
There are a few things you need to check before you pull out your card.- Is the router lift compatible with your table? There are 2 universal plate sizes: 9 1/4" x 11 3/4" and 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" make sure you know which size your table requires before you purchase. If your going to make a purchase, be smart about it. This level of accuracy is unattainable without a lift. Many lifts include an incremental scale on the surface plate allowing you to make accurate adjustments to 1/512 of an inch.

Counting revolutions with a hand crank is almost natural. Counting the number of times you have turned a knob is a near impossible task. a knob attached to a fixed base is a world of difference. First, the ability to use a hand crank vs. It's one thing to say that a lift allows you to make more accurate cuts, but it's another to hear all the ways this is made possible. For instance, the Woodpeckers PRL-V2 includes a spring loaded assist lift wrench that enables you to completely raise or lower your router motor in less than 5 seconds. I mentioned the fact that you can change bits above the table earlier, but the easy with which you can change bits is something to behold. It will likely be made out of better material, it will accept a wider range of router motors, and it will be more solidly constructed.

In addition to increased accuracy and convenience, in just about every case an after market lift is going to include a superior plate relative to the standard plate that comes with the table. This is after all why you buy a lift in the first place. The number one feature all lifts are going to offer is some sort of above table or side of table crank that allows to make easy bit height adjustments and bit changes. A lift eliminates the need guess and test.

If your anything like me it's hard to trust the adjustments that you do make - so you end up having to make test cuts after every adjustment. When you no longer have to battle the router motor to make gross adjustments or eyeball bit height in the hopes that your cut will be accurate, the time you invest in each cut falls dramatically. The kicker is the amount of time you save by adding a lift to you setup. If you have a small table, like I do, the frequency of bashed knuckles drops precipitously.Īccurate adjustments and easy bit changes are amazing and worth the purchase price by themselves. No longer do you have to engage in under-table acrobatics to change a bit. A lift allows you to raise the chuck completely above the router lift plate. The accuracy that can be achieved with a lift is truly unparalleled.īut that's not the only reason you would lay down semi-serious cash on an accessory. EASY, just turn the adjustment crank a 1/8th turn. Need to raise the bit 1/128th of and inch, get this. Need to raise the bit 1/16th of an inch - easy just make a single turn of the adjustment crank. It's just not an efficient process.Ī router table allows you to change your work flow so that everything occurs above the table. Best case - you need to duck your head under your table to find the adjustment knob, release the locking mechanism, and then hope you can eye-ball a workable height adjustment. Sure, you can maneuver your bit up and down without a router lift, but not without an annoying amount of difficulty. If that truly was the case, why did you end up here.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is why in the world would you spend another $200-500 on an accessory that does something you can already do. 5 of the Best Router Lift Reviews & Buying Guide Why Should You Spend a Few Hundred Dollars on a Router Lift?
