Router Forums banner

Trouble With Stuck Bit (sort of)

7K views 48 replies 11 participants last post by  dbur 
#1 ·
First post here, and it’s a challenge for the collective wisdom and experience of you fine folks!

I have a Dewalt 625 in a table. I added the Xtreme Xtension by Router Technologies. (Router Raizer still in the box waiting for me to tackle that installation.)

I used it a few times, then my shop time went to zero for nearly a year. Now I can’t get the xtension out of the router. This wouldn’t bother me too much as I intend to keep it in there permanently. This is a dedicated table router, especially once I install the raizer,

But the 1/2 to 1/4 collet reducer is also stuck. I wouldn’t have noticed until I realized that putting a bit in it did not result in any kind of tightening. So it won’t hold a bit, but it won’t come out either. The set screw is out, so that being tight is not the problem.

I have sprayed it with Freeze-off by CRC. I cannot get it to move. (Freeze off is more of a lubricant than actual freezing agent, though it does have a small freezing effect at the outset. It is mostly for cutting through rust. It is what I had on hand.

I am at a loss here. I’m not very mechanically inclined, so I don’t have much experience in getting stuck metals apart without destroying them. I have ordered a replacement collet reducer, they are cheap enough, but I need to get this one out without destroying the xtension. I bought mine in rockler over a year ago for about 75, they are now over 90.

I am thinking of putting the whole thing in the freezer for an hour then trying to remove it. But I wanted to check in with others before I do something like that.

Any advice?
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
welcome N/A...

for the Xtension; I believe the wedge is jammed into the reducer...


The wedge and bolt work together to secure retain the cutter in the extension.
screw the set screw into the wedge a tad and lightly hit the head of the screw to knock the wedge loose...

as for the router see the PDF....

after you get everything apart clean everything better than really well..
see the maint PDF...

.
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: roxanne562001
#3 ·
welcome N/A...

for the Xtension; mechanically spread it open ever so gently..
as for the router see the PDF....

after you get everything apart clean everything better than really well..
see the maint PDF...

.
Thank you for the fast reply.... I confess my ignorance, I have no idea how to go about the bolded part. I don’t even know what tool I should be looking for. I have been trying to hook it from underneath via the recommended paperclip method (From the manualj, and that didn’t budge, so I found something like a dental pick with a handle, and still nothing.
 
#6 ·
Hi Air Weaver and welcome. Regarding using the extension all the time: imagine that the armature/router extension in your router is a lever. The bottom bearing would be the fulcrum. The longer the distance from the bottom bearing to the force being applied by the router bit the more force being applied to the bottom bearing and also the top bearing. Moral to the story: if you don't really need the extra length then I would recommend not using it. Also members have stated that it vibrated badly when using larger diameter bits.
 
#8 ·
I installed it so that I could change bits over the top of the table instead of under, and I am starting to see why that “feature” is not a good idea.

I am ready to abandon the whole idea of the extension based on this feedback. But as it is still stuck in my router I am still in a quandary as to how to get it out without damaging the router.
 
#13 ·
Is it possible that the router collet is one which still holds the bit tight even though the nut appears to be “loose”. My Dewalt works that way. I loosen the nut initially with a wrench, turn it a few times and it seems to tighten again and the bit can not be removed. A second short turn with the wrench pops it loose and the bit can easily be removed.

The above is my version of the instructions in Stick’s pdf on how a collect works.

Note this applies only to removing the extension from the router not the reducer from the extension.
 
#16 ·
I did indeed turn further and it loosened, sort of.... now the collet cover (nut?] is sitting as far uo as I think it can go, most threads on the router are now visible. But the extender and nut still will not budge. I keep turning, and it doesn’t seem to go up at all, i can turn it freely with my fingers fir kess than a rotation, then it feels like it engages the threads again, then spins off. So i am rather confident I have it screwed off all the way, still stuck.

I would post pictures but I haven’t gotten to 10 posts yet, so my account is prevented from doing so.
 
#14 ·
Heat will often break the bond that is holding them. Penetrating fluid may help too. It's probably a tiny bit of corrosion that holding them together.
 
#20 ·
I got a lot of damage to the table insert material with the heat gun so i paused that method. I can unscrew that easily and retry heat, but before I do that I want to figure out how I will even get a hold of the extender to pull it out. I'm really at a loss.
 
#19 ·
Ah, ok, trying it now----- current state of affairs. Heat gun caused damage to the plate from the table. Still no movement of either piece, but I am now mostly just focused on getting the whole extender out. I can deal with the collet sizer on its own after that.

Am I going to have to disassemble the whole router? I am getting the feeling that is the only direction to go. Getting a grip on the extender to pull with any strength is a challenge with the taper. I have a set of pin pullers, but none fit under it really.
 

Attachments

#21 ·
You could try putting a length of 1/2" rod to act like a bit to create a handle. You could also try jiggling it with the 1/2" stock in place and see if it loosens...
 
#28 ·
Looks to me that you might have bottomed the extension out in the motor shaft, not the collet. I don't have this router, but that's a lot of exposed thread and the collet is riding up that angle of the extension. I think you will have to lock the shaft, and then keep taking the entire collet off the shaft. The extension should go with it, if not, at least you will know the extension is stuck in the motor shaft, not the collet. Then you can look at heat, but don't overdo it. Collets work because they can close up a couple of thousandths, so the specs are very tight. At this point if you're not really a tech kind of guy, you might take it to a DeWalt service shop and have them try it.

If you get it out, I'd replace the collet entirely. This one has been compromised. In future, remember you don't want to insert a bit or the extension all the way down to bottom in the collet. I put a half inch grommet (not O ring) so you never bottom out.

I do think your collet is toast, and I'd certainly NEVER use it again.
 
#32 ·
I will definitely get a new collet, that’s for sure. I put this all together before I really understood the complexities of routers. It does seem amazing to me that something so high powered with dangerous sharp things flying around so fast would not have a locking system more involved than basically squeezing a smooth round bit shaft and holding it tight. That’s how my layman mind thinks of it.

If I don’t succeed with a bearing puller like Stick mentioned, I will try to locate a dewalt service shop. I didn’t even think such places existed. I know where to take my car, my lawn mower, my computer, but I assumed there really isn’t a similar place for power tools. But I live in Central PA where every other business is some kind of mechanical service, so this shouldn’t be too hard. I scored this router at an auction for under $100 but it’s a $300 replacement so I am not giving up on this.
 
#34 ·
I haven't had the chance to work on this for a day or so, but I had a random dangerous thought.....

How stupid would this be? - Since I'm trying to loosen the piece, not likely using it again, and the collet is assumed to be a lost cause.... would there be any benefit in turning on the router to spin it and see if it loosens at all? I'd point it toward a safe catch area or some kind of booth, in case it actually worked.

Does even entertaining that thought indicate I might not want to spend much more time around power tools? >:)
 
#36 ·
I haven't had the chance to work on this for a day or so, but I had a random dangerous thought.....

How stupid would this be? - Since I'm trying to loosen the piece, not likely using it again, and the collet is assumed to be a lost cause.... would there be any benefit in turning on the router to spin it and see if it loosens at all? I'd point it toward a safe catch area or some kind of booth, in case it actually worked.

Does even entertaining that thought indicate I might not want to spend much more time around power tools? >:)
I guess so...
MUCH!!!! as in YIKES!!!...
yup....
 
#35 ·
I wouldn't risk it. Remember that it's spinning at 20,000 plus rpm just before it launches. And there is no way of knowing where it will be pointed if it lets go. It's not going straight out. It will be at some angle. Try the tapping on it trick I suggested first.
 
#38 ·
OK, I wasn't really going to try to spin it out via the motor......

I found a local guy who works on power tools as a side hobby. It's in his hands. He's likely to charge me less to get this taken care of than I would spend on the tools I'd need to do it. I'll hopefully hear back with a day or two.
 
#41 ·
I've had a couple of times when whacking the bit with some hardwood didn't work and I had to go to the tapping method. If you were worried about breaking something then your version of tapping is my version of giving it forceful whacks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LeftFinger
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top