INCRA Mast-R-Lift-II Router Lift

I had the previous version of this lift, branded for Rockler. Above the table they look remarkably close, with the addition of of the spindle lock on this version.Below the table, things are quite different!This has a massively beefy framework with four posts, versus two. The router brand matching system that they use is simple, highly effective and very beefy. After looking up your model, you simply remove two bolts from each locking "block" and insert them into the correct holes that will change the position of the blocks slightly. It took me about 5 minutes. I found that, instead of tightening the blocks before inserting my router as the instructions indicated, I preferred to install my router first, "set" all the blocks and then lock them into place.I had some stuttering when lifting the first few times, but that quickly went away, leaving a very smooth motion. The spindle lock, while labeled with almost half a turn of motion to transition, really only needs a tiny tweak to get it out of locked mode and into free moving mode. When done, a 1/8 turn (approx) gets you locked again. Surprisingly, I noticed that if I did not lock it, I could actually watch the height adjustment wheel walk when in use. I don't remember that ever happening with my old lift. That just means that you need the spindle lock, as opposed to it being an extra safe guard as I had originally assumed.The magna lock insert system is awesome. I have pastic rings on before and I never trusted getting accurate height measurements off them. This setup not only locks the ring down REALLY well, but they also have height adjustment screws in the four corner tabs. I really appreciate that feature!The lift has 10 height adjustments. I don't remember how many my original version had, but it wasn't this many. You can really get this lift flush and stable. To be able to get your lift and rings properly adjusted makes such a difference when routing!I'm very happy with this purchase after two+ weeks of daily use.

I have been woodworking for many years now, and a router is a invaluable tool in the workshop. Everything from creating profiles to using it as a jointer to cutting dados and rabbits, the router is the tool. The one thing I ALWAYS hated was trying to get the desired height adjustment from my router mounted in my table saw extension wing. Not only did I have to bend down under the table to get to the cam lock lever that secures it to the base, but you needed two hands when adjusting it up or down... one to hold it in place and another to work the cam lock. This leaves no hand to hold a ruler to see if the height is correct. And most of the time, with the Porter-Cable router I have, the router would change heights when I tightened the cam lock. And with some router bits I could not adjust it low enough before it was coming out of the base.Now with the Mast-R-Lift I have no more frustrations. I would have bought this thing years ago, but it seemed a bit too expensive for the amount of woodworking I do. Let me tell you... even if you only do one project a year that you need to use a router on, it is well worth the money spent for the aggrivation saved. No, you can't zero out the dial indicator as some have pointed out, but it is not all that necessary to do this and definitely not a deal killer. The micro adjustments that can be made are fantastic. One full turn of the height adjuster is 1/16" of an inch, so it's not difficult to find your "zero" and adjust your bit to the proper height.As an example of saving time and frustration, the last project I did was a crib, changing table, and chest of drawers for my brother and his wife. I was at the assembly stage on the chest of drawers and a piece of trim which ran around the bottom of the cabinet that I had routed a profile on got messed up and was not useable. This piece had to mate to another piece at the corner with a 45 degree miter, so it really needed to come from wood that had all been routed at the same time so the profile height would be the same. With the Mast-R-Lift I was able to match the profile perfectly in a matter of minutes by making small height adjustments and checking it against the part it was mating to. I never would have been able to do this without this tool. I might have gotten close, I might have even lucked out and matched it exactly... maybe... but it would have taken forever and I might have just settled for 'good enough'. For me, just that one issue made the purchase worth every penny. Now I look forward to using my router table.