Rex Edgar Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 I replaced the router in my table and added a manual lift. The router is the Milwaukee Tools 5626 3 1/2 HP model. My problem is the collet. It is a tapered collet and when the 1/2” shank bit is secured in the tool it is a major hassle to try to remove the bit, even when the lock nut is removed altogether. I shouldn’t need pliers and the like to remove bit. Any thoughts, experiences? I called the company and they are replacing the collet; I just am not confident this will remedy the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Never tighten a collet with the bit bottomed out. Vibration can cause it to loosen in certain situations, but it can also make it hard to loosen at times. If you loosen the nut quite a bit then whack the bit with a piece of wood sideways that usually works for me. My Porter Cable 690 router collets have a snap ring that holds the collet inside the nut. When you loosen it enough turns it pulls up on the collet to loosen it. Always check & keep the collet, threads and the tapered socket clean. Maybe blow out the dust or use a round brush on any deposits. Never wax or lube this area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 You'd be hard pressed to bottom out a bit in that router. The hole in the arbor is nearly 2" deep before narrowing to less than 1/2". Let's review the trouble spot. Are you saying the bit is stuck in the hole in the armature or stuck in the collet? That is, does the collet nut, collet and bit all come off as a stuck together unit if you unscrew the collet nut from the threaded end of the armature assembly? The theory of operation is that having a bit secured in the router that you want to remove, the initial wrench-loosening of the collet nut, frees the nut to be unwound until it butts into the 'mechanism' that frees the bit. The next wrench-loosening of the collet nut frees the bit. If this second application of the wrenches is not freeing the bit and this behavior is present with different makes of bit, the collet would indeed be suspect. If it only happens on one or two bits, the bits would be suspect. If the bit is stuck in the hole in the armature, kudos to you, that took some effort and an unusually long bit shaft. I have had a 3-1/2" long 1/2" diameter spiral bit drop into the armature to the point of stopping but, this is way deeper than I would actually use the bit as the flutes would be inside the collet. I would never tighten a collet nut in this situation. BTW, I have two of those routers. I couldn't be happier with this locomotive of a router. One has been in the router table non-stop since 2008. I read about variable speed circuits, switches and bearings going out on table routers while all these things have ever done is just run and run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 14 minutes ago, gee-dub said: You'd be hard pressed to bottom out a bit in that router. The hole in the arbor is nearly 2" deep before narrowing to less than 1/2". Let's review the trouble spot. Are you saying the bit is stuck in the hole in the armature or stuck in the collet? That is, does the collet nut, collet and bit all come off as a stuck together unit if you unscrew the collet nut from the threaded end of the armature assembly? The theory of operation is that having a bit secured in the router that you want to remove, the initial wrench-loosening of the collet nut, frees the nut to be unwound until it butts into the 'mechanism' that frees the bit. The next wrench-loosening of the collet nut frees the bit. If this second application of the wrenches is not freeing the bit and this behavior is present with different makes of bit, the collet would indeed be suspect. If it only happens on one or two bits, the bits would be suspect. If the bit is stuck in the hole in the armature, kudos to you, that took some effort and an unusually long bit shaft. I have had a 3-1/2" long 1/2" diameter spiral bit drop into the armature to the point of stopping but, this is way deeper than I would actually use the bit as the flutes would be inside the collet. I would never tighten a collet nut in this situation. BTW, I have two of those routers. I couldn't be happier with this locomotive of a router. One has been in the router table non-stop since 2008. I read about variable speed circuits, switches and bearings going out on table routers while all these things have ever done is just run and run. This router has no “second stage” when releasing the lock nut. I have a PC model which has the collet connected to the locknut by a snap ring. The Milwaukee model will allow the lock nut to be removed completely if the bit is of a small enough diameter. With the locknut completely removed, the bit is still jam tight. This has happened with every bit, even with the 1/4” adaptor. Thanks for the reply, other than that, I am happy with the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Sorry if I wasn’t clear. The collet and bit stay in the router when the locknut is released/removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Back before Porter Cable came out with the self-releasing collet, all bits got stuck in any router. It was one of the main reasons I started accumulating dedicated routers back in the '70's. I have always said that the self-releasing chuck was one of the greatest woodworking inventions ever. I don't have that big Milwaukee, but do have a few of the smaller ones, that are all new within the last ten years, and they all have self-releasing collets. Hopefully, the replacement they're sending you will be self-releasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Rex Edgar said: Sorry if I wasn’t clear. The collet and bit stay in the router when the locknut is released/removed. It sounds like your collet nut is not appropriately attached to the collet. The collet nut should not come free of the collet without purposely being removed for the purpose of service/replacement of collet or nut. If the nut just "comes off" when unscrewed, the "release" function never occurs. In my manual this collet assembly/disassembly is explained/shown on page 6. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 7 minutes ago, gee-dub said: It sounds like your collet nut is not appropriately attached to the collet. The collet nut should not come free of the collet without purposely being removed for the purpose of service/replacement of collet or nut. If the nut just "comes off" when unscrewed, the "release" function never occurs. In my manual this collet assembly/disassembly is explained/shown on page 6. RTFM! I just looked at the manual and on page six it states that the collet and the locknut need to be “assembled.” I’ll try this in the morning...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Operator error! The collet and locknut need to be manually pressed together; I would have thought that the tool came ready for use without looking at the manual. It isn’t the first one.....Thanks for reading and replying. I did call customer service and explained the situation; the rep never brought it up..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Rex Edgar said: Operator error! The collet and locknut need to be manually pressed together; I would have thought that the tool came ready for use without looking at the manual. It isn’t the first one.....Thanks for reading and replying. I did call customer service and explained the situation; the rep never brought it up..... Maybe they assumed you RTFM'd? Good thing you got it figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Edgar Posted July 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 That’s why “RTFM” is a part of our lexicon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 19 hours ago, Rex Edgar said: RTFM! I just looked at the manual and on page six it states that the collet and the locknut need to be “assembled.” I’ll try this in the morning...... Glad that worked out. The forum has given me so much help I am glad to be able to give a little something back Quote I did call customer service and explained the situation; the rep never brought it up..... I was curious why they didn't hit on that. Having about a half a dozen Mil's in the shop I'm tuned in to them a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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