[Goldie]

Hi friends, my name is Jenn. I'm fairly new to woodworking but I started getting into it enough that I've recently set up a router sled for help with flattening my own slabs. Up until this point I've never used a plunge router and my familiarity with routers in general is quite minimal.

So I purchased a Triton TRA001 plunge router, was installing the 1/2 collet to install the 1/2 router cutter. But I tightened the collet without the cutter installed. Now the collet itself is stuck on the spindle whereas the collet nut comes off freely. I cannot get it off. If someone has a magic suggestion as to how to get this off without damaging the spindle, please tell me.

I attached a photo for reference. Thank you 🙏

 

[Bob Adams]

Welcome to the forum! I tried duplicating this on my Triton but can't separate the collet from the nut. What I think I would do in your situation is heat the spindle and then pull the collet out using pliers.. You might ruin the collet but they are easy to find on the web. Another option would be to use a penetrating oil like Liquid Wrench, but I really think that heat from a small torch is your best option.

 

[Goldie]

Welcome to the forum! I tried duplicating this on my Triton but can't separate the collet from the nut. What I think I would do in your situation is heat the spindle and then pull the collet out using pliers.. You might ruin the collet but they are easy to find on the web. Another option would be to use a penetrating oil like Liquid Wrench, but I really think that heat from a small torch is your best option.

Thank you Bob! You're so kind, I cannot believe you tried to replicate my mistake. I'm currently letting it soak up in some penetrating oil and allowing myself a moment to calm down and stop getting frustrated. I'm probably going to try the pliers first, from what you said and other discussions I found on this site, mainly b/c I don't have a torch, best I can do is a lighter.

 

[Bob Adams]

Good luck!

 

[DesertRatTom]

Don't trust the collet if you get it out. Collets are actually very precise devices. A few thousandths is the difference between loose and tight. I keep a spare half inch collet around, just in case. You don't want to heat the collet, just the shaft, so your lighter might work if the penetrating oil isn't enough. Make sure you sop up all the oil You don't want slippage. BTW, glad you joined the fun. We all love to help.

 

[old55]

Welcome to the forum Jenn.

 

[jw2170]

Welcome to the forum, @Goldie

What model Triton do you have

I have a TRA001 and a later TRB001both with 1/2" and 1/4' collets.

The collets are different on the different model routers...

In an earlier post about stuck collets, someone used a hook to extract their stuck collet.
They may see this thread and repost.....

 

[The Hobbyist]

Just curious ... since the collet is probably toast at this point, couldn't he just put a hose clamp around the end of the collet to compress it and then pull it out?

Joe

 

[Goldie]

Welcome to the forum, @Goldie

What model Triton do you have

I have a TRA001 and a later TRB001both with 1/2" and 1/4' collets.

The collets are different on the different model routers...

In an earlier post about stuck collets, someone used a hook to extract their stuck collet.
They may see this thread and repost.....

Hi James! I've got the TRA001 and it's the 1/2" collet that's gotten stuck. They used a hook? Hm. I'll try to take a look and find that thread. Thanks for the help!

 

[Goldie]

Just curious ... since the collet is probably toast at this point, couldn't he just put a hose clamp around the end of the collet to compress it and then pull it out?

Joe

Hey Joe - I'll give it a shot. Trying anything anything at this point.

 

[Goldie]

I friends! So I got it out! I hit it with WD40 last night multiple times and let it just soak in that while I took a break from it. Then this afternoon I first tried the hose clamp, while it compressed it, whenever I went to take my vice grips to pull it out the clamp would just come off and leave the collet still in. So then I took the vice grips and from what I read in another post I held the collet by them and let gravity help me and hit the vice grips with my hammer, rotating around the whole collet. A few moments later it popped right now. Yay! Lesson learned! Thank you to everyone who helped! And for the forum in general b/c seeing multiple people make the same mistake as me made me feel less silly.

 

[jw2170]

Glad, that worked out for you, Jenn.

 

[DesertRatTom]

...Thank you to everyone who helped! And for the forum in general b/c seeing multiple people make the same mistake as me made me feel less silly.

Well, that was a relief. And don't think for a moment that most of us here haven't done something about which we later said, "what must I have been thinking?" Hope you're not trying to use that collet. It has to have been damaged during extraction, which means it's possible it might just spit out a fast spinning bit, which will bounce around you and your shop for awhile if it does.

 

[ken in minnesota]

Hi James! I've got the TRA001 and it's the 1/2" collet that's gotten stuck. They used a hook? Hm. I'll try to take a look and find that thread. Thanks for the help!

tap around the edge of the collet with a small punch towards the center, should pop loose

 

[gdonham1]

In the future you should try putting the collet nut back on and tapping (gently) on the collet nut. The collet is a W shape and is a spring essentially. So by tapping it you might get it to loosen up and fall out. Just make sure the nut is not on too tightly to give breathing room so the collet can slip down. Never top on the router shaft threads. Use a plastic hammer if possible or a plastic handled screw driver to do your tapping.

Now that you have it out you need to clean the router shaft with brake cleaner and/or de-greaser. The collet needs to be dry as a bone or it will let the router bit slip. Slipping router bits are not a good thing and can ruin a project that you need precise depth for.

Some router bits get corrosion on them in storage. I use the 3m finishing pads red or green to clean a router bit before inserting it into the collet. You can spray rust preventative on a router bit shaft before storage but always, always, always de grease it before use.

As others suggested you will want to replace the collet. Since it was compressed you might get a bit back in but it might crack and let a router bit fly. Flying router bits are not a good think. You have 360 degrees for it to fly to but it always flys back at the operator.

 

[Goldie]

Well, that was a relief. And don't think for a moment that most of us here haven't done something about which we later said, "what must I have been thinking?" Hope you're not trying to use that collet. It has to have been damaged during extraction, which means it's possible it might just spit out a fast spinning bit, which will bounce around you and your shop for awhile if it does.

oh i put that and the bit in a glass jar and it sits in my garage as a reminder of what not to do

 

[Goldie]

In the future you should try putting the collet nut back on and tapping (gently) on the collet nut. The collet is a W shape and is a spring essentially. So by tapping it you might get it to loosen up and fall out. Just make sure the nut is not on too tightly to give breathing room so the collet can slip down. Never top on the router shaft threads. Use a plastic hammer if possible or a plastic handled screw driver to do your tapping.

Now that you have it out you need to clean the router shaft with brake cleaner and/or de-greaser. The collet needs to be dry as a bone or it will let the router bit slip. Slipping router bits are not a good thing and can ruin a project that you need precise depth for.

Some router bits get corrosion on them in storage. I use the 3m finishing pads red or green to clean a router bit before inserting it into the collet. You can spray rust preventative on a router bit shaft before storage but always, always, always de grease it before use.

As others suggested you will want to replace the collet. Since it was compressed you might get a bit back in but it might crack and let a router bit fly. Flying router bits are not a good think. You have 360 degrees for it to fly to but it always flys back at the operator.

thank you friend - i appreciate all of the wisdom; writing this all down.

 

[The Hobbyist]

I friends! So I got it out! I hit it with WD40 last night multiple times and let it just soak in that while I took a break from it. Then this afternoon I first tried the hose clamp, while it compressed it, whenever I went to take my vice grips to pull it out the clamp would just come off and leave the collet still in.

Next time, bend over the bottom of the hose clamp to give it a LIP to pull up with.

Joe