Bosch 1617EVS Router Hard to Get Out Of Base

[Joe Beaulieu]

Hey Folks,

I have an older Bosch 1617 EVS router. It is becoming increasingly difficult to adjust the bit depth and damn near impossible to get the motor out of the base. It seems like it needs a light coating of grease or whatever to make sure the body of the motor moves fluidly in the base, but there are warnings against doing just that in the user manual. Do you guys typically run something over the motors on your routers to get them to move around in the base or is it best to leave well enough alone? Seems like some white lithium grease or maybe a very light coating of petroleum jelly or something similar would do the beast a world of good.

Thanks

Joe

[Matt Day]

I battled with my older one for a while too, the aluminum body version. It got to the point where I had to stand on the base and yank the body out.

I think I had some light corrosion going on and did a light sanding which helped.

My newer one has the magnesium body which doesn't corrode.

[pat warner]

Candle wax and steel wool. Loosen the lock lever screw a little too.

[Martin Shupe]

Matt, do you have a new 1617, or a different model? I need a new router, but I have heard about the corrosion problems on the 1617, and I was wondering if they got that fixed.

[Michael Moscicki]

The magnesium routers are the ones that had the corrosion issues. The new ones are made out of aluminium and do not corrode.

[Mike Henderson]

I have an older one. I agree that a bit of lubrication and some light sanding, maybe with steel wool, does wonders. You may have to repeat after a year or two.

Otherwise, a good router.

Mike

[Ellery Becnel]

Mine would raise a bur from the alignment pin. I had to sand, scotchbrite until finally it had enough clearance to go in and out smoothly. It only happened in the fixed base,
not the plunge base. I knew then where the issue was. At first it was not a problem, but over time it developed. It is not a problem now. I think the base distorted somehow.
It was not making good contact when the latch was released, high spots. I just kept working it until it got better.

Ellery Becnel

[fred woltersdorf]

I have an older 1617 and it corroded badly, I sent it back to Bosch and they replaced the base with the aluminum one for no charge, give them a call maybe they will replace it.

[Prashun Patel]

I had the same problem. I too sent it back to Bosch and they replaced it for free.

[Matt Day]

Martin, as pointed out above I had the materials switched around. I hav one of both and the new ones don't have the issue.

They are great routers, and I highly recommend them.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I love my Bosch 1617EVS. I found the body gets dinged up and the burrs make it hard to slide. I use a router bit sharpening file to buff off the burrs and a little paste wax (same stuff I use on the jointer and tablesaw) to keep it slick.

[Darryl Hopkins]

I know this is a very old post, but if anyone is reading this, I had the same issue. I called Bosch customer support and they sent me a new fixed base for my 1617. The new base fit my router like a glove. The plunge base I also have never had a problem. Credit to Bosch for sending the replacement even though my router was out of warranty.

[John TenEyck]

I've had one for at least 15 years. After fighting with it for a while, I found that a coating of paste wax on the body makes it slide smoothly, and lasts a very long time before another coat is needed.

John