Router screw up--Recheck what you take for granted

[mark page]

Boy did I screw up. I was trimming some edgebanding with my Bosch trimmer. Love the machine. I shaved one board of Birch ply through the finish layer. I say a few words and rechecked all the settings and the 90 degree guide fence that it has. No problems found so I deemed it operator error. The next board went fine for three sides, fourth side shaved it again. I say a few more words, and deem it operator error again. Oh well, some boards to make jigs, etc out of, so off they went to the keep around scrap pile. Next board, router changes pitch and I literally grind into the Birtch. Now I say a lot of words, create new words, created a whole new foreign language. Come to find out the flush trim bearing retaining screw had come loose and I lost the bearing and screw from the router bit. To my amazement I found them lying on the workbench.
Lesson learned was to check items that you take for granted will never have any problems. I have never had a bearing come off a router bit before that I hadn't removed myself. Bet now I locktite all my trim bits bearing set screws with locktite, and at least check them now on a periodic interval.

[Doug Shepard]

Done that before - except mine didnt come completely out. But it let the bearing wobble enough that it kept diving in and out of the work. Took me a while to figure out what was going on.

[Bruce Page]

Mark, thanks for the tip.

[Eric Wong]

Wow, I definitely feel your frustration on that one!

[Bob Luciano]

I am betting I know most of that new language learned em from similiar type of experiences really happy to hear you weren't hurt by flying pieces

[mark page]

Been emailed too many times today for the name of the foreign language I created. Guess I will call it woodschmuckputski. Too many translations for me to be the head translator though. Have to call in the twelve tribes of Israel to help out! If'n I remember right from my juvenile summer bible school classes, thats when all woodworkers were separated and started speaking different languages and told to go out and teach the new language.:D

[mark page]

OK--to all the jokesters out there!!!---yes I did find the bearing and screw because my bifocals magnified them to look like a wagon wheel and lag bolt. And no--I am not old enough to have supervised the biblical event, although Bob Swensons pic does look vaguely familiar. LOL.

[mark page]

PS: Gotta change my email address that everyone has that I've talked to previously...Too much spam. Speaking of spam, I used to have to eat that stuff as a kid when going to summer bible school. You know how many ways you can cook that stuff, reminds me of Bubba and the shrimp thing on Forrest Gump!!:D

[Charles Bruno]

Yep, I've lost a bearing the same way also made some scrap at the same time
Now I check the bearing and bit for tightness each and every time.