trouble removing router collet

[Bill Conerly]

I decided to replace the collet on my new-to-me ELU 2127 router. (See my thread about collet size.)

Before buying a new one of a different size, I thought I should make sure I could get the old collet out. I can't.

collet.jpg

I tried pulling straight up. I tried needle nosed pliers. I tried vise-grip needle nose pliers. I tried getting a screwdriver edge on the bottom, with medium and small screwdrivers; could not get any purchase. I tried squeezing the collet with regular pliers while pulling out with needle nose pliers. I tried adding some light oil. I'm thinking about magic. Anyone know a spell for a recalcitrant collet?

Thanks again for your help.

[Doug Garson]

Did you try twisting it to break it free? Don't know if ice would shrink it enough to make a difference but wouldn't hurt to try.

[Keith Westfall]

Tap around the edge (as much as you can in an upward (towards out!) direction) with a small steel punch. Light taps as you move around. It should come out.

[lowell holmes]

You might try heating it gently with a hair dryer or heat gun. Be careful if using a heat gun, it could fry the router.

[James Tibbetts]

I would try a small amount of wd 40 and let it soak a while. Tap as suggested above when first applied. And of course clean well before use.

[Jamie Buxton]

That part is toast -- when you get it out, you're just going to throw it away. So don't be afraid to use extreme means to get it out. I'd start with vise-grips, trying to grab that little rim, and wrenching against the spindle lock. Yeah, you'll scratch the collet, but it doesn't matter. Or drill it out. Run a series of larger and larger bits down the hole. Of course, protect the rest of the router from the chips.

[John K Jordan]

I decided to replace the collet on my new-to-me ELU 2127 router. (See my thread about collet size.)
...I'm thinking about magic. Anyone know a spell for a recalcitrant collet?.

I'm thinking I'd try a simple puller made from a bolt or machine screw, such as a sock head or pan head. Find one that the head will fit through the hole, catch the bottom of the collet on the head of the screw, and pull by tightening a nut against some sort of bar, perhaps a simple flat piece of wood supported by blocks or the router base. This assumes, of course, that there is clearance for the bolt head and enough of the hidden end of the collet to catch. (I don't know how yours is made.) The bolt head might be ground if necessary.

I've made several impromptu pullers like this, most recently to remove a cast iron plate pressed (sometime around 1966) into a cast housing on a farm fuel pump!

If you want to go with the magic, pick out a wand and I'll transport it to you with a second wand. The collet spell is "colleteknium extractomeato" with accents on the "tek" and long "a", accompanied by a left-to-right swish and three quick flicks. Don't get it wrong or there will be dire consequences.

wands_bowl_P7203947cs.jpg

JKJ

[Bill Conerly]

Success!

Here's what worked:
Doug's suggestion for some twist
Keith's suggestion for taps around the edge (though instead of light taps with a punch, I used heavy pounding with a screwdriver)
James's suggestion for WD 40
Jamie's suggestion to treat the collet like trash: grabbing it with vise grips, pushing hard on the edge, pounding like heck

I did a little bit of everything, especially using Jamie's suggestion to not try to save the collet. When it finally came out, I could only find one little scratch. It looked nearly new.

The 1/2" to 1/4" adapter would now fit into the collet, so I re-installed, did a test, it runs really well. My total investment was $26 for the router, $13 for the adapter, my time, and beer for any of you visiting Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Thanks for all of your advice.

[Bill McNiel]

"If you want to go with the magic, pick out a wand and I'll transport it to you with a second wand. The collet spell is "colleteknium extractomeato" with accents on the "tek" and long "a", accompanied by a left-to-right swish and three quick flicks. Don't get it wrong or there will be dire consequences."

In all deference to all those who provided input on removal techniques, I truly believe that JKJ's incantation, even performed from afar, was the pivotal element in the successful extraction.

[John K Jordan]

In all deference to all those who provided input on removal techniques, I truly believe that JKJ's incantation, even performed from afar, was the pivotal element in the successful extraction.

When I tried it out in the my shop every collet and collet-like thing in the shop went flying around bouncing off walls and ceilings. I always wear safety glasses and hard hat and steel-toed boots when playing with the wands. A special apology to all those with shops within a 5-mile radius of here.

JKJ

[pat warner]

And one last shot for the future:
Put a a drill blank in the collet, tighten it, then undo the nut again.
Hit/tap the blank with a rawhide hammer x 360° .
Usually will knock it loose.
The single slit short collet?
Does not hold cutters well. The Elu collet, like Milwaukee's, are some of the best.
Smart to replace.

[Mark Blatter]

I would have suggested a fishing trick we used in Montana.....half a stick of dynamite.

[Bill Adamsen]

Seconding Keith's approach with a slight twist. Hammer a small block of moderately hard hardwood (oak) on the collet while the shaft thread is braced on a softer wood (like poplar). Usually the collet pops right out. Not recommended to hit it with a steel tool such as a punch. Blocking the shaft saves the bearings.

[Mark Wooden]

Now, to keep it from happening again-( and it will, if not cleaned)
You need to polish the taper in the motor shaft. I use a 3/8" dowel with a slit that I bandsawed in the end ( a hacksaw works)
I then cut a small strip of red Scotchbrite about an inch long and slip it into the slot.
Taking the motor out of the base and holding it in my left hand, I then turn the motor on , let it get to speed and shut it off and immediately plunge the scotchbrite into the taper. I'll do this as many times as it takes to get a good polish in the taper, always polishing with the motor off.
Blow it clean, but don't lubricate it with anything!
Then take the collet and mount it on a dowel chucked in a pistol drill. (I build up the dowel with masking tape untill the collet slips on snugly)
Polish the outside of the collet, wipe it clean with a dry rag and then apply a coat of a hard wax, like Butchers Wax, let it dry and then lightly polish.
The collet is now ready to use and will release from the shaft taper easily.
It's important to remember - only wax the outside of the collet. Wax both sides of the taper fit and it will stick.
Keep the inside of the collet , as well of the shanks of your bits, clean and dry.
Don't put your router away for extended periods (more than a day or two) with a bit in it. If a bit gets stuck after sitting, make a few cuts with it to warm it up, then remove it.