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Spent 4 hours trying to fix a router bit that wasn't even dull...
I was working on a set of shaker doors last weekend and the router was leaving these nasty burn marks on the maple. I figured the bit was dull, so I swapped it for a new one from Freud. Still burning up the wood. Then I checked the speed setting, adjusted the feed rate, even tried a different router altogether. Nothing helped. After about 4 hours of messing around, I finally noticed the dust collection hose was almost completely clogged right at the elbow joint. All that time wasted because chips weren't clearing out of the cut. The bit was fine the whole time. Has anyone else chased a problem like this only to find it was something dumb and simple?
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daniel_martin8d ago
Four hours seems like a long time to spend on something that basic. I get being frustrated, but after the first hour or so I would have just vacuumed out the hose to rule it out instead of swapping bits and routers. I have seen guys spend half a day chasing a ghost only to realize their collet was dirty or the bearing was shot. It happens, but usually you catch it faster if you think about what actually changed since the last time it worked fine. Your bit wasn't the problem, the chips not getting out of the way was. That's a setup issue, not a tool issue. I guess I'm saying it's not really that surprising if you step back and think about it.
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nancy8178d ago
Wow, four whole hours and it was just a clogged hose the whole time?
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