Router bit extremely stuck

[Bryan Lisowski]

I have a Bosch 1617 router and for the life of me I can't get the bit out. I have no problem loosening the collet, but it won't come off. I have shot the collet and bit with WD40, liquid wrench, struck the shaft with the collet wrench and nothing. I have also tried heating the nut and bit, but nothing. Any suggestions? I don't care if I have to destroy the bit, I have other round over bits.

[Lee Schierer]

I have bits stick in my craftsman router from time to time. what I do is tap sideways on the bit and after a while the collet will work loose. Make sure in the future that you don't push the bit shank all the way into the router. It needs to have a little space past the end of the bit inside the collet.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I have bits stick in my craftsman router from time to time. what I do is tap sideways on the bit and after a while the collet will work loose. Make sure in the future that you don't push the bit shank all the way into the router. It needs to have a little space past the end of the bit inside the collet.

I tapped the sides on the bit and nothing. Also I never seat it fully, when installing, I push bit all the way in then pull up on the bit maybe 1/16" then tighten. This router is the only 1 I ever have issues with.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Have you tried tapping straight down, as though you were driving the bit deeper into the collet? That will usually loosen them for me.
Zach

[Bryan Lisowski]

Good suggestion Zach, I will give that a shot.

[Richard Coers]

Loosen the collet nut, get a 3/4x3/4 block of wood through an opening on the side of the base, hook it under the head of the router bit, and rap it with a hammer.

[Alan Schwabacher]

The 1617 has a self-releasing collet. The bit should remain tightly held even after loosening the nut, but if you continue to turn the nut in the loose direction, it will retighten. Loosening from there should release the bit. Are you saying you fully loosen the collet nut this way and the bit remains tight?

[Bryan Lisowski]

Well I tried a lot of suggestions and a friend from another forum gave me a suggestion that worked. He said he has had the same thing happen with this router. I wrapped a rag around the bit, put both wrenches on and turned until the bit, collet and nut came right off. I did have to beat the bit out of the collet and the bit fell on the concrete floor and chipped the bit.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, you may want to consider replacing the collet. They don't last forever.

Sad you dropped the bit...kinda makes it "toast" for all practical purposes.

[Ole Anderson]

And always drop a small rubber o-ring or space ball in the collet before you insert the bit to insure it has some room to move down if you need to tap it to remove.

[fred everett]

I'd try sticking whole thing in the freezer for an hour.

[john bateman]

If you set the router on a piece of mdf with a hole cut in it and supported on a 5gal bucket, the bit will spin out when you turn it on. If it doesn't, ease the bit into the mdf while it's running. It should just fall into the bucket.

[johnny means]

Brian, you may want to consider replacing the collet. They don't last forever.

Sad you dropped the bit...kinda makes it "toast" for all practical purposes.

I've never had a collet wear out. They strike me as something that should last forever if not mishandled.

[Mark Wooden]

I've never had a collet wear out. They strike me as something that should last forever if not mishandled.

I'm with Johnny here, I've got collets pushing 20 yrs.
Sounds more like a) collet or the quill in the router weren't clean, maybe both or, b) the bit was left in the router too long, giving it time to rust an seize (you can't always see the rust, but it's often there). A dirty shank on the bit can sometimes cause them to stick too.
Clean the quill, outside and inside of the collet with scotchbrite or 000 steel wool to polished, then apply paste wax to the outside of the collet only, let dry and put it back together; you should have no more sticking. Take your bits out when you're done with them, while they're still warm. If you have to leave a setup for a while, keep the bit and collet chuck covered with a towel or rag to slow down or stop condensation and run some stock to warm it all up before taking it apart

[George Makra]

Add a couple drops of penetrating oil let soak then heat the collet with a heat gun and apply gentle force and it should come out.