Musclechuck router collet

[prov163]

I bought a Musclechuck router collet at the Atlanta Woodworking Show. I saw Rollie Johnson's video review and was intrigued. I spoke to him at the show and he reinforced how well made it is and how well it works. I bought one for my PC 7618 which is installed in my Woodpecker's router table. I tell you that only so that you know the conditions in which I use it. I've been using it for about 4 months  

1.  It is very well made. Great machining. Easy to install. Just replace your standard collet with the Musclechuck and tighten it (not over tight) down.  Rollie mentioned the possibility of wobble and said just reinstall and it should be fine. I had no problems at all. 

2. Installing bits is a little strange at first. Instead of "pushing" the router bit into the collet, you just insert it and let it go. It will gently slide down on its own. That's a testament to the incredible tolerances. Once it stops, just pull it up into position. At this point you tighten a set screw, again, not over tight, and you're ready to set your height and fence as normal, and rout. Bit changes are a breeze. 

3.  The Musclechuck is made for 1/2" shank bits, but there are reducers to get you to other bit sizes including metric. This is the only place I had a problem. My 1/4" reducer didn't work right. It would seat in the collet but bits wouldn't go deeper than an 1/8" in, clearly too dangerous to use. I checked everything I could think of, then finally emailed the company, DeRosa Engineering in Maryland. The next morning I had a reply from the owner, John DeRosa.  He told me to send it to him and he'd look at it and get it fixed. I shipped everything to him on a Tuesday. It took a couple of days to get to him. He called me the same day he received it and told me what was wrong and sent it back to me fixed - even included another 1/4 reducer. He sent it Priority Mail. The whole process took less than a week to resolve. Which brings me to the final observation. 

4.  The customer service is phenomenal. This is what's right with America today. I asked John if he had other products in the works and he indicated he did but wouldn't give me any details. I can tell you that whatever it is, if it's woodworking related, I'm going to try it. 

I don't want to break any rules here, but I recommend you check them out. They are reasonably priced for the quality you get. You don't "have" to have one, but once you do, you'll wonder why you waited so long. You can find them at www.musclechuck.com.

[weithman5]

i have an email in to them to find out what type i would use for a skil 1830 router. i suspect it is the same as the bosch 1617 (type 4) just would like to confirm

[Immortan D]

I have the Xtreme Xtension and couldn't be happier.

[bglenden]

I had the Xtreme Xtension and returned it. It was very well machined etc, but it just added more height to my router than I wanted.

Cheers,
Brian

[gee-dub]

Good listing of types and the routers they fit:

 

http://www.woodline.com/p-2768-musclechuck-camless-quick-change-chucks.aspx