Thread: Router bit depth

Possible - yes, safely - NO

go and buy a longer bit. think of the bit as a lever and the top of the collet as the fulcrum. the more of the bit that is extending past the collet the more force is applied to the even shorter length of the bit remaining in the collet. further the collet is designed to grip all teh way down. you would be running the risk of damaging the collet or worse, having the bit come loose at 22000 rpm and flying round your shed with disastrous consequences

Originally Posted by DPR

I'd like a bit of advice please. I have a Triton router mounted in a triton table. I have a Carb-i-Tool TX1416 bit which is a 1/2" diameter 50.8mm flute with a 95mm overall length. I want to route a 60mm mortise. Is it possible to safely insert the bit so that it is raised 10mm in the collet?

I would be more happy if the bit was bottomed out in the collet.
Is the extra 10mm needed?
Cant you get by with out the extra 10mm?

Al

Originally Posted by ozwinner

I would be more happy if the bit was bottomed out in the collet.Al

Thats a no no. Always make sure the bit is raised about 2-3 mm from the bottom of the collet before tightening.
The collet is a screw tightening system, and as it tightens it goes deeper into the base. If the collett starts to tighten on a bottomed out bit you are asking it to slip on the bit to tighten it further, so you are risking a false tighten with possible disastrous consequences.
If the collet is raised 2-3 mm then as the collet starts to tighten, the bit has room to move as the collet tightens on it.

Thanks Termie.
I have never heard that before.
I have had bits come loose in the past.

Al

Thanks to you all for your advice. As it turns out I've found this morning I don't have a problem after all. Even with the bit fully inserted (less 2mm of course!) I can still plunge to a depth of 68mm which is deeper than I needed.

So no problem but I've learned a lot - thanks.

I know this is an old post and wondered if I needed to have the bits fully inserted into the collets, which reduces the cutting height a little in my router table, so I looked at the collet assembly for my Bosch router and the router bit only needs 19mm insertion to be clear of the bottom of the collet on a 1/4"" shank bit, now most of my 1/4" bits have a 25mm long shank so I can safely have 6mm protruding from the top of the collet, knowing that the shank of the bit is gripped properly.

19mm is the minimum recommended. If you can go further that's fine, but NEVER push it in until it hits the bottom; it won't clamp properly and may loosen or come out in use

I have seen two tips to make sure that the bit is not against the collet base before tightening. One was to insert a round hose type washer permanently in the collet, the other to insert a dab of flexible sealant. Both allow the bit to be tightened down.

If you can't find a rubber washer the right size use a small O ring.

I would not use a sealant unless it was cured before putting in. It could be a bugger to remove at a latter stage.

Originally Posted by Bohdan

If you can't find a rubber washer the right size use a small O ring.

Yes, that's what I meant by hose washer.

Originally Posted by Handyjack

I would not use a sealant unless it was cured before putting in. It could be a bugger to remove at a latter stage.

Neither would I.