Think Things Through, Before You Try It

I have a Porter Cable plunge router that I've needed to fix for sometime.  The threaded rod that controls how far the plunge base can travel was bent.  This meant that I couldn't use it at all because I had no control over the depth of the router bit.  I finally ordered a replacement part, and after a month of being on back order, came this week.  I installed it yesterday, but my router still doesn't work.  Let me explain why.

The only reason I'm about to disclose the following exploits is for the greater good.  

How did the threaded rod get bent in the first place you ask?  Well, don't try this at home folks.  I had been using my plunge router in the router table, I'm not even sure why now because I have a fixed base router that's normally there.  I was needing the plunge router to use with my shelf pin jig to drill the holes into the sides of a bookcase.  So I removed the plunge router from the router table, unplugged it, and changed the bit out to a 1/4" spiral bit.  I set everything up for the shelf pin jig and then went to plug the router up to an extension cord.  I plugged the router in and immediately new something was wrong.  The roar of the router's motor could be heard.  I looked up only to see the router falling off the table where I had set it.  I unplugged it and ran to check out the damage.  Sure enough, the threaded rod was hopelessly bent.  I realized immediately what I'd done.

You see, in my router table I have a switch outside that I turn the router on and off.  The router is plugged up inside the table with the switch left on.  When I'd removed the router from the table, I didn't flip the switch back to the off position.  So when I plugged it up with the extension cord the torque of the motor coming on tipped it over and down she came.

Well, needless to say, I felt pretty stupid for my exploits that day, but have hopefully learned my lesson to always check the on/off switch before plugging up a router. 

Fast forward.  I received the part to finally fix my router this week.  I was all excited about finishing up a project I've had going on for several days, but I wanted to fix my router first, so needless to say, I was in a hurry to get it done. I quickly figured out how to remove the bent rod (all without the help of the owners manual of course, it was a proud moment).  All I had to do was remove a small screw that was holding the rod in place.  I immediately started to turn the screw loose.  Now, as I'm doing this, I start to feel the rod push up against the screw as I'm removing it.  I remember that there's a large spring that the rod fits through that gives it it's plunging action.  As I'm removing the screw I start to wonder how much tension is on that spring, and how I might keep it from popping out.  Too late.  The tension from the spring shot it out of the router base all the way to the ceiling, parts that were holding the spring in place went flying and I stepped back to avoid the shrapnel.  When I did, I stepped on the router's cord pulling it off the table and crashing to the floor.  After, I got over the shock of what just happened, I grabbed the router to inspect the damage.  At first it looked to be fine.  But on closer inspection I realized that the nob that locks the depth rod into place was bent, bad. 

So now I have a plunge router that I can't use as a plunge router until I get yet another part. 

There's a fine line between working efficiently as possible to get a job done quickly and just plane working carelessly.  In both of the examples above I stepped over that line (heck, I leaped over it like Superman) without thinking through what I was about to do.  Maybe my exploits will prevent you from having the same mishaps happen to you in the shop.

Now, where did I put that phone number to Porter Cable?