and then another $24 to ship it and they only accept PayPal. Lee Valley has it for $49 with free shipping. Is there a less expensive seller for this?
It consists of plastic tube that has a threaded nylon nut in one end that screws onto the long threaded shaft of the router and has a knob attached at the other end. You could epoxy the nut and knob onto the shaft. This has worked for me for years since you are not raising and lowering the collet all that far.
I'm sure it takes longer to raise/lower than the WoodRat Plunge Bar but it also costs a lot less than $50.
I was ready to buy the plunge bar after Mike's post but I can't see spending that kind of money. Woodrat charges $24 for the bar for the DW625 router and then another $24 to ship it and they only accept PayPal. Lee Valley has it for $49 with free shipping. Is there a less expensive seller for this?
Attachments
-
201.7 KB Views: 327
Thanks Mike,
The wood rat seems like a simple system & definitely worth checking out.
Fred
The wood rat seems like a simple system & definitely worth checking out.
Fred
Thanks Rich,
I've had this router for several years & surprisingly in the original box were several examples of router attachments by DeWalt including one similar to yours. Untill I saw your photo though, I didn't know how it worked.
Still considering.....
Fred
I've had this router for several years & surprisingly in the original box were several examples of router attachments by DeWalt including one similar to yours. Untill I saw your photo though, I didn't know how it worked.
Still considering.....
Fred
Thanks Ross!
Mike,Hi Fred. It will not damage your router having the springs in it. It will make it more difficult to adjust the height under the table. This is the reason springs are removed for table mounted routing. As far as an inexpensive way to easily adjust your router the Woodrat plunge bar is the answer. As you can see in the second photo I am plunging the 625 (with the springs installed) with my finger tips.
Further to your earlier post, is spring removal a complicated/difficult task? Secondly, height adjustment seems limited in any case, as, to use the router at all, I appear to need the springs to be completely compressed in order to have the collet sufficiently close to the table surface to have my router bit extend high enough to function. Do we then make additional depth available by extending the bit shaft out of the collet? Perhaps I am completely missing something here, but as I said earlier, this is all new to me!
Fred
Fred I think on most routers you just keep adjusting it out until the base and legs come loose. Don't try partially inserting the bit in the collet. The collet should always be fully utilized.
Thanks for the input, Charles....on those occasions when I have required more hole depth than I had bit length, the outcome has usually been less than successful. I'm still left with the feeling I'm missing something!Fred I think on most routers you just keep adjusting it out until the base and legs come loose. Don't try partially inserting the bit in the collet. The collet should always be fully utilized.
Two suggstions
I have always removed the spring(s) from routers mounted in a table - you do not need the tension and it is easier to adjust them. Check out the Router Razer Router Raizer Review which if it fits will be low cost. I have an even better solution - I made my own by adapting a discarded computer work station that had an adjustable top section for the key board. The action is just fine allowing full travel (as far as the plunger allows) and I set the original lock on the router to ensure it doesn't move in use . Cost - a bit of time and no money.Hello from New Brunswick, Canada....where I'm currently sitting out another Maritime Blizzard....and no better place to do that, than in the shop!
I have two routers, a DeWalt DW625 & a DW621. Last week I purchased a Kreg PRS1040 router table & stand, assembled it & installed on it the 625. It seems to work quite well, although, never before having had a router table, I've nothing to compare it to. My question relates to the ability to easily adjust bit height. Are there any other solutions other than spending $300. plus on a commercial lift system? A second question would be...Will I damage the plunge spring if I keep the router mounted in the table all the time in the compressed mode? I'm a greenhorn when it comes to this & would appreciate some experienced input!
Hi Fred
I do have a plan available for a shop made router lift on my website, unfortunately it is designed to fit barrel style routers like the Porter Cable. If you want to check it out here's the link. Router Lift #034 : 3D Woodworking Plans
Bruce
I do have a plan available for a shop made router lift on my website, unfortunately it is designed to fit barrel style routers like the Porter Cable. If you want to check it out here's the link. Router Lift #034 : 3D Woodworking Plans
Bruce
Above table router adjustment
I have a Dewalt 625 router mounted under an Incra router table. Rather than spend a fortune on a commercial lift I installed a Router Raizer. It works perfectly. I paid about 100 bucks for it but don't remember where. You can probably find one for that price on Amazon. I actually installed it first on a Rockler over sized plate in a home made table, but then moved it to the Incra plate with the magna lock inserts. One caution. Once you install the router raizer it is not easy to use the router as a hand held tool. I also have a DW621 and will be adding another Incra plate drilled for it so I can do rail and still work without making a bit change. I'll just keep one bit in each router after the set up is perfected and then just swap out roufers to do the work. Chances are I 'll not add the Router Raizer to that plate so I can slip it out of the fixed base and into the plunge base for hand held use.Hello from New Brunswick, Canada....where I'm currently sitting out another Maritime Blizzard....and no better place to do that, than in the shop!
I have two routers, a DeWalt DW625 & a DW621. Last week I purchased a Kreg PRS1040 router table & stand, assembled it & installed on it the 625. It seems to work quite well, although, never before having had a router table, I've nothing to compare it to. My question relates to the ability to easily adjust bit height. Are there any other solutions other than spending $300. plus on a commercial lift system? A second question would be...Will I damage the plunge spring if I keep the router mounted in the table all the time in the compressed mode? I'm a greenhorn when it comes to this & would appreciate some experienced input!
Wood Gears may have an answer for you
Mathias Wendell (Woodgears.ca) has two shop-made router lifts that are worth checking out. The older one (which is cheaper to make but less versatile) is non-tilting and there is a more complex tilting version.
Mathias Wendell (Woodgears.ca) has two shop-made router lifts that are worth checking out. The older one (which is cheaper to make but less versatile) is non-tilting and there is a more complex tilting version.
check youtube for shop-made router lifts
youtube is full of shop made router lift plans and demos. Check out Mathias Wandel or John Heisz sites.
youtube is full of shop made router lift plans and demos. Check out Mathias Wandel or John Heisz sites.
I use an old car scissor jack on my sears router table. I cut a slot in the table where the router sets and it works great. It may not work with the new type tables of today. But I’m just a kid so I do the best I can with what I have. Hay to all of you guys here.
Shilo Cherokee Indian Boy
Shilo Cherokee Indian Boy
You can purchase plans to make a non-tilting ($11) and tilting ($14) router lifts at woodgears.ca. These are made of wood with some common hardware. I have not made these, but I have made the mortiser, panto-router, and the box joint machine for the table saw. The plans are very well done and precise. My machines work great, so I am very confident that the lifts will be too. I got a commercial lift on close-out sale, otherwise I would make the tilting lift.
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Router Forums
A forum community dedicated to router and woodworking professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about different types of routing and routers, shop safety, finishing, woodworking related topics, styles, tools, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
