Table-mounted Router Decisions

[Tom Miller]

I'm plugging along on my new BT3 mobile base, and have come to the part where I need to cut a hole for a table-mounted router.

I currently have a PC 7529 with a Rousseau plate. The plate has been a little disappointing in that the snap rings are very difficult to remove. I've broken one already, and when I popped a new one in, I had to take great care to get it to seat flush. Now, I don't touch them. I change bits, and adjust height from below, which really isn't all that troublesome, surprisingly.

But now that I'm going to the bother of making/installing a new 3' long BT3 table extension to house the router and plate, I can't bring myself to cut a hole for this tired old setup. Here're the options I'm considering:

Option #89 (numbering system based on price): Woodpecker aluminum plate with rings that work, and keep using PC7529. Might even be able to change bits above table with bent wrenches.

Option #129: Woodpecker plungelift plate and 7529. Adds above-table height adjust to option #89.

Option #280: Woodpecker plungelift and buy an M12V. Might as well upgrade the router as long as I'm buying a router-specific plungelift.

Option #500+: OK, as long as we're doing this, let's do it right. Get the WP Quicklift for $230...wait, no, the WP Precision Lift for 290, and get a Milwaukee 5625 for ~$300......

Option #0: Since this quickly spirals out of control, just keep using what I have.

Regards,
Tom

[RayintheUK]

I think you've missed one other option, Tom:

Woodpecker aluminium plate and a Triton router.

Designed to work in a table, very easy to remove the plunge spring, brilliant height adjustment and above-the-table bit-changing built in. I did a review here if it helps.

Ray.

[91FE]

very well written review!

[RodKirby]

What Ray said! Here's mine...

[LarryG]

I prefer a fixed-base router in a table, and by extension a plain motor cylinder in a lift; but if you're happy with the performance of your 7529, I'd go with Option #129. Unfettered above-table height adjustments and bit changes are just so ... civilized ... and this will get you those conveniences with the quality of an aluminum plate for not a huge amount of money.

[Ken Weaver]

Tom, Ray, Rod -
Are you guys using the WTK as a part of your setup? Would like to see some pics/plans for the entire set up. I tried the stock router table with the bt and didn't like having to change the fences around to switch uses. Has/have your approach(es) gotten around this?

[RodKirby]

Sorry Ken - I've been on the Dark Side for 6 months now.

I've always had stand-alone router tables.

[RayintheUK]

Tom, Ray, Rod -
Are you guys using the WTK as a part of your setup?

Sorry, Ken - separate router tables for me. I use a couple of flip-up benches with Rousseau inserts, as can be seen in this picture:



I use home-made fences with Formica-faced adjustable cheeks, which are very solid and easy to use. These were the main reason for not installing a router in the mobile base.

Ray.

[Ken Weaver]

Thanks guys - somehow I got the conversation in the context of a mobile base with the bt.

[Tom Miller]

Thanks for the input so far, guys. Some specific feedback to your feedback:

Ray and Rod: Does the Triton have a way to lift quickly for above table bit change, or do you crank it up? Do you have to reach under to lift it, or for any other reason?

Larry: I'm not hugely enamored with the 7529, but hate to think of it going to waste. (I already have two routers -- getting a third would be insane, right? ) $129 is not bad for the plunge lift, but it's router specific, so I'd be stuck with the 7529, and I've heard some complaints about plunge lifts.

Ken: Here's my current router setup:









Below is the in-progress new mobile base, but with the old router compartment, and old router table. This is the subject of Phase II of the mobile base project.





Regards,
Tom

[RodKirby]

Tom - you have to reach under to lift it, but...

About 2 half turns lifts the collet above the table - SO simple

[RayintheUK]

As Rod says - so simple! I'll just add that the design will NOT allow you to wind it fully up with the switch in the "On" position, because this also automatically engages the spindle lock. However, with the spring out, it's a single-handed operation which takes seconds. Once the collet is above the table, it's another very swift operation to change bits, due to the collet design - less than a quarter-turn and it's free.

Returning the bit to operating height is also a breeze. Get it to an approximate height, then exactly right with the fine adjuster, which works anywhere within the rack and pinion range.

The part of the router immediately below the table is also designed well - no vents facing upwards, so no dust ingression. Add to that a really simple but clever fence, loads of power and a clever plunge-depth adjustment system (that alows you to set a datum directly off the workpiece) and you've got features that you won't find all together in any other router.

Above the table, it can be a bit on the heavy side for some when using freehand or with a fence, but I find the weight adds stability. The fence also adds to the stability, because the majority of it is on the workpiece side, not hanging over the edge, so it effectively becomes an enlarged baseplate.

Can you tell I like it yet?!

Ray.

[LarryG]

(I already have two routers -- getting a third would be insane, right? )

Gosh I sure hope note ... I have four, and am shopping for a fifth.

Didn't you say you were going to build a version of my step-and-repeat hole jig? If so, you could dedicate the 7529 to that duty. (But wait for Version 2.0 of that jig, currently on the drawing board ... er, CAD screen.)

It's true that most of the plunge lifts you might buy will be router-specific; goes with the territory. Lifts for fixed-base routers -- or rather, the motor cylinder from a fixed-base router -- are available to fit a specific model as-is, or can use an optional adapter sleeve to fit a smaller diameter cylinder. My Rockler/JessEm Mast-R-Lift is this way, and so is the Woodpeckers PRL ... they'll fit the large Porter-Cable 7518 cylinder directly or can be sleeved down to fit the ~2HP P-C, Bosch, DeWalt, and Makita motors.

Or maybe you like the Triton as championed by Ray and Rod. That's the trouble with equipping a woodshop in today's modern world ... just too danged many good choices.