Why to not use a cheap router

[DaveO]

Why???? Cheap collets! I was routing grooves for drawer runners in the sides of some drawers - 1/4" deep x 1/2" wide in 1/2" Baltic Birch ply. I had already cut 6-7 of them. I noticed that they were a hair deeper than my guides, no prob. clearance for any seasonal movement. Then I ran one more and when I pulled it off the table this is what I discovered


Begining of groove:

Ending of groove:

One layer of veneer separated the bit from my fingers. I had to change my drawers, not to mention remake the drawer side. :saw: :BangHead:

Dave

 

[D L Ames]

Holy Cow Dave.8-O Sounds like seasonal movement wasn't the only kind of movement involved. I hope you where using some push blocks with stock that narrow.

Is your first photo your first drawer side and the second photo the last drawer side you cut? Or is that opposite ends of the same drawer side?

D L

 

[Big Mike]

Dave, the word for the day is "PUSH BLOCKS". I have a friend on another forum who ran her fingers through a window frame molding bit on her router table. Let this be a lesson to us all, USE PUSH STICKS and BLOCKS!
I am glad to hear that the only damage was to your drawers and a little bit of wood. They sell more wood but fingers are hard to come by....

 

[DaveO]

DL, that was the begining and end of the cut on one piece of wood. The bit climbed out of the collet that much in 7". Big Mike push blocks are now going to be used!!! And when I am done with this project, the next one will be my router table so I can mount my Dewalt router which should have a lesser chance of this happening. But I will still use push blocks with it.

Dave

 

[D L Ames]

Wow, unbelievable!8-O I glad you didn't get hurt and luckily your not having to did that router bit out of your shop ceiling.

D L

 

[McRabbet]

One very important addition for everyone -- make certain that you do not seat your router bits on the small transition fillet at the junction of the shaft with the bit. This is a common cause of the problem that DaveO encountered. Bits will not only loosen, but may wobble ever-so-slightly, causing an oversized cut.:-( I recommend dropping a "Space Ball" in the bottom of the collet to insure that the bit extends above that fillet.
(For those that don't know about them, "Space Balls" are small round rubber balls that are used in raised panels to keep the panel floating.)
Rob

 

[D L Ames]

(For those that don't know about them, "Space Balls" are small round rubber balls that are used in raised panels to keep the panel floating.)
Rob

Thanks for the clarification Rob. I was just heading out to the shop to see if I could figure out how to stuff the copy of my Space Balls DVD into my router collet.:eusa_doh:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
D L

 

[Monty]

I recommend dropping a "Space Ball" in the bottom of the collet to insure that the bit extends above that fillet.

Yep. I use a little ½" washer from a faucet repair kit. Keeps the bit from going too far down in the collet.

The problem with that little fillet area (shown in red in the picture below) is that it keeps the collet from closing tightly around the bit. In a router table that might lead to vibration and bit creep, but in a hand-held position the bit may actually fall out!!! Ever tried dodging a flying router bit darting around the shop at 20,000+ rpm?!?!? 8-O

 

[DaveO]

In my defense, I know about not setting the bit to far in the collet. I usually bottom it out and then pull it up about a 1/16". That wasn't the cause of this problem. It was a cheap Craftsman router collet. The size of the "jaws" compared to my PC or DW is tiny.

But the information about not setting your bit in to far is very relevent for many, so thanks for the tip.
Dave

 

[Monty]

Ah, yes.... the infamous Craftsman self-adjusting collet! :lol:



BTW, not trying to insult your intelligence with that tip above... it's just that router newbies might not know this. There is a second advantage to using a washer like I described, instead of just lifting the bit up "a bit". If you have a matched set of bits (like frame & panel sets), you can bottom the bits out on the washer, and they will all be the same cutting depth -- no need to adjust the depth when you change between rail & stile bits, for example.

 

[cpowell]

Well, it's clear to me that you need to buy a new router!!

I am glad that you didn't get hurt. Thanks for sharing with us. That serves as a wake-up call for safety.

 

[junquecol]

Were you using an up cut spirial bit? If so, the cutting action is always trying to pull bit out of collet. Check out the reverse helix, screw on cutters from Her-Saf. This is the bit that I use for most dados in cabinets. For drawer bottoms, I use Freud dado blade (SD-208) For 1/4 BB, I use two outside cutters with a shim in between. I also have a dedicated ZC insert for this cut.

 

[golfdad]

Dave that happened to me once with a Craftsman router. The height adjuster worked loose and I did not notice it. It tried a second time so off to the dumpster she went. Your lucky you still have all those fingers.

 

[DavidF]

I have had a bit move in the collet too - ruined the dado, only option was to make a matching inlay then re-route. A lot of work. In that case I think it was the small amout of rust that the shanks aquire in a randomly heated shop causing the collet not to grip. These days I always check and give them a quick polish before use.

 

[fsdogwood]

About not put the router bit to the end/bottom of the collar, it was
suggested that you put a O-ring (available at the BORG) in the bottom
if you are using a table mount router.
For details, check out http://woodshopdemos.com, there are the
procedure about how to prepare and mount the Hitachi M12V into
the table, and the O-ring was mentioned here.

The Craftsman router even got a label for its ability of random height
self adjustment, if you care to check the rec.woodworking newsgroup.

 

[DavidF]

A spacer is all well and good, but the shafts on my set of bits varys enormously and a spacer that would support a long shaft would stll let a short one go too far in - Whats wrong with just looking before you tighten the collet?

 

[NCPete]

What????? you mean we should be careful when working with dangerous power tools????


Remember, always wear these, your safety glasses...

 

[Dullblade]

My router came with a DVD that had a safety section that warned you should leave the 1/8 inch from dead bottom out. The reason they gave was that the slight bevel or weld crown would swell when the bit heats and thus causing the bit to rise and the collet to loosen a bit. I check the setting religously each time I use it.:eusa_clap​

 

[Mark Fogleman]

Has anyone used a "Space Balls" ball in their router collet? I picked up a few bags of these at the Greensboro show. Worried they may melt if I need to do prolonged routing.
Thanks!
Mark

 

[McRabbet]

Mark, I think they will hold up fine for use in a 1/4" Collet -- I'd use a sink washer for a 1/2" collet. Try it and see if they soften any after routing. (I was always one to ask for forgiveness rather than permission!)

Rob