Router problem

pointer28

Hi all,

I have a problem with my router which someone here may be able to help me with.

It's only a cheap Aldi router that I bought with cutters last year and it doesn't get much use, only just for trimming the edges of plywood or for straightening up cuts after the handsaw.

My problem is that the cutter keeps dropping in the holder when I use it. I have it tightened as tight as I possibly can but I don't understand why it does this.

Is there something very obvious that I'm doing wrong? I'm not a carpenter BTW, just like making a few animal houses and stuff for myself.

Any help appreciated.

slimjimmc

Routers have different size collets and cutter bits come with different size shanks to match (12 mm, 10 mm, 3/8 inch, 8 mm and ¼ inch and 6 mm) . Any chance the bit you're using is too small for the collet? There may be a second collet in the kit which you can swap over.

pointer28

Thanks slimjimmc

I thought I was using the proper sized collar tbh, it feels nice and snug when I put the cutter in and it used to work fine. It's only recently that this problem has started and is getting worse.

Is it possibly just the cheap Aldi cutters are the problem?

jack of all

Are the collet and the cutter shank clean- free from dust and resin? Try removing any build up of dirt with some fine steel wool and see how it goes.

pointer28

Thank Jack Of All,

I'll try that and see what happens. I'm a bit clueless about routers and I suppose I just expected it to work like a drill.

When you put in the cutter and tighten the nut, there is a button to press to stop the shaft rotating which is not very strong at all. What I mean is, the button is not firm enough to hold the shaft when you put any pressure on the spanner at all.

antiskeptic

pointer28 wrote: »

Thank Jack Of All,

I'll try that and see what happens. I'm a bit clueless about routers and I suppose I just expected it to work like a drill.

When you put in the cutter and tighten the nut, there is a button to press to stop the shaft rotating which is not very strong at all. What I mean is, the button is not firm enough to hold the shaft when you put any pressure on the spanner at all.

I've a Hitachi router which has a place to position a spanner on the shaft and a place to position a spanner on the retaining nut. When I had it first, a normal-feeling amount of tightening saw the router bits drop out. I've gotten used to having to give it an extra handful -positioning the two spanners so as to be able to apply decent leverage.

It sounds like lack of tightening is your problem. Any chance you could file some flats on the shaft to fit a spanner too?

slowburner

I've a few routers myself and I bought one of those Aldi ones because I needed a light one (you can never have too many tools ). It is consigned to a dusty corner because the collet is utterly useless, in fact it is probably dangerous. I used it for a while and found it to be very good value for the (short) period that it was able to hold a cutter. It is just not up to the job of holding a cutter at high speed and the spindle locking mechanism doesn't provide enough resistance to tighten the collet sufficiently. My guess is that the steel in the collet is substandard and may even deform under stress or heat.
Maybe both of us were unlucky and we each got a bad one?