Dewalt DW 625 router bearings

[Steve Blackdog]

I posted a while back about this router I bought off eBay.

Everything seems fine but now I've come to use it in my table I find the spindle(?) isn't running true. I can't fathom it. It seems like the nut/collet assembly might be very slightly off centre - but I am hoping it is the bearings. There doesn't seem to be any noticeable play.

Maybe this has been badly reconditioned in the past and the innards haven't been put back straight.

I'm thinking of taking it to the service centre, but before I lay out any more dosh, does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers

Steve

 

[newt]

Do you mean the router bit wobbles without any load on it, if so then I suspect a bent shaft. Doubt it is bearings unless the outer one was not circular. The collet locates in the end of the shaft and should follow what the shaft does, but I guess there could be a defect. Can you put in say a 6 inch shaft (that is straight) that fits the collet diameter (1/4" or 1/2"), tighten as normal and measure the run out at the end of the shaft when turning by hand ( switch power off first). One last point make sure you have the right size collet for the router bits, there are some metric collets/router bits. Report back.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

I've had a better look. If you lay the shaft of a screw driver against the flat bit of the nut, it will chatter.

With the extention collet fixed - about 3" - the travel at the tip is about 1/16". Add a cutter and it would be maybe double that at the tip of a longish cutter.

Take the nut off and run it you can't see any vibration, but rub the side if a screw driver against the inside of the shaft there is slight vibration.

I can't imagine how one could bend the shaft???

Do you reckon that's what it is? If so, does it sound expensive to fix?

 

[newt]

Hi Steve, The shaft could get bent by a sudden stop when cutting but you would have to be quite brutal. If it is the shaft which looks likely, it would require a complete new armature as the end of the shaft is an extension of the main shaft of the armature. I expect you could find an exploded diagram if you did an internet search. I imagine it would be the most expensive part of the router. There will always be some run out on the shaft of every router, a large amount on cheap machines (unless your lucky) and less so as you go up in quality. On better machines there will be a specification for the run out. Good luck.

regards

 

[Steve Blackdog]

Thanks Pete. It might be best to sell it to someone who knows what they're doing and start again.

 

[newt]

Steve, that looks like a good move.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

Mmmm. I can get hold of a new armature kit for £50 - a new router is £230.

What would people do? It's a dewalt DW625e by the way.

 

[kirkpoore1]

Mmmm. I can get hold of a new armature kit for £50 - a new router is £230.

What would people do? It's a dewalt DW625e by the way.

I'd confirm that it's bent first. If you haven't done that, I'd suggest taking the armature out and putting it on a metal lathe (if available), or a wood lathe (between centers) or even between some rigged up centers in a jig. Rotate it by hand with a dial indicator on the shaft in several places and look for a consistent deflection. If it's bent, replace it.

Kirk

 

[Steve Blackdog]

That's a good idea, Kirk. When you say 'if it's bent replace it' do you mean the router or the armature?

 

[Eric The Viking]

Steve, you probably know that Miles Tools & Machinery keep a good stock of DeWalt spares. I don't know if they're cheap, but I have found them fast and reliable to deal with.

(later) They list two types of 625E, and the armature is about £85 (ouch! And more than you found, too).

Trend T10/T11 are almost identical too (to one version of the DW), so their armatures would almost certainly fit. I can see they're an even worse price, but you might find them cheaper elsewhere.

It does look like passing it on might be a better option, but I can't see it covering your costs as whoever bought it would have to take the armature into account, and probably at least the cutter-end bearing too. :shock:

Given how mechanically simple routers are, they're bloomin' expensive really!

 

[Steve Blackdog]

£85 is rather steep as you can get a complete replacement kit for £49 + £4.50 postage if you look around.

My problem really is that I don't have the time right now - it still works, but someone who is mechanically minded could probably sort it out. I guess you could still use it ok if you don't care about a mil of run out. My problem is that I bought it to use for precision routing for a guitar body project and I can't afford to take any risks with precision.

I'll offer it for sale here I think, rather than eBay it. If I don't get interest then, perhaps I'll hang onto it and spend a few winter nights with it on the work bench!

Thanks for the guidance.

All the best.

Steve

 

[Phil Sewell]

Hi Steve,

I'm interested in this because I had to replace the armature on my elu 177e because I managed to bend the shaft. I remember it costing around £100 at the time. I'd be interested to know where you can get an armature for the price you quoted. I've just done a quick google search and found a price of £92 for your model not including post. I would imagine spares for these things don't vary much between companies.

It's not too difficult to change if you decide to have a go. I have an elu biscuiter I bought probably 18 years ago and I've changed the armature twice on that. It's still going strong. I think people should think more about repair than renewal sometimes with these power tools.
Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Cheers,
Phil.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

If you type "dewalt dw625 armature" into eBay there's someone there with service kits for £49.99.

It says they are kosher but who knows.

I'm feeling inspired to service it and replace anything needing replacing. Time is so scarce though, isn't it!!

 

[kirkpoore1]

That's a good idea, Kirk. When you say 'if it's bent replace it' do you mean the router or the armature?

Armature. I know people who have straightened motor shafts, but not on a 20K rpm router. You're lucky there's a service kit. I've got to do the bearings on a 60 year old Duro overarm router this spring, and I'm really hoping I don't screw anything up because Duro's been gone for a long, long time....

Kirk

 

[Phil Sewell]

Looks like a great deal on ebay considering the price I found was only for the armature. Interesting that you have to replace the whole lot which means the armature must somehow vary from the original.

Let us know how you get on if you decide to use the ebay kit.

Cheers,

Phil.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

I wonder if the manufacturers cut the cost of the new product to cash in later on spares??

 

[acewoodturner]

Hi Steve

I have had several dewalt routers in the past I have now moved onto Hitachi ones as they are better quality.
For a big job I did 3 or 4 years ago I needed to use a couple of routers and chose DW 625ek's. The first brand new one, the bearings lasted about 10 hours and I sent to got replaced no problem. (this was a mail order one) The second one I bought locally and the bearings lasted about the same length of time. I sent it back and the authorised repair centre said it was unecconomical to repair and replaced it no problem. The bearings went shortly afterwards but I took the bearings out and went to my local bearing dealer who said that they were cheap Indian bearings. I bought decent SKF replacements which I have yet to fit. The bearing dealer said Dewalt would be hard pushed to get bearings that were 'crapper' than the ones they used. This has now put me off all dewalt tools because if they are happy to do it with one tool they probably do it with all of them. Although I work for myself I take care of my tools and I dont normally do site work and I dont hash them. I got a Hitachi 12V router based on the recommendation of a mate who used to a lecturer in furniture design and construction and I have found it to be an excellent tool. I still have my original elu mof96e router awaiting a bearing replacement which I will get round to eventually. This was my first power tool and I am attached to it for probably sentimental reasons. The build quality of the older Elu routers was far superior and you can still pick up plenty of them on ebay and they are still easy to replacement parts for. Just get any bearings from a local supplier and not from a power tool service centre who will supply you bearings from Dewalt.

Mike

 

[Steve Blackdog]

That's interesting, Mike.

I've decided to stick with my old 625. It was made in the same era as the italian Elu 177e and is basically identical. It is not as well made as my swiss Elu mof 96, but a close second.

I have ordered a service kit, which replaces the armature, field, brushes and bearings. I'm not expecting the bearings to last forever - but when they fail I'll replace with better ones.

Thanks for the advice.

Steve

 

[Steve Blackdog]

Any advice on fitting the bottom bearing on my dw625?

I have tapped it almost all the way, but I'm struggling with the last few mil.

Cheers

Steve

 

[kirkpoore1]

Any advice on fitting the bottom bearing on my dw625?

I have tapped it almost all the way, but I'm struggling with the last few mil.

Cheers

Steve

Do you have a tube or small pipe that's a little larger than the shaft that will press on the inner race of the bearing? If not, stop whatever you're doing and get one. You'll need to press against the inner race ONLY to seat the bearing all the way without damage. You could make one out of a block of wood if you had to--drill the right size hole in the end grain deep enough to accommodate the length of the shaft. Then cut/carve/whittle, whatever so you have an extended area (even if only a quarter of an inch) centered on the hole. Make the outer diameter of this hole the same size or only slightly larger than the inner race on the bearing.

Stand the armature up (bearing end up) on your workbench, and slip the tube/pipe/wood over the end, make sure it's centered on the bearing, and tap the bearing into place. The bear is an interference fit so that it doesn't fall off.

It would be better to have an arbor press or even a shop press to do this, and I've heard of people using a drill press too (though I wouldn't recommend the latter in most cases). The main thing is to keep the tube pressing against the inner race, and apply no more pressure than necessary (i.e., the light taps, not heavy smashes).

Kirk