ZCI Sled

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:16 am

Dusty, since you'll have the sled, you could use it as well to drill the holes after switching to the drill press mode. Simply add a couple of new stops on the runners to locate the screw holes after centering the ZCI blanks under the quill. With the set-up you're making you could go into production work for knocking out ZCIs.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:28 pm

Today was a real learning experience. It started out to be one of those stormy days in the shop. The plan was to make the sled pictured (sorts) in the first post of this thread.

The task was to cut the slot for the ZCI into the bed of the sled using a plug router equipped with a straight pattern bit. I don't do a lot of plunge routing but I have done enough to give me confidence that this was an easy task.

I had already made a template of the ZCI so all I had to do was attach the template and route away.

Route away is exactly what I did but I could not get a smooth bottom. More than once, I had routed the entire area - its getting deeper and deeper. Was only suppose to be 1/4" and I am routing in 1/2" plywood.

I'll post a picture or two later but eventually the inevitable happened. The router bit broke through; yes, broke through. It is now cutting more than 1/2" deep; a 1/4" or more deeper than I have the router set for.

I ruined my sled but I learned a valuable lesson.

LESSON LEARNED: Make certain that the router bit is secure in the collet. I was using an adapter because the only pattern bits I have are with the small shaft. The collet was not secure enough to hold the router bit tight. It was moving in and out thus the bottom of my routed area was everything except smooth.

Sled will be done another day.

reible · Post by **reible** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:42 pm

Hi,

Sorry to hear about today's "adventure". Make sure you send a shot of the router bit you used too.

I'm sure you know that not all bits are plunge bits. I have seen a good number of problems people were having and a fair number were caused by using the wrong bit. This was my first reaction as I was reading but then when you got to it getting deeper and deeper well then I knew it was likely a different issue.... But as a member of the router police I just need a shot of the bottom cutting edge of the bit.

Ed

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:15 pm

dusty wrote:....
Route away is exactly what I did but I could not get a smooth bottom. More than once, I had routed the entire area - its getting deeper and deeper. Was only suppose to be 1/4" and I am routing in 1/2" plywood.

....

This is a common (unfortunately) hapening when collets get dirty. Dust or dirt inside a collet will allow a bit to cut deeper into the wood.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:40 pm

Dusty, you should keep an eye on that router collet to ensure that it will continue to hold a router bit securely. If the bit or sleeve spun in the collet, it's possible that the collet could get damaged.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:58 pm

I have an old Craftsman router I no longer use because it has that "auto height adjustment" feature regardless of how tight the collett is.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:44 pm

Thank you guys for the inputs. I'll get a shot of the router bit and I'll check the collet. AND I'll redo most of what I attempted to do today.

I went back and tightened the collet in the router with the same bit but that means little at this point. I have had the bit in and out a couple times since and when I got ready to route with it, I made sure it was tight. I might have cranked down on it more than I normally would just because of what had just happened.

I am just thankful for the situation in which I was working. Under other conditions, that loose router bit could have been a projectile.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:09 pm

[quote="dusty"]Today was a real learning experience. It started out to be one of those stormy days in the shop. The plan was to make the sled pictured (sorts) in the first post of this thread.

The task was to cut the slot for the ZCI into the bed of the sled using a plug router equipped with a straight pattern bit. I don't do a lot of plunge routing but I have done enough to give me confidence that this was an easy task.

I had already made a template of the ZCI so all I had to do was attach the template and route away.

Route away is exactly what I did but I could not get a smooth bottom. More than once, I had routed the entire area - its getting deeper and deeper. Was only suppose to be 1/4" and I am routing in 1/2" plywood.

I'll post a picture or two later but eventually the inevitable happened. The router bit broke through]

Dusty
Been there done that and got the t-shirt.

I have an Hitachi router and they are notorious for doing this. I now keep a rubber "O" ring at the bottom of the collet to make sure my bit has room to tighten the collet enough.

reible · Post by **reible** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:17 pm

Here is a post from a few years past, took me a while to find it but it might have some useful information.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=2841

Ed

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:30 pm

reible wrote:Here is a post from a few years past, took me a while to find it but it might have some useful information.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=2841

Ed

You amaze me, Ed. I do not know how you remember that all those posts exist let alone be able to find them.

I found my problem (not the root cause) and I don't think that I am going to even try to fix it - I am just going to eliminate it from existence.

Because I was routing in plywood (baltic birch), I did not want to use one of my better router bits. I dug out an older pattern bit with a 1/4" shaft (thus I need a collet adapter). I have three that I could have used. I chose not to use one of them because I have had trouble before getting the collet off after using it. The one I chose slipped right on. I tightened it down good and made a few cuts. At this point you may have guessed - I was able to pull the bit right out of the collet. I am surprised it cut while at the same time being loose enough in the collet to pull out.

I have discarded two collet adaptors and one old router bit as a result of this "experience".

I want to thank all who made suggestions on this experience of mine. I don't believe I would have ever concluded on my own that the collet could be the problem.

Ed - I was using an end cutting straight router bit. Could I even successfully plunge a router bit if it was not an end cutting bit? I'll dig it out of the trash for thata photo session that I promised.