+- Woodnet Forums (https://www.forums.woodnet.net)
+-- Thread: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router (/showthread.php?tid=7365471)
Pages:
1
2
Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Aram - 10-13-2021
The 1/2" blade on my large LV router plane is wobbling around. Tightening the screw does not help. It loosens up, even though I am doing very light work with it. Any idea why, and what I can do about it?
Also, I the only spare blades I see on LV web site are the narrow ones. Are the standard cutters not available at the moment?
Thanks.
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - ilikewoodinsc - 10-13-2021
Aram,
I have the same plane and just took a look at it and the 1/2" blade. On mine the blade is very tight after I tighten the screw with moderate pressure by hand.
Are there any burrs or dings on the screw or collar that may be preventing a good mate between the screw, collar and blade? Look at the front of the collar too, that's probably where most of the holding pressure comes from.
I looked on the Lee Valley (US) site here and the 1/2" straight blade is out of stock. The 1/2" pointed and 3/4" blade are available. If you want to get a replacement, go ahead and order it and get on the waiting list rather than wait for it to become available, they will likely sell out fast. I did that when I ordered a 3/4" blade earlier this year.
Hope this helps.
TonyC
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Aram - 10-13-2021
(10-13-2021, 09:40 AM)ilikewoodinsc Wrote: Aram,Thank you. I need to clarify. It is not the entire blade assembly that is loose. It is the blade itself wobbling on the blade holder (holder? post? not sure what you call it). There is a single screw holding it on to the post, from the bottom. The mating surfaces appear to be free of debris and undamaged.
I have the same plane and just took a look at it and the 1/2" blade. On mine the blade is very tight after I tighten the screw with moderate pressure by hand.
Are there any burrs or dings on the screw or collar that may be preventing a good mate between the screw, collar and blade? Look at the front of the collar too, that's probably where most of the holding pressure comes from.
I looked on the Lee Valley (US) site here and the 1/2" straight blade is out of stock. The 1/2" pointed and 3/4" blade are available. If you want to get a replacement, go ahead and order it and get on the waiting list rather than wait for it to become available, they will likely sell out fast. I did that when I ordered a 3/4" blade earlier this year.
Hope this helps.
TonyC
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Joe Bailey - 10-13-2021
(10-13-2021, 09:52 AM)Aram Wrote: Thank you. I need to clarify. It is not the entire blade assembly that is loose. It is the blade itself wobbling on the blade holder (holder? post? not sure what you call it). There is a single screw holding it on to the post, from the bottom. The mating surfaces appear to be free of debris and undamaged.
It is possible that the screw is bottoming out in the hole tapped in the post -- if this is the problem, deepen (tap) the hole or shorten the screw
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - ilikewoodinsc - 10-13-2021
Hmmmm.
I looked at my plane and blade again.
When the grooves on the post and the blade are parallel to each other and interlocked, and I tighten the screw holding the blade moderately tight with the hex key, the blade doesn't move. I oriented the grooves to be perpendicular to each other, so they didn't properly align and mate up, I suspect the blade would move regardless of how tight the screw is. Once the blade starts to move, the screw would probably loosen even more.
I used my plane a few weeks ago and had no problems, so I can't really duplicate your issue and I'm just speculating and perhaps stating the obvious about the grooves.
I also put the screw into the blade post without the blade to check the fit. There is very little side to side movement (as expected). In fact as I screwed it on deeper, the movement got even less. If your blade screw wobbles a lot, maybe the screw or post is worn and they are not fitting properly.
Grasping at straws trying to help.
Good luck.
TonyC
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Admiral - 10-13-2021
Maybe give LV customer service a call, ask for the technical service folks, they will suggest a fix. I also agree with Joe, maybe just file down the end of the screw a tad, and add some Loctite blue (not red, you want to be able to remove it) to it as well when screwing back together.
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Aram - 10-13-2021
Looks like just stupidity on my part. The post was rotated 90 degrees from the right way. I think it's ok now.
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Joe Bailey - 10-13-2021
(10-13-2021, 02:46 PM)Aram Wrote: Looks like just stupidity on my part. The post was rotated 90 degrees from the right way. I think it's ok now.
Good call, Tony C.
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - ilikewoodinsc - 10-13-2021
(10-13-2021, 02:46 PM)Aram Wrote: Looks like just stupidity on my part. The post was rotated 90 degrees from the right way. I think it's ok now.
Easy mistake to make. We've all been there done that.
TonyC
RE: Wobbly blade on Lee Valley router - Admiral - 10-13-2021
All's well that ends well!