Expand on this as much as you can please.
My router is smoking and smells funny
Hi friends, I recently purchased a Triton TRA001. It’s fresh out of the box. I bought it to flatten slabs. I’ve only ran it a few times and got nervous bc of the smell. It’s a chemical smell, hard to describe. Additionally the other day it started to smoke after a few passes over wood. The passes have been clean but I’m concerned about all the other things that are happening. Any thoughts?
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Here’s a vid
Sure thing. I was flattening a slab of cedar and the moment I turned on the router there was a very distinct chemical smell, I can’t identify it to anything to date, but it was strange and my first instinct was to turn it off. I considered that maybe it was just a factory smell so I kept the router on for a full pass of the slab, it was a 12x 48in piece. The smell got stronger as I went, I could smell the cedar as well, but the other odor was far more overpowering. I may have ran the router for a total of 20 minutes with frequent breaks between passes and I eventually shut it off bc I saw faint smoke coming from the vent on top. There’s no sign of fire or burning, that I can see, the wood isn’t burned either, the passes are really clean. There doesn’t seem to be a thing caught on the spindle, I don’t know if it’s a motor issue or whatExpand on this as much as you can please.
yeah, we got that part . . . I mean about the router itself:
Hi friends, I recently purchased a Triton TRA001. It’s fresh out of the box.
yeah, we got that part . . . I mean about the router itself:
?
Like, bought from where? Online, retail store, refurbished seller, etc. and the warranty that came with it for possible return.
Very unusual for any router. Could be electrical, but that has a distinct aroma. John Smith's question about refurbished or used is germain. Could be any number of things, but if you can, you should probably return it, or have it checked by a tool tech service station.
Does it overheat, smell or smoke when you just let it run? If not and only does this under load, try using it on some pine or other material. A dull router bit or one encrusted with pitch, could be an issue. You'll have to check all of that. Try different bits, does the same thing happen with them? Or just with the bit you were using.
Does it overheat, smell or smoke when you just let it run? If not and only does this under load, try using it on some pine or other material. A dull router bit or one encrusted with pitch, could be an issue. You'll have to check all of that. Try different bits, does the same thing happen with them? Or just with the bit you were using.
Goldie - to add what Tom asked, what species of wood are you routing ?
Thanks Tom & John - I bought it new; I contacted Triton about it last night, but not expecting to hear from them for a few more days at least.Very unusual for any router. Could be electrical, but that has a distinct aroma. John Smith's question about refurbished or used is germain. Could be any number of things, but if you can, you should probably return it, or have it checked by a tool tech service station.
Does it overheat, smell or smoke when you just let it run? If not and only does this under load, try using it on some pine or other material. A dull router bit or one encrusted with pitch, could be an issue. You'll have to check all of that. Try different bits, does the same thing happen with them? Or just with the bit you were using.
The router bit is brand new as well. I've not tried other bits yet, I might hold off turning it back on until I hear from Triton or I take it to a service station.
I'm making very shallow passes when it's running, so I can't imagine the load is too much. I did let it run the other day without touching the wood and it got very hot and started to smoke.
I also noticed black residue along the base of the cradle where the router sits and black residue behind the cover/shield. I've only BARELY cut cedar and epoxy.
I know that I'm new to this but instinctually the smell is really causing me concern, it gets stronger the longer I run the router. And now I noticed the black dust and the black particles. The wood I've cut is not burning, it's clean, so it's not that.
I'll post when I hear from Triton, but I'll also take it to a service station and see if they can diagnose it. Thank you for offering your experience and help.
I wonder if the brushes are cracked or faulty and rubbing against the commutator? Here's a diagram. Brushes are carbon, and if one is broken, it could be the source of the smell (which is probably from arcing in the contacts) as well as the black powder you found.
![Cylinder Font Auto part Engineering Diagram]()
The brushes look like this. Spring loaded to press against the commutator. There are two small black caps toward the top of the router. These allow access to the brushes. If you take them out to check them out, be sure to reinsert them the same way since they are ground to fit the commutator. If they don't look like these brushes, then I think that might be the problem. In which case, don't run it until the brushes are replaced. New brushes look like this.
![Circuit component Passive circuit component Jewellery Automotive tire Font]()
The brushes look like this. Spring loaded to press against the commutator. There are two small black caps toward the top of the router. These allow access to the brushes. If you take them out to check them out, be sure to reinsert them the same way since they are ground to fit the commutator. If they don't look like these brushes, then I think that might be the problem. In which case, don't run it until the brushes are replaced. New brushes look like this.
My question is, does the router have a 220VAC/110VAC switch, and are you running it on the correct voltage?
Joe
Joe
Good question, Joe, but I have never seen a Triton with a multi-voltage switch.
IMO, they only come in 110v or 230-240v models....
IMO, they only come in 110v or 230-240v models....
Also, I noticed from an earlier post that you had the collet stuck and sprayed/soaked it with WD40.
Could this be burning off. It is petro-chemical based, I believe....
Could this be burning off. It is petro-chemical based, I believe....
Good catch James.Also, I noticed from an earlier post that you had the collet stuck and sprayed/soaked it with WD40.
Could this be burning off. It is petro-chemical based, I believe....
The black dust is likely from new brushes wearing down to fit the armature curve. The chuck and bits in my Dewalt routers that I run on my CNC get hot to the touch after each job. If there was any chemical on the chuck it would be burning off from that heat.
ok so update on the router. I don't have much to say as far as what was wrong with it, my boyfriend came over and turned it on (he has the same one). Said that he thinks something was grinding based on the noise he heard. He thinks the black residue had something to do with that as well. And the smell was clearly not normal and he said he couldn't' figure out what was making it. I contacted Triton and they told me to ship it back to them to look over, they contacted me this morning and simply said they were sending me a new one b/c they couldn't fix the previous one. I asked if they could tell me what was wrong with the one I sent back, but I've gotten no reply. So it remains a mystery. Super relieved I'm getting a replacement, but still really curious what was going on with the other one.
Kudos to Triton, to sort that out for you....
Good company. I think it was a shattered motor brush that must have damaged where it contacted the contacts on the shaft of the motor. They are carbon, black and if it ran for any time at all, would have damaged the contacts. Bet $20 that was it. But nice to know they made it good for you.
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