Dummy report form a one year novice

How To
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I have had my machine for more than one year. I love this machine XXL Pro. Carbide has been great with me, helping when I did not think they should.

I have cut many a project. Been very happy as I learn. Recently I had a bearing go bad, ordered a new router. Got here in record time. Blah blah, I could go on for a long time.

When the new router arrived I looked at it and came to a damning conclusion. A rookie mistake that CNC’rs might have made ONCE.

I was putting the collet in backward. My son is a machinist, my brother is a machinist. No one saw me F@#$%^& up when I installed a bit. I had no problems. Bit was secured (not correctly) with no slippage. The projects came out good. By the grace of God, I survived.

Looking at the collet on the new router I fingered that the small end went up. I was wondering why people were mentioning why their bits fell out when loosened. I probably miss formed the collet by torquing it.

Free kicks are welcome, just go right, my back hurts on the left

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Hey, it happens. Your brain makes decisions. Your experience corrects them. :smiley:

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What a wonderful response from Tex. I’m saving that for myself.

No kicks - anywhere - just one more step in the learning curve.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

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My favorite version:

“Good judgement come from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.”

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I came this close to doing this exact thing when I recently got my Shapeoko. I have no experience machining and don’t really know anyone who does. Once in high school I left a key in a drill press chuck, turned the drill on, and the key shot through a wall like a bullet, which left quite an impression with me. So I was a bit nervous about this collet situation and just googled which way to put it in to be sure.

My favorite quote on this general topic:
“A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.”

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To each his own. I wasn’t quoting anyone. :smiley: