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Generally, it is pretty easy to take out the springs of your plunger router.  Why?  So that when you put it in a router table (not my first choice but sometimes you have to do what you have to do), you will not be fighting both gravity and the springs when you try to make adjustments of bit height.  Get yourself a fixed  base router for your table if you can swing it, if not take the springs  out of your plunger router.

It's only a 3 minute job to take them out (again, for most plunge routers) and the same 3 minutes to put them in if you need to do some plunging.  Remember, if you have a router table you will use it for about 3/4 of your routing.  Fixed base hand held routing will handle about 20 percent of your routing needs.  That leaves only about 5%for plunge routing (unless you are doing mortises all day long in which case you might want to consider a mortising machine!

 Ok, how do you take the springs out?  There is usually a threaded rod on most plunger routers that keep the top(motor) from separating from the base.  On top of that threaded rod, there is usually a nut (or two).  It's in front of the left handle on this router.  Remove those nuts and laying the router on its side with the plunge lock against the table, pull the top and bottom apart.  The springs should be evident and removable.  The reason for laying it down this way is that there is usually a small brass pellet that is between the locking handle and the post of the plunger.  That pellet can fall out if the router is in any other position.  It's not the end of the world to put back in, unless you lose it as it rolls under your jointer!  If your router has a fine adjustment handle on it, this may be what you remove in lieu of the nuts.  Wipe off any oil on the posts and wax them with a good carnauba wax (the same one you use on your table saw top).  Put the top and bottom back together and you are ready to mount in your router table!

 One router I should mention in particular that is quite difficult to remove the springs on - the PC 7529.  It is a relatively new router and has lots of nice features but it is a beast to take the springs out of.  You actually have to take the motor apart, replace the brushes, and much  more.  It can be done but it's not easy to get it apart and worse to get it back together.  Get yourself a 1 1/2 HP fixed base to install in the table if you have a PC 7529!

Copyright 2001 - Jim Stafford - Developer and teacher of the Routercraft series of classes.