For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
from my P-C 690 router. I always put one wrench in my left hand on the
bottom nut and the other wrench in my right hand on the collet nut. To
tighten was easy - simply squeeze the two wrenches together as if they
were pliers. Worked very well, but loosening was always a challenge
because I had to pull the two wrenches in opposite directions which
exercised muscles I used infrequently and really did not care to bulk up
on.
Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
I have a 2 wrench Bosch for about 12 years now.
I set the router on its side, engage the small inner
wrench and rest it against the workbench top, then
engage the outer nut and turn in the direction of
the inner wrench - the bench acts like a stop.
Easier than any other method I could figure. I must
be real smart since it "only" took me a year or so to figure
this out (after a few bruised knuckles).
Lou
In article <[email protected]>, DIYGUY
<[email protected]> wrote:
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router. I always put one wrench in my left hand on the
> bottom nut and the other wrench in my right hand on the collet nut. To
> tighten was easy - simply squeeze the two wrenches together as if they
> were pliers. Worked very well, but loosening was always a challenge
> because I had to pull the two wrenches in opposite directions which
> exercised muscles I used infrequently and really did not care to bulk up
> on.
>
> Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
> in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
> open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
> me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router.
15 years? I figured that out in 15 minutes!
LOL!!
Greg
On Wed, 8 Dec 2004 20:37:37 -0600, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>It can be even easier than that. Do the same thing, but position the wrench
>handles closer together (you may have to flip one over) so that you can
>comfortably squeeze them together with _one_ hand only.
What he said. When I use two hands I pinch fingers.
It works on just about any two wrench collet.
Barry
I believe that Gilbert started it all with Erector sets.
John Thomas wrote:
>
>
> Wasn't Erector the original? When I was a wee young'un (mid 60's), we
> had a really old set; I'd guess it dated to sometime in the '40s by the
> look of the set and the artwork on the box. Great fun, don't know what
> ever happened to it, though ...
>
> Regards,
> JT
"Battleax" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Well not everyone was luckey enough to grow up with Meccano sets :)
I had a Meccano set. I know that through time, all the parts got lost. Did
anything ever come on the market to replace Mecanno?
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router.
Do you have to tighten them that hard?
"DIYGUY" wrote in message
> Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
> in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
> open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
> me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
It can be even easier than that. Do the same thing, but position the wrench
handles closer together (you may have to flip one over) so that you can
comfortably squeeze them together with _one_ hand only.
You can actually exert more pressure that way than you can with two hands
and the wrench handles further apart.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 11/06/04
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router. I always put one wrench in my left hand on the
> bottom nut and the other wrench in my right hand on the collet nut. To
> tighten was easy - simply squeeze the two wrenches together as if they
> were pliers. Worked very well, but loosening was always a challenge
> because I had to pull the two wrenches in opposite directions which
> exercised muscles I used infrequently and really did not care to bulk up
> on.
>
> Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
> in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
> open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
> me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
I found that one fairly quickly with my PC 690. I am usually good at
figuring out things like that fairly quickly. But once in a while I will be
struggling with something and my wife will come walking by. "Why don't you
just do it this way?", she says. "Shit!", I says.
Wayne
[email protected] (Chris Richmond - MD6-FDC ~) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
> set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
> ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
> to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
> engines.
>
> Chris
>
Wasn't Erector the original? When I was a wee young'un (mid 60's), we
had a really old set; I'd guess it dated to sometime in the '40s by the
look of the set and the artwork on the box. Great fun, don't know what
ever happened to it, though ...
Regards,
JT
"Greg O" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> > from my P-C 690 router.
>
>
> 15 years? I figured that out in 15 minutes!
> LOL!!
> Greg
>
I've always made do with one wrench. I thought the other was a spare in case
you lost one.
Now I can get rid of that bloodstained dish towel I've been using to grip
the bits to keep them from turning.
-j
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Battleax" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > Well not everyone was luckey enough to grow up with Meccano sets :)
>
> I had a Meccano set. I know that through time, all the parts got lost. Did
> anything ever come on the market to replace Mecanno?
>
>
What the devil is a Meccano set? Didn't think my formative years were *that*
sheltered. However, I do have two old Erector sets that the Grandsons have
spent hours losing the pieces of.
--
Nahmie
Those on the cutting edge bleed a lot.
In article <[email protected]>,
"Upscale" <[email protected]> writes:
>"Battleax" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> Well not everyone was luckey enough to grow up with Meccano sets :)
>
>I had a Meccano set. I know that through time, all the parts got lost. Did
>anything ever come on the market to replace Mecanno?
Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
engines.
Chris
--
Chris Richmond | I don't speak for Intel & vise versa
Chris Richmond writes:
>Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
>set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
>ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
>to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
>engines.
Set it up! Your son may not appreciate it now, but the memories down the line
will be worth having, probably for both of you.
Charlie Self
"Cabbage: A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a
man's head." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Chris Richmond - MD6-FDC ~" > wrote in message
> >
> > He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
> > PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag. My and the wife would
> > probably have more fun with it. Its just one more thing I don't
> > have time or space for just now. Later will be better as the
> > kids move out.
>
> Then save it for your grandchildren to be. You might also consider selling
> it. I might be mistaken, but I believe mecanno sets in good condition are
> worth something. Much better than all the plastic stuff that's on the
market
> these days.
>
>
Meccano fetches very big bucks on ebay. A set that cost $35 in the mid 70s
will, in excellent shape, fetch $200 easily.
"Chris Richmond - MD6-FDC ~" > wrote in message
>
> He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
> PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag. My and the wife would
> probably have more fun with it. Its just one more thing I don't
> have time or space for just now. Later will be better as the
> kids move out.
Then save it for your grandchildren to be. You might also consider selling
it. I might be mistaken, but I believe mecanno sets in good condition are
worth something. Much better than all the plastic stuff that's on the market
these days.
"Chris Richmond - MD6-FDC ~" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Charlie Self) writes:
> >Chris Richmond writes:
> >>Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
> >>set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
> >>ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
> >>to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
> >>engines.
> >
> >Set it up! Your son may not appreciate it now, but the memories down the
line
> >will be worth having, probably for both of you.
>
> He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
> PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag. My and the wife would
> probably have more fun with it. Its just one more thing I don't
> have time or space for just now. Later will be better as the
> kids move out. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and
> it isn't an oncoming train. Although I was out in the light for a
> few months, and two kids moved back in, so I had a set back. :^)
>
> Chris
> --
> Chris Richmond | I don't speak for Intel & vise versa
Yep, way too old for Meccano. Meccano is for 8yrs to 13yrs, then from 47
till you die :)
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Charlie Self) writes:
>Chris Richmond writes:
>>Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
>>set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
>>ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
>>to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
>>engines.
>
>Set it up! Your son may not appreciate it now, but the memories down the line
>will be worth having, probably for both of you.
He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag. My and the wife would
probably have more fun with it. Its just one more thing I don't
have time or space for just now. Later will be better as the
kids move out. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and
it isn't an oncoming train. Although I was out in the light for a
few months, and two kids moved back in, so I had a set back. :^)
Chris
--
Chris Richmond | I don't speak for Intel & vise versa
Chris Richmond responds:
>>Set it up! Your son may not appreciate it now, but the memories down the
>line
>>will be worth having, probably for both of you.
>
>He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
>PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag.
I sometimes think dynamite is the only cure for excessive PC gaming (by which I
mean more than one hour a day, about equal to a rational amount of TV
watching).
But I've been where you are now, other gender child, almost praying for the day
of the empty nest. Then, it comes. It's marvelous. Finally, you glance around.
You now realize you are the storage depot for two out of the three kids. We are
still trying to clear all the stuff from the eldest out, so let's not talk
about the youngest, who has only been out, if not on her own, for 11 years or
so.
> My and the wife would
>probably have more fun with it. Its just one more thing I don't
>have time or space for just now. Later will be better as the
>kids move out. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and
>it isn't an oncoming train. Although I was out in the light for a
>few months, and two kids moved back in, so I had a set back.
Those set-backs are bad for the heart and the wallet. When they come
home--regardless of Tom Wolfe, you CAN come home again, at least until your
parents give uyp the ghost--they're used to doing things their way, and
resentment tends to triple when they're asked/told to change back to childhood
ways.
Charlie Self
"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain
> >He's 17, has a real car (in the shop), a girl friend, and plays
> >PC games online A LOT. Its not his bag.
> I sometimes think dynamite is the only cure for excessive PC gaming (by
which I
> mean more than one hour a day, about equal to a rational amount of TV
> watching).
PC games are super addictive to some people, literally. It actually raises
serotonin levels in the brain. That explains why I have probably spent
_years_ of time in front of a console. With that said, I think video games
used to be my OxyContin.
But you would never want to use dynamite to solve the problem... the sudden
withdraw would be too severe. Check him into a clinic where skilled
professionals can gradually reduce his playing time.
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router. I always put one wrench in my left hand on the
> bottom nut and the other wrench in my right hand on the collet nut. To
> tighten was easy - simply squeeze the two wrenches together as if they
> were pliers. Worked very well, but loosening was always a challenge
> because I had to pull the two wrenches in opposite directions which
> exercised muscles I used infrequently and really did not care to bulk up
> on.
>
> Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
> in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
> open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
> me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
LOL... Kinda simple aint it. I guess those people that swear by holding on
to the router some where with one hand and tugging on the 1 wrench with the
other hand may not understand how loosing and tightening with 2 wrenches and
1 hand can be so much easier.
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
I also saw the 1 1/8" ?Husky? wrenches on clearance at Home Depot for under
$10. I like them better than the pressed steel ones. Also, an 8" Crescent
(TM) just barely opens to 1 1/8" too.
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004 17:04:00 +0000 (UTC),
[email protected] (Chris Richmond - MD6-FDC ~) wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
> "Upscale" <[email protected]> writes:
>>"Battleax" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>
>>> Well not everyone was luckey enough to grow up with Meccano sets :)
>>
>>I had a Meccano set. I know that through time, all the parts got lost. Did
>>anything ever come on the market to replace Mecanno?
>
>Erector sets were the big competitor. I've still got my Mecanno
>set in the garage! I tried to get my son interested a few years
>ago. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. I'm still threatening
>to set up my Lionel train too. I've got some pretty cool old
>engines.
Never saw a Meccano set, but Lego makes a pretty nifty product with
that "mindstorms" set. They're kind of hard to find, but they sure
are cool.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the last 15 years I have always groaned when having to remove a bit
> from my P-C 690 router. I always put one wrench in my left hand on the
> bottom nut and the other wrench in my right hand on the collet nut. To
> tighten was easy - simply squeeze the two wrenches together as if they
> were pliers. Worked very well, but loosening was always a challenge
> because I had to pull the two wrenches in opposite directions which
> exercised muscles I used infrequently and really did not care to bulk up
> on.
>
> Lo and behold this weekend I made an amazing discovery. Simply reverse
> the wrenches making the top wrench in my left hand and the bottom wrench
> in my right and squeeze just as if I was tightening and the collet would
> open like a dream. Where have I been and why was this not so obvious to
> me?? Talk about a lack of brain power ...
Well not everyone was luckey enough to grow up with Meccano sets :)