Stripped Baseplate Screw On An Old Ryobi RE600 Router Anyone?

[Lewis Cobb]

Hi Folks -

Well, it's finally happened - for years I have been looking at the tiny metric screws that hold the base plate in my router as I swapped out for a square base to plop it in my router table - and thinking "someday those are going to strip". Tonight it finally happened - I'm not complaining here - this router is the only router I have ever owned and it's a good 15 years old. I have been thinking about getting 2 new ones - one for a table and one for handheld use, but would like to keep this old friend if I can. Maybe set it up in a second table for times when you are jumping between 2 bits.

Has anyone re-tapped something like this? I've never tapped a hole in my life but think it's probably do-able seeing as there's enough metal around the stripped hole. Looks like a M5x12 screw from a parts breakdown I found on the internet.

Cheers,
Lewis


PS - I already have my eyes on a Milwaukee 5625 AND a 5616 ....once we are though the Christmas season and bills are paid of course :D

[Thomas Williams]

On my DW 610 base, I dilled out all of the mounting screws so I could go up one size. If you can work a tap, it is no trouble at all. I think one of the router books recommends drilling and taping for the next size larger screw.

[Joel Goodman]

Good advice to drill up a size larger and tap. Get a set of taps with the appropriate drill bits and handle -- mine came as a set. It's a trivial job and then of course you will need to enlarge the holes in the baseplate and probably deepen the countersinks. Or if you're really lazy get a longer screw of the same size as the stripped one and get a lockwasher and nut and go that way. Tapping should take you about 10 minutes to drill and tap both holes.

[Lewis Cobb]

Thanks for the input. I'll be off to the hardware store later today and see about getting a little tap set. This will be the push I have needed to get a new baseplate made for the router as well.

Cheers,
Lewis

[David G Baker]

Lewis,
You will also need the correct size drill and some cutting oil to lubricate the tap when using it, especially if your base is aluminum. I have broken taps off during the tapping stage when trying to tap aluminum without a lubricant. If you think you have a problem now, try getting a broken tap out of your material. I like Tap Magic as a universal cutting oil.

[Chip Lindley]

Good Advice above, concerning the correct # tap drill and lube. When you start the tap, turn on about 1/4 turn at a time, then back off to clear the chips. Twist another 1/4 turn..back off....and so it goes....Don't get in a hurry! Easy does it!

[Duncan Horner]

Good Advice above, concerning the correct # tap drill and lube. When you start the tap, turn on about 1/4 turn at a time, then back off to clear the chips. Twist another 1/4 turn..back off....and so it goes....Don't get in a hurry! Easy does it!

x2, easy to break taps getting in a hurry

[John Sanford]

I just went with Joel's scheme when a screw on my Bosch stripped. Now a second one is stripped, so I'll be fetching another longer screw, nut and lockwasher. 'Tis a bit of a nuiscance, but better than a dangling router!

[Jason White]

You could certainly tap it and use a larger machine-thread screw.

Another thing to try would be to get some "marine grade" 2-part epoxy adhesive from the hardware store. I think it's rated for around 1500PSI. ACE Hardware has a version of it.

Just goop a little in the screw hole, snug the screw up in the there and clamp the entire thing together overnight.

Jason


Hi Folks -

Well, it's finally happened - for years I have been looking at the tiny metric screws that hold the base plate in my router as I swapped out for a square base to plop it in my router table - and thinking "someday those are going to strip". Tonight it finally happened - I'm not complaining here - this router is the only router I have ever owned and it's a good 15 years old. I have been thinking about getting 2 new ones - one for a table and one for handheld use, but would like to keep this old friend if I can. Maybe set it up in a second table for times when you are jumping between 2 bits.

Has anyone re-tapped something like this? I've never tapped a hole in my life but think it's probably do-able seeing as there's enough metal around the stripped hole. Looks like a M5x12 screw from a parts breakdown I found on the internet.

Cheers,
Lewis


PS - I already have my eyes on a Milwaukee 5625 AND a 5616 ....once we are though the Christmas season and bills are paid of course :D

[Rob Cunningham]

All good advice above. One thing I will add is to make sure you start the tap straight to the drilled hole.
Clamp the router base to the drill press table and drill the hole. Without moving the base, put the tap in the DP chuck. Pull the quill arm down until the tap begins to enter the hole. Turn the chuck BY HAND and keep some downward pressure on the quill. The tap will begin to thread it self into the hole. Keep turning and pulling down until the hole is tapped thru. You don't need to apply to much downward pressure, just enough to keep the tap engaged. If you use a 2 flute tap, you don't need to keep backing it out, just feed it thru. It's easier than it sounds:)

[Jim Heffner]

Those router bases are easy to work with. Go to a good hardware store
and buy a good quality drill bit and tap and do it! When I have to do this type of thing and I don't want to hunt down metric screws, I drill and retap the hole to USS or SAE and then throw all that metric junk in the trash where it belongs and use the good stuff. I like good old USA threads
and it is a lot easier to find replacements the next time I need some more screws.

[Lewis Cobb]

Forgot to post a "closing post" on this subject that I brought up over a month ago. I ended up getting a buddy of mine that works at a machine shop to help me out. He suggested not tapping the aluminum base of the router again per se, but to install a "helicoil" insert into the holes that will take a similar Imperial screw - such as a 8-32.

I responded with "heli-what"" when he started talking about this but man, I'm full on converted now.

It's a little stainless spring like thing that gets threaded into a tapped (special tap) hole and you screw the screw into the inside of the helicoil when you thread it in. Basically, the screw is working on the inner surface of the helicoil which is steel and not bearing and wearing the aluminum.

Anyway, if anyone is in this same boat, you might want to check it out at a local machine shop. I'm sure this stuff is common for machinist types, but for me it was a great find.

Cheers,
Lewis

[Ted Shrader]

Lewis -

Glad you were able to get it fixed.

Helicoils® are great! I use them to preempt problems in aluminum parts that get a lot of use. Easy to install (after you get the "touch" right.) Did you do the rest of the holes in the base while you were at it?

Regards,
Ted

[Homer Faucett]

Lewis, great job on bringing back an old standby router. The Ryobi RE600 is an underappreciated workhorse. I have 2 that I use in tables, and they do everything I ask of them. Plus, since they're underappreciated, I didn't have to pay $300 for a 3 hp router.

The only thing I don't like about them is the strange mounting screw positions. I can't figure out why they came up with the configuration they have. Plus, the hole configurations and the screw size are totally different on both of my RE600's I drilled out two universal Rockler aluminum plates, and these guys just keep chugging along.

[Lewis Cobb]

Ted -
Yes, I made sure we did all 4 holes while we were at it. Didn't want a repeat of this problem.

Homer -
I've always liked this router. I bought mine at Sears about 15 years back. And I hear you on the mounting hole spacing etc. I actually brought the plate into a friend's place that has a co-ordinate measuring machine and got them to probe it to get exact hole positions in a cad file if I ever make some other bases for it. Belive it or not, this is the only router I have. It's a bit of a beast when freehand work is required. When I breakdown and buy a second one later this year (looking at the Milwaukee 5616-24 2.25HP ones at the moment) I'll dedicate the old Ryobi to the table permanently.

Cheers,
Lewis

[Homer Faucett]

Wow, it definitely is not what I would call hand-use friendly, as it is a BEAST. Great in a router table, but not in the hand--top heavy and HEAVY overall. The Milwaukee looks good, but I have no experience with it. I like the Dewalt 816/818 or the Bosch 1617 for hand routing. My first ever router was a Ryobi 1.75 hp plunge router. It's still going strong, but the 1/4" collet was the reason I passed it off to a friend of mine. I graduated to 1/2" bits after I saw how much better they performed.

If you're going with the Milwaukee for the handheld, I would suggest the D-handle. I still miss that aspect of the Ryobi. Hitachi makes a good plunge/fixed base combo for hand routing on a budget. I have become a bit of a router fiend over time. I still love my 3 hp Ryobi routers, though.


Ted -
Yes, I made sure we did all 4 holes while we were at it. Didn't want a repeat of this problem.

Homer -
I've always liked this router. I bought mine at Sears about 15 years back. And I hear you on the mounting hole spacing etc. I actually brought the plate into a friend's place that has a co-ordinate measuring machine and got them to probe it to get exact hole positions in a cad file if I ever make some other bases for it. Belive it or not, this is the only router I have. It's a bit of a beast when freehand work is required. When I breakdown and buy a second one later this year (looking at the Milwaukee 5616-24 2.25HP ones at the moment) I'll dedicate the old Ryobi to the table permanently.

Cheers,
Lewis