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Thread: Bosch 1617 plunge router base is wearing me out

  1. #1
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    Bosch 1617 plunge router base is wearing me out

    Public service announcement from too many negative experiences:

    Back the adjustment screw up as far as possible and only use the foot thing with steps and the bar for height control. (The foot thing is wobbly so be aware of your pressure and recreate as needed when doing cuts vs getting your height correct).

    The adjustment screw is absolutely worthless. It moves when you brush it. It moves while cutting. Over it.

    For the money I invested in this platform I'm pretty irritated. Thought bosch was a spendy for a reason.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrew whicker View Post
    Public service announcement from too many negative experiences:

    Back the adjustment screw up as far as possible and only use the foot thing with steps and the bar for height control. (The foot thing is wobbly so be aware of your pressure and recreate as needed when doing cuts vs getting your height correct).

    The adjustment screw is absolutely worthless. It moves when you brush it. It moves while cutting. Over it.

    For the money I invested in this platform I'm pretty irritated. Thought bosch was a spendy for a reason.
    The depth control gauge/wheel being loose is honestly maddening to me. The only thing worse than not having a depth control mechanism is having one that has issues with reproducibility. Despite how much I like the tool otherwise, that issue nearly ruins it for me.
    Last edited by Patrick Varley; 01-10-2023 at 3:03 PM.

  3. #3
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    I've never had any issues with the plunge mechanism, depth control, depth wheel, adjustment screw, etc. It's all worked w/o issue for the close to 10 years I've had it.

    John
    Last edited by John TenEyck; 01-10-2023 at 7:46 PM.

  4. #4
    I've got an older one, and despite the age, that fine-tune depth adjustor still is fluid smooth, yet holds it's position. There is an O-ring stuffed in there in such a way that it allows easy turning, yet doesn't move freely.
    Perhaps newer production runs are not quite up to par. Too bad. If it's a newer machine, maybe a call to Bosch CS is in order. I've had them replace prematurely dead batteries with a simple phone call, clear explanation and a serial number.

    Highly recommend you call with your concerns. Last time I checked, they still seemed to care very much about customer satisfaction and cheerfully take care of things accordingly.

    jeff

  5. #5
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    What is a "foot thing"?

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Coers View Post
    What is a "foot thing"?
    If Andrew is talking about the same thing I am, it's part 170 in the diagram. When you put pressure on it during the plunge it will deflect down like 1/16".

    2023-01-10_18-34-15.jpg

  7. #7
    My Bosch track record:

    - Original jigsaw. Revolutionary, but three position chip blower which did nothing on any setting.
    - Hammer drill. Tiny internal wires fried.
    - Later model jigsaw. Weird plastic blade lock that broke. Chip blower exactly the same non-function several updates later.
    - Trim router. Base not square to shaft, funky height adjustment, Channel locks needed to hold height setting. I still use a couple of these- one side of the base is a different setting than the other side.
    - "Colt" router. Annoying switch, barely functional shaft lock. Have tried & failed to give this away.
    - Older router. Works OK.
    - Big yellow breaker hammer. OK.

    Maybe others, I have avoided the brand for years so nothing recent, and have come to have a rather dim view of German engineering in general.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Varley View Post
    If Andrew is talking about the same thing I am, it's part 170 in the diagram. When you put pressure on it during the plunge it will deflect down like 1/16".

    2023-01-10_18-34-15.jpg
    Isn't the detent spring loaded? Part 171. Maybe take the spring out of it so the index base sits flat on the router base.
    Last edited by Richard Coers; 01-10-2023 at 9:24 PM.

  9. #9
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    I've never had an issue with my adjustment screw that contacts the "castled" foot. There is an o-ring in there that keeps it from spinning freely or with vibration. As far as that castled foot moving, I've never had an issue with the deflection changing significantly, but I also don't use my plunge base for super precise depth control. If I need a ton of depth precision, i always use the fixed base. Is it possible that o-ring broke, or is missing from the depth screw on your router?

  10. #10
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    I have a 1617 that is between seven and ten years old with very little use. Part #170 does not sit dead flat on its support. As a result there is a slight rocking motion to the part when plunging the router. It never bothered me though because like Myles I do not use the plunge base for precise depth. I can see it would be a major annoyance if you wanted precise depth control. Not sure if there is a solution to the part moving or not.

  11. #11
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    I've had the same router for I think 14 years. I have zero free movement in the fine adjustment screw; that O-ring is apparently doing its job.

    There is a small amount of movement in the turret stop, as others have noted, but it doesn't bother me for the same reasons. Pat Warner (RIP) used to point out that he would completely remove the turret stop from his routers and just go with direct measurement using setup blocks. So that is always an option.
    And there was trouble, taking place...

  12. #12
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    So this thread motivated me to look at the issue again, and I think I've figured out the problem. The turret stop is attached with a screw (part 172 in the diagram) that is shouldered. The problem is that even with the washer, the shoulder projects slightly below the bottom of the stop. When you screw it all in, there is a little bit of play so that the stop cannot sit flush on the base. I suspect increasing the thickness of the washer (part 173) may solve the issue as long as it does not cause binding.

    But the point of others is well taken that it's probably not a precision measurement situation either, which is how I get around the issue now. Would just be convenient if this weren't the case, because as it stands it's less helpful than a fixed footing. One of those situations where it feels like an effort to improve functionality had the opposite effect.

  13. #13
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    I agree. Item 170 / the bottom stop isn't a deal breaker. I just think that between that stop feel (sloppy) and the female stop movement is something I would expect on a different brand like Rigid. I didn't expect that kind of cheese with Bosch.

    When the stop works well, it works great. It works really well now that I butt the female stop up against the rod. This is a rough carpentry job, but it's still nice to see things come together well. I make the 45's w/ a circular saw. I make the dado first (w/ the router via 2 or 3 passes) and measure off the walls of the dado so you can imagine the frustration when the depth changes an 1/8" without you realizing it.



    Full Totem.jpg

  14. #14
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    It's a quality control issue because that design/part has been on their routers for over three decades. I've never had an issue with either of mine, but they are early models.

  15. #15
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    My only plunge router is a Craftsman for which I paid $17.50 at an auction about 15 years ago, and it has been worth every penny. It has a plastic depth stop that is totally useless. I have to make stopped dados for truss rods in necks all the time, and I find that it is easier and more accurate for me to just use a regular router, put one side of the base on the wood and plunge the bit in by tilting the router toward vertical till the base is flat on the wood. I'm sure there are applications for which this would not be convenient, but with straight bits it works fine.

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