Beechwood Chip Posted November 26, 2024 Report Posted November 26, 2024 I've got a Jessem router lift that I bought ages ago. I seem to recall it was on sale as a discontinued model. Anyway, I just noticed that it doesn't hold it's height setting. If I set it so that the dial reads 1/64, after routing four sides of a raised panel (only taking off 1/64th more than the previous pass), the dial will read a couple ticks higher than 1/64. This was consistent. It was weird to me that it should be higher; I'd expect if there was movement then the router would drop due to gravity and the pressure of the wood. Any thoughts? Is this a common problem? Is there a known fix? Do I need to buy a new router lift? I figure someone will tell me to contact Jessem customer service. I will, but it's more convenient to ask you guys, first. Quote
wtnhighlander Posted November 27, 2024 Report Posted November 27, 2024 If there is no locking mechanism, maybe vibration is working the adjustment screw in the upward direction? Any chance the work might brush against the adjustment wheel enough to move it? 2 Quote
Beechwood Chip Posted November 27, 2024 Author Report Posted November 27, 2024 I don't know of any locking mechanism. The work was fully covering the dial, so it should be pushing equally on both sides? I'll see if I can move it by pushing with my fingers. [time passes] Hmmm, interesting: the dial is slightly below the table, so I doubt that the work sliding over the table would push on it but, I was able to turn the dial by pressing hard on it with my finger in a circular motion and, when I turned the dial in that way, the crank did not move, so I assume the height didn't change which makes sense, since I doubt I'd be able to raise the heavy router by rubbing on the dial with my finger I'm going to assume that the router height didn't actually change. I might do an experiment where I keep cutting rabbets until the dial moves, and then check with a caliper to see if the bit height changed. I guess the dial position is only useful when setting up for a pass; you can't set it at zero, cut some wood, change the setting, cut some more wood, and then set it back to zero and assume you're at the first position. Thanks for the ideas! 2 Quote
Mark J Posted November 27, 2024 Report Posted November 27, 2024 16 hours ago, Beechwood Chip said: If I set it so that the dial reads 1/64, after routing four sides of a raised panel (only taking off 1/64th more than the previous pass), the dial will read a couple ticks higher than 1/64. This was consistent. After the fourth pass (side) routing the panel did you see (or feel) any misalignment of the cove at the junction of the fourth and first pass? A "couple of ticks" on that dial is a very tiny amount, but if there is a misalignment, then the lift is definitely "lifting". If not than the difference may be undetectable or maybe the lift is fine and it's the dial. If I understood you, you were able to move the dial while holding the crank handle fixed. Is there a set screw for the dial? If you have a fine tip Sharpie you could draw a line from, say, zero on the dial across to the crank socket. Then it should be easier to see if the two are moving relative to each other. Any tension adjuster on the lift itself? 1 Quote
Tom King Posted November 27, 2024 Report Posted November 27, 2024 Could the bit be creeping in the collet? It does happen when a collet gets worn. I don't know why they wear out, but they do. 2 Quote
Popular Post Beechwood Chip Posted November 27, 2024 Author Popular Post Report Posted November 27, 2024 So, when I was routing the panel I was pressing very hard down on the work piece to make sure I got an even cut. I was using the guard over the bit to keep my fingers clear, so I realize now I was pressing down hard right over the dial. What discovered by testing is that I could move the dial by pressing down hard with my finger and rotating it. I put the crank in and marked the position, and then removed it and rotated the dial with my finger. When the dial had turned about 45 degrees I put the crank back in and it lined up with my earlier mark. So, I think the dial is moving independently of the crank and the bit height is not actually changing. I don't know how the dial is secured to the crank shaft. I'll look for a set screw - it would be nice if I could tighten something and fix the problem. If not, I can live with it. In the future I'll press down on the work piece to the sides of the bit, over the table, instead of in front of the bit where the dial is. I also remember that I could put feather boards in the router table fence to hold the work piece down, and I'll do that in the future. I think mostly I was pressing down really hard in the wrong place. Thanks all for the ideas and suggestions! 3 Quote
curlyoak Posted November 27, 2024 Report Posted November 27, 2024 I have a jessem. Mine has 2 things to crank. up and down. and lock or unlock. As I recall the customer service is friendly and helpful. Probably best source. 1 Quote
Von Posted November 27, 2024 Report Posted November 27, 2024 Could it be backlash, similar to adjusting the blade in a hand plane? 1 Quote
Popular Post Beechwood Chip Posted November 27, 2024 Author Popular Post Report Posted November 27, 2024 On 11/27/2024 at 2:22 PM, curlyoak said: I have a jessem. Mine has 2 things to crank. up and down. and lock or unlock. As I recall the customer service is friendly and helpful. Probably best source. Jessem customer support got back to me very quickly. It turns out that I have the very first version of the Mast-R-Lift, and it didn't have a lock. They offered some suggestions for preventing the bit height changing, but as it turns out that's not my problem. 4 Quote
Beechwood Chip Posted November 27, 2024 Author Report Posted November 27, 2024 On 11/27/2024 at 2:31 PM, Von said: Could it be backlash, similar to adjusting the blade in a hand plane? No, because the dial moves securely with the crank. It's just that it can be physically moved without turning the crank if I push hard enough. I'm willing to call it user error. 2 Quote
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