Router Table w/Logic Controlled Motorized Lift

[Denco]

First time posting a project. I’m still a novice after all these years and was in way over my head, but after a long time, here’s my router table. The lift is motorized using a PLC controller and a 12VDC motor normally used for automatic car seats in Honda automobiles. The 120VAC to 12VDC conversion was accomplished using a computer power supply (supplies 10A max, more than I needed). Most of the wood I used was cheap wood from the big box stores or ugly scraps I had on-hand, so I painted it red, white, and blue and put clear coats over it.


Items that didn’t make it into the video for time sake were:


-Front panel is held on with rare earth magnets for easy removal and access to the router lift.

-Front panel is melamine so I can use a dry erase marker for notes (but probably never will).


-The logic is programmed so that the lift won’t work while the router is on. Also, the router won’t turn on if the lift is in motion. Safety.

-I design custom controls for a living, so the controls part was easy, the wood part was where the challenge was.

-I also designed controls that didn’t use a PLC, just switches just in case the PLC died and I couldn’t get another one (this one was a spare from the shop that had 1 bad input…..so I designed w/o using that input).

-The fence is based on the one Steve from woodworkingformeremortals.com built. It slides on the T-tracks mounted to the side of the table. The bottom of the fence plate where the knobs tighten is cut away so that I can loosen the knobs and lift the fence straight up and off the table when removing it for pin routing.


Here’s the video! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1zDx1LiuzM

[JR]

Righteous!

That is a sweet project.

[BadeMillsap]

Very innovative! I like it!

[BobSch]

Very nice. I wonder if a Raspberry Pi or other small controller would work?. Are there sensors on the motor or external?

[Denco]

Very nice. I wonder if a Raspberry Pi or other small controller would work?. Are there sensors on the motor or external?

Thanks all for the kind words. Very encouraging.

Bob, Not familiar with those controllers, but I controlled on/off within the program running the toggle switches to inputs on the controller. The outputs ran to the coils on the motor contactors (I believe I misstated that in the video). The limit switches were just micro switches attached to the lift and tied to inputs on the controller. When the lift got moved to a position that closed the switch mechanically, it ran the input positive thus signalling the controller to take the appropriate action. The rest was just programming.

Any PLC should work as long as it can be programmed. One just needs to have the needed inputs/outputs and the setup to program the controller.
Using the controller was overkill on my part. It was just something fun to do.

[chopnhack]

Really nice work Denny! That router table should prove to be really useful. What is the smallest change in height it can make?

[MBG]

I like it Denny! Wish I had some of your electrical skills. I have a Woodpeck PRL-V2 lift. It has a quick lift feature to get close and a thumb wheel to fine adjust. Many times the coarse adjustment isn't close enough and my thumb gets sore. I did have what they call a side-winder on my old router table but it worked so-so. When I built my new table I want drawer space instead of side-winder cable space.

I ended up putting this together:



I can used a 1/4" drive on a socket wrench or drill driver to move the lift but would have be slicker to have an embedded motor.

Mike

[SHADOWFOX]

Amazing project. Thank you so much for sharing the link to the video. Love the soundtrack towards the end.

[thrytis]

Very cool! I've thought making a motorized router lift would be very cool, but since I haven't gotten around do making a router table yet, the lift is way out on the list of things to do.

[atgcpaul]

Novice? Yeah, right! That is pretty slick. I like the logic/thought you put into the system. Enjoy!

It would be cool to integrate that warning sound into other power tools like a TS.

[gerti]

Cool! I want one. Right after I find out how to make my shop bigger on the inside...

[Denco]

Really nice work Denny! That router table should prove to be really useful. What is the smallest change in height it can make?

The toggle switch for the lift is a momentary on switch <(on)-off-(on)>. If I give it a light bump, it'll move .5mm give or take. When I first built it, I wondered if I'd be able to fine tune the height w/o a manual way to turn the shaft of the lift, but it ended up being moot as I can fine tune with the switch.

[Tom Slick]

Neat project!

Is the Siemens Logo controller the same as an IDEC Smart Relay? They look identical. I have used some Smart Relays for projects in the past.

[jussi]

Very Just wondering why you didn't use a paddle type safety switch for the power to router?

[Denco]

Tom - We use the Siemens exclusively in our controls at work, but I took a look at an online manual for the IDEC and it uses the same block programming and looked identical, but I couldn't tell you if there are any differences. Seems like it would make a reasonable substitute.

Jussi - Not exactly clear as to your question. The power path for the router motor runs as follows: The toggle switch for the router "on" is connected to an input of the PLC. The PLC output powers the coil of a motor contactor relay. The contacts on the motor contactor power the router motor. Since no higher current is going through the toggle switch, it didn't need an amperage rating to match the router motor. The motor contactor relay handles that. The toggle switch, at most, has to deal with a milliamp of current. It was also a physically small switch which helped fit on the face of the controls.

The large Rockler STOP paddle switch in the front is the main disconnect and completely powers off the system, especially in the event I have to power off quickly. Please let me know if I misinterpreted your question and I'll address it again.