Made by Router Technologies, the Router Raizer is a kit that adds an above-the table height-adjusting crank handle to most plunge-router models. But it won’t work with a fixed-base router.

The heart of the Router Raizer kit is a threaded shaft that replaces the original height-adjustment screw on a router. The new adjuster extends through the router’s subbase, ending in a hex socket that accepts a removable crank handle.

Aided by some well-written instructions, installing the kit is relatively simple, although a hole does need to be drilled through the router’s subbase. An assortment of bushings and adapters fits the kit to a wide range of routers, including those by Bosch, Craftsman, DeWalt, Elu, Fein, Freud, Makita, Porter-Cable, and Ryobi.

A Craftsman router with the Router Raizer kit installed worked very smoothly. The 16-tpi drive screw made major height adjustments go quickly, yet it allowed for precise smaller adjustments.

The crank can still be used when the router is handheld. It’s just a matter of slipping the crank into the top of the screw assembly. It worked very well—better than most other add-on cranks I’ve used.

But the Router Raizer doesn’t allow you to crank the collet enough to allow bit changes from above the table. You must remove the router from the table to change the bits.

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