Life of router?

[angelosart]

I know this is a tough question to answer because there are so many factors, but anyone have a general idea of how long or how many hours of operation the router will perform before its likely to give out in a cnc capacity.

[CantologyLLC]

I've gone through 2 PC routers in the last 14 months. I figure they last about 100 hours of solid runtime each. But I push them pretty hard laterally the whole time. Your mileage may (will!) vary.
-Will

[steve_g]

Will

I'm curious... what's wearing out for you, brushes or bearings ?

SG

[rb99]

Will

I'm curious... what's wearing out for you, brushes or bearings ?

SG

Of course both can be replaced...

[angelosart]

Will

Do you know the cost of replacing those parts on the PC router?

Angelo

[hh_woodworking]

Most of the time the router does not need to run at maximum rpm. When I started running the router at lower rpm I haven't had to change the bearings since and the brushes are going on 2 years now

[steve_g]

Angelo

In the last 6 years I have replaced 3 or 4 sets of brushes... My bot is used consistently but not every day or all day. My bearings seem to be as good as new... for all I can tell. I pick up the brushes at the local Dewalt service center for almost nothing... under $10.00 a set and can replace them in less than half an hour. Last time I did it mid run and didn't even lose my z-zero. I haven't done it but have been told that replacing the bearings are tricky and best left to a service center... however it was a service center rep that told me this!

SG

[cowboy1296]

Trust me on this one, if i can replace the brushes anyone can. They are so cheap that the last time i bought any i bought 3 sets. One little test that i learned on here. If the router is powered up and not running, lightly tap it was a hammer. If it tries to start up then it should be the brushes. New brushes are about an inch long, my bad ones that i have removed are typicallly .25-.3 inch long. Based on recomendations i have reduced my rpm to 10k for almost everything.

[jerry_stanek]

I have replaced the bearings 2 routers and they are not that hard to do. The trick is to use an impact hammer to remove the bottom nut. There are videos on the internet on how to do this

[donek]

I have run the same PC 3 1/4 router on my PR since 2000. It has had the bearings replaced multiple times, and brushes as often. Due to down time when they wear out, we recently chose to purchase a spare, so it can simply be swapped out and rebuilds done at leisure. As stated, the bottom nut is the trickiest, but an impact wrench does the trick. It will sometime knock the nut loose, but not take it all the way off, so check it by hand after a couple of attempts. The last two rebuilds, we have stripped the "plug". This is a set screw of unknown thread pitch that we have had to purchase from PC for $5. It's difficult to match up due to the fact that it goes into a tapered thread. The switch on this unit wore out and we simply chose not to replace it. A replacement switch is over priced and poorly protected from dust.

[CantologyLLC]

I've been too busy to mess with them as they go bad. The first one started giving a bad finish and the second lost torque. Pushing an insert cutter their whole lives. First one came installed in my Desktop. Bought the second one at Lowes and after the swap, moved the handles onto the one that came with the bot as its still got enough life to be useful as a hand-held. Might autopsy the second one someday :D
-Will

[cowboy1296]

What is the tell tell sign of when the bearings wear out?

[jerry_stanek]

Mine started making more noise and you could feel it when it was off also when it shut down it would not spin as long. I did notice a better cut after I replaced the bearings.

[angelosart]

Thanks for the responses, appreciate it. Follow up... as far as rpm for the routers, am I correct in assuming that you simply use the recommendations from the manufacturer with the factors being type of wood and size of bit?

Angelo

[dana_swift]

Angelo- NO. I set my router rpm at 10000. I almost never change it no matter what I am cutting or what bit. That makes the router last vastly longer.

I compensate for the fixed RPM by setting my feeds and speeds based on the chipload calculations. The depth of cut is determined by the material and the cutter. So in Aspire (or partworks) I have a bit definition for each type of material with each bit I use.

Routers last a long time that way. I am on my second router after over five years now. Thats not full time cutting, but it is often intense.

D

[GlenP]

I am on my second router. The first one lasted 4 years cutting full time. When you buy one if you can start it up at the store before leaving. The one I have on the bot right now was my spare router and I never turned it on til after warranty was over (1 yr). The bearings in this new one are junk. It is very noisy, the spindle won't spin as free as my original one and it breaks bits really bad which tells me there is too much runout and vibration from a bad bearing. I have my original one on the bench tore down and new bearings and brushes on order and be here next week. THen I am going to tear down the one I am currently using and replace the bad bearings in it. When I discovered the bearing noise (one year after purchase) I went to the supplier I purchased t from and he had three more in stock....they all had the same noise. Chances are the guys who bought those other routers were only using them in a router table or for hand work and wouldn't be issue.
I will always be starting them up at the suppliers before leaving from now on.
They are a good router. I figured when I got more than a year out of my first one it had more than done its job. These routers are not made to be used in the way a cnc uses them and therefore the lifespan is shorter. I can't see me ever buying a spindle. Too much cash for me...but thats just me. Might someday be nice to talk on the phone with the router (spindle) running.