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news is, there's a router lift for every router and budget.

Universal Lifts. JessEm started the router lift boom with the original Rout-R-Lift, shown below. The Rout-R-Lift, its clone, the Jet XACTA Lift, and Woodpecker's Unilift will accept virtually any router. This flexibility is possible because the router base mounts directly to a plate on the lift mechanism. This plate is attached to machined steel posts and is raised and lowered with a drive screw. You make height adjustments above the table

Workshop

looking at

Router Lifts

All router lifts are not created equal. Here's the information you need to decide what's right for your shop.

A Fixed-Base Lift.

JessEm's Mast-R-Lift holds the motor housing of a fixed-base router in its carriage. It also features a direct-drive height adjuster.

My router table gets quite a workout. In fact, it sees action in almost every project I build. So, when a product promises to make working at the router table easier and more accurate, it gets my attention. Router lift manufacturers claim they can help on both counts.

To evaluate these claims, I looked at a few of the router lifts on the market today. With so many to choose from — currently there are more than a dozen — it can be pretty confusing trying to find one that's right for your shop.

Let me say at the outset, every one of these lifts is a precision-machined tool. Each came with well-written and illustrated installation instructions. And they all do their jobs as advertised.

The differences in the router lifts can be found in their features and in the type of router they'll accommodate. So, your decision can depend on what router you currently have, which features you need for the work you do, and of course, your budget. The good

► Universal Lift. The original JessEm Rout-R-Lift remains a top seller because it accepts both plunge or fixed-base routers.

90 ShoDNotes No. 87