Rail / Stile "problem" discovered

[Larry Fox]

As a follow-up to the thread I posed earlier today.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=33338

I did some messing with the shims until I realized that there was no adjustment that would close the gap (I was thinking about it wrong). It was then that I started to look for another cause. I started looking at the flatness of the table, sled, alignment of the insert plate etc. I then turned on the router and turned it off again to watch the bit spin down. It was then that I noticed that it appeared to be "wabbling" ever so slightly. How could that be!!! I took the bit out and inspected it - seemed fine. I then turned the router on and looked at the collet as it was spinning down and it was very clearly "bent". No idea how it happened (or how it even could happen) - but there it was. Replaced it with another collet and all *seems* to be well.

Has anyone ever seen or heard of this?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yup! Sometimes you just have to go back to square 1!

Once I was trying to make some dovetails with my PC jig. They'd worked perfect on my practice pieces. Now with "the real stuff" they weren't working well at all. I checked the bit..........the setup........After a couple of frustrating hours I pulled out the instructions (DUH!) ....Step 1. Loosely attach the router base plate to the router......Step 2. Install the guide bushing in the router baseplate. Step 3. With the router bit chucked up in the collet, bring the collet down until it contacts the router baseplate and guidebushing, thus centering the baseplate and guidebushing to the collet. Lock the router with the collet making contact with the guidebushing and tighten the baseplate mounting screws. Worked fine after that!:o :D