This isn’t a Shapeoko specific question but I ran into an issue today where the removable blade on my Amana RC-1148 v-bit came loose twice.
The first time it came loose I could tell something was wrong because it started burning the wood and sounded oddly loud. I quickly shut it off, cleaned everything up, retightened the blade, and ran the job again on a new piece.
I could tell something was off right away as the router sounded louder than normal. After just a few passes, the same thing happened. I could see the insert blade was off by the circular cut the bit was making in the wood. I quickly shut everything down and sure enough the blade had come loose again.
Has anyone run into this before? Do you have any ideas what might be causing the issue?
Had the same problem several months ago. Used it for maybe 3 seconds and it destroyed itself. Finall got a free replacement from Toostoday. A good company to deal with.
Clean your collet with brake cleaner and a brass brush like a 22 caliber bore brush. It; s not likely but a metric bit in a 1/4 inch collet wont hold. Clean the collet first and check measurements.
A collet needs to be clean and without oil or any contaminant. I would not put anything on the collet except a wrench. Tighten well. Mark the bit at the junction of the bit and collet with a permanent marker. Run a little and pause and inspect bit for slippage. The bit needs to be inserted to top of collet and no further for maximum grab on the bit. Do not insert it all the way in. Vibration can loosen the collet.
Thanks for the input. This actually is not a problem at all with the collet. The issue is specifically with the cutting blade that attaches to the bit housing. I may try Brian’s suggestion to apply some of the thread locker to see if that helps.
Sorry I misread your post. I thought you were talking about the collet and not the blades on the bit itself. Maybe as a stop gap use the thread locker but I would try to get that bit replaced. If the screw and/or blade come all the way loose it can fly 360 degrees but the few degrees you are sitting in are the most likely path.
I know! The idea of a little blade flying off at 18,000 RPMs is a bit terrifying. I do have an enclosure with plexiglass doors, but still probably best to be on the safe side.
Makes total sense. This is definitely a good learning experience if nothing else. I’ll definitely adopt a habit of double-checking those inserts before each use… and I’m definitely glad I have an enclosure to operate behind.
I use a small drop of blue locktite on mine. It makes changing the blade a bitch, and I still check that it is secure when I use it, but the insurance is worth it.
