Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 26, 2005 05:31am | #1

   Only got to use it for a short while this weekend -- hubby was home, family stuff, ya know.  Great though.  Capable of doing the whole edge at once (Roman ogee bit) on Alder and Quaruba (won't buy that stuff again).  I decided, though, to mill in two passes, just to make sure that final one is as smooth as possible.  No hesitation with all that power, either way.  Great to have a knob for minor height adjustment, rather than having to release a motor and guess.

   The big drawback with the old Freud FT2000 is that it doesn't have a self-releasing collet, and the bits/collet get stuck consistently.  Len has recommended putting a rubber o-ring in the bottom, so I can tap it with a rubber hammer to unlock it.  I'm always careful not to bottom out bits, but even with it well away from the bottom of the shaft, it'll get locked in the FT2000.

   I remember seeing a cure-all for that problem, but memory has failed me.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   TomT226 | Apr 26, 2005 02:23pm | #2

   Try tapping with a piece of wood dowel.  I use the handle on my mallet.  Only takes one tap to release from any of my routers.

2. 
   Len | Apr 26, 2005 04:53pm | #3

   fg,

   Is the bit stuck to the thimble or the thimble stuck to the wall of the receiver? Or maybe a little of both?

   Time to get your magnifier out. Take a close look at the walls of the thimble inside and out. Make sure it's not gawled. If it is take a small file and knock down the burr. The other thing that happens quite often is the thimble is not properly seated into the collet nut. Honing the receiver cup, the inside and outside of the thimble should help if not alleviate the problem.

    Hi, I'm Len and I'm a Toolaholic...

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 26, 2005 07:03pm | #6

   "Or maybe a little of both?"   I think.  The tolerances are amazingly tight.  The collet seems to be seated in the nut well.  When I set it up, I took a dowel with steel wool and cleaned inside the receiver and the collet, then used a rag and then some compressed air to clear out any steel wool that might be left.

   I wanted to use a touch of oil for cleaning and then follow with brake cleaner to get the residue off, but the brake cleaner wasn't available so I skipped it.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   Len | Apr 26, 2005 09:08pm | #7

   Steel wool is great for starting fires...View Image Whoops, wrong thread.

   It's not great for honing. Take a dowel Smaller than the bore of the thimble and cut a slot in, length wise. Take a strip of wet/dry sand paper and slip it in the slot. Wrap the sandpaper loosely around the dowel. Chuck the dowel in the drill and spin it inside the bore of the thimble. That's the way, I used to hone out my brake cylinders.

    

    Hi, I'm Len and I'm a Toolaholic...

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 26, 2005 09:16pm | #8

   I always see "honing" as an option of last resort when it comes to collets.  I really hesitate to do anything more than clean things out at this point, but I'll keep that technique in mind.  Hadn't thought about the slot in the dowel!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 26, 2005 05:31pm | #4

   Jaime, what do you mean about the "self releasing" collet on the Freud? I have two FT2000's. One from about 1992 the other about 1999. Both have the type of collet where the bits pop right out when the collet is turned.Howie.........

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 26, 2005 06:55pm | #5

   Well, Howie, now you've gone and screwed up the curve, LOL.  "Sticky bits" have been an oft-reported problem with the FT2000's so I figured my problem wasn't all that weird.  I did do some cursory cleaning of the collet and receiver with 4-ought steel wool.

   I'll go over it again with a magnifying glass, make sure I didn't miss anything.  We got the router used, I suspect it's an early 90's model, lightly used.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

   Edited 4/26/2005 12:04 pm ET by forestgirl

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 27, 2005 03:08am | #9

   FG, I wrote my message in a rush to get out of the house. What I meant was that the Freud router has a safety collet. Collet loosening to remove a bit is a two step process. The initial loosening does not release the collet's grip on the bit shaft. After using the wrench for the first loosening,you need to continue loosening by hand for about a full turn to where the collet nut can no longer be turned by hand. Then, using the wrench, loosen again and the bit almost is ejected. I think the Freud was one of the first to have this type of collet and it cause a problem for many users. No where in the instructions did it mention it.If you already knew this, forgive me.Both my Freud's have lots of miles on them. Except for the replacement of the ON/OFF switch on the earlier one--a common and since fixed problem--both have worked just fine. When I purchased my first one it was on sale for $229 dollars. The second was $179 in the late 1990's.Howie.........

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 27, 2005 03:43am | #10

   Hey, Howie, thanks for the additional info!  Nope, I did not know.  I thought I had tried everything, but maybe not -- I'll find out!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   forestgirl | Apr 28, 2005 10:30am | #11

   An update, Howie.  I took a piece of Norton 3X 320 grit sanding "sponge" to the collet and the collet nut tonight.  I think the bevel on the inside of the collet nut was microscopically dirty, maybe the collet too.  The release works much better now, though I don't get anything approaching an ejection.  I looked at the 1/2" shaft bit carefully and didn't see any scoring, so I think everything's OK. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)