MAJOR ROUTER PROBLEMS


Hammer5573

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A few months ago I posted about my Triton router table motor that stopped working . I checked and found out that the warranty had expired so I purchased a Porter-Cable 3.25 hp motor and installed it in my Kreg router lift. I used it for about one hour and it made a loud sound (sounded like when a car bearing goes bad). and, although it has power, makes a sound like its full of metal pieces. I was profiling a piece of maple running the motor at maximum RPM when it happened. I know that when they run at high RPM they produce a lot of centripetal force. I checked to see that it was properly installed in the lift and it was BUT I noticed that the lift permitted about 3/16" vertical (up/down) movement (what my mechanic friends call "slop"). Is this movement typical; could it be the source of my problem...?

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Is the slop in the router itself or in the bit? I’m guessing you snapped something in the router. 
If the router itself moves, you need a new lift. That is way too much movement for a lift to be usable. Maybe the initial noise was the lift giving way and the resulting movement damaged the router. 

How did the work piece turn out? Is there any evidence of the bit wandering or grabbing?

Lots of potential causes.

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5 hours ago, Hammer5573 said:

I was profiling a piece of maple running the motor at maximum RPM when it happened.

You have to pay attention to this.  You can't automatically run your router at max RPM, you have to adjust the speed based on the diameter of the bit.  Small diameter bits can take high RPM but the larger the bit the slower the RPM needs to be.

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IM AWARE THAT I MUST SLOW THE ROUTER WHEN USING LARGER BITS.  THIS BIT WAS NOT LARGE, IT WAS AN EDGE PROFILING BIT. THE MOVEMENT IS NOT THE ROUTER SHAFT, ITS THE WHOLE MOTOR THAT'S PROPERLY MOUNTED IN THE LIFT. THE LIFT IS ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS OLD AND HASNT BEEN USED THAT MUCH. I THINK I NEED TO HAVE A TALK WITH THE MANUFACTUROR (KREG)…?

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5 hours ago, Hammer5573 said:

I THINK I NEED TO HAVE A TALK WITH THE MANUFACTUROR (KREG)…?

This is probably a good next step.  When I got my Incra table and Lift (lift is made by Jessum) the instructions for adjusting the lift, based on the type of motor you were sticking in it were less then helpful.  The motor was mounting a heavy fuzz off center.  I called Incra and in about thirty seconds he had me understanding what I needed to adjust and all is perfect now.

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No problem, we all hit caps lock every now and then :-)

So just to recap; the router motor is firmly installed in the lift, the lift carriage lock is engaged, the entire motor and lift mechanism shifts up and down 3/16 of an inch. If I have all of this correct then yes, I would assume something has happened in the lift. I am not sure of the construction of that lift. Does it have a quick release mechanism?

 

 

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16 hours ago, Hammer5573 said:

Boy do I feel bad...! Just the thought of sounding disrespectful to all of you knowledgeable people makes me feel terrible. I assure you that my posts in CAPS were not intended to mean anything...I just wasn't thinking

Good, cause I was about to walk over to Wheeling and thump you.

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On 10/29/2019 at 9:31 AM, Mark J said:

So does the router motor run properly whrn it is out of the lift?  Or has the motor been damaged?

I took the motor to a relative who repairs them. Apparently the vibration caused by the slop in the router lift caused the tapered set screw that keeps the motor shaft seated in the lower bearing vibrated loose and caused the lower bearing to fall away from the motor shaft. We pressed the bearing back into place, secured the set screw, and it runs like new.

An inspection of the router lift looks like a spacer was not inserted during the assembly process causing the vibration. Kreg Tools has provided me with a new one.

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