PC890 router problem in table
I learned something, I’m just not sure what I learned. After using my PC890 in my router table for the 1st time, I tried to remove the motor from the base which I wanted to leave mounted permanently. The motor could not be extracted because of sawdust jammed between the motor & base housing. Did I learn not to use the 890 in this application? Would using the Grip-vac base solve the problem? Should I acquire a table which mounts the router horizontally instead? Should I simply be satisfied to remove the base after each use? I don’t want to leave the router in the table which I use only occasionally. I don’t want to buy a different router as I am spoiled by the 890’s sophistication. Has someone else had a similar problem which you solved satisfactorily? Thanxx!! in advance.
Cadiddlehopper
Replies
This is my number one gripe with this router. I have now installed a different router in table and have let go of my anger. But removing body shouldn't take 5 to 10 minutes while picking bits of wood from the gear. I can't believe that the people who designed this actually used the router on a real project. Sorry I wasn't able to help solve your problem. Good luck.
Hmmmmmmmmm, I used the 690 in a table before switching to the big Freud. It would get dusty, but certainly never had any problem getting it out of the base. Something seems amiss.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I started with 690. Nice router. I then went with the 2 1/4 PC 7529(I think) The switch on that router went bad and I finally had to replace it--after the warranty was up. The 890 is a nice router, except when I put it in table. I now have Hitachi 3 1/4 hp M12v. I have M12v mounted on side table of saw with incra fence. It seems to be working well.
So you'll understand what is going on: Between motor & base there is a tapered gap all the way around. Shavings collect there & when the motor is retracted, they bunch up tightly due to the taper. I vacuumed out some of them, blasted others with air from the vacuum exhaust port (didn't fire up the air compressor though), but enough remained in place to hold the motor. The vacuum removed chips from the height adjuster. Maybe if we make enough noise here, PC will solve my problem.Cadiddlehopper
Clem,
Question: how does the 890 motor raise and lower in the base? I'm not familiar with this model, but have read that the updated 690 (updated '03 or so), had a couple of notches milled in the base to engage the pins in the motor in the event it vibrated loose and dropped out of the base housing during operation in table applications. If this is part of the 890's design, to override the feature, you need only push up slightly on the motor while backing it out of the housing. My 20+ year old 690 is more basic and doesn't have this safety feature, but still works like a champ. If this isn't the case, I guess you're back to square one.
Hope this helps and say hello to Gertrude and Heathcliff for me.
I think that is not the problem. Your salutation is passed on. Thanxx!!Cadid
I bought the 890 too because of all the "great under the table" hype. I had the same problem with mine jamming up from dust. Definitely a design flaw. Furthermore my first 890 motor had a melt down ... literally flamed out .... while routing 1/4" deep dadoes in pine. Ugh. PC was good enough to replace it but now I'm really leery of using the thing in the table. I recently ordered a big 3 1/2hp Milwaukee to replace it.
Dunno what I'm going to use the 890 for now since I have a 690 for handheld use.
What will you take for the 890? Seriously. I have the PC dovetail rig. If you have 2 motors, dovetailing goes a bit faster. I already have 3 of the 890 bases. Actually, I like the 890 so well that I want to find a solution even if it is a different style table. I was ready to order a Bench Dog or Veritas table until I made this discovery. Now I'm thinking of a different choice. Thanxx!! for the input.Cadiddlehopper
Evening pencheff... betcha luv the Milwaukee 3 1/2 HP as a table mount. If it's the same as the one I purchased almost 3 years ago, it doesn't understand the phrase "quittin' time".. Built in on-board depth adjustment and capability from above the table doesn't give you much lee-way to file in the complaint department either. :>)
Enjoy...
grinder47.. SARGE
This is weird; I haven't seen this yet with my table-mounted 890. Granted, I only put it in a table a couple of weeks ago, but I've done a fair amount of routing with it. Mine is the GripVac base, but I don't have any dust collection hooked up yet, so it's been exposed to all sorts of dust.
One thing I'm wondering about is if you have a decent zero-clearance insert installed. I haven't had many problems with dust falling into the motor area because, with proper ZC inserts installed, it all seems to stay on top of the table (and it gets in the way there).
So far, with my current setup, I'm pretty happy with my 890. It seems pretty easy to remove the motor: just open the latch on the back of the base, press the little release lever, and it drops out. Be careful to catch it because I dropped it on the floor once (doesn't seem to have any damage). The height adjustment seems to work decently as well.
Your suggestion is probably the only workable one I'll get! A ZC insert for each bit seems a bit troublesome though. In fact, as I was using my setup, I noticed how well shavings were dropping through my insert to the router. It made me think that using the gripvac would collect most shavings. I'll try that next time. I had no other collection going since I was cutting slots. Realistically, there is a lot of dust that I can never collect. I wonder why I bother except for my planer & drum sander. Router table collection is good except for slots. In the past, I collected dust in strategically placed boxes & bags with less bother.Thanxx!! for the input & be warned yourself should you not use a ZC insert. BTW, I have the tool for adjusting height from above the table. The way I installed my base, I did not need the tool. Latch & adjustment knob were right in front. My table is open, too, but noise is no problem since the 890 is so quiet. I have a barrier which will prevent its ever falling very far when released from the base.Cadiddlehopper
Which router table do you have?
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Sorry for responding late, but this post did not come as e-mail. I hate to admit on FWW site that I have a Craftsman table into which I bored screw holes for the PC890. It has an aluminum top which is flat. There is no adapter plate. It has a fence with very good dust collection. Since slots were being cut, the dust collection couldn't work. The problem I have will be present with any table with inverted router. Thanxx!! for interest.Cadiddlehopper
There is a little design differance between the 690 and 890 series. Basically the 690 series only has a few thousands clearance between the motor and the base , not too much of chance for dust to get in there. On the 890 series there is nearly .100", clearance all the way around the motor, with motor being guided by 8 ribs cast into the base. There is plenty of room for nasty chips and dust to get down into the height adjustment rack. I don't think the Gripvac attachment would do much to eliminate the problem in the inverted position on a router table, but a good bench router.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Cadiddlehopper---I have PC 890 also in a router table. I encountered this issue as well. What i did to solve the issue was. spray on food grade silicone type lubricant on the milled sides of the router. This has helped motor removal for me. I have done this twice over the last 6 months and that seems to be frequent enough for me using the router only 3-5 hours per week. Just thought that might be some useful info.
I am not familiar with food grade silicon lubricant. Can you give me a product name & maybe source? It sounds worth a try. Thanxx!!Cadiddlehopper
Finishing problems could arise if using spray silicon around the shop. Namely fisheyes. Silicon anything has no place in my shop. On applications like this I use a paste wax, Johnson's Paste, Butchers bowling alley wax or Bostik TopCote.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Thanxx!! for the caution & alternative material suggestion.Cadiddlehopper
sorry for the late reply- Had a long weekend for the 4th. I would go to this website and check it out. http://www.kpg-industrial.com/sprayon I think that the number on the can is S00510 Food Grade Economy Lube. hope this heps with the router.
Thanxx!! for the info.Cadid
dduchi and all:An update on PC890 removal from base: I removed the plug on the vacuum port & connected dust collector to it. I made several more cuts in the same material with same cutter with this dust collection arrangement. That seems to have solved the problem. Very little dust even entered the wedge-shaped cavity that filled before. It wasn't necessary to use the gripvac base thought it might work as well. Maybe PC knew what hey were doing after all. The dust collection port in the base works. Now I can get that improved router table. Which one???Cadiddlehopper
Cadiddlehopper,
I am having this same problem with the 890. I cut out several trays with a bowl and tray bit and it took me about a half hour to get the 890 out of the fixed base mounted under my table!
In your last post you said: "I removed the plug on the vacuum port & connected dust collector to it." -I thought you meant that you had done this in your gripvac base (I don't have one), but then you said: "It wasn't necessary to use the gripvac base thought it might work as well.".
Where is there a dust collection port on the normal fixed base? I would love to get this problem resolved as you did - it is quite annoying!
Thanks,
David
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