Thread: MOF001 2 1/4 does not stay locked /loses height adjustment!

Are you using the plunge lock to lock the height once you have set it?

Originally Posted by malb

Are you using the plunge lock to lock the height once you have set it?

Hi,I'm sorry for not getting back sooner,health problems got in the way but I'm alright for now.
To answer you question ,no I never use the plunge lock to lock the height, never did it before I replaced the worm gear or ever.
I have no idea why the height does not stay where it's set at except maybe the worm gear is a bit too loose and the vibration from the motor( and the weight of the motor) makes it turn in reverse .
Anyhow ,I'm going to take the router apart one more time to see if I can tighten the gear screws or anything else that I suspect causing this problem.
I sincerely appreciate your help malb and if nothing fixes the height issue,I'll try your way of locking the plunge lock once the height is set.
Regards.
Ken.

I will say from the outset that my Triton exposure is limited to the bigger TR series (early, not through table adjustable) unit.

In addition to participating here, I also lurk at RouterForums.com the forum initiated by the crew behind The Router Workshop, based out of the US and Canada.

Occasionally people here and on RF start a topic about Tritons dropping down in a table, and generally they are not using the plunge lock. Without the plunge lock, you are basically relying on gear train friction to hold the height setting. While there is debate about whether users do or don't need to use the lock, the issue seems to go away if the lock is used.

At an engineering level, clearances and fit between plastic to metal, plastic to plastic, and metal to plastic gears are generally different. Plastic gears generally have a small degree of flexibility and the teeth are often not as durable as those on a metal gears, so plastic gears tend to be a tighter fit in mesh than a metal gear to get the maximum possible tooth contact area. On the other hand a metal gear will have more rigid teeth that need clearance when meshed to avoid wear and damage. I suspect that this was taken into account when the metal gear upgrade was being engineered and that the metal gear is slightly smaller than the plastic original to allow tooth clearance. If so, swapping plastic for metal would lower the overall friction in the winder system slightly, but possibly enough to allow the vibration and hanging weight to combine and allow the motor and bit to drop.

That makes perfect sense,I don't know why I did not use the plunge lock before whether it was necessary or not,it would make the user (me) feel assured that nothing is going to budge , but now(with the metal worm gear installed) it looks like it is the only way I can be sure that the router will not unwind on it's own.
Thank you very much for your help,I'll make a habit of routing with the plunge lock fully engaged, from now on.