Death be to my Router

[ejs1097]

I started a simple small project this weekend. A corner L shaped shelf to go above a child's oak table. The plan was to use 3 iron shelf brackets. I'd tie the L together with a rabbit on both butting pieces. Might take 60-90 minutes for all the milling thinks I.

I've been using a 2 HP craftsman router with dial depth.

On the second of 3 passes for the rabbits (mounted in table), the second piece didn't cut any wood. This is strange. Then on further review, the depth stop wasn't holding and depth would sink a good 1/8" or more. Nothing I could try was fixing the problem.

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem. I've heard negative comments about this router before here but I've never had a problem with the router. This seems to me to be a worn out stop. Not sure how to fix that.

Anyone have this problem and was able to fix it?

Seems like a good excuse to get that MV12 I've been wanting for a while (there goes the surface planner savings). Is there any drawbacks to getting the MV12 with both bases compared to the plunge router?

Needless to say the shelf and some other projects due in Jan-Feb are on hiatus

[linear]

On your current router, sounds a little like the bit isn't chucked tightly in the collet. That's obviously really dangerous, but also possibly fixable. Collet designs vary, but until I found out on mine (I have a fixed Milwaukee) that there's a conical interior sleeve threaded into the shaft. I periodically have to stick a digit in there and turn it back up to the top so I don't run into a problem like yours.

On The Hitachi topic, there's a bunch of routers with almost identical model numbers. The M12V is the old-school, butt-ugly green one that's widely spoken of in high regard. I got one of those too. I keep my fixed base router in the table and use the plunge capability topside. Plunge is a non-feature when you're in a table, but the soft start and speed control are possibly really handy, so a lot of guys here have their green beast in the table.

[Slik Geek]

I've been using a 2 HP craftsman router with dial depth...the depth stop wasn't holding and depth would sink a good 1/8" or more... This seems to me to be a worn out stop. Not sure how to fix that.

Craftsman has so many router variations that I'm not certain which one you have. Is it the EZ lock version? (With a quick cam release that locks the depth in place?) If so, I feel your pain. I nearly threw mine into the junk heap awhile back.

I liked the router for hand-held operations so much, that I thought I would give it one more chance. I found that careful adjustment of the two screws in the EZ lock cam did the job. I also disassembled the collar depth adjustment system, (which is more of a pain than one would imagine), cleaned up the surfaces and applied graphite lube. This improved the smoothness of adjustment of the depth.

Now, I use that router frequently. I like the built in light and chip collection. (The handles too).

[cabinetman]

I'm with Linear on checking the collet and nut. Try not to jamb the shaft of the bit all the way in. You don't want the bit to bottom out. Clean the parts in the assembly for any debris. A little drool may make it come loose. I've been known to drool from time to time (so quit laughing). Anyway, check what is slipping. If it's the depth stop, you may need to figure out how to tighten that. I've got different types of routers and different problems to solve like that. For the ones that have a threaded machine screw that tightens up a case surrounding the router housing, by threading into a locked nut, it might be at a point that it won't get any tighter.

The stop ring type will at times just vibrate loose. So you just have to evaluate what is loose and what you have to do to make it tighter. A lot of the problem is a habit of overtightening over a long period of time. Some materials get stretched out and get fatigued.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[ejs1097]

The bit itself is tight on on the collet. The height adjustment mechanism is slipping.

It's a model 315.275000 I haven't heard of the cam as EZ lock,the manual refers to it as the Clamping Lever. It rotates 90degrees from locked to unlocked (user can't manually set the torque). It's also gotten quite hard to turn as well.

With the height set and you turn the router on, it seems to vibration is causing it to drop. You can watch the adjustment ring rotate as it falls.

I can't really find an easy way to seperate the base from the motor to see the inside of the stop. raising the base doesn't seem to let you 'unscrew' the it off. I raised it up the whole way to try to seperate them, at the least I made sure there wasn't and sawdust of chips on the threads, etc.

[lrr]

I have a really old Craftsman I love (made it 1975). I also have a 2 year old one in a table that I got 2 years ago. One thing I do OFTEN is to blast air down into it to clear out dust. Not that dust is highly likely to be your problem, but it could be. If your router is filling up with sawdust, something may not be closing or latching positively.

If you do not have a compressor for your shop, I'd recommend that as the next purchase. I am continually blasting away at all my tools, even with use of a shop vac at all stations.

And my next purchase really should be a dust collection system, so I will not have to blast away as much as I do ...

[Slik Geek]

It's a model 315.275000 I haven't heard of the cam as EZ lock,the manual refers to it as the Clamping Lever. It rotates 90degrees from locked to unlocked (user can't manually set the torque). It's also gotten quite hard to turn as well.

That's a newer, modified version of my 315.174730. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[gerti]

Ahh... The famous 'self-adjusting' routers... Got a similar model, same problem. I found that making sure you relieve the tension when you sore it helps. Apparently the consistent pressure deforms the plastic body, though thankfully it 'comes back' too if pressure is of for a while.

But if I need something to be perfect I rarely use that router anymore. Seras was not helpful when I brought it in, have not bought much there since.