Carol Reed
In Memoriam
- Messages
- 5,533
- Location
- Coolidge, AZ
I started a new thread here because this information was getting buried in an off-topic discussion.
The discussion was about router collets and/or collet reducers and where to find them. Particularly with PC and Hitachi routers. I was asked to respond to this topic. Here it is. And I added some comments from my POV.
First, Porter Cable router collets are readily available. Nearly all the usual suspects carry them. I have 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2". There is also a 8 mm available. Forewarned here. 8 mm is real close to 1/4". Don't mix them up!
Hitachi, on the other hand does not have 1/4" collets for its M12V router. Now that is one honkin' brute of a router, so that doesn't come as a surprise to me.
A 1/4" shanked router bit is a tad delicate. It is best intended for trim routers which only have 1/4" collets. For the big bruisers, buy 1/2" shanked bits.
Some reducers are downright silly. To only have one slit for compression to hold the bit is, at best, a token response to a customer's demand. We are as safe as we think we are until we learn better.
A honkin' router and a 1/4" shanked bit is a recipe for shrapnel. That is never a good thing. Match the cutter with the tool for best results.
This is also good information when buying a router. Check to see what accessories are available, or not.
Here is another thought to think about. Router bits are consumables. They get dull and wear out. Replace them with the properly sized shanks for your router.
Likewise, router collets are subject to wear and tear as well. If yours is getting long in the tooth and isn't holding as well as it used to, replace it. They generally are under $20 and the wood we buy these days is generally way more than that.
As an aside, when I had the CNC machine, I used 5/16" end mills with the router. No collet for that. I handed a machinist a Bosch collet and asked him to make me a reducer based on that design. He did. It worked perfectly. Why? It had 8 slits, 4 from either end. And it reduced the 3/8" collet to 5/16". Lesson here: the collet cannot be a big hunk of metal. It cannot compress sufficiently.
The discussion was about router collets and/or collet reducers and where to find them. Particularly with PC and Hitachi routers. I was asked to respond to this topic. Here it is. And I added some comments from my POV.
First, Porter Cable router collets are readily available. Nearly all the usual suspects carry them. I have 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2". There is also a 8 mm available. Forewarned here. 8 mm is real close to 1/4". Don't mix them up!
Hitachi, on the other hand does not have 1/4" collets for its M12V router. Now that is one honkin' brute of a router, so that doesn't come as a surprise to me.
A 1/4" shanked router bit is a tad delicate. It is best intended for trim routers which only have 1/4" collets. For the big bruisers, buy 1/2" shanked bits.
Some reducers are downright silly. To only have one slit for compression to hold the bit is, at best, a token response to a customer's demand. We are as safe as we think we are until we learn better.
A honkin' router and a 1/4" shanked bit is a recipe for shrapnel. That is never a good thing. Match the cutter with the tool for best results.
This is also good information when buying a router. Check to see what accessories are available, or not.
Here is another thought to think about. Router bits are consumables. They get dull and wear out. Replace them with the properly sized shanks for your router.
Likewise, router collets are subject to wear and tear as well. If yours is getting long in the tooth and isn't holding as well as it used to, replace it. They generally are under $20 and the wood we buy these days is generally way more than that.
As an aside, when I had the CNC machine, I used 5/16" end mills with the router. No collet for that. I handed a machinist a Bosch collet and asked him to make me a reducer based on that design. He did. It worked perfectly. Why? It had 8 slits, 4 from either end. And it reduced the 3/8" collet to 5/16". Lesson here: the collet cannot be a big hunk of metal. It cannot compress sufficiently.