Router Lift

Pic. 1: Router lift, assembled but uninstalled

This project began in the summer of ‘08, and was installed in early ‘09. It is part of the reorganization of my shop that took place when I moved from Virginia to South Carolina. The need to downsize encouraged me to use all the "stuff" I have accumulated, rather than let it continue to clutter my shop. For instance, I’ve cut down my extension ladder to make it into a lumber rack. Plywood I had sized for an abandoned project has morphed into wall-hung cabinets.

For the router lift phase of my “use-it-or-lose-it” project, I’ve re-purposed the following "stuff:"

• A threaded shaft I trash-picked in 1980, machined for use in a shoulder vise in ‘02 and set aside in ‘06, became the jackscrew that raises and lowers the router.
• Two shafts that were part of my glass-grinding machinery in the early '80s were turned down by a machinist friend to become the slides on which the router moves.
• I took apart my Makita three-horsepower router, purchased in 1985, stored the plunge mechanism (for some future project, yet unknown), to make it a dedicated part of the unit.
• For jackscrew bearings, I used some High Molecular Weight Plastic (aka: slippery plastic) I purchased on a whim in ‘05.
• For the top plate, I used black phenolic I purchased in 1983 for lighted display cabinets.
• For the yoke that connects the jackscrew to the router, I used a piece of half inch aluminum, purchased at some undetermined date from Fazzios in South Jersey.

The router lift sits in the plywood top on my table saw. This allows me to use the rip fence as a fence for the router.

It should also be noted that a free-standing router table can cost between $200 and $500. Commercial lift mechanisms are in the same price range. All my accumulated costs probably amount to $150.

Pic. 2: Router lift; installed

This usage clears my shop, and gives me a very nice tool. What more could I ask for?

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The guitar body and neck in the background of Picture 2 belong to the second acoustic made by Chan (my son-in-law), in the lacquer finishing process. It is a 000 size, with 12 frets to the body join, and a slotted peghead. The back, sides, and neck are Honduras Mahogany. The top is Spruce, the fretboard and headplate are Madagascar Rosewood, and the soundhole binding is Lacewood. "Let's Hear It For The Boy!"

Antique Banjo

Banjo 1. The rim and head are in the background. The jig is to the right. I'm working on the ring in the foreground.

This banjo was purchased in 1896 by the current owner’s grandfather. It is handmade and homemade, though that is all that is known of its origins.

When I received it for repair, it was without a head, bridge, tension ring, hold-down hooks, or strings. The neck was warped, rendering the instrument unplayable.

Repairs were mainly cosmetic, as the banjo would be used only for historic display.

The hooks, head, bridge, and strings were readily available, but the appropriate tension ring was not. I handmade a tension ring by first using a lathe to turn a forming jig of the correct size and then laminating the ring using Hard Maple veneer and epoxy.

The ring was then ready to be beveled (to properly engage the hooks), painted, and the banjo re-assembled.

This is one of those pieces that are a rare pleasure to repair because of its history (known and unknown). Every element that my hand touches has a story. There are few things I enjoy more than imagining what those stories might be.

Banjo 2. The ring on the rim of the banjo’s head.