Quick Change Collets Make Routing Easier
Toss away your wrenches and change router bits with the twist of an allen wrench
Mar 06, 2015
Routers—be they mounted in a table or handheld—are incredibly versatile tools for woodworkers. But changing router bits is widely considered an annoying task. On older routers, two wrenches are required to change a bit, and on newer models with collet locks, woodworkers will still require a single wrench. Access to the collet nut becomes particularly frustrating when the tool is mounted in a router table.
In recent years however, the “quick change collet” has made bit changes faster and easier than ever. In this short video, Fine Woodworking contributing editor Roland Johnson demonstrates how to use a quick change collet, putting an end to all those pesky wrenches for various routers strewn about your workshop drawers.
To learn more about the Muscle Chuck collet system, be sure to visit Muscle Chuck’s website.
Video courtesy of Taunton Workshops.
Comments
Looks wonderful, but cant find any of these collets for sale in Canada
neither can I...
Try the “Woodrat” site
Single split shaft collars do not have as much holding (i.e. torque) capacity as does a tapered collet. Another consideration is the coefficient of friction between the tool shank and collet material.
Smaller shank diameters are more prone to slip than larger diameters.
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