Purchase of Multiple Routers Saves Marriage

Q: As a woodworker and part-time bonehead, I’ve successfully managed to tighten a bit so firmly in my router that I can't get it out, even when the locking nut is loosened. One solution, to which I'm partial, is to buy an individual router for every one of my bits, thereby not requiring any bit removal at all. But some people (primarily my wife) might consider this an unnecessary expenditure on power tools. Has this ever happened to you? How did you solve the problem?

A: Stuck router bits are pretty common on machines with a certain style of collet. And from the sounds of it, you've got one. I do too, and I've found a couple of options effective. The first is to tap the body of the router bit lightly with something like the wrench you’d use to loosen the collet that holds the bits. This often knocks the collet fingers loose, releasing your bit. Whatever you do, don't hit the router bit cutter edges. They're brittle and could break, even under mild impact. If tapping doesn't work, squirt some WD-40 into the collet, and attempt to pry the bit out with the collet wrench levered up against some solid part of the router body below. You may have to put a wooden spacer between the bit and router, depending on the situation. If all this fails -- and let me warn you, it may -- then you really have no choice. You have my permission to go ahead and buy a bunch of routers -- one for each bit in your collection. If this seems unnecessary to your wife, explain how your whole woodworking vocation will be thwarted without it. And when human creativity is suppressed, well, there's simply no telling what the long-term consequences could be to your sense of self and your marriage.