Time to replace the collets?

What do y’all think, is it time to replace the collets?

I’ve been using these for about 3-4 years now.
I am probably one that over tightens the chuck because I had a couple times a bit came loose and really mess up my project. It’s even how I broke the chuck on the C3d router, but that’s another story. :grin:

If they are not giving you any problems and your satisfied with how your projects come out, I don’t see any reason to replace them.
Of course it’s always nice to have a spare set on hand for when/if they do.

:smiley:

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Collets are a consumable item. The reason the bits come loose is that the pattern of collet you have pictured does not hold the bit along its length. It only grips the bit at the widest part of the collet. Once the bits have come loose, you are dealing with a collet that is no longer serving its purpose.

Several ways to keep collets of that pattern serviceable for the longest time period is to be fastidious and clean the collet, the collet taper and the collet nut after every single job. A strong vacuum cleaner should suffice. Never tighten the collet nut when there is no bit in the collet. Always ensure the bit being used is clean along its shank and does not have any carving debris from a previous job on the shank.You should be able to find data for the torque you should be subjecting the collets to when tightening. Using a torque wrench will provide consistency and preserve the collet life.

It may be useful to have a spare collet ready to go so that you do not have to stop your work when changing jobs. Buy decent quality collets from a company such as the Elaire Corporation and initiate a routine for keeping them clean and functional.

I h ave the Dewalt 611 router and bought the Elaire collets and have been very happy with them. They sell individual collets or sets. If you want to use metric bits you can get metric collets.

It is always good to have a spare collet just in case. I had a 1/4" collet start letting my bit loosen up so I replaced it.

All collets should be cleaned periodically as well as the inside of the router shaft and the collet nut. I use brake cleaner on the collets and a qtip with brake cleaner on the inside of the router shaft. There is a lot of dust and debris that gets up inside the router shaft. The collet nut, collet and inside of the router shaft should always be clean and free of lubricant, just dry.

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