Router Bit won’t budge.

[Connie Freitas]

How do I get this router bit out of here?
Tug as might, it won’t come out.
I tried some WD40 recently but it didn’t help at all.
I’ve since read that I’m not supposed to use a lubricant of any kind.
So, what do I do please?

517266

[Doug Garson]

Put it in the freezer for an hour then apply a bit of heat with a heat gun or hair dryer to the collet, then give the bit a wack with a rubber or wooden mallet. Should pop right out.

[Wes Grass]

I'd probably try making some wood wedges to fit in the flutes so I could clamp it up in a vise without damaging it.

And then try prying the collet open with a screwdriver in one of the slots, at the largest dia at the base of the taper. That looks as though it isn't a 'bearing' surface in the spindle or nut, so any burr rolled up wouldn't affect accuracy. Its also easy to clean up with a file or stone.

Curious what router that's from. Odd design, doesn't collapse in a cylindrical manner to grip the whole shank.

[Jimmy Harris]

Don't worry about the oil. You can clean it with mineral spirits or something when you're done and get rid of the oil.

I'd do what Doug Garson says. Put it in the freezer, then hit the collet with some heat. I usually use a soldering iron, but a heat gun or hair dryer might work too. The idea is to shrink the metal of the bit with cold, and then expand the metal of the collet with heat.

[Richard Coers]

drill a hole in a scrap that will register only on the lip of the collet nose. Pare a couple of slots in the hole if you need clearance for the carbides. Then tap the back of the router shank with a pin punch. No idea what that threaded bolt is doing there.

[Richard Coers]

Put it in the freezer for an hour then apply a bit of heat with a heat gun or hair dryer to the collet, then give the bit a wack with a rubber or wooden mallet. Should pop right out.
You think a hair dryer will put out enough heat? I don't.

[Myles Moran]

A hairdryer won't be fast, but any amount of thermal movement should help break the two apart. A heat gun would be better, but I would try the hairdryer if I didn't have a heat gun.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Also, when you do get it out, when reinserting this or other bits into the collet, i think it is suggested they not be inserted full depth . . . . which i am sensing this one was. Good luck. Patrick

[Jason Meinholz]

I would pry the collet in the slot, up near the bit in the chamfered area.

[Doug Garson]

You think a hair dryer will put out enough heat? I don't.
Not sure, freezer should be around 0 F and hair drier around 125 to 150 F, sounds like enough to me but only trying it will tell for sure. Whether it works or not, it's pretty easy to try with what the OP probably has on hand, involves little effort and it can do no harm, so I think is worth a try.

[Lee Schierer]

Find a piece of hardwood about 3 feet long. 6 inches from one end drill a hole that will just let the router bit fit through. Run some duct tape up and over the back end of the collet so it won't fall out. Stand back from a work bench about 4 feet. Grab the end of the board opposite the router/collet problem Raise the board up over your head and then hit the top of the work bench as hard as you can with the other end of the board such that you don't hit the router bit on the bench. If the bit doesn't come out on the first whack do it again.

They make hammers that will extract a bullet from a brass casing with that exact method, none of the parts are harmed. Momentum is a wonderful thing.

[Doug Garson]

Find a piece of hardwood about 3 feet long. 6 inches from one end drill a hole that will just let the router bit fit through. Run some duct tape up and over the back end of the collet so it won't fall out. Stand back from a work bench about 4 feet. Grab the end of the board opposite the router/collet problem Raise the board up over your head and then hit the top of the work bench as hard as you can with the other end of the board such that you don't hit the router bit on the bench. If the bit doesn't come out on the first whack do it again.

They make hammers that will extract a bullet from a brass casing with that exact method, none of the parts are harmed. Momentum is a wonderful thing.
And when the router bit bounces off the concrete floor, deposit it in the metal recycling bucket. :eek:

[Bill Dufour]

I do not think he can press it out from the back. I think this is a pull stud collet. Sounds like you need to look into shrink fit collets to get ideas on how to undo this. Do not get it so hot you affect the collet's temper. Keep it under 500F or so.
BilLD

[Cameron Wood]

Find a piece of hardwood about 3 feet long. 6 inches from one end drill a hole that will just let the router bit fit through. Run some duct tape up and over the back end of the collet so it won't fall out. Stand back from a work bench about 4 feet. Grab the end of the board opposite the router/collet problem Raise the board up over your head and then hit the top of the work bench as hard as you can with the other end of the board such that you don't hit the router bit on the bench. If the bit doesn't come out on the first whack do it again.

They make hammers that will extract a bullet from a brass casing with that exact method, none of the parts are harmed. Momentum is a wonderful thing.


LOL. Maybe a 6 foot long board for good measure.

[Patty Hann]

Find a piece of hardwood about 3 feet long. 6 inches from one end drill a hole that will just let the router bit fit through. Run some duct tape up and over the back end of the collet so it won't fall out. Stand back from a work bench about 4 feet. Grab the end of the board opposite the router/collet problem Raise the board up over your head and then hit the top of the work bench as hard as you can with the other end of the board such that you don't hit the router bit on the bench. If the bit doesn't come out on the first whack do it again.

They make hammers that will extract a bullet from a brass casing with that exact method, none of the parts are harmed. Momentum is a wonderful thing.

So is kinetic energy :D

[George Yetka]

I always make sure I have the bit at least 1/8" from bottomed out. That way if it gets stuck a little tap on the bit will push it in the 1/8 and free it hopefully. It hasn't failed me. It appears you may be able to get something in the slot and lightly pry the bit outward. If you get that far tapping it back in may free it overall

[Steve Demuth]

Freeze and then heat on the collet would be my first throught, too. But if it's really that stuck, I have to wonder whether the bit didn't turn in the collet for some reason, and may be galled tight to the inside of the collet - in which case some reverse torque may be necessary to break it loose. I'd go with the cold and heat, but be prepared to clamp up the bottom of the collet and apply some clockwise torque to the bit, if it doesn't pop put.

[Patty Hann]

I always make sure I have the bit at least 1/8" from bottomed out. That way if it gets stuck a little tap on the bit will push it in the 1/8 and free it hopefully. It hasn't failed me. It appears you may be able to get something in the slot and lightly pry the bit outward. If you get that far tapping it back in may free it overall
Slight deviation from topic (but it may help the OP next time)....
Would putting a "space ball' in the collet be a good idea? bad idea?
(Someone here on the forums may have suggested this already...I know I read it somewhere.. not my original idea)

[Michael Burnside]

Patty, I don't think anything extra is needed, just experience. You should always be about 1/16-1/8" recessed from the back of the collet. Rule applies to handheld, bench or CNC routers.

[Bruce Wrenn]

If collet is open on motor end, drill a hole on some scrap wood that will support collet nut, Place nut over collet, then over hole in wood. Using a BRASS drift, drive bit out.

[Ray Selinger]

Give it a tap down that usually frees them. It's common problem with die grinder bits. I always give the shank a rap with one of the wrenches. Quality collets have a feature where if you keep undoing them , they pop .

I had to toss a router when the shaft taper spun. it was an old Craftsman Super Router, no loss.

[Mel Fulks]

Also, when you do get it out, when reinserting this or other bits into the collet, i think it is suggested they not be inserted full depth . . . . which i am sensing this one was. Good luck. Patrick

Yep, I’ve done that too….when I was a kid. Worked in commercial shops where the owners couldn’t figure it out ! Push em’ down then
pull them back about 1/8th. That makes a BETTER grip ! And an easier trip OUT ! One of those “strange. ..but TRUE
things.

[Lee Schierer]

And when the router bit bounces off the concrete floor, deposit it in the metal recycling bucket. :eek:

So put a pad on the floor if you want to save the router bit. It is probably easier to replace than the collet.

[Roger Feeley]

Couldnt you stick a flat blade screwdriver in the slot and turn it just a bit?

[Richard Coers]

My curiosity is growing, is the bit out?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Slight deviation from topic (but it may help the OP next time)....
Would putting a "space ball' in the collet be a good idea? bad idea?
(Someone here on the forums may have suggested this already...I know I read it somewhere.. not my original idea)Space balls are only 0.26" in diameter usually so I don't use them - with a 1/2" collet.
You can get rubber washers that are closer to 1/2" in diameter so that's what I use instead.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of using anything that can unbalance something spinning at the RPM a router turns. If the space ball rolls to one side of the collet, I don't feel that's in any way a good thing.

[Patty Hann]

My curiosity is growing, is the bit out?

Not only "is the bit out" , but also, what is its condition and the condition of the collet?
Meaning, is this a case of "the operation was a success, but the patient died" ? :rolleyes:

[Patty Hann]

Space balls are only 1/8" in diameter usually so I don't use them - with a 1/2" collet.
You can get rubber washers that are closer to 1/2" in diameter so that's what I use instead.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of using anything that can unbalance something spinning at the RPM a router turns. If the space ball rolls to one side of the collet, I don't feel that's in any way a good thing.

Good point...(Physics wins again!...Angular momentum! :D)

[George Yetka]

Slight deviation from topic (but it may help the OP next time)....
Would putting a "space ball' in the collet be a good idea? bad idea?
(Someone here on the forums may have suggested this already...I know I read it somewhere.. not my original idea)

Patty

I forget who it was but one of the cabinet bit set companies(I remember they were yellow, at least I think they were) had a video describing them and he installed a fat Oring in the router and dropped the corresponding bits on the oring and thightened there. His were made to swich back and forth from rail to style with out height acdjustment using this oring. He said it doubled as a way to break that lockup.

[George Yetka]

Good point...(Physics wins again!...Angular momentum! :D)


Fat O-ring

[Bert McMahan]

Patty

I forget who it was but one of the cabinet bit set companies(I remember they were yellow, at least I think they were) had a video describing them and he installed a fat Oring in the router and dropped the corresponding bits on the oring and thightened there. His were made to swich back and forth from rail to style with out height acdjustment using this oring. He said it doubled as a way to break that lockup.

I've seen that one too- it was the Sommerfeld guy. I haven't tried it yet but it seemed like a solid idea.

[Steve Demuth]

I've got a bit of rubber sawed off the tread of a farm tractor tire in mine. No doubt it isn't perfectly balanced, but the moment arm is so small, and the density of the material so modest, there isn't any consequence - the forces involved don't begin to compare to those the spindle feels every time a blade come's round the bend and slams into the next cut on a piece of good, hard, wood.

[Patty Hann]

Fat O-ring

That fat O-ring would indeed prevent the space ball from moving around.... improved "good idea" :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Patty

I forget who it was but one of the cabinet bit set companies(I remember they were yellow, at least I think they were) had a video describing them and he installed a fat Oring in the router and dropped the corresponding bits on the oring and thightened there. His were made to swich back and forth from rail to style with out height acdjustment using this oring. He said it doubled as a way to break that lockup.
As mentioned - Sommerfeld.
I got that idea from him after using his cabinet set.

[Rick Potter]

Yup, Craig (as in Kreg Jig)Sommerfeld. He recommended a 1/2" grommet. I also have his router bits for cabinets and they work well.

[Earl McLain]

Yup, Craig (as in Kreg Jig)Sommerfeld. He recommended a 1/2" grommet. I also have his router bits for cabinets and they work well.
Sommerfeld Tools is Marc Sommerfeld--and using the o-ring as he suggests works great both for keeping bits from bottoming out and also for setting depth on the matched set bits he makes . Craig (as in Kreg Jigs) is brother to Marc. Talented family.

[Rick Potter]

Oops. Knew the story, but lost track of the players.

[Daniel O'Neill]

I'm having trouble telling if the threads are part of the router bit or collet. I'm guessing the collet....

Get some thin angle iron from the hardware store. Drill a hole and machine screw through one end. Now you have a "V" with both pieces of angle facing up. Use that V on a vise and have it pinch between the bit and the collet. Then you can take a nail punch and tap on the collet. If the threads are part of the collet that won't work but you can then flip the bit/collet around and take a screwdriver and tap in the slit of the collet just a little. If you have a workbench with dog holes you could use that instead of a vise. I wouldn't tighten the angle too much either because technically they'll be on different planes. The slop should help compensate. Hope it works. I had a friend push a router bit all the way in and it was a bear to get out.

The other idea is similar. Put 2 nuts with a large washer between them. Put the lowest washer in a vise and use a screwdriver to pop the router bit out. You could also use the angle iron or aluminum angle V from above. Personally I'd use aluminum due to it's softness.

[Rick Potter]

I think it is time to note that the OP never returned.

[George Yetka]

I've seen that one too- it was the Sommerfeld guy. I haven't tried it yet but it seemed like a solid idea.

That was it.

[George Yetka]

That fat O-ring would indeed prevent the space ball from moving around.... improved "good idea" :)


The fat Oring would be used in place of the spaceball

[George Yetka]

I think it is time to note that the OP never returned.

Hes still in the shop trying to remove the bit

[Bill Dufour]

I thought the o-ring was on the shank of each and every bit.
Bill D

[George Yetka]

I thought the o-ring was on the shank of each and every bit.
Bill D

It sits below the router bit

[Rich Engelhardt]

I thought the o-ring was on the shank of each and every bit.
Bill D
More like a small plumbing washer than an o-ring. You know the type - the small - less than the size of a dime - little plumbing seat washers.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Danco-10-Pack-1-2-Rubber-Washer/3380002

[Justin Rapp]

This happens on my porter cable router. After I loosen the collet nut, I just tap the nut lightly with the wrench and it would free the bit. I don't use this router anymore but if I did, I'd buy a new collet.

[Connie Freitas]

I’ve tried to do that a few times and it hasn’t worked, unfortunately.

[Connie Freitas]

My hair-dryer is pretty hot. It didn’t work though. Heat did nothing.

[Connie Freitas]

It may have been. It’s like it’s fused on there pretty well. Thanks!

[Connie Freitas]

The Whack-a-mole approach didn’t work.

[Connie Freitas]

Yeah, dryer won’t go that high anyways.
Yes, it’s a pull stud collet.

[Connie Freitas]

If it came out and broke, I actually wouldn’t mind. I can buy a new one. I don’t need it anyways.

[Connie Freitas]

Yeah, if I ever get it out, I’ll be sure to never push it in all the way again, believe me.

[Connie Freitas]

Nope, that wouldn’t work.

[Connie Freitas]

I think I’m going to try taking into a hardware store see if they can get it out.

[Connie Freitas]

It’s not open on the motor end.

[Connie Freitas]

No, and I’ve lost my patience with it several times. Today I was screaming in frustration.

[Connie Freitas]

Funny story Patty. :)

[Connie Freitas]

I think I’m just going to take it in to a hardware store or repair store of some kind.

[Connie Freitas]

Surprise! It’s me!!!

[Connie Freitas]

He just might be George.

[Brian Holcombe]

Hi Connie,

Given how difficult this is to remove, I suspect the router bit may have spun in the collet, in which case, both items are trash.

If you can get it apart, inspect both for burrs.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Brian. Collets are "technically" disposables and one should never, ever use a collet that has or is suspected to have damage because it's an unsafe piece of tooling.

[Jimmy Harris]

Trash it. You're at the point, well probably past it, where you're likely to injure yourself in a fit of frustration and desperation. And, as noted, even if you do get them apart, they're probably damaged beyond repair at this point.

[Myles Moran]

I had a router bit spin in a collet once. The collet was integral to the motor shaft (cheap router) and once I removed the bit by destructively opening the collet with a screwdriver, I was surprised at just how small of a burr it took to jam the whole thing up.

Luckily in this case it wouldn't require replacing the whole router, just the collet and but.

[Connie Freitas]

Yeah. I might try a mechanical repair place soon but I’m not even sure it’s worth it.

[Connie Freitas]

My collet unscrewed right out but I can’t screw it back in. I hope they can at the mechanical repair shop. No guarantees they’ll get it out though. It’s too bad though.

[Rick Potter]

It's a $15 router bit. Put it in a vice and squeeze it good, then use piece of hardwood to drive off the collet, and find out if it is shot already. Let's get on with it.