Home-made router lift

[@MaxCJ]

I watched this video at the start of the first lockdown in the UK, sometime in April '20 - I've learnt so much since - thank you Steve!

[@davidbondi]

Thanks for this great video Steve. I purchased the plans from Woodsmith Plans and they are "pretty okay" but your video makes it seem completely doable. I ordered the "specialized" hardware from McMaster-Carr, and the Kreg insert plate from Amazon. I have the clamping block glue up in clamps in the shop now. Really looking forward getting this built and I don't even have a router for it yet. I am making due with a small DeWalt trim router and an old Craftsman router in their tabletop router table, but the way that old Craftsman sounds when I use it, I think I'm gonna need a new one pretty soon, so trying to get out ahead of it. Thanks again for all you do for us Mere Mortals!

[@SteveRamsey]

Threaded rod is available commonly in a coarser thread. That's what I used. A lot of the parts Shopnotes uses are overkill. If you can't find the big lock nuts, you can use a regular nut with some of that blue Loctite thread locking stuff.

[@DonDrito]

Or use two regular nuts on each side and tighten them against each other to lock them.

[@sklikizos]

​@@DonDritothat definitely works, though if you are concerned about having a larger range of travel those doubled nuts would take away around 2 in of movement.

[@Choncer]

I can not watch anything wood working for 6 months, have an idea for something i want to do, and you ALWAYS come up. Thanks for another great video. Love your work.

[@johnjohnsonjr5324]

You do such a good job explaining how to do woodworking for dummies. And I enjoy watching you.

[@gerrie7407]

one of the better and easiest router lifts i have seen all week of searching, thx....it shows you video is never too old to assist

[@megaynek]

Здравствуйте Стив ! Случайно наткнулся на ваш видеоролик и просмотрел его с большим удовольствием. Я как раз занимаюсь строительством фрезерного стола, а ваше решение подъема фрезера мне очень понравилось. Попробую повторить у себя. Спасибо ! Иван. Украина.

[@leehaire1300]

WOW Steve!!! That is one cool build!!! As soon as my left thumb gets better (table saw) that will be done. Been using a table saw for over 25 years and every once in a while, It gets me. I was really tired, still no excuse.

[@xl000]

+Lee Haire Keep your thumb in a vice !

[@AquaPeet]

My... goodness! The presentation skills!! So natural, so informative... and that seven years ago. You were already on top of the game!

[@strutable]

great video i just built the same lift 2 weeks ago, used it lots, once trued up have no issue with height adjustment going out. Keep up the helpful videos for the hobby shop woodworkers.

[@SpencleyDesignCo]

Diggin these old videos!

[@GG1man]

Excellent idea. One point I differ with you on would be locating the hole in the top plate (not the blue insert). Instead of relying on the 3/4" bolt rod to be perfectly plumb and square with the base, I would have lowered the top down to the bottom plate and simply marked the hole through the hole already drilled in the bottom plate.

[@christiangibbs8534]

This is perfect! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! (You even have the same router model that I have!) THANKS!

[@RascalsBuddy1]

I read the Shop Notes article on building a router lift some time ago. But it seemed so complicated. Your video makes the project realistically doable. Thanks Steve for giving me the nerve and confidence to make the attempt. Often seeing a thing done is preferred to just reading about it.

[@nastythomashobbs]

very nice work. i spent 1200 on my jessem master lift excel table and lift and another 250 on the mitre r slide. took about 3 hours to put it together. love it. has zero bit slippage with the lift lock. digital bit height read out is nice. the table and lift you made although not as nice is still great. love the solid phenolic top as well on jessem. hate dealing with the inserts. always going out of whack. do not like the stand though.may build a nice cabinet like you did with casters.good job.

[@olinewoodworker]

Steve This project was just released in the Woodsmith Tools and Jigs magazine. The shop notes magazine as a pain to find, this is in the stores now. Planning to build and add to the shop. Thanks for all your videos and work you do to show us woodworking should be fun to do. Keep the ideas coming!!!!

[@1997LT1Camaro]

Nice video. You are very clear and precise. I am not sure if I would tackle this project, but it has some neat tricks/techniques involved.

[@markm4073]

I had a great time building this and I really like the way it works. Cost me about $50 in parts and materials plus the scrap peices of ply I had. Thanks Steve.

[@MRTF292201]

The whole router table, cabinet, and lift are really great. Awesome skill. Pretty advanced, for me at least.

[@Fentanyl3]

Hey, something to consider, the hardware store in my town carries thrust washers on the same aisle where the keep the nuts bolt and other special fasteners, they are 3 or 4 bucks each, and come in many different sizes, a couple of thrust washers on the inside of those lock nuts will make it smoother, and even more precise.

[@quirtdrozario9983]

I really enjoy your videos Steve. You are very encouraging to beginner woodworkers like me.

[@babatikidid0]

Hello! I found this video really helpful and just finished building my own router lift today. I took this plans and consulted the Shop Notes issue and something's not working the way it is supposed to. I made everything as planned but i cannot lower the router from above the table. It has to do with the threaded rod and the lock nuts. It lowers very nicely from above the table but once the router is down, it won't get up because the upper lock nut starts unattaching. (to be continued)

[@SwearingenTurnings]

Steve--I just started building mine today. The only snag I had was finding the hardware. HD and Lowe's don't carry much of it (the threaded rod, lock nuts, and set screws), and Grainger only supplies them in large quantities. I'm hoping McMaster-Carr will have them! It's a very easy build; I'm looking forward to completing it!

[@chickenpotpie4045]

WOW! I'm a newer fan of yours and I haven't seen your older videos, but I have to say man, you age like fine wine! How did you manage to get better looking with age? It's a really big difference man, kudos

[@SteveRamsey]

Gracias. Definitivamente ver el domingo, 1 de abril. En caso de ser divertido!

[@stephanieray6587]

The custom set screws would work better than my 1/2NC13 tap, I believe, which gave somewhat loose threads. So glad you posted this, Steve. Thank you.

[@renatomota1390]

Thanks, SadieTXClaus, I've made my own table, although I have no experience in woodcrafts at all... it has kind of worked quite well... Thanks again for your tips... Regards from Brazil.

[@stevewenger7260]

I have an old router on a metal table which works fine but getting the height prefect involves several up and down adjustments so I have been thinking about a lift for some time. This is very frustrating so I think your design will be my next project.

[@trumpetguy7113]

So I watched this video several times before attempting to make the router lift. I ended up making some piece a couple of times to fit properly. I tweaked it in two places. First with the V-grooves. After cutting the V and the V-grooves, I expoxied a couple of pieces of 1/8" x 1" x 90 degree aluminum angle so that it wasn't wood-on-wood sliding, but metal on metal, ... less wear over the long run. For my second tweak, I found that the 3/4" lock nut on the top side of the assembly eventually didn't want to hold because the weight of the router and assembly put pressure on the nut, and it eventually lost its "locking" ability, ... this resulted in the top nut actually threading itself up the threaded rod, defeating the operation of the lift. To stop this, I drilled a 1/8" hole through the nut and the threaded rod. My intention was to follow that up with putting a pin into the hole which would stop the nut from threading up the rod. As it turned out, when my drill bit punched through the far side of the hole, the bit snapped off inside the hole, ... so i had the pin already in place, via the broken drill bit. After everything was done (about 6 hours of tinkering) the lift worked pretty well.

[@thomazneto58]

Hello, Steve. I'm impressed with the amount of things you do and the ease with which you run the projects. Too bad that here in Brazil we have nothing to provide us with plans and projects. Congratulations for your work and thanks for the presented real lessons that you give me. Best regards, Alberto Thomaz

[@kc8owk]

I am in the process of setting up a router table and faced the same problem of a router lift that wont break the bank. I came up with the idea of using a scissor jack with a block pad on top to protect the router housing. I have since found this is not a new idea, others on the tube with the same setup. Yours is a nice looking setup though. Good job.

[@hawkdaddy64]

Hey Steve someone had posted to you asking why did you make the runners on the drawers so big. I was looking and have point of my own. If the drawer is not full and the contents are below the runner you can store other items on a slide out drawer on top of the runners. Ron

[@xen100]

This is a great design. easily made it with only a table saw and hand drill. only thing I changed was the set screws. I swapped out the "self tapping" grub screw idea with T-nuts.

[@nicguthrie8286]

For the person asking about making a better connection between the holding clamp and the router, and to protect the router from wear if you only have one, so take it in/out of the table lift a lot, you could line the clamping section with a generous bead of either Sugru or, as a cheaper alternative some Sikaflex (both easy to google). Normal silicone sealant would work but perish faster than sikaflex. Put some talc on the surface before it dries, to leave a nice non-stick soft touch finish.

[@chrisbridges1328]

This video, combined with your router table video, are first on my list of shop projects to build. I've been wanting a router table for a very long time, but cant afford a nice one, and the ones i CAN afford are junk. Yours looked great,and i love the funtionality of it, especially as you showed you can use it as a jointer as well. Thanks for the fun videos. Keep it up!!

[@peterkovak7801]

Excellent video Mr. Ramsey, a real pleasure to watch it and learn to do things. Thanks!

[@scarmenl]

Well done sir. I see you did a good thing when making your router body clamp. That is that you left openings for the cooling of the router body. I don't know if you planned that or not but it is a good thing. If you had cut a nice round opening for the router it would run hotter and that is not good.

[@anastasiagoutkidou8849]

Congratulations! Thank you very much. Regards from Greece.

[@saranjesse23]

you sir are a master, I was just looking at router lifts and was blown away at the prices! thanks for the awesome video

[@xen100]

really needs to be hardwood for the runners. pine will not hold up under the pressure to keep it level. I used plain old 2x4 for the main supports and oak ply for the carrier. worked perfect.

[@terryevans6625]

I gotta say, I enjoyed the video. I've been debating with myself if I should build one and I think I will. Thanks for mentioning where I can get the measurements. As it happened, I already had the DVD that had the Shop Notes on it. Honestly, If I hadn't your video, i probably wouldn't have built this one.

[@johnvieke1332]

I bought the plans and plan to build this real soon. Thanks for the video.

[@abenacchio]

Oi Steve, ficou tudo perfeito, mas acho que na mesa merecia um acabamento nas bordas. Parabéns, Ótimo trabalho. Te vejo no outro domingo!

[@1969CampEvans]

Great Work, really liked the lift and the table top. much better than buying a pre-manufactured Router Table.

[@bonfiliotrejoangeles3886]

Extraordinario. Simplemente práctico, funcional y viable. Felicitaciones de todo corazón

[@williambonfiglio2685]

I contacted Shop Notes and though issue 121 of the magazine is no longer available, they are selling a downloadable version of the Router Lift Plans. The plans are pretty clear and include a parts list and source for the parts.

[@kevinashby4847]

love this design for the lift. simple but very sturdy and functional.

[@tomfafard]

I am in the process of building the same thing. Thanks for this. sometimes watching someone build it is better than just imagining it from the magazine.

[@timpedzinski230]

I bought the plans from Woodsmith and watched their build video. They credited you with a great build video too. I think I am readyto start the process now. Thanks.

[@100usb]

its indeed very nice vdo methodic simple and self explanatory.... neat and cleanly executed job and work methods.... excellent... you have set a benchmark very high

[@deleetmeeh]

Shop Notes is always a good magazine for good jigs and plans. For wood you don't really need to back up and forward I think you run some risk of ruining your threads, usually people think like that cuz you do that with metal. With hard maple your prolly okay but if it was pine I think you would have problems. Kinda going off of The Wood Whisperer's video too. Great video you do awesome work for a mere mortal.

[@xen100]

I immediately thought the same thing. I would say drill and tap the connecting nut for a 1/4 -20 (the part in the lift) and put a nylon setscrew in it. the screw wont mess up the steel threaded rod but it will lock it in place.

[@MsLorisM]

A knob epoxied to the nylon set screw would make it easy to loosen and tighten the "lock" It's a shame I had to read a hundred replies to find the answer I was looking for. Thank you.

[@michaeldillon4070]

It has only taken me 5 years to find you Video and thanks for doing it because I think I will do something similar - you did it well!!! regards Mike

[@reaper060670]

This is so well made bro.. Love the look of ur router table as well.. I'm buying the parts to try and build my own as well.. Brilliant job my friend.. I can only hope and pray my table turns out 50% as good as ur one.. I'll be happy with that for now.. I was looking at the Router Raizer mechanism but it's very hard to get them bcos nobody has them atm.. I'm going to take a look at that site u spoke of..

[@miguelcastillo5584]

Thank you very much for your video, I follow your advice and get the woodsmith article from the web store, then I did the lift drawing on Sketch up, then I print all the parts at a 1:1 scale, this way when you cut the parts everything will fit perfect, I installed a Porter cable 690, get a speed controller from Harbor Freight, did the bottom enclosure with a rear 4" outlet that connect with a 2 1/2" on the top, for this you can buy adaptors and transitions from PVC pipes, now it is a pleasure to use my router table, changing the routers from the top (I have problems with my neck and lower back due to and accident) and with almost no dust. By the way for all the peoples who do not have a dado blade, you can do the dado with a regular blade, cut the first and the last cuts for the with of the dado clean in the middle with more cuts and take a chisel and carefully cut the little ridges left and do a little sanding a you will have a clean dado.The other thing is that you can use a 3/4"x10 or a 3/4"x8 screw, just buy the same kind of connector and the same size nuts. The router plate is an aluminum plate that you can get in USA at different woodworkers supplies, but you can make your self one with MDF and do a reset in your existing table top. I am kind of new on you tube and did not find the way of attach pictures. And please do not comment on the English grammar I am not native of USA or England.

[@jerrypeace1960]

Just got done watching Both vids of you Router Table Cabinet, Awesome Job man. Thumbs Up !

[@SuperBardley]

Depending on where you live, you hopefully still have a very well stocked, old-fashioned hardware store. That's the kind of place to seek what you're looking for. Even cheaper is to go to a local steel yard that sells retail too; they sell steel angles and tubes that contractors use, in addition to "all-thread" (threaded rod).

[@ianvicedomini2648]

I am totally inspired by this build and at some point would like to have a go if I can at making mine collapsible if possible. Great video mate

[@ihh3021]

Nice Tutorial. Something I can easily undertand. Thank you!

[@jimsmith8739]

I just finished building mine and it works great. I sprung for a Kreg Router table to go with it. My old table top table was too low to accommodate the lift. One question! When do you cut the threaded rod to what length?

[@ncphenom2309]

Just thought I would chime in, the lift is a great idea. I've watched this about 10 times and I am 99% done with my copy. Im having trouble with it actually lifting the screw just spins and unwindes from the lower nuts so I epoxied them. I didn't have ant lock nuts and locking washers didn't work.

[@BlackBlade0001]

Steve, did you notice in the ShopNotes article how it instructs to drill a 27/64" hole to begin threading those inserts? Not turning on my brain first, I realized after the fact, that, is larger than the 3/8" inserts...lol. So had to drill new holes the proper few sizes smaller, beside the other ones (built in cooling ports now! :)) Great videos buddy, keep up the good work!

[@kevinniemeyer5938]

Can't wait to get started on this. Very cool, Steve.

[@WorkshopAddict]

Great video. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite spots for workshop videos. Keep up the great work.

[@요술그림자]

It was very nice video and useful for me.. want to make similar one following your design.. thanks

[@lynnettecox7937]

this router lift is in Woodsmith magazine Nov/Dec 2015 issue. Very informative.

[@laurielyon7740]

Such a great clip. I was unaware of this episode until it was mention during a Woodsmith Channel episode from 5 years ago. Not to throw shade on that or those presenters, but it wasn’t particularly well done. But yours is wonderful. Very creative!

[@MillerWoodcraft]

more powa to you if it gets the job done. I thought about building one, but I think im gonna wait it out so I can pick up a more precise lift.

[@bocachico69]

Steve, you are a genius. Steve, usted es un genio. I like the way as you work and I see you have fun always.

[@dusangubani9642]

Dobrá inspirace takový výtah si musim taky vyrobit.Díky za perfektní nápad

[@32mudbug]

I have just finished my lift and was really impressed by the design. I have found some 3/4" phenolic material from a local bathroom partition supplier that I plan to use as my table saw side table/router table. I found an anodized aluminum router plate on sale at Rockler but the more I look at it, the more I question whether I need the plate at all. My question is this: Is there a need for the plate? Couldn't I just rout out for the circular ring inserts and mount to the phenolic? Your thoughts?

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

Steve - Thanks for this video! I’ve been wanting to make this for years and finally did this month with my extra shop time from the pandemic. 😃 It was a challenging build for me but I’m happy with the results. I’m looking forward to using this. I appreciate all of your awesome tips. 👍🏼

[@gregorymarmolina]

Liked your videos very much, simple and fun, thanks for sharing your knowledge God Bless you.

[@JohnHeisz]

Good one.

[@SteveRamsey]

Definitely!

[@keithmuncaster7055]

Hi Steve, I left a comment on your 2 Mar 2012 Vid asking about the next stage and how I couldn't find it, sorry about this but I have just found it. Thanks for your brilliant vids, I wish you had step by step plans to help me build this Excellent Project when I'm in my workshop and away from my PC

[@michaeldillon4070]

That was great Steve - you have given me the confidence to do the same - regards Mike from Australia

[@Mikael1948]

Very very exellent handwork!

[@andreronaldi959]

Congratulations for always giving accurate informations . Well done

[@WilliamGNX4]

Waaaooo!!! Eres lo maximo, tienes buenas ideas sigo aprendiendo de usted maestro... William de PR

[@justingillespie6697]

very interesting way of grinding the nut into the actual threaded rod most people would have welded a nut to the rod, but I like your unique method

[@Dave51262]

Steve - Nice job with this project. Great video. Very professional and clearly done. Thanks!

[@b24fitfitnessnutrition43]

Hey Steve, another great video as normal. Have you made an updated more detailed video to this one? Many thanks

[@SwearingenTurnings]

What vibrates? The whole thing? The way it's mounted to the table? There might be several reasons for it. A router is a fairly vibration free machine--else it would throw itself apart. Check the mounting points--if they aren't secure, vibrations might be induced. I'm inclined to say that yes, thicker material might fix it, but isn't always the case.

[@SMWChanel]

Nice videos i am very enjoy with your video 👍👍👍👍👍👍 well done for you "Greetings Wood worker"

[@SteveRamsey]

The side braces fine-tune just to allow the router to run smoothly up an down. It's a good design, because it allows for any imperfections.

[@mikeuk1954]

Loving all your videos, you explain things so clearly and make it fun to watch.

[@AnthonyMassey]

Perfect Video for me! I received my Millwaukee 5616 and I'm not ready to lay out $500 for a router table. Although the lifts can get pretty technical, this one will be the route I take... All pun intended. lol Thanks for getting me in the game. Subscribed!

[@Chris.Davies]

Recently I replaced the metal runner in my cheap bandsaw mitre gauge with a 6mm strip of Kwila. I had to put two small machine screws into the hardwood, and just screwed them straight into holes 0.5mm smaller than the OD of the screw threads. This worked absolutely perfectly. And I would think that if you drill into any hardwood the same diameter as the shaft of the machine screw you want to use, it should just zip right on in there, without creating a thread beforehand. My reasoning for not tapping it was that I wanted the screws to be tight, and they will never be loosened again. Plus of course, I'm lazy as hell, and couldn't be bothered. :P

[@davidholz3784]

best lift build i have seen on youtube

[@龍在江湖-i4s]

Fantastic work, this is just a good example for me to follow, just wondering about how the middle part which lifts router up and down works? Not quite clear? Is that you threaded the wood through?

[@danmeyer7174]

All your projects are informative and entertaining. I watch them all. keep up the good work

[@ambersponaugle7896]

Great videos, Steve. Very informative. Thanks!

[@patrickvaz2002]

wonderful to watch, Router lift, made it look so simple, thank you

[@jackjune156]

just came across this.....excellent....thank you for your instructions......very good youtube

[@Frankengruvin]

Steve, I have that Shop Notes issue and I read this article and always thought no way, that's a bit too complicated, I'll just save up and purchase a nice lift kit when I'm ready. But now, after watching you make it in this video, I feel inspired and not so overwhelmed about the prospect of making this myself, so thanks for that. I do have a couple of questions, one of which has already been asked. Is there a way that you have come up with to lock it in place once you have it positioned where you want it for use, or have you not noticed vibrationa-caused movement to be a problem? Also, after seeing the video I was thinking "why not just make the lift platform on the bottom of the router with the clamping part of that in the middle for extra support? That way no slippage from loosening clamps could ever occur! Unless there is not a danger of downward slipping from normal use. I guess that if the clamps are tightened most of your normal use would include sheer force and not downward force, but still, some routing applications induce downward force on the router, at least producing some level of risk of downward slipping. Anyhoo, just some thoughts I had on the subject. Would love to hear your response. Now I need to go dust off that Shop Notes article.

[@harryscoffield6479]

Brilliant job! Functional and looks good too!

[@maxdecphoenix]

steve, i think i commented on this project back when it came out, but i just watched again since i'm bored, and just had to complement you again. I gotta say it, you, matthias, and ron walters have youtube ON F'N LOCK.

[@JohnnyCogs4]

I'm not sure about over the pond, but here in boring old blighty you can often find cheap and nasty tap sets in the Pound shops and markets (Dollar stores) which although they are to metal what chocolate is to cheese, for wood they are more than sufficient =) Cool build vid though Steve, Inspired me to pick up some bits n start planning my own table =)

[@miky36083]

simple, economico,bueno. No todo se tiene al comprar en una tienda... tambien se puede hacer. Gracias, Steve, desde Chile.