Guide · Insert plates
Plate levelers, ledges and snugger screws
How JessEm, Kreg and INCRA support a router plate: perimeter set screws and snuggers, Kreg's PRS3040 levelers and screw lengths, and INCRA's CleanSweep Adaptor.
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Short answer
A router plate sits either on a rabbeted ledge in the opening or on levelers fastened under the table top. The lift or plate maker says which it expects and what leveling hardware it supplies, so read that before you buy a plate, a lift or a set of levelers.
Two ways to hold a plate
A rabbeted opening has a step around its inside edge for the plate to rest on. A straight-sided opening has no step, so the plate rests on plate levelers screwed to the underside of the top. Either way, small screws let you bring the plate flush with the table surface.
JessEm: set screws and snuggers
JessEm's Mast-R-Lift II manual levels the lift in the opening with ten set screws around the plate perimeter, adjusting the four corners first and then the sides.[1] The manual supplies adjustable snugger bars to take up play in the opening.[1] The Rout-R-Lift II manual describes the same ten set screws, with "snugger buttons".[2]
A snugger pushes sideways against the edge of the opening, so the plate cannot shift in a slightly oversized hole. Leveling screws set height; snuggers set position.
Kreg: a rabbet or the PRS3040 levelers
Kreg's insert-plate instructions describe two mountings: a rabbeted table opening, or a straight-sided opening with Kreg's insert plate levelers, sold separately.[3]
Kreg's PRS3040 levelers attach to the underside of the top, so the plate needs no supporting rabbet.[4] The system uses eight 1/4-20 x 1-1/2 in leveling set screws and four lock-down screws.[4] Kreg's wording that the plate "stays flush regardless of the weight applied" is its own claim.
Top thickness matters. Kreg says the 1-1/4 in coarse-thread screws supplied with the PRS3040 are meant for tops at least 1 in thick.[4] It warns that on thinner tops the screws may come through the surface or lack hold, and its plate manual says to use your own shorter screws.[4]
Fine Woodworking's 2018 review of the Kreg PRS5000 lift noted that it has no leveling screws under the plate and relies on separate leveling hardware.[5] Kreg's Q&A says the PRS3040 levelers work only with Kreg plates.[6]
INCRA: the CleanSweep Adaptor
INCRA says tables without a rabbeted ledge, such as Kreg and JessEm tables, need its CleanSweep Table Adapter to support its Mast-R-Lift II.[7] The adaptor has ten built-in plate levelers, 5/16-18 x 1-1/2 in socket-head fasteners, and can be used with or instead of a table's corner levelers.[8] INCRA says it works only with openings sized for the 9-1/4 x 11-3/4 in plate.[8]
| Maker | Support method | Hardware the maker describes |
|---|---|---|
| JessEm Mast-R-Lift II | Set screws in the plate | Ten perimeter set screws, snugger bars |
| Kreg plates | Rabbet, or PRS3040 levelers | Eight 1/4-20 leveling screws, four lock-downs |
| INCRA Mast-R-Lift II in a ledge-less table | CleanSweep Adaptor | Ten 5/16-18 levelers |
What we do not cover
We give no cutting or rabbeting steps for a table top. Follow the table or leveler maker's instructions.
A lift with leveling built in
JessEm's Mast-R-Lift II levels with its own set screws and snuggers, per its manual. Ask JessEm whether your table's opening suits that method.
Picks that fit2 products
Choose the JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120 (9-1/4 x 11-3/4 in plate), which carries its own ten set screws and snuggers.
More on choosing
Choose the Kreg PRS4036 plate for a Porter-Cable 690/890 or Bosch 1617 base, and pair it with a rabbet or Kreg's PRS3040 levelers. On Amazon, check that 'Ships from / Sold by' shows Amazon.com or the brand.
Widest published router chart
JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120 router lift (9‑1/4 x 11‑3/4 in plate)
Predrilled for Porter-Cable 690/890 and Bosch 1617
Kreg PRS4036 Precision Router Table Insert Plate, predrilled for Porter-Cable and Bosch
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Questions
Do I need plate levelers?
Only if your opening has no rabbeted ledge, or your plate maker expects them. Kreg's plates mount either in a rabbet or on its PRS3040 levelers.[3]
Will Kreg levelers work with another brand's plate?
Kreg's Q&A says the PRS3040 levelers work only with Kreg plates, and its instructions tell users of other plates to check their plate's instructions.[6][4]
My table top is thinner than 1 in: what screws?
Kreg says the supplied 1-1/4 in screws are for tops at least 1 in thick, and to use your own shorter screws on thinner tops.[4]
What does a snugger do?
It takes up side-to-side play between the plate and the opening. JessEm's Mast-R-Lift II manual supplies adjustable snugger bars for this.[1]