Thread: Triton TRA-001 Problem

Sounds like you have two problems. If you do a search thru' the Triton threads you will find a few similar 'events'.

The 'won't got all the way up/down in the table' problem is usually caused by sawdust entereing the shaft holes & getting compacted. You may be able to get it out by removing the cap & blowing it out with air, bent piece of coathanger wire to scrape etc. without pulling the router apart completely.

The other problem may be that you have partly stripped the internal gear that winds the router up & down the shafts. It may go away when you have cleaned out all the dust, or it may not Again, there are instructions on how to pull the router apart in previous threads. If the router is only going to be used in the table & the plastic gear is cactus, then PWS still have the screw jack type router lift for the TR001 which is all metal & can be accessed from above the table.

As bsrlee says, if you put the spring-retaining cap back on, it will have filled with sufficient dust (particularly MDF dust, if you mill that) which is fouling on the right-hand plunge post, preventing the full height winding. Remove the cap and leave it off in future.

Regarding the winding mechanism, your symptoms signify that a maintenance clean is required. Here's how to do it:

With the bayonet cap and spring removed, next remove the motor brushes, noting their position and orientation for replacement. Remove the fine adjuster black top by undoing the cross-head screw and pulling off. Now carefully wind the router down until you can see the circlip at the top of the right-hand post. Remove it, then wind the motor part of the router up and off of the plunge posts.

Remove the four black cross-head screws from the bottom of the motor housing and carefully jiggle the orange top section from off of the alloy casting. Now you can see the works. Remove the worm gear and clean thoroughly. Inspect the lands because you may be able to clean off any burrs, etc. that interfere with smooth operation. Give everything a good clean - airline is best if you've got one, but it's not essential - especially the two bronze-coloured bushes through which the legs run. Look for hard, caked-on and compacted sawdust, especially if you mill MDF with the table.

When re-assembling, be sure to lift the thumb plunge lock to its rest position as you wind the top part back onto the legs, otherwise it will finish up in a weird position and you'll need to remove the lever and re-position it. A light lubrication of the bushes and winding mechanism with a "dry" lubricant, such as PTFE spray, will assist in smooth operation.

I've put up pictures of all this here, which may assist - I hope so. You shouldn't need to disassemble the plunge handle itself, those pics were by request for another forum member.

Experience has taught me, since writing the web page, that you can safely leave both the black top casing and the variable speed unit in situ. It may still pay to remove the plunge lock, but look out for the internal brass slug. HTH

Ray

Originally Posted by SpiritFlutes

I did my research before I bought the Triton TRA-001 and there was never anything said about this issue. I'm almost ready to give it away thats if its not in a thousand pieces. Maybe there is a simple fix. I am praying there is. I was recommended to buy the last of the Dewalt variable speed routers by Graeme Waterson of Pro Woodworker Supplies but I went the Triton instead. Not sure now if that was the best move.

I appreciate your help and advice in advance.

SpiritFlutes

Hi

I've lost a few friends being critical of their beloved Tritons, but the issue is..
the Tritons full plunge can only be used if the Routers Switch is OFF. Any other router is simply locked in the fully plunged position and mounted in the UniLIFT. A solution is the Xtreme Xtension which allows above table bit changes without even locking the shaft. This will work with all but the largest panel raising bits.

If you can grab a set of brushes as spares it would be a really good idea as they'll be hard to find soon, if not now.

All that without one 'I told you so....' I'm impressed????

Regards

Grahame

Hi,

Ray might be able to assist with locating brushes for the TRA001. Not sure if this has been covered already - can't find anything with a search, but possible I missed it.

I found posts on a UK forum by Ray where he has managed to find brushes for both routers and the saw.

http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/v...r=asc&start=30

Sollent tools in the UK - http://www.solenttools.co.uk/p0/carb...hes/314050.htm

Ray, I cannot find triton listed, so are there brushes for other brands which fit the tritons?

Thanks
Jason

Well, my face lit up with a smile today. I removed the shaft cover and packed in there was a pile of compressed dust. Replaced router in table and got my full plunge on the triton back.

It's funny how annoying a simple problem can be when you don't know the cause. I could have messed around pulling things apart but my intuition said ask here first.

Theres nothing better than having a an army of experienced users at hand when you should find yourself if such a position, not to mention the speediness of the replies. For that reason and many others this forum has got to be the best thing that ever happened for Aussie and foreign woodworkers. Thanks rayintheuk for sharing your in depth knowledge and I did view your great page before I bought the machine.

it's a great machine but as I and a few others have found has it's woes and as Greame mentions a limitation in it's plunge. I found a new issue with it today when I hit some denser spots in the wood and motor laboured I thought I sensed that the revs didn't come back up, a quick check confirmed the problem to be the speed control had self adjusted lower due to the vibrations. Yes I was doing serious routing but this machine should really eat it and it does. My old makita used to do the same process but had more labour strain.

I came to the idea to go for the Uni Lift from using a BenchDog table in the US when I was there last year. I realise now that the weight of the Stainless cast Bench Dog style of uni lift was much more solid and it was fixed into the table where as the UniLift just sits in the rebate and is held down by the weight of the router. This I now notice is suceptable to vibration, not extremely serious but enough to be a concern. It becomes evident when you are in the midle of laboured cuts on various woods.

"If you can grab a set of brushes as spares it would be a really good idea as they'll be hard to find soon, if not now".

Yes that is a good idea Greame but where do I get a set of brushes here. Dam nuisence that Triton went out of business. Why also did the Dewalt 621 get removed from manufacture. What other routers do you reccommend that are tough and available in the Aussie market that fit the UniLift, suppose only the Bosch. What about Milwakee i notice there are screws to mount a Milwakee on the baseplate.

SpiritFlutes

Originally Posted by pellcorp

Ray might be able to assist with locating brushes for the TRA001. Not sure if this has been covered already - can't find anything with a search, but possible I missed it.

Ray, I cannot find triton listed, so are there brushes for other brands which fit the tritons?

I managed to persuade Solent Tools to do a small run of brushes for me, as a favour, usable in both the large saw and TRA001 router, plus a few for the MOF001. These were almost immediately snapped up by my friends and colleagues on the UK Workshop forum, leaving me with just one spare pair for the TRA and two pairs for the MOF.

Given that the amount of routing I do will only decrease with advancing age, I still think it would be foolish to let my last pair of TRA brushes go, sorry. There have been claims made by another member that he has purchased "all the available spares," so that may give a positive result (eventually). If not - and your brushes run out before mine do - contact me again. I'll then have a look at the state of my existing ones, and if they're still OK I'll revisit the position - that's the best I can do right now.

Quite a few here think I'm a real pain in the a**e, but I don't see offers of help from any of them right now!

Ray

Hi Ray,

I was certainly not asking you to hand over your final pair of brushes. I guess I was hoping there was a compatible brand available from Solent Tools that you had identified. I did not realise you had arranged for a custom manufacture of them.

As the triton routers all age it seems logical that some company would do the same as solent and make them for all us hapless triton owners

How many did you get Solent to make and what was the unit price for a pair in pounds?

Thanks
Jason

Originally Posted by pellcorp

I was certainly not asking you to hand over your final pair of brushes.

I knew that's not what you intended, don't worry!

Originally Posted by pellcorp

I guess I was hoping there was a compatible brand available from Solent Tools that you had identified. I did not realise you had arranged for a custom manufacture of them.

I got on well with the owner on the telephone and he was prepared to customise thirty pairs for me for the TRA and saw. I had to hand-lap all of the MOF001s, even after the original customisation, so it was a real drag and one that Martin isn't likely to want to repeat any time soon.

Ray

And here I was thinking it was me all along! After all the wonderful press about the great white hope of routing (The Triton), it seems a few others are experiencing the same problems I have grappled with for a few years now. Don't get me wrong, I think these routers are great value for money, so much so I bought both the big and the little ones. It really gives me the s#*ts when I am in a hurry to change over bits and the mechanisms are invariably clogged up with saw dust. As per comments of others, it's nothing that a good blow job won't fix (compressed air that is).

The other problem I have consistently encountered with these routers is the micro adjustment, or lack thereof. Maybe I am wrong, but when the router is in the table and I move the micro adjust ment dial, I would expect the router to move without the need to give it a technical tap with the palm of my hand. Instead of micro adjustment in a second, it's more like pot luck. It's either too high or too low. Then of course if you cock up a piece and want to replicate the exact bees dick perfect measurement to replace that bit of wood, you're there for ages trying to get it right. That is why I purchased the Uni Lift and PWS table top, Wixey digital readout, etc. NO MORE PROBLEMS WITH MICRO ADJUSTMENT. I know they cost a lot of money, but if you can afford the coin it's a no brainer. The ability to replicate settings makes my router table a piece of precision machinery and an absolute pleasure to work with.

"Ask not what your router can do for you, ask what you can do for your router".

Cheers,

Reggie1000

Originally Posted by pellcorp

Hi,

Ray might be able to assist with locating brushes for the TRA001. Not sure if this has been covered already - can't find anything with a search, but possible I missed it.

I found posts on a UK forum by Ray where he has managed to find brushes for both routers and the saw.

http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/v...r=asc&start=30

Sollent tools in the UK - http://www.solenttools.co.uk/p0/carb...hes/314050.htm

Ray, I cannot find triton listed, so are there brushes for other brands which fit the tritons?

Thanks
Jason

I have just purchased 2 sets from Woodworking Centre Northampton UK posted very reasonably and quickly I cannot at the moment put my hand on their web address but sure you will find it

The address is http://www.sharpend-uk.com/

Ray

I am now wondering if I might be able to purchase new brushes for my triton from CMT - who are now making the Triton router!

http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2009/0...low-to-triton/

Any luck Pellcorp?

Did not pursue it and now my triton router is dead!

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f15/us...ml#post1062700

So I have bigger issues than a possible future availability of brushes