Ever try to drill out a screw and have it go horribly wrong?
Well I just did…
I have a Bosch B1450 2.25 HP router and was using it on a router table for a while which was fine, until I tried to take it off the table. I had used longer screws to attach it to the table and had consequently misplaced the originals over the course of a couple moves. So I took one of the long screws off to the local home improvement store and got some shorter versions of the same. I just got the normal 1/2 8×32 FH screws and when I tried to screw them into the base the first one sheared off. I wasn’t putting a lot of torque on it but I was holding the head in one hand and had a jagged screw shaft sticking out the top.
I tried to make a smooth surface to drill it out but couldn’t get the bit centered and ended up making a pretty big mess.
So the question is how do I remedy this? The router base is made out of magnesium and is old enough that I cannot get a replacement base through normal sources. I think that is has the same base as the Bosch 1613EVS which is also well out of production.
I have thought about taking it to a machine shop and seeing if they could drill it out and put in a new slug with a threaded hole or just permanently attaching the router to the table with 2 screws and just being carefull. I also thought about buying one off of Ebay but I am not sure I really want two routers and one base.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in Advance,
-T
Replies
OOPs the Bosch 1450 takes 4mm screws to start with. No. 8's are close but no cigar.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Thanks for the follow up, know I know what size to make the new holes.
-t
You could try securing the router to the table with DeStaCo type clamps.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
This might be a good option if I am unable to get a new hole to work with the base. I am thinking one toggle clamp and the two working screws. Thanks for reminding me about this as an idea.
-t
How big of a "mess" did you make? That one bolt could easily be made larger, unless you have a very huge hole. You can drill the messy hole out so it's a circular hole, and use a tap to cut the appropriate threads to fit whatever size you need to make.
You can also forget about the messy hole, drill and countersink the base plate in a different, but near by position, tap the new hole in 8mm, if you want to use the same size bolts.
You could forget about tapping, drill out the hole the best you can and then use a bolt that fits through along with a nut and washer.
The last option, at least for hand held operations, is to only use the other bolts and leave the messy one out altogether.
Of course, you could always buy a new router.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
So I tried using one of those screw extraction sets that burnishes and then backs the screw out and didn't get is very well centered so the burnishing kind of went off of the screw and into the threads... if I tried to drill it out and re-tap it I might end up having to go from 4mm to 8. I will see what I can do to work with this before I scrap it and move on.
Although I would love a couple of routers, who wouldn't.
Thanks for all of the ideas!
-t
"Although I would love a couple of routers, who wouldn't."I have seven, at last count, plus one Small Router Plane, and a D-Link router with lots of blinking lights and cords running in and out.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I have a D-Link router too. I've spent weeks tuning and fettling the damn thing and it still won't remove any wood.
Waste of money if you ask me, I could cut better profiles with a sharp rock.
The lights are sure pretty though.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Still can't figure out where the bit goes. Tech support thinks I'm nuts.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Don,
A D-Link router is a Layer 3 device that operates at the Network Layer in the OSI model and is responsible for routing a LOT of dead wood................. On the Internet that is.
If one fettles and tunes routers to the extent that ports get flooded with traffic they become bloated and will likely shut down. This can cause network traffic to seek other ports and likely end up on the wrong end of the pipe as it were.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/6/2009 4:59 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Stop drilling!
You have hard metal in soft metal. The drill bit will drift, but I think you have already found this out.
Its going to be very hard to "patch" the hole. I suggest you use a short "tee" nut with the right screw to clamp this area of the base. You might be able to epoxy it in place.
Lowes had 4mm screws in their bits drawers. #8 is very close but as you found out just a little bigger..............you might need to use #8 for the tee nut.
I have thought about taking it to a machine shop and seeing if they could drill it out and put in a new slug ..
If you can afford it.. Do it! Unless you are skilled at metal working..
And then again, what does a New Router cost?
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled