Triton Router bent shaft?

[Jeff Hartley]

Hi all.

I recently bought a Triton TRB001 to replace my Makita 3612c in my router table largly on recommendation from messages read here. Well, today I fired it up in the table for the first time with a 12mm straight bit to put in a 3mm deep dado in a piece of soft pine, dado running 300mm long. The router fired up fine, a bit noisier than my makita but ok. About 200mm into the cut, the entire router started to vibrate violently, nearly shook itself out of the table. I managed to stop it and immediately rotated the bit by hand. It was 1mm out of centre like the shaft was bent. The bit is brand new, the TRB001 brand new, in fact it is the first cut ever for both. Removing the collet centre and rotating the collet body, it is clearly out of centre. I can't see how a tiny cut like this could bend the shaft of such a butch router so if not, is it possible that the collet could be faulty? Anyone know how it comes off so I can check?

I've logged a query with triton but I think this baby may be going back to B&Q for a refund.....

Knew I should have bought another Makita

 

[paulm]

Take a look at the Trend T11 Jeff, it's great for table use. Couple it with an Xtreme Extension and it's a pleasure to use.

Cheers, Paul

 

[OLD]

This sounds like the problem i had with a charnwood router that had to be returned, a new collet did not fix it.

 

[Jeff Hartley]

Just been back out to the workshop and as I suspected, the whole collet is loose, in fact I managed to just screw the enitre thing off by hand. On a tool capable of swinging a TCT bit at 22000 RPM, a fundamental flaw in workmanship like that is criminal. Of all the parts you don't want to come loose, that has to be the main one. Thank God I wasn't Panel raising (which was actually the next job). :x

I'll post back with Triton's reply, but if you own a TRB001, please do check it before using a large bit.

 

[Jeff Hartley]

Take a look at the Trend T11 Jeff, it's great for table use. Couple it with an Xtreme Extension and it's a pleasure to use.

Cheers, Paul

That was the other machine I was considering Paul TBH but I was swayed by all the good reports in this here forum

Maybe it's a one -off problem, scary one tho'

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Jeff

Glad that you're ok. A quick trip to B&Q to exchange it, sounds in order.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Barry Burgess]

I have had a Triton now for one and a half years and have had no problems - its got grunt and puts the T11 in the shade. Take it back to B&Q and get another one - it could have been dropped?
You will find its great in the table and no need for the extension bits and its simple to work with it above the table.

 

[mrbingley]

I've got the Triton as well, had no problems with it.
Only use it in a table.
I made an mdf table top to replace the extension table on my Fox F36-524 saw.
Cut the hole so that I could use the Triton plate and slots for the Triton fence, so no bother swapping it around from the table saw to the Triton router table as needed.
Just fitted the "Router Raizer" to the router, so it's now even easier to change bits and for depth setting.

Chris.

 

[Barry Burgess]

Jeff
I have used upto a 51mm diameter bit with no problems at all
Barry

 

[Jeff Hartley]

I have had a Triton now for one and a half years and have had no problems - its got grunt and puts the T11 in the shade. Take it back to B&Q and get another one - it could have been dropped?
You will find its great in the table and no need for the extension bits and its simple to work with it above the table.

Hi Barry,

No, definately not dropped This was out of the box litteraly. At powerup it was nice and smooth but it just went wild once I started cutting. Top and bottom is I got one which had never had the collet body tightened properly to the shaft in the first place, I got a friday afternoon router

I'm not saying for a minute that the TRB isn't the dog doo-dahs and you and a million others may have had zero problems but I tell you it frightened the life out of me, imagine if I had had that 51mm of yours in, might not be typing this now.

FWIW, the Triton replaced my Makita in my Rout-R-Lift and when the Makita was in there I never needed an extension bit, wouldn't use one anyway. The makita was maybe only 1/2" lower down in the plate than the Triton so Bit changes were always above the table although I admit it was a two handed job but the Makita was just as powerful. The Makita does have it's vent slots directly inline with the fallinf sawdust tho' and that finally swayed me.

When I eventually get over to the mainland again, I'll exchange the Triton for another, hopefully I'll then be as happy with it as you lot seem to be, for now I'm off to the workshop to persuade my Makita back into the table, these JessEm Rout-R-Lift's make that a breeze though.



Take care all, watch those fingers!!!

 

[Barry Burgess]

Jeff I was not suggesting it was you who dropped the router - the quality of help at B&Q is usually the problem. I bought mine from Ebay at £175 at the time the retail at B&Q was £249. The router had all the B&Q barcodes so who knows where it came from.
Its been the best table mounted router I have used. - its a pig as a hand held at 7Kgs
Barry

 

[Mike.C]

Although I do not own one, I have read enough on this website and others to convince me that the Triton is one of the best, if not thee best, table routers on the market today.

But IMHO this is only part of it, the second part being customer services, and the way they treat their their customers when the chips are down.

So Jeff, lets hope that they come up trumps for you.

Let us know how you get on.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Barry Burgess]

Mike B&Q just replace with new and the supplier has to credit them and collect their broken goods.
Barry
ps I have seen a return from B&Q of Triton goods and I would say less than 25% were faulty - rest worked fine but the packing was damaged.

 

[smiffy]

Quality control seems to be Triton's weakest link. They have some innovative design ideas and thier customer support is legendary, but like you I have had hassle.
Two saw replacements and certain workcentre part replacements (that are still faulty )and having to take 3 days time off work as they insisted in sending a Triton rep to visit me was not good.

This was the main reason for giving the router a wide berth when choosing a new router recently.

The usefulness of the Triton gear I have almost redeems them however.

 

[Mike.C]

Barry,

Mike B&Q just replace with new and the supplier has to credit them and collect their broken goods.

In that case i would have thought that the exchange will be plane sailing.

Cheers Barry

Mike

 

[Barry Burgess]

Quality control seems to be Triton's weakest link. They have some innovative design ideas and thier customer support is legendary, but like you I have had hassle.
Two saw replacements and certain workcentre part replacements (that are still faulty )and having to take 3 days time off work as they insisted in sending a Triton rep to visit me was not good.
however.

My saw has sat in my workcentre and has not been removed for 18 months and is used at least 3 days a week with no problems. Early saws had a problem with their switches which was fixed about 18 months ago. B&Q had stock that predated the fix. Before buying I checked with the website for the serial number when the fix took place and made sure I got a later version.
I have two WC and no problems
What part is not working??
Most problems are during setup and it take practice to get it right. Once you get it right the kit is very good to use.
BARRY

 

[Jeff Hartley]

Just an update on the router problem....Well, it's been a week since I sent the email to Triton about the problem but no reply as yet so I've dashed one off to head office. What I'm hoping for is that someone there may be able to say, "just do xyz and that will sort it out" without having to make the trip over to the mainland. If no reply by next week, I'll have to make the trip to B&Q, glad now I paid a little more than if I had bought online, at least I will be able to talk to someone face to face and make sure the new one is ok before I come home

A funny thing just occurred to me....I NEVER EVER save the packaging from anythng I buy whatever it is. For some reason, I put the Triton box on the top shelf in the workshop together with all the plastic bags, Polystyrene etc

Spooky

 

[smiffy]

Barry,

I am sorry if I came over a bit negative on the Triton gear. To let you understand I bought about £800 pounds worth of Triton gear, and when you spend that amount of money, you just want to get on with the job using the tools you paid for eh.

None of my problems were due to me setting it up wrongly, and I know that Triton do have problems with this. It was simply a very poor show in the quality of some items. Two sets of ruler arms from the workcentre where the markings were very easily removed, and two saws which were very dangerously vibrating in use.

In practice, my Triton investment is very central in all my projects in my small workshop. I used to work in a large 3 phase workshop environment, and I am totally amazed that Tritons stuff is so versatile, that I can do a lot of large workshop jobs in little space with a minimal outlay.
I am even a fan of the unpopular planer attachment.

I am in fact one of those deluded Triton fans :lol:

 

[Barry Burgess]

Sniffy the marking coming off the fence arm was a known problem and if you contacted Colin at Tritons office in Wales he sent you a new set. B&Q appeared to get a batch of the bad arms and just waited for the customers to complain and gave them another set that usually also had the same problem.
Barry

 

[smiffy]

I got the impression that my post in the Ozzie Triton forum about this problem was one of the first to highlight it, as a lot of Ozzies joined in on that debate to say that they too would be contacting Triton to get replacements.
That was more than a year ago.

Colin from Triton did indeed send me a replacement set, but they had the exact same problem. This underlines my point...two saws and two sets of ruler arms with the same problems one after the other. The quality control manager at Triton needs a kick up the buttocks :x Or at least at that time he did, and maybe he has. They maybe better now. It was a shame that I, and many others, had a bad experience with this.

I personally knew what I was buying, as I used the products and was very impressed before I made a personal purchase. And as I have said, once the problems were ironed out, I have nothing but praise for the Triton stuff.

Cheers,
Ray.