I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

On 16 May 2004 06:08:41 -0700, (DonkeyHody)
wrote:

I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that?

I do. When I first started watching The Router Workshop I was struck
by the fact that Bob Rosendahl and his son religiously and vocally
unplug the router each and every time they have their hands near the
bit. I figured if it's good enough for them, it's good for me.

Unplugging is a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming
line that I can turn off.

You trust a switch? Unplugging or installing and using a physical
disconnect is the only sure way (or popping the breaker at the panel).

I'm glad your lesson turned out well. I hope you incorporate
unplugging your router into your regimen of handling bits.

- -
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch.

I wired/mounted a switched wall receptacle to the side of my router table
and plug the router into it. Besides being able to turn the router on/off
with the switch, it is also very convenient to unplug, so encourages doing
so.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/15/04

LRod writes:


[...]

You trust a switch? Unplugging or installing and using a physical
disconnect is the only sure way (or popping the breaker at the panel).

The breaker is *also* a switch, albeit it should be a more trusty one
than an ordinary switch, with a larger distance between the contacts
in the off state.
Switches come in a number of patterns, which are more or less safe, i
_guess_, that those whicl allow you to apply a padlock are a safe to
use in such a case. Read in any case the specifications of the
switch, if it doesn't have any desist from using it: It will be crap.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

When I made my router table I installed a switched receptacle right =
there so that unplugging the router becomes second nature. I am not what =
some would call a safety freak but I am not going to adjust a router or =
a table saw without a fail safe.
Puff

"DonkeyHody" wrote in message =
m...
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.=20
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.
=20
DonkeyHody

I don't unplug mine but I have a magnetic switch that has a cover you have
to lift to get to the switch and a block under the router that prevents it
from coming out (guess who forgot to tighten the clamp before starting?)
"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
m...
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

Router and tablesaw always get unplugged when handling blades bits.
Just the thought of the tablesaw starting as I put on or remove the arbor
nut is enough for me. Same with the router and all the other meat-eating
tools in my shop.

"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
m...
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

On 16 May 2004 06:08:41 -0700, (DonkeyHody)
wrote:

I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch.

Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments.

I'm here to tell you that's the best advice you'll get in many a year.
I always inform people to do the same, but neglected ..once... myself.
I now have a thumb, first, and second finger to keep me reminded.

Bill.

Bill Rogers writes:

On 16 May 2004 06:08:41 -0700, (DonkeyHody)

[...]

Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments.

I'm here to tell you that's the best advice you'll get in many a year.
I always inform people to do the same, but neglected ..once... myself.
I now have a thumb, first, and second finger to keep me reminded.

Thats luck. You could have ebded without a thumb, first, and second
finger to keep you reminded.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

No doubt about, routers are dangerous, and if fired accidentally they
can fly out of their castings and eat you.
Notwithstanding, plugs & sockets are not switches. I do not unplug my
routers to change bits. I might change cutters 10 or 20 x/day.
I do have a tight check list I go through every time I use the buggers
tho.
Would I advocate you adopt my check list for yours? Hell no.
You just have to keep on top of this 100% of the time, ain't no safe
woodworking tools.
http://www.patwarner.com (Routers)
************************************************** *****************


I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

On 16 May 2004 06:08:41 -0700, (DonkeyHody)
wrote:


Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

Um, me. I unplug tools before I work on them.

I'm not sticking my hands down the throat of a tablesaw, or on the bit
of a router, if it's got power to it. No way, no how.

Five fingered Barry

On 16 May 2004 14:09:41 -0700, (Routerman P.
Warner) wrote:

Notwithstanding, plugs & sockets are not switches. I do not unplug my
routers to change bits. I might change cutters 10 or 20 x/day.

Still ...when I was a tyke, and in my first real job, a carpenter for
forty years had an accident. Never one before that, but one then. He
ran a board through a saw, holding it down to the table with his hand
flat on it. Four fingers to the bone. It only take one moment one
time, even for the pros. How much time do you save if you don't
unplug the thing, and do you really have to save that little amount of
time?

Bill.

On 16 May 2004 06:08:41 -0700, (DonkeyHody)
wrote:

But how many of us really do that?

Before I go near _anything_, I _always_ have either two switches at
least a foot apart both turned off, or I have it unplugged (if there's
only a single switch). For this reason my sawbench, or anything else
I can't easily unplug, has an isolator switch added to it as well as a
starter.

--
Smert' spamionam

Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments.

Tie the routers wrench to plug so that you have to unplug to change bits. It
works

On 16-May-2004, Andy Dingley wrote:

two switches at least a foot apart both turned off

I like this idea. I don't like the idea of having to plug/unplug all
the time, but a double switch sounds like a solution. Safer than a
single and potentially easier than some other ideas I've considered.
I'm also looking at some sort of light that warns me power is on
in my "someday to be finished" router table. I'm thinking of a teensy
LED in the table top next to the router. May sound silly to some,
but I'm rather shy of power tools (a neander at heart, but I like how
fast I get things done otherwise).

Mike

"Swingman" wrote in
:


"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch.

I wired/mounted a switched wall receptacle to the side of my router
table and plug the router into it. Besides being able to turn the
router on/off with the switch, it is also very convenient to unplug,
so encourages doing so.


See, I have this problem with making certain that my mind doesn't wander,
even when I'm in theraphy^H^H^H^H^Hthe shop. SEEING that the plug is
physically seperate from the power source means that the electrons can't as
easily do nasty things to me. I just get interrupted far too often to rely
on my memory of switch settings.

If I were the seasoned pro that Pat Warner is, maybe it would be different.
But I'm not, so I have to do things differently. And, given my mind's
propensity to wander, more simply.

Seems to carry over to driving these days, too. ;-)

Patriarch

"Michael Daly" wrote in message ...
On 16-May-2004, Andy Dingley wrote:

two switches at least a foot apart both turned off

I like this idea.

Strictly, they should also be the right sort of switch. I forget the
name, but they're designed in such a way that a broken switch can't
accidentally short together inside. Big cam isolators do it, recycled
light switches don't.

And if your isolator is there as an _isolator_ too (i.e. electrical
isolation, not just cutting the mechanical power) then make sure it's
a double pole (for single phase).

"Rick Nelson" wrote in message
...
Back on the issue of routers, I'm also in the group that unplugs it
anytime I change bits. I've had my table mounted router fire up by
accident once when I bumped the power switch while I was lifting it up
to blow some dust out from under the base plate. Not a real dangerous
situation because both of my hands were on the body of the router, but
it was a strong reminder that power tools can come on when you don't
expect it.


My girlfriend's brother is a carpenter, and about 6 months ago he nearly
lost all his fingers from a table saw. He slipped, and the saw cut his
thumb off, and as he fell faint, his hand landed on the saw blade and
mangled the rest of the fingers. After numerous operations, he again has a
thumb and the fingers are healing. It looks like he will regain use of the
hand and all fingers, but it has been a long road to recovery, not to
mention the lost income.

Think twice!
dwhite

Howard wrote:

The most important goal of any project is to end up with the
same number of fingers and eyes I start with.

Well said.

In fact, I have the chuck key taped to the cord about 3 inches from
the plug just so I can't get lax about it.

As a young kid, I almost launched the key through my Dad's head one time
when I left it in the chuck and turned the press on. When he gave me
the drill press a few years ago, the first order of business was to
paint the key flourescent orange. Now, I never turn on the drill press
before visually locating the key.

Back on the issue of routers, I'm also in the group that unplugs it
anytime I change bits. I've had my table mounted router fire up by
accident once when I bumped the power switch while I was lifting it up
to blow some dust out from under the base plate. Not a real dangerous
situation because both of my hands were on the body of the router, but
it was a strong reminder that power tools can come on when you don't
expect it.

-Rick

....guess that explains why PC has changed the switch from my old 690
(toggle) to the one on the newer 691(plastic enclosed rocker)...the latter
is not nearly as easy to use but I could see a replay of your incident on
the former.

"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
m...
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

Update:
I put a surface-mount box on the front of my router table with a 20
amp rated switch that controls the receptacle the router is plugged
into. Then I went to Home Depot and found a clear plastic hinged dome
to cover the switch. It's really meant for outdoor locations to
rainproof a receptacle while cords are plugged into it. I cut an
oblong hole in the center of the dome so you can stick a finger inside
to flick the switch without having to open the cover. There's no way
to accidently bump the switch because it's completely protected by the
dome. I'm not suggesting anyone else should take this route because
the owner's manual clearly states that you should always unplug the
router before you change bits or adjust the height. But I found the
protected switch to be just the right balance of safety and
convenience - for me. It's much easier to find than the switch on the
router because it's always in the same place. I don't have to grope
around under the router, feeling for a switch that moves to a new
location every time I adjust the bit height. And I feel safe enough
with the protected switch without unplugging each time.

DonkeyHody

" We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom
that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down
on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid
again---and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold
one anymore." - Mark Twain




(DonkeyHody) wrote in message om...
I have a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4 router mounted in my table. Sweet
machine. Last night I had just changed bits and was raising the bit
to final height when I accidently hit the On switch. Even with the
soft-start feature, the starting torque wrenched the motor from my
hands and started unscrewing it from the base. And it happened FAST.
I just managed to stop it before it came free of the base and fell to
the floor with a spinning bit. I shudder to think of the
possibilities. Now I know why they say always UNPLUG the tool before
making adjustments. But how many of us really do that? Unplugging is
a hassle, but I'll at least install a switch in the incoming line that
I can turn off.

DonkeyHody

DonkeyHody wrote:


[snip of switch description]

I installed an "in-line" switch for my router table as well. In addition, I
have an outlet in the side of the router table that I use to plug my
shop-vac into. This way, when I flip the switch, both the vac and the
router start up at the same time. Very convenient.
Because I have young kids I also ceiling mounted two switches for both my
table saw and dust collector. It was my solution for a "remote start" dust
collector. When standing in front of the saw I merely reach up and flip the
switch for the dust collector. I'm also pretty careful about keeping the
switches off for the table saw so my kids can't turn the saw on with the big
pretty button on the saw base.

Mark

(DonkeyHody) wrote in
m:

Update:
I put a surface-mount box on the front of my router table with a 20
amp rated switch that controls the receptacle the router is plugged
into. Then I went to Home Depot and found a clear plastic hinged dome
to cover the switch. snip

Probably the main reason I want a switch is to rapidly kill the power in a
"high pucker factor" situation. I can otherwise put up with a little
inconvenience.

Patriarch