Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC.

brand new router. any oil on the inside of the collet?

I'd guess that the straight bit with it's smaller diameter applied
less pull to the bore of the collet, so didn't slip, bur the larger
diameter rabbet bit managed to slip.

tighten it down tighter.

"Rusty" wrote in message

it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

Ultra clean collet and bit, and *tight* ... clamp down on that sucker.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 2/20/07

I'm guessing a 12mm shank in a 1/2" collet.
Measure everything to the nearest .001. See if the collet matches the
shank.
http://www.patwarner.com (Routers)
_____________________________




On Feb 26, 12:47 pm, "Rusty" wrote:
Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC.

Hi Rusty

This sounds just too bizarre. You stated that
--------------------
It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit.
--------------------
The retaining screw for the bearing is a righthand affair. The usual
rotational direction of the bit would have further tightened the screw
rubbing on the floor. The 1/2" collet of the Triton 3.5 hp router is a
single piece nut, also righthand. The only explanation I can come with is
very farfetched: it looks like the router motor got in reverse! Hard to
believe.

Had the router spun in reverse direction, it could have loosened the
collet nut. Once the bit got on the floor, maybe a backward spinning bit
could have caused the screw to get undone, but I feel that the torque used
to correctly install the bearing retaining screw would have been sufficient
to keep it in place. Unless the screw broke or the tapped hole for it were
bad, I can't see how the thing got unscrewed.

Very strange, and scary too. I am glad to know you were not hurt...

Andre

On 26 Feb 2007 12:47:00 -0800, "Rusty" wrote:

Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

While you don't want the bit bottomed on the shaft bore, you do want
the end to be at least flush with the bottom of the collet, and maybe
a wee bit past. Don't know for sure how the Triton is designed but on
a Porter-Cable most of the clamping force is applied at the bottom of
the collet (i.e. the one closest to the router body and farthest from
the cutting edge).

Clean both the bit and the collet thoroughly--find a gunshop and get a
..50 caliber bore brush and jag, some cleaning patches, and a pistol
cleaning rod--while you're about it get .25 caliber brush and jag to
clean your quarter inch collets. Even if it seems clean, you'll be
surprised how much crud comes out the first time.

Glad nobody was hurt.

The suggestions thus far seem very reasonable; I would clean the
collet, and measure if possible. You should remove the collet (if
possible) and see how it fits on another bit. I've just tried this on
a Bosch and a PC, both fit snug, with no play.

It really sounds like the bit bottomed out, and vibrated loose (I've
done this, with similar results.) I'm really careful not to let this
happen.

You may want to start over tighten bits. Resist the temptation; this
will lead to a frozen bit. Refer back to your user manual to find the
proper procedure, or call the manufacturer to gain a clear
understanding of properly installing a bit.

Fear of using the tool is dangerous, so don't attempt the operation
again until you understand "what happened."

Over the years, I've done some "dumb" things. I've truly tried to
learn from these events, so I hope you can determine what went wrong,
learn from it, then go out a make more wood chips.

-nick






On Feb 26, 2:36 pm, J. Clarke wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 12:47:00 -0800, "Rusty" wrote:





Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

While you don't want the bit bottomed on the shaft bore, you do want
the end to be at least flush with the bottom of the collet, and maybe
a wee bit past. Don't know for sure how the Triton is designed but on
a Porter-Cable most of the clamping force is applied at the bottom of
the collet (i.e. the one closest to the router body and farthest from
the cutting edge).

Clean both the bit and the collet thoroughly--find a gunshop and get a
.50 caliber bore brush and jag, some cleaning patches, and a pistol
cleaning rod--while you're about it get .25 caliber brush and jag to
clean your quarter inch collets. Even if it seems clean, you'll be
surprised how much crud comes out the first time.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Do not have a lot of experience , but if the cutter bit was installed
backwards or upside down , could this have caused it? In other words the
the back of the cutters was hitting the wood first. Just curious about
this.

"Rusty" wrote in news:1172522820.703765.68960
@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:

Friends,

*snip: Router mishap including a flying bit*


RustyC.


Now we need to wear safety glasses AND A CUP??

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

Make sure that there is no debris in the slots of the collet. If there is
metal from the milling of the collet in those slots the collet will not
tighten properly.
I had a similar problem with the same router when it was brand new but with
the router hanging up side own with less dramatic results. Cleaning the
excess metal shavings out and cleaning the collet solved the problem.



"Rusty" wrote in message
ups.com...
Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC.

"Leon" wrote in message
t...
Make sure that there is no debris in the slots of the collet. If there is
metal from the milling of the collet in those slots the collet will not
tighten properly.
I had a similar problem with the same router when it was brand new but
with the router hanging up side own with less dramatic results. Cleaning
the excess metal shavings out and cleaning the collet solved the problem.



One other thing, since the Triton has a spindle lock and you are using the
router free hand you will have a more difficult time properly tightening the
collet. Even with mine anchored in a router table I am not shy about
tightening the collet. BUT, don't get ridiculous when tightening.

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions. I checked with a caliper and
the bit is 1/2 inch. I am going to give the collet and bit a thorough
once over and cleaning to see if this could have caused the problem.
I also might pick up a cup I can't really address the point about
spin direction, but the motor does spin the bit in the direction
indicated on the router and in the manual.
I really appreciate all the kind and helpful advice. Knowing what to
look for will help me figure this out and hopefully regain some
confidence once I understand.
RustyC.

Rusty wrote:
Thanks all for the helpful suggestions. I checked with a caliper
and the bit is 1/2 inch. I am going to give the collet and bit a
thorough once over and cleaning to see if this could have caused
the problem. I also might pick up a cup I can't really address
the point about spin direction, but the motor does spin the bit in
the direction indicated on the router and in the manual.
I really appreciate all the kind and helpful advice. Knowing what to
look for will help me figure this out and hopefully regain some
confidence once I understand.
RustyC.

One other comment but not apropos to the current situation...

When using downcut spiral bits the bit can sometimes be pulled down
(outward) from the collet. I've never had one come completely out but
I HAVE had them pulled far enough to mess up work. Solution is to
take small cuts.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

dadiOH wrote:

When using downcut spiral bits the bit can sometimes be pulled down
(outward) from the collet.

Wouldn't that be an upcut bit? A downcut bit would be pushed back
towards the router.

Chris

Friends,
Well, I carefully examined and cleaned the collet and bit. It turned
out there was some significant sized metal filings stuck in the slot
of the collet. They seeemd to be painted in place. I also cleaned
some black gunk out of the collet (not a lot, but it probably doesn't
take much) and wiped down the bit shank with acetone. Putting it all
back together being careful not to bottom out the bit and to tighten
down hard (but not too hard) I find myself back in business. Now I
have to rout out the bench damage and make a patch

I should say that I really like the Triton. I encourage anyone using
this router to take a few minutes and examine the collet tomake sure
the slot is clear. Otherwise I think it is a great tool.
Thanks again for all the help,
RustyC.

On 26 Feb 2007 12:47:00 -0800, "Rusty" wrote:
snip

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC

If the triton has the type of collet system with a slot all the way
through the collet, and the router shaft also has a slot in the recess
where the collet sits, make sure the two slots are lined up.

HTH,

Paul F.

Disassemble the collet and clean with a non-oily solvent such as laquer
thinner or acetone to remove all traces of the manufacturing oil coating. Do
the same to the bit shaft. Should be good to go.

"Rusty" wrote in message
ups.com...
Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC.

All the suggestions made here are good ones. One other trick I picked up
from the CMT demo at the woodworking show is to put an "O" ring down the
collet before inserting a bit. The OD of the "O" ring should be the same as
the ID of the collet. Then when you insert (all the way in) the bit there
will be a forgiving restraint between the bottom of the bit and thte top of
the shaft of the router. It effectively keeps the bit from bottoming out,
which if it happens can lead to bad things.

"Rusty" wrote in message
ups.com...
Friends,
I had a bit of a mishap last night and I am hoping some of you might
be able to offer advice. I purchased a new Triton 3 1/4 HP router and
was using a 1/2 inch shaft rabbeting bit with appropriate bearing to
cut a 1/4 inch rabbet along the edge of a piece of pine scrap that was
clamped to the edge of my workbench. I set up everything according to
instructions, began the cut, and all was going well until I felt
something breeze past my leg. I stood in shock watching the bit spin
like a top on the floor of my basement shop. It spun so fast that the
retainer screw worked loose and it began to spit out screw, washer,
and bearing before I regained the presence of mind to turn off the
router, walk across the room, and stop the bit. Thankfully, there was
no damage to my person, and the bit seems to be miraculously
unscathed. Unfortunately, as the bit worked its way out or the router
collet, it dove down through the piece of scrap and into the apron of
my workbench liberally removing the wood as it went. But it is easier
to patch the bench than my leg, so I feel lucky.

My question is, what could I have done wrong? I tightened the collet
and I prevented the bit from bottoming out in the collet. I was doing
a regular cut (i.e. not climb cutting). I double checked the diameter
of the shaft and it is indeed 1/2 inch. I had only used the router
once before with the 1/2 inch straight bit that Triton includes, and
it worked fine. I'm frankly a little afraid to try again, so any
advice would be appreciated.

RustyC.