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I love the comedy of errors that goes along with building one or two guitars per year. This time, the 1/4" bits I've always used aren't fitting my PC 310 laminate trimmer.

After looking at these three pictures, is something from the collet missing?

on your file attachment comment did you mean to say "aren't happily sliding into it?"

can't you take out that center thing, then press the bit into it, and then push it back into the router, and then screw down the collar on top of that?

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."

James: If the opening is .230 I don't think 1/4" bits will fit through. Is this a typo,wrong measurement or are the shanks smaller then 1/4" (.250)....??? Maybe the collet is jammed into the holder, making the hole smaller then .250, think it should be loose...!!!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Your collet is missing. Check your other bits to see if you left it on one of them.

Nope. That opening is .230"

Thanks, Barry. That tells me I'm not going insane.

On my PC trimmer, I have to push the bit in hard. It's not a loose fit.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Maybe I am missing something but it sure looks like your collet is in place on these pictures. You can even see the slots which allow the collet to tighten on your bits.

James, collets are cheap. Head to your hardware store and pick up a couple and replace the one on the router. They can wear out although I have some routers that are over 30 years old and they are still fine. Anyway, that is where I would start...new collet (replacing the one that is in the router...cause I can see it on the picture )

Shane

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Canada

Those slots don't go through. That is just the housing for the collet. I stand by my statement that the collet is missing.

James : Again,is the collet loose,if it's jammed in by the nut the opening will be less then.250 if there is nothing in the hole to stop it from collapsing. The collet should be loose.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Jammed collet. This can happen if you tighten the collet with no bit in it. It sinks too far into the tapered shaft and closes up. You should be able to remove it with some pliers or vise-grips. You will have to pinch the relief cut closed to free it. The relief cut is the slot on the collet on the left side of the picture.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Right on Kent....!! I was trying to say something like that....you have a much better way with words.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I think your collet is there, because if it was missing the opening would be much larger
than .230, probably more like .400 or so (a guess, I haven't measured mine). It's also
impossible to get the nut off the bit if the collet is still on the shank. So it's there...

I've had the same problem, and fixed it by getting it out with pliers/vicegrips as suggested.
Once I got the collet out, I put the wedge shaped end of a manual screwdriver tip into the
slot, held the collet down on my bench, and hit the handle of the screwdriver lightly with a
mallet. The wedge on the tip spread the collet back up over .250, and it fit easily onto the
bit shanks again. If you overtighten the nut, it will swage the collet back down again, and
you'll need to repeat the process.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

I've got several PC310 routers and about half of them have this problem. The collet is indeed present - it only has a single slit in it (very hokey design IMO). It's just jammed into the end of the router hard, so it has closed up too much for you to put 1/4" bits in. You should be able to pry it out with a flat blade screwdriver and/or some pliers. The ones that stick can be helped by sanding the mating surfaces very slightly with 220g wet/dry paper (wet).....it helped on mine anyway....YMMV.

BTW, I still have a small package for you in the back of my car somewhere!! Since I moved, I haven't had time to find the local PO (it's miles away ). Please send me another PM/email with your address again to make it easy for me, and I'll scive off work tomorrow pm and get it done.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Some laminate trimmers are supplied with both 6mm (European) and 6.35mm (0.25" - North America, Australasia) collets. You've got a 6mm collet and need to replace it, either with the other supplied, or a 0.25" PC-compatible collet available at almost any tool supplier.

Tap the collet using a piece of hardwood, and a hammer.
Once out,
use a screwdriver in the collet slot to spread it, carefully.
The collet is in that router,
unless you've taken it out after that picture.

+1 This is answer

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
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http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Thanks everyone. The weather was perfect last Sunday. I spent some time working on a new work board, then got the top ready to rout. When I went to put the bit in . . . I couldn't.

I headed back out earlier this evening and swore it looked like one solid, fused piece. After a bit more inspection, I saw that it was indeed jammed. It came out easily with the light pinch of pliers, and I fit some bits in just to make sure.

Can't thank the forum for these tips enough.

Haha, sure thing!

Wow, this crow tastes pretty gamey.

Thats cause its " Imported Crow" , Made in USA crow is much easier to swallow !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Barry:Everyone has to eat their share of crow before we die. If we didn't, think of all the crows that would be flying around. They stopped it once for a period of time so that Hichcock could do Birds but quickly realized their mistake....!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!