I have noticed that my bits wobble in my Carbide Compact Router for my shapeoko 3 XXL. I may have caused the wobble. Once, I failed to tighten the collet nut down and started a cut, the bit vibrated loose and was partially caught in the wood and the in the collet. There was another time when I had my sound canceling headphones in playing music and my dust collection boot blocked my view of the bit. I failed to turn the router on and the machine dragged the router bit into the wood and kinda jammed. Not sure which incident caused it.
To be clear, this is not a bent bit. All my bits do this.
- As I inspected the router, the collet sleeve/shaft appeared dirty so I cleaned it well.
- After cleaning it does not appear to be damaged in any way.
- Using a dial indicator I see no appreciable wobble on the sleeve/shaft itself when turned by hand but the bits still wobble, which leads me to believe it may be the collet itself, although it does not really look damaged and it also seems to seat properly.
- I am looking at the ToolsToday website and see some collets.what kind of nut is on the CCR ER40, ER32, ER25, ER20?
The one other thing I do notice is that the sleeve/shaft does jiggle just the slightest bit when I try to move it side-to-side. I am wondering if that is the normal clearance or if there is a damaged bearing inside? If so, is the router toast? or can it be fixed, inexpensively or at least cheaper than the cost of a new one?
Thanks in advance for any insight.
-Bison