Router mods

[highup]

I mentioned I bought a PC 690 router...... for a couple of reasons. My main router is a PC offset laminate trimmer. Neato tool, but I abuse it. Adjustability was an afterthought on this tool ....is total crap in that sense. Difficult to fine tune. Aside from that, it's a fantastic tool, but I tend to push it way beyond it's intended design. So time for something better for the real work.
My other router is really old ...........Guessing it's a 1980's garage sale Craftsman. It says 1.5 hp but it's 8 amps. The shaft only fits 1/4" bits and the shaft is kinda long so that's not a good thing if you want stability. ...It has a tiny bit of wobble and I never would trust it for intricut work. Good for light duty slot cutting or rounding an edge.
I don't need a router often, but a job coming up requires something more than what I currently have in my arsenal. Time to bite the bullet so I splurged on the much heavier duty PC router, and immediately started designing a router lift. Lifts can make more accurate height adjustments.
My lift ought to make 1/16" of adjustments per turn of the adjuster. 1/2 turns would be 1/32"
so 1/4 turns ought to get me 1/64ths.
The design work process (idea) has been a total nightmare........ looking for ideas on the internet, everyone builds router lifts out of freekin wood. Wood expands and contracts, right? Who wants a lift mechanism that goes sloppy in the dry season (vibration) then tightens up in the wet season (seizes up) ?
I cannot for the life of me find a custom/home built lift made of metal on the internet. Metal is cool.
Unbelievable......... really. I suppose if you have a climate controlled shop, wood designs work fine. ...bbbut I ain't got that luxury and my router insert might reside under cover in the carport at times even in winter.
Anyhow, many sleepless nights so far designing, redesigning, then redesigning again and again..........
I've been making some progress. The design is locked in stone right now (aluminum actually)
It consists of 4 pieces of 1/4 inch aluminum plate.
The top plate will be an insert that drops into a routed tabletop. The lowest section of aluminum plate will be connected to the top plate by four 10 inch long threaded steel rods.
The two middle sections of aluminum plate have 3 1/2" holes cut in them now to house the router. Once the router is connected/clamped onto those two center plates, that section will serve as an elevator between the upper and lower plates. The 4 threaded steel rods will act as guides so the lift allows the router to go straight up and down for bit adjustment without any wobbling.
I have a lot of the stuff "machined" and fit together right now. Hopefully I can get some before and after photos of the assembly process so you can see all the parts. I plan to hold some of the parts together with screws, so it can be disassembled later for a photo-op before final assembly.
Once fully assembled and operational..................... I really hope it this thing works.
This is as deep a machining process as I have done in 20+ years,
I have a customer who saved my ass on this project. I've worked for him 4 or 5 times over 25 or so years. He's in his 70's and can do or make virtually anything. Wood-metal-structural-plastic-electronics............. you name it, he knows about it and can build it............. a really neat guy.
Anywhooo, I called him up to see how much he'd charge me to reduce the diameter of 4 threaded brass pipe nipples so they would fit a particular drill size diameter. (he has a machine lathe)
.......he said, come on out! Now me, being pretty close to 60 now, have not operated a metal lathe since 1975 while in high school. Well, I did it again. It was fun. Takes a bit to re learn all that crap, but I reduced the size of those pipe nipples so I can press fit them into the two aluminum "elevator" sections of the router lift. Those four brass pipe nipples serve as the bushings or guides that run up and down on the 4 threaded rods I mentioned earlier.

Hope to get some photos soon so this all makes a bit more sense.
In the mean time, Google 'home made router lifts' and see what ya come up with. .................my version ain't gonna show up no matter how hard ya look. I guarantee it.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Just kind of curious. You aren't going to get a reaction with the 2 dissimilar metals are you? Like with copper and iron.

:shooting:

Daris

 

[highup]

I like the way you think Daris. Three metals. I'm gonna build in a usb charger that's connected to the zinc plated threaded rods and the brass pipe nipples to charge my phone. Zinc and aluminum are pretty compatible. The 4 brass pipe nipples will barely contact the zinc rods since they are for alignment and not screwed together or touching as in a tight connection. I may even lightly coat the rods with JB weld if there is any slop in the lift section once it's all put together.
Electrolysis isn't a problem if I keep it out of the rain.
The lift will have dimensions on the top side of about 9" by 12" and will be around 10 inches tall. Not hard to find as place indoors for it. I don't see any issues since batteries need some sort of electrolyte. I've made stuff with aluminum before and the on;y time compatibility becomes and issue is with stuff stored outdoors for long periods (years). If it looks pretty enough when I get it finished, I may even give the whole thing a clear coat. .....everything but the top. I'm thinking of just waxing it.

 

[highup]

Here's a sneak preview.
The top needs a hole cut into it for a plastic router insert. This is for access to change bits. I can use the original plastic base that came on the router, but that has a lot of vent holes in it. I'd rather have a plate with just a single hole in the center for the bit, and no extra vent holes for junk to fall into. I'm not sure how large that center hole ought to be. As large as the largest bit I'll ever use? Or should I have two plates with different size holes?
A lot of the difficult work is done, so only the rest of the difficult work is left to do.

 

[highup]

Here's a sneak preview. I cut it all out of 1/4" aluminum plate. The top is 12" by 9" Maybe a tad large? ...better than too small I suppose. Seems plenty strong enough to me.
I drilled and tapped four 1/2" 20 holes in the top for those 4 support rods to thread into. Those will be connected to the lowest plate with nuts. The center section houses the router and will have 8 bronze bushings so it rides up and down on the 4 threaded rods without any sideways or back and forth vibration.
I'll drill and tap threads into the bottom plate also. That's so another threaded rod can push the router upwards for adjustments and bit changing.
The top needs a hole cut into it for a plastic router insert. This is for access to change bits. I can use the original plastic base that came on the router, but that has a lot of vent holes in it. I'd rather have a plate with just a single hole in the center for the bit, and no extra vent holes for junk to fall into. I'm not sure how large that center hole ought to be. As large as the largest bit I'll ever use? Or should I have two plates with different size holes?
A lot of the difficult work is done, so now, only the rest of the difficult work is left to do.

 

[highup]

I edited my first comment, and it showed up a second time without the image.............. have no clue what I done did.
...I blame it on Nick.

 

[Nick]

Guilt as charged ..