Old skil 297 router collet?

[Max Debelleix]

Hi everybody.

Well, i bought that old lovely fixed base Skil 297 router, in 220V, which is the standard here. And i have a 6mm collet. I would like to find a 1/4, since my tooling is a lot in 1/4.

Anybody has an idea about where i might find such an improbable item?

Thanks a lot.

Max.

[Clay Schaeffer]

You could try the Skil service center in France, telephone # 01 43 11 90 06.
You might be able to lightly hone the inside of the 6mm collet to make it work for 1/4 inch bits.

[Murray MacLeod]

You might be able to lightly hone the inside of the 6mm collet to make it work for 1/4 inch bits.

I really don't think so, Clay. You would need to remove over .006" of hardened steel all round the internal surface of the collet, to widen it by .013" .

The only way you could do it would be in a lathe, with a rotary tool set up to act as a toolpost grinder, and even then, I don't know how you could chuck the collet accurately.

Much better for Max to contact the service center IMO.

[Max Debelleix]

Thanks a lot guys.

Well, i didn't think of calling the service center, talk about daft But that machine is from UK or Australia i would think, as it is writen in english on it. Well, could have been sold in france like this, but fixed base routers in france are hard to come by. Hence my doubt. Will see what they say. I've repaired it today. The realesead switch was broken and it had been repaired with a on off switch, which i didn't like. I had a switch from my makita D handle router (us origin) which fitted with a litle grinding of the insides of the handle. Looks real neat for once. I'm happy with myself.

[Max Debelleix]

Called them, they don't even know the model.

[Charlie Schultz]

A couple thoughts-
1. You could try e-mailing Skil here: http://www.skiltools.com/Parts-And-Serv ... il-Us.aspx
2. Maybe another (e.g. Sears) collet would fit it? Perhaps a photo and some dimensions might help there.

[Max Debelleix]

Thanks a lot Charlie.

Well, called skil in the US, they've put me through to an old guy who knows! He says they stopped making that machine in 77, and have no parts! I still have a 6mm collet. That looks like buying few new cutters for this one will be easier

But in my papers, i have two # for the collets
#11583 and
#11584 if ever one of you sees some of thoses parts.

Thanks a lot.

Bye.

PS, for thoses in euro(disney)land who want a cheapish 240v fixed base , variable speed router, draper makes the same as craftsman. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAPER-EXPERT ... 53e38c2887

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_ ... ockType=L1

Max.

[Dick (DT) Trottier]

Hi Max,

I inherited a Porter Cable model 1100 that needed a collet, bearings and brushes a while back... when I contacted the folks at P-C no-one ever heard of it. Fact it, though, lot of parts are so well designed that there's no need to change them. Examples, it turned out, are collets, bearings and brushes. I found all the parts needed: a collet from P-C, bearings through a bearing distributor, and brushes at a place that repaired motors.

I'd suggest following Charlie's advice and posting a picture and some dimensions, in particular the diameter and thread pitch of the pull-up end. The part you're looking for is probably out there... only the folks that make it don't know it!

Good luck...

PS...I found no date on the router but did find this interesting: "115 Volts 5 Amps AC/DC".

[Bill Hicklin]

PS...I found no date on the router but did find this interesting: "115 Volts 5 Amps AC/DC".

Yep. Routers like most high-speed tools use universal motors, so called because they will run on either AC or DC.

[Al Dodson]

It wouldn't be hard to machine (or have a machine shop do it for you) a collet to fit the router. It need not be hardened steel. Just make several of them and if you feel the one you are using is compromised, throw it out and start with a new one. My bet is they would last a long time. They could also be case hardened to give them a longer life. It wouldn't surprise me if the original was just case hardened. Good luck

[Bill Hicklin]

Would it have to be by Skil? I would expect that most US/UK-made routers use standard (Imperial) threads