Review - Router Raizr

My lovely wife bought me a second hand Dyco router table including the Triton TRA001 router for $250 second hand. The table is a floor model with a cast iron top and fence with a nice 4" dust extraction port cast into the fence. The fence has screw adjustors with an aluminium secondary fence to adjust it parallel. The table has a mitre slot as well so I can use my mitre from my table saw or make jigs for various specialised applications. The table is not large but well made, sturdy and has excellent features.

On arrival the router was secured to the table using a pair of long screws with phenolic knobs and nuts with small steel plates. The plates sat on the router base with small wood blocks between the plates and the table to keep the plates parallel so as to secure the router. It was functional but with a number of issues. First it was not really secure in my view. A good sized bit, some high power cutting and I could see the router slipping. Second there was no over the table adjustment. Admitedly the TRA001 has a very nice adjustment but it was tricky to get it just right with the combination of adjustments from under the table. The table would tilt up using a screw and arm but this seemed rather cumbersome.

After looking at a number of after market solutions I decided to buy the Router Raizr. The Australian supplier Woodwork Supplies offer a cut down TRA001 kit for $90.91 (I paid $100 plus $14 shipping) which is excellent value. It took less than a week to arrive after ordering mine. Router Raizr is one of the few US companies that do not rort the market using restrictive inflationary policies (see Micro Jig). The Router Raizr replaces the routers lifting mechanism with its own by fitting parts into the side post. It has an adjustment knob on the top of the router and has a long hex arm that fits through the base into the post to adjust through the base of the router, thus enabling through the top height adjustments. The two standard kits come with a plethora of parts to suite a multitude of router models but the TRA100 kit has only the parts for the Triton and is therefore $25 cheaper. It also comes with comprehensive instructions for modifying the router and fitting the Router Raizr parts as well as templates for drilling your router table.

It took me about 2 hours to fit the Router Raizr parts to my TRA001 router. Mine is an older model, not the early model but somewhere in between I think. Possibly about 4 years old or so but it has seen little work. I checked the brushes and they appear to be original and show little wear. Although the Router Raizr should fit any TRA001 the nylon bush that went through the base into the post was a very tight fit and the adjusting arm ended up very tight and as a consequence is hard to adjust. I am hoping that it will loosen over time. As I used it initially it did become easier to adjust but in hindsight I would have trimmed the bush slightly to make it slightly easier to adjust. This may have been due to slight tolerances in this particular revision of the Triton TRA001 router or maybe a few thou difference in the post size. As a result I cannot use the knob on the top of the router for height adjustment since it is still too stiff. In theory I could remove the nylon bush and trim it ever so slightly but it would mean completely removing the Raizr mechanism form the router and possibly damaging some of the components but it would be a major exercise and I will just put up with it until wear and usage makes it easier to adjust.

After modifying the router I then copied the base plate template and then stuck it to the table using spray adhesive. I oriented the template so that I cuold easily access the lifter mechanism form the front of the table and to access the power switch by reaching under the table. It is necessary to turn the switch on the router off and slide a plastic cover over the switch in order to raise the router high enough to enable the spindle lock. I then drilled and countersunk two 6mm clearance holes for the two mounting screws to mount the base directly to the table and then drilled a 1/2" raizr adjustment hole. An aluminium adapter is supplied which is tapped into the hole to take the steel plug to prevent shaving from clogging the adjustment hole. Several spare plugs are supplied which need to be carefully stored where you will find them in the event that you loose the original. I then used 1/4" countersunk screws to mount the router (I removed the plastic face plate since it seemed superfluous).

After using the router now for a number of operations both before and after installing the Router Raizr It is very much easier adjusting the router with the Raizr. It makes setting the height of the router very easy. For the (what was) the $114 investment was well worth the money and was very much cheaper that any of the the other alternatives. The one disadvantage is that I cannot use it to swap over to another router but that is really incidental at this stage. If I do ever upgrade I will probably invest in a table with an inbuilt raising mechanism.

The instructions were comprehensive but not well laid out. They could well do with a good edit to make them clearer and easier to follow. All the information was there but somewhat confusing. The kit came with everything required to fit the Router Raizr except for some general tools such as a hammer, a drill, and (in my case) a cold chisel for expanding the split pins. My model had slightly larger holes for the split pins (this was covered in the instructions) which meant that I had to use a hammer and a small cold chisel to expand the pins so that they would grip the holes. The parts are well machined and manufactured and (with the exception of the nylon bushing and split pins) fit well and goes together as expected when you follow the instructions. Anyone with a modicum of skill could fit the Router Raizr and it is certainly well with the skill level of your average woodworker to fit the kit to the Triton TRA001 router.

The TRA001 Router Raizr kit is well made and converts your under table adjustment to an over the table adjustment. At just over $100 it is excellent value for money. The number of routers it fits is limited so it would only make sense if you already had one of these models such as the Triton TRA001. The skill level required is moderate and well within your average home handyman or woodworker. My only criticism is the rather disorderly layout of the instructions but this is only a minor criticism since the information is there when you look for it.

If, like me you are on a budget and you have a compatible model then the the Router Raizr is certainly worth a look if you want to convert your router for over the table adjustment.