Brett, welcome to Router Forums, glad to have you join us, I'm positive the members of the community would be more than willing to answer any questions you have
Are you sure you have lock the collet in the nut ( push collet hard into nut should snap and lock) also just because the collet new does not mean the collet any good
I am sure some of the bosch experts can help you
again welcome

 

you may have hit the self release feature. it gives a false tight if you are not aware of it, in the tightening...
tighten (just very snuggly) the collet w/o the bit... loosen the collet nut, (you should feel the nut resist loosening - this is the self release feature) install the bit and PLEASE make sure the bit isn't bottomed out...
go for tight but don't go all gorilla on it...

NOTE: when the nut on 1/2" collet is tight very few to no threads are visible... 1/4" collet - 1/8 to 3/16" of threads are visible...

push come to shove what does the manual or Bosch tech have to say about it..

 

Welcome to the forum Brett . Stick is the Bosch expert and I would suspect has the answers

 

thanks for the vote Rick, but expert, naw, I just play with them a lot...
Mike is the expert...

 

Welcome to the forum Brett. There's always a chance that the shaft recess isn't machined properly. Most of that work is computerized these days and computers don't always get get it right. If you have exhausted every other possibility then take it back to the store and compare it to another one. When you slid the bits into the collets did it feel like a snug fit?

 

Welcome to the forum Brett.

 

G'day Brett, welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks for the welcomes and suggestions folks! Friendly group. I'll swing by the local Bosch authorized service centre tomorrow with it. It really seems that the spindle was not machined properly. Even if I hand tighten the 1/4" and 1/2" collets onto the spindle, the collets do not depress even slightly. Really bizarre. I'll let you know how the service visit goes tomorrow... When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

 

back yet???

 

Yes let us know Brett,we all would like to know what the problem is and. solution .

 

Hey mate

No, I didn't get out there today, but am planning to go tomorrow. It's just a needless drive all the way to the south end of the city and I was busy with another kind of router today (changing my ISP!) so I put it off for a day. Although the curiosity is killin' me...

Thanks for checking up!

 

Okay, but it's tomorrow for sure, right? We need to know.:sarcastic:

 

we do...

 

Got me curious and I own the Bosch plunge combo, luckily no problems yet (love it) also welcome to the group

 

Hey gang

Well, I took it into A.C. Jenkins, the local Bosch man, and he really knows his stuff (he's not a router guy, but he's a power tool - small gas engine - mechanic generalist). At first he was quite puzzled, and disassembled the collet after trying to get it to tighten on the bit a couple times. After reassembling the collet (it was an attempt to ensure that it was an imperial 1/4" insert), he doubled down on the wrenches (I believe one of you fine folks referred to it as "going gorilla") and grunted and sweated for a moment.

It worked.

I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when I observed that he was having difficulties getting the collet back off of the tool. Once again, he put some upper body strength into it, and it came off. We played with it for a bit, and he remarked that the collet leafs should loosen up a bit with use, and if they didn't, to bring it back and he'd preface the collet.

So I brought it home and after some fiddling, I'm seeing that it's becoming easier to securely install the bit.

So I think that solves that, although I still feel pretty sheepish - however, I did have a buddy over a couple days ago, and he couldn't figure it out, and A.C. Jenkins did say that it was unusual. So, a sheep, but not a jackass.

So... thanks for the help folks, I really appreciate it! Glad I've joined up here, now I'm off to actually try out my new router...

 

since the router is new call Bosch and have them send you new collets...

 

I agree with Stick, that is a good router,think you just got a bad collet. IMO (Replace the collet) not worth a bit flying across the shop!

 

But--both the 1/4" and 1/2" collets behaving the same way?? I've got a pair of 1617's, but only one was purchased new. Brand new, the bit install was exactly like the one i had purchased used. No grunting, growling or sweating involved. I still wonder about the machine, not the collets. Shaft not threaded deeply enough?? Just thinking...

earl

 

I have the same router. I just got it. It works fine. All I have tried are 1/2 in bits.
Sorry, wish I could help.

 

I can't tell really how the 1/2" collet behaves, because I've only tried it with a drill bit with a (presumably) 1/2" shank, and it was the same. However, I've been routing this afternoon with the 1/4" and it seems to operate fine. I've removed and re-installed the bit and it takes some effort to tighten it, but it seems acceptable now that I understand the limits. I did inspect the threads and the shaft and all seems perfectly fine; it does thread very smoothly, it's just that it does require some effort to perform the final tightening on the bit. However, that aside, all seems OK...

 

hyper-clean the collet....
no WD-40 either...

 

Hey Stick - that's an interesting point. The collet was straight out of the plastic bag, and both I and the Bosch repair expert examined the collet closely. What makes it interesting is that, out of the bag, the collet did appear to have a very light trace of machine oil all over it.

Anyways, I'm well into rounding over the cedar deck boards for my back door step and things appear to be groovy as Greg Brady. So thanks very much for all your suggestions and time - it's much appreciated!

 

I see that this thread is inactive for quite a while but I am anxious ti see if a solution was found for collets not tightening. I have had my Bosch 1617 for a few years but I have recently run into the problem of the collet not tightening around the bit. When I tried to tighten the collet the bit stayed loose even after I really tightened the nut a hard as I could. The result was that when I removed the nut the collet stayed in the shaft. I used pliers to remove the collet and in the process crushed it. I bought a new collet and nut but it won't tighten either - although I have discovered how to remove the collet without destroying it. I have the same problem with the 1/2" and the 1/4" collets.
I thought that sawdust at the base of the shaft hole might be the problem but cleaning that debris out made no difference.
Recently I noticed that the bid thin nut at the base of the shaft where it enters the motor housing was loose. I tightened it with no apparent effect but I wonder now if there might be some sort of relationship between that and the problem I now have - although that seems unlikely.
If someone has a solution or a suggestion I would be eternally grateful.

 

Hi Graham and welcome. I've never heard of a new collet and nut not working. Does it not hold at all or loosen soon after starting to rout? If the later is the case then you may be bottoming the shank of the bit in the recess. If that's not it then the only thing I can think of is that the forcing cone in the armature is worn. If nothing works there is still one solution and that is to replace the collet and nut with a Musclechuck. Some members repalced theirs with one even though theirs was still okay because the Musclechuck is a superior system.

 

Hi Graham, I see that you have been a member since 2012. Great to see that you still participate and are not afraid to ask a question if needed...

 

Thanks for the responses.
It made no sense to me that the collet would not tighten - especially one that was brand new so I went back and checked everything again and found the problem. I had been trying to center the base and was using the centering guide made from Rigid. It has one end that is 1/4" and the other is supposed to be 1/2". In fact, when I checked it with my calipers I found that it is quite significantly less than 1/2" and as a result, the collet never tightens. The nut bottoms out and when you remove the nut the collet stays in the shaft. One needs to be very careful when removing the collet or it will be destroyed. The best way I found was to put the end of a flat screwdriver between the end of the shaft and the collet head and give it a gentle twist. Odd that the tool could be so far off its specifications.

 

Hey, Graham; good that your problem's solved, but I gotta say you're pretty calm about an obviously crap tool accessory!
Where did you acquire it? Did I understand you to say it's a RIGID brand item? Home Depot?

Bosch Router Sub-Base Centering Pin and Cone-RA1151 - The Home Depot

 

Graham I wouldn't stick a screwdriver into the collet or twist it to get it loose. The screwdriver could nick or burr the inside and that could make it fail. If I get a collet stuck I tap the outside between the threads and it's end gently with the wrench or a pin punch and keep tapping and rotating it until it loosens.