# bosch 1200 pof ae collet problem



## claytonjohnroby (Aug 16, 2012)

Hello all,

This is my first post and as usual it is a problem that I have come looking a resolution for. 

I recently bought a second hand bosch 1200 pof ae router.

I observe that the collets are made up of three components.

A nut with an internal lip at one end. This screws onto the drive shaft on the router.

A smaller tapered cylinder of metal with cuts part way along the length of the cylinder. These cuts alternate from the wide end to the narrow end and vice versa.
At the wide end of the cylinder are 2 grooves on the outside of the tapered cylinder.

In one of the grooves is a spring steel loop going around approximately 7/8 of the cylinder.

I have 3 of these assemblies. 

For one of them the tapered cylinder is loose and can be separated from the nut with the internal lip.

The other two are different.

The tapered cylinder appears to have been inserted into the nut with the narrow end of the tapered cylinder going first into the end of the nut with the lip. The tapered cylinder has then been pushed into the nut until the spring coil has entered the lip. I believe that there is a corresponding groove just inside the lip of the nut. The large end of the tapered cylinder is too large to go past the lip in the nut.

This arrangement fixes the tapered cylinder in the nut but it is not a tight fit.

I am uncertain how these collets need to be arranged.

Could anyone offer some advise on the correct arrangement.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, John.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm going to let the gurus answer the question, but I just had to give you high praise for the clarity of your writing.  
Welcome, John!
-Dan


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## giltic (Sep 27, 2010)

Hi John;

I have Bosch POF1400ACE. The collets should be the same as with 1200. My collets are made of two parts - the nut and the collet itself attached to the nut. My collets are very hard to separate from nuts. There were three collets in the box: 8mm, 6mm and 1/4inch=6.35mm.
On the first photo you can see the 8mm collet with inserted bit. On the other two photos is 6mm collet from front and back. 
From your writing I couldn't understand what seems to be the problem so it would be best if you could attach a photo or two.
Regards;


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## claytonjohnroby (Aug 16, 2012)

*Some images*

Thanks for the replies.

It looks like one of my collets have come apart somehow. I think it might be a case of someone tightening the collet nut while not having a bit in place.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

John, the collet snaps into the nut. To get it to seat properly you must tilt the collet at an angle and then it will snap into place. If you tried to tighten them without them being snapped into place they may be scrap. Give it a try and let us know.


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

I got a collet in two pieces like that with a router I got from HF. I didn't know why it was like that but used it anyway. I then had to remove my router bits with a pair of pliers because the collet did not work correctly.
Eventually I figured out what was wrong. Tilting the collet to insert it into the nut may be the easy way, but I used a bench vise and a piece of wood as a cushion and gently squeezed the collet into position until it "clicked".
The collet and nut are now working correctly and self-extracting the bit when I unscrew the nut enough.
All is well.


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