Greetings,

I just purchased a Porter Cable solid base router. The collet will not loosen so I can change the bit.

I set the spindle stop pin and then use the wrench provided with the router to loosen the collet. Question, does the phrase, "Righty tighty, lefty loosy" apply to the loosening of the collet?

Righty tighty, lefty loosy, doesn't always apply to everything. Somewhere in the past, some genious thought it would be good to have left handed threads. This is probably the case with the collet. Try and go the opposite direction and see what happens. I think it would be left hand threads due to the high speed of rotation from the router motor.

My porter cable is a right hand thread (with the collet facing up, turn counter closewise to loosen).

PC does not have a self-releasing collet (as does my Bosch). Sometimes the bits stick a little. When this happens, I simply tap the bit lightly with a small piece of wood and it releases.

I typically tap bits/tools for my Dremel tool to get them out, but this is after the collet is loosened.

The mill I use sometimes has a brake to stop the shaft to loosen the collet and you need to bang the top with a dead blow to release the mill.

Maybe you should consider some anti-seize compound on the threads or plan all your projects to use the same tool. <G>.

Thanks guys,

I got the little darling out. I finally took the wrench that came with it and a cresent wrench and broke the lock-up.

I was ready to pour some nitro into the collet just to see what would happen next. After all the router is still under warranty!

First left handed threads I saw was 40 years ago on bicycle pedals, the reasoning I think is if it was loose, you wouldn't pedal until the pedal fell off. Some Cars have left handed threads on their wheels for same reason. My router loosens counter clockwise(looking from below)

Lug nut threads was the first time I saw left hand threads in a 1968 Chrysler.

Next time is the regulators on a torch and on certain compressed gas cylinders. The gas cylinder CGA fittings are marked with a notch.