Rotuer Change Out - How Often

[pjblues]

Hey guys,

I am really new to this so please be understanding. How often do routers wear out from continuous running during the operations on the Shark? I have heard people say you can change routers as often as every other month depending on total run time. I know cnc projects take time but wearing out a router this often seems a bit too much. Is there really an advantage for going with the spindle change out?

Thanks.

[tonydude]

I haven't changed mine out yet, been running for a year on the router about 10 hrs or so a week. Just change your brushes, keep an eye on them. I run my router at 10,000 rpms for doing lithophanes and around 17,000 for 3D work and sign making never above. The higher rpms the faster the brushes will wear out. I've been doing cnc for 4 yrs now and only burned 1 busch router out.

Tony

[pjblues]

Thanks for the information. So if I understand you correctly, running a router for (4) hours two or three days a week I should be able to get a year out of the router before any problems.

[tonydude]

It all depends what you are cutting or carving and what rpms you are using. Slow the feed rate don't run at full speed. You have to learn how your machine reacts to different materials and find the sweet spot. What works for one person is not the same for another. Takes time, you'll learn as you go.

Tony

[WoodEraser]

On my Shark Pro Plus I ran the Bosh Colt about 350 hours before I had to replace Brushes and bearings.
I'm now running the Dewalt DWP611 (1/4 hp more ) and have 100 plus hrs on it.
I keep a log of run times.

[pjblues]

Thanks again to everyone. Having this forum really helps beginners like me with the availability of people to answer questions.

[asever]

In the months prior to Christmas my machine was used in a production shop as they had a large project to do and my Shark ran for 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week for about 2 months. In the past when I had the smaller Shark CNC I ran the Bosc Colt and now I run the larger Bosch router (sorry I do not remember the model number). As has been said keeping the feed speeds/rpms etc appropriate, the routers last a long....long time. Typically you can hear when things are starting to wear out. I keep a spare router on hand in case I need it but thankfully it has not been needed. I also keep two sets of brushes and a set of bearings on hand. The brushes wear out and are usually easy to replace. After the extended Christmas run I also replaced the bearings just because of the amount of time on the machine.

Once I literally smoked the Bosch Colt router. It was cutting a large scene (4 hour plus cut time). I left the shark running...left the shop and came back to find the router on fire. It had finished the cutting paths returned to center and stayed running (on the older Sharks the router had to be turned on and off manually). It could have been really bad...but thankfully was not. Lessons learned 1) I should have not left the shop unattended 2) check the router to ensure the bit freely spins (ie test the bearings).

Good luck.

[Keith Hodges]

Woodworking routers were never meant to run as long as we subject ours too. My first year I ran my Bosch 1617 EVS 8 to 10 hours a day, everyday, at its highest speed. The bearings wore out at about 6 months. I bought a factory rebuilt replacement, and it lasted about 3 months, again bearings. I then bought a DeWalt 618, and it lasted about 3 months, and fortunately still under warranty for its bearings. No brushes needed for any of them. I got pretty good at replacing bearings on the Bosch routers. About the time the third router had problems, I had a DUH moment. Cutting the speed down to about half, I've been running the same Bosch for two years now, still long hours just about everyday. So now I have two spares, just in case. A spindle probably would have paid off, but who knows about such stuff when your a rank beginner with these toys. The plus side, I keep my DeWalt router in my router table, handy for the few times I need some trim work.