Xtra idea on router lifter

[Bob38S]

Years ago I made a simple router table which I could put into the boot of my car so that I could do work at my son's house - I soon discovered that adjusting the height of the bit was tedious. I investigated various router lifts and discovered that many only operated on one side of the router and to get a good one I would have to sell a kidney to pay for it. Looking at the problem I solved it in the following way - using a cheap foreign vice but using it in reverse - I did have to beef up the roll pin which anchors the adjuster bolt to the housing. The angle that holds the side arms is bolted into the position where it normally attaches to the bench - the arms which lock onto the router handles are popriveted and have nylon breadboard bits which ride on the handles. I modified the normal vice winder by adding a wheel from an irrigation valve to the adjuster bar on the bottom. For me it works like a dream - if you can use/adapt the idea I thought it might help. I originally sent the idea to the Aust Woodsmith and also placed it on the Knots discussion page at Taunton Fine Woodworking.
Regards,
Bob

[scooter]

Bob, welcome to the forums!

Thanks for posting this, mate, I have plans to make a homemade plungebar for my hitachi m12v, but am open minded to alternatives. Have stashed your idea in the memory bank.


Cheers................Sean

[dazzler]

Hey Bob

I think that is a ............great idea:D . Twin posts directly beneath the router, putting pressure in the right plane.

Ima gunna pinch it for my router!

cheers
dazzler

[Bob38S]

Your welcome, the vice is a "cheapie" from Supa Cheap, the aluminium - from the scrap bin at the local fabricators, the nylon/plastic parts which connect to the router's handles are in fact a bread cutting board from the local $2 shop. By keeping the posts at a reasonable height you also ensure that the router has plenty of air circulation and can't possibly overheat as you are not blocking the vent holes.
Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Regards,
Bob
PS I still use the "normal" height/depth lock when the router is raised to the required height and don't just rely on the vice to maintain the height.

[Graham38]

I have attached (I hope) two pictures of the way I have used a cheap car jack to make raising the router in a table very easy. It is not perfect but it works. Beats the hell out of using the routers rasing mechanism. The jack is not fixed to the router at all.

[Bob38S]

Thanks Graham,
actually I did try a car jack but found that [for me] the rise was not vertical but more or less a series of sideways shifts in a vertical direction - which caused some binding on the router's plunge mechanism - it was a cheapie so I guess I got what I paid for. The other reason I discarded this idea was that there was considerable pressure on the air vents of my router which I was keen to avoid - hence the posts which "carry" the router on its own handles but as yours, they are not actually attached to it.
Nice pix - did you buy the colour to match the router? Seriously though - What do you use for a fence - store bought or your own design? I would like to make my own but the T-Track aluminium which they all seem to use for heaps of things - when asked for here at home only brings blank stares and the "mirror response" - I'll look into it.
Regards,
Bob

[Graham38]

Bob

I coughed up the cash and bought a Carbatec RS660 which is a full table, fence and tenoning attachment. It is very HEAVY and for a while I found it somewhat cumbersome. Now that I have used it a fair bit, I would not swap it. The fine adjustment capability of the fence and the myriad uses you can find for the tenoning attachment (probably never intended) are great. Also the table is very true. See attached pics.

I had no problem with the smoothness of the raising process with mine. Did not take the springs out. Maybe I will have a problem with the colour now. Have just bought myself a Triton router so perhaps I should paint the jack yellow!!

If you are still looking for T-Track products, have a look at this web site. Not cheap, but very good.

www.woodworksupplies.com.au/category1_1.htm

Good luck with it.

Graham

[Bob38S]

Nice table, I see what you mean by the prices of the T track - will have to measure up for what I need and give them a call.
Thanks again,
Bob

PS SupaCheap has cheap yellow paint.

[scooter]

Bob, a search on "capral" & "sail track" on this site will yield reference & piccies of a t track type product that has the same captive slot but rounded external corners, which makes no difference to usability.

Capral, a national aluminium supplier, has it in their catalogue, some stores stock it but others will need to order it in.

Instead of t track bolts you use 1/4" cup head bolts with a slight bit of grinding needed on the top of the round head to fit, the square section under the head prevents rotation when doing up the nut, knob or whatever.

Same profile may be available through other major suppliers.

You will find the cost a lot cheaper than proper t track with the same functionality.


Good luck..............cheers................Sean

[Bob38S]

Thanks Scooter, looked up Capral but I must be doing something wrong - can't seem to get past the general hohum of how good they are and get to an actual catalog or pix of the tracks and prices or even where their suppliers are in Qld.
Will try again later
Bob

[scooter]

Bob, dunno what they have on the website but the following has been posted before (did a search meself for yer, what a top fella :D)

Posted by Barry White

On an invoice I have from them under the Material Column it has the number 810957 and the description is EE4204 5106 T6.4m Mill Finish and it comes in 4.1metre lengths and as at 6/4/2004 it was $11.49 per length.

Just make sure you specify marine sail track as they have another product called sail track which is used by the Awning Industry for fixing those clear vynal awnings to the wall.

To fix it you just drill a countersunk holes in the bottom and fix it with #4 countersunk screws and Bobs your uncle.

They don't usually carry it in their branches and they usually have to get from their warehouse in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne

I have posted a pic of what it looks like on the end. A 1/4 coach head bolt slides in and wont turn. You may just have to grind a bit off the top of the bolt, depending on the brand.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=12483&d=1125821011

Posted by Sturdee

Outside width 22mm
Outside depth 9mm
Inside width 17mm
Inside depth 3mm
Opening gap 7.5mm
Thickness 2.5mm

The track is not predrilled, I use a small bit to drill through and then a larger bit to countersink the opening and use chipboard screws size #4 * 5/8" to attach the track.

Posted by FlyingDuck

I have a photocopy of their product literature for part E4204, and the actual dimensions are:

Inside width 17.4 mm
Inside depth 4 mm
Opening gap 7.9mm

Hope this helps (Uncle:D) Bob.........cheers....Sean, to a T

[scooter]

Bob, bit more for yer, some (dunno whether all) Qld contact nos. for Capral branches.

Posted by zymurgy

6 John Vella Drive, Paget (Mackay), QLD 4740
Tel 61 7 4952 5611 Fax 61 7 4952 6955

14 Leda Drive, Burleigh (Gold Coast), QLD 4220
Tel 61 7 5535 8222 Fax 61 7 5576 5997

67 Parramatta Road, Slacks Creek, QLD 4127
Tel 61 7 3209 1222 Fax 61 7 3208 8729

2 Endeavour Drive, Kunda Park (Maroochydore), QLD 4556
Tel 61 7 5445 3022 Fax 61 7 5445 5264

61-65 Keane Street, Currajong (Townsville), QLD 4812
Tel 61 7 4775 2755 Fax 61 7 4779 0547

52 Zillmere Road, Zillmere, QLD 4034
Tel 61 7 3265 5355 Fax 61 7 3865 1383

Another pic, posted by Zathras

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=1365&d=1075625781

Also, check out this bevel routing jig in this thread, made by Sturdee using the sailtrack for adjustable brackets. Great idea IMO.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7210


Cheers Bob..................Sean

[Bob38S]

Thanks for all of your efforts - I feel that I can now get organised. Will be heading to the Sunshine Coast next week and will check out the Maroochydore branch. I like what Sturdee does and when I read his comments re the sharing of good ideas [freely] - I concur 110%.
Regards and have a good one,
Bob

[Bob38S]

Scooter,
With regards the sail track --- finally got it - I won't bore you with the details of "We know what you mean but we don't have any in stock etc....." - the net result is that I got a length - cost $11.90 but had to have it delivered from Brisbane for a delivery charge of $10.00 - fortunately I don't plan to be buying too much this way.
Capral appears to have changed their product/description codes - I quoted the above numbers etc to be told that the product code is now 810957 and the product description is EE4204 6106 T6 - their computer system may not locate the item under the old number EE4204 5106 T6 .
Regards and thanks again for the help,
Bob