Welcome to the forum Keith.

 

Thanks, Ross haven’t done any woodworking per se in a few years. Need to occupy my spare time now.

 

Find the thread pitch and diameter size and see if you can find an aftermarket one that fits. Nothing for Kobalt on ereplacementsparts.com. It might be metric, so keep that in mind.

 

Exact same problem here.

 

First, welcome Josh.presnell13. We get so many requests like this and it pains us to have to report not much success in finding those parts. I suspect it may be a pretty generic nut and thread, but there's no easy way I know of to test different collet nuts til you find one that works. Trial and error could easily lead to damaging the thread, at which point there's not much going back. Really frustrating all around. Most folks just give up and buy a well known brand, which in the USA boils down to Bosch (1617-old reliable, lots of parts) or DeWalt (which doesn't fit all router lifts). Most damaging to the collet inside the nut is over tightening. It's a very precise little gadget.

 

Welcome to the forum @josh.pressnell13 .

Sadly,the most often asked question on the forum.

in the long run, it may be easier to buy a more popular router

 

Welcome to the forum @josh.pressnell13

 

Buy the same router at Lowes, take a look at the collets and see what they are, then return the router. Or, ask to open a box and have a look at the collets. Bring thread gages and calipers.

 

makes sense to me

 

I noticed that at our local big box stores, the collets were missing on all display models. I suspect they have had so many collets snatched that they now leave them off. But you should be able to measure the nut's thread count and size on the display model. Then check the name brands on display to see if you can find a match. NEVER BUY OFF BRAND TOOLS!!! That includes Harbor Freight and Craftsman and Skill. They are bargain priced because they don't bother making spare parts and collets in particular. Look to see what accessory and spare parts are available online before buying anything.

 

I have the Kobalt router table combo from Lowe's, but I've misplaced the 1/4” and 1/2” collets for it. I've searched the web, Lowe's, Amazon, and other sites but can't find any information on where to purchase the collets and the nut. If anyone has any information on where I can buy these parts, who makes Kobalt routers, or nut size I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Keith

Found the part on Amazon: BGD 2610906283 RC025DW 1/4 inch Series Router Collet thickened Fits Bosch 1613 1617 1618 1619 Router

 

BGD 2610906283 RC025DW 1/4 inch Series Router Collet thickened Fits Bosch 1613 1617 1618 1619 Router

Good find! Bravo.

 

Welcome to the forum @ny2many

 

G'day @ny2many, welcome to the forum.
Thanks for that advice.

 

Is Bosch the same as Kobalt?

 

I doubt it; Bosch is a top of the line manufacturer and Kobalt is Lowe's store brand. Not saying they can't be made in the same plant to different specs but I have my doubts.

 

Welcome @ny2many. I wish more people would visit here before buying an offbrand machine. Happens all the time. At least they should check on buying a spare collet and nut or two before they buy a machine.

 

G'day @davidburris79 , welcome to the forum.

 

Hi @davidburris79. I would never buy an offbrand tool. At purchase time, ask about ordering an extra collet. If you buy any router, always have an extra collet on hand. Bosch and a number of other serious tool makers will have them easily available.

 

I appreciate the advice but the specific information people are looking for isn’t to not buy something we already have. I have it and can’t find the 1/4” collet so while that is great advice moving forward, it doesn’t solve the problem that apparently a few of us have. I’d rather spend a few more dollars to try to replace it than spend hundreds and throw away the $200 I spent already all because of a missing collet. That may end up being the only solution but that’s why we are here on this thread…to see if anyone has found a solution that doesn’t involve time travel.

 

Welcome to the forum @davidburris79

 

I have suggested Muscle Chucks a number of times when someone is looking for a collet. More costly and hard to justify for some but in most cases nicer to use than the ones that came with the router. Contact Musclechuck and ask if they have something that fits the Kobalt router. If they got enough requests they might tool up for it if they haven't already got one.

Pete

 

Can't help with finding replacement collets, but odds say that within 20 minutes of receiving new ones your misplaced ones will magically appear. That is why have 3 identical glass cutters.