Replies

1. 
   John_O'Connell | Mar 05, 2002 11:00pm | #1

   *
   I think the whole router insert/lift idea is way out there on the lunatic fringe, at least for the money anyway. By the time you drop $300 on a lift, $300 on a big router & add in time and materials for a nice table/fence you're well on your way to a decent shaper. The Router Raizer at 1/2 the price would interest me though.
   My solution is a DW625 plunge router w/ DW's $25 depth adjuster screwed to a $15 piece of lexan in a home made table. I heated and bent the wrench to about 30 degrees which allows me to get under most bits for changing them. No big deal.

1. 
   Dave_Arbuckle | Mar 05, 2002 11:16pm | #2

   *John, a Router-Raiser costs $90, not $300. ;-)Dave

1. 
   Steve_Schefer | Mar 05, 2002 11:43pm | #3

   *John, I wonder if people who have or are considering raisers might be looking at it a bit different than you. I already had a big router so my thoughts were that if I could do nice enough shaping on a router table it would save me the extra expense of a shaper. I then bought a plunge router that compliments the router in the table very nicely. Your probably right, if I were to buy a raiser I will probably have spent just as much as I would have if I had just gone with a shaper in the first place. However, I like the versatility that I have with the two routers so I feel that I might be ahead of the game a little.I'm beginning to think that a raiser, (which I am currently considering), would further compliment my table and just make life a little less complicated for me. Steve

1. 
   Duane_Swensen | Mar 06, 2002 05:30am | #4

   *I have the Freud FT2000 in my table equipped with the Router Raizer. The router was $189 and the Raizer $89. It makes a great combination and a lot cheaper than a shaper.Bits are easily changed while in the table or pop the router and base plate out and change bits. The Raizer allows for infinite fine adj from the top of the table and is a great addition to the router table set up.Just my 2 cents. Duane

1. 
   Pat_Warner | Mar 06, 2002 06:44am | #5

   *Another take.

2. 
   John_O'Connell | Mar 08, 2002 03:38am | #6

   *Dave, yeah I know the router raiser is $90, at $45 I'd buy one. The other lift/plate ones are in the $300 range.Steve, I don't disagree on the versatility. I used a DW614 (1 1/4 hp plunge)in my table for a few years, before I got a the big old 3 hp which I've only used once out of the table. The next router I bought was the PC laminate trimmer with the fixed base. I use it more that the other two for chamfers, round overs, flush trimming plugs, etc. To clarify my point I feel that: 1) Using fixed instead of plunge routers in a table makes adjustments a pain and suggests that these gizmo's are more useful than they really are; 2) I don't doubt the lifts are expensive to make, so the price is fair; 3) Considering tooling there is no versatility advantage because the big router bits that need a 3hp router can't be used hand held anyway 4) Shapers can be reversed, which really helps going around endgrain curves, so if you need or want one....For the same money why not buy a shaper, instead of cobbling something up?

3. 
   john_go | Mar 10, 2002 06:44pm | #7

   *HiJust an observationI think that what the magazine editor meant, is that if you don't want to drop to your knees, bend over and crank your head to look up into the collet, all while reaching in to loosen the collet.... you have to pull up the router. Unless you have a special setup.john g

4. 
   Keith_C | Mar 13, 2002 04:04am | #8

   *I was at Rocklers earlier today and picked up a Router Raizer for $79. I installed it on a Makita 3612C. It is a nice set-up. Seems expensive for a pile of nuts and bolts, but after installed and the thought that went into, and the machining of special parts, it's worth it. Works well to. Mine is just mounted to an aluminum plate(rocklers) and dropped into the side table of my unisaw. Two thumbs up from me.