# Bosch colt problems



## Trinidad Ed (Jun 17, 2015)

I just started to make my first guitar and it has been a real challenge. I bought a binding jig from a well known luthier supplier that has a carriage that replaces the factory base and mounts a Bosch colt router. The carriage allows the router to follow the contours of the guitar to cut the channels for the binding and purfling. It is precise work. Unfortunately, my Bosch colt's spindle is slightly off-center and as a result the supplied bit rubs against the jig's collar that rides on the guitar's edges. I never noticed this when I used this router for round overs, beveling or cutting grooves because it was never an issue. Is this a common problem and is it fixable? Can I make an adjustment to center the spindle. It's about a 1/16" off center.

:frown:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

is it the carriage or the router???...
rotate the motor in 45 degree increments to determine which it is...

got links and pictures so we can see the equipment's set up???....

I'd suspect it's not the motor...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

It's not the Colt. Your problem is the aftermarket base you are using, it may require the motor to be placed in a certain position.


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## Trinidad Ed (Jun 17, 2015)

The motor is not centered on the factory base either and is about same amount (I mic'd it) off-center as on the after-market carriage.

Ed


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Trinidad Ed said:


> The motor is not centered on the factory base either and is about same amount (I mic'd it) off-center as on the after-market carriage.
> 
> Ed


Ed I was going to purchase a Colt on Amazon , and I was reading a bunch of the reviews and a guy complained that the router was not perfectly 90 degrees in its base and off centre .
He was guessing it was a bad run at the factory ? 

Not sure if your seeing the same issue , just thought I'd mention it


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

The spindle is not centered to the four base holes. It is made that way. I have made new bases, and purchased bases from Pat Warner.
His bases are made and are concentric to the spindle, as are mine. But they can only be mounted one way. It may have to be rotated to achieve concentricity.

Ellery Becnel


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

Indeed the PR20 had spindle squareness problems, early on.
Yours new?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

call customer support...


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Arcola60 said:


> The spindle is not centered to the four base holes. It is made that way. I have made new bases, and purchased bases from Pat Warner.
> His bases are made and are concentric to the spindle, as are mine. But they can only be mounted one way. It may have to be rotated to achieve concentricity.
> 
> Ellery Becnel


Stick I'm loosing faith in your favorite manufacture here


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

RainMan1 said:


> Stick I'm loosing faith in your favorite manufacture here


seeing I haven't that issue (or any other) with the 4 that I have...
something else may very well be amiss here...

call Bosch...
1-877-267-2499....


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## Trinidad Ed (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks for all the input.

The aftermarket base that I have will only go on one way and the hole is centered. Also, my first response was to call the supplier and they sent me a replacement base and, as you know, it turned out to be the router not the base. I called Bosch and they said that it may be a machining problem. I bought my router about six months ago but naturally I put my receipt "in a safe place" and can no longer recall where it is. Because I may be stuck with the repair costs, I called the nearest Bosch service center to see if it could be repaired and they were noncommital but said that maybe they could realign the motor. However, if you check the schematics for the router on-line or just look at the way the motor is mounted and centered there is no way that it can be shifted. This kind of confusion among Bosch's "experts" does not engender confidence.

The router works great for "routine" tasks so I'll keep it, but I'm afraid to order another and then find that out that it too is off-center. I live 100 miles from a city so I have to do my tool shopping on-line. I can't go into a store with my aftermarket base and check out whether the Bosch colt they have in stock will work. Everything has to be done by phone and mail. Maybe I'll luck out and find my receipt. Meanwhile, my guitar project is on hold until I get this resolved.

Ed


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Ed, if there is a defect in your Colt Bosch will make it right, even if it is out of warranty. If you have a difficult time just click on my name and send me an email. I have helped many members resolve problems with lots of companies; to date I am 100% on this.

It would help if you could post some photos that show the issue.


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## KUDennis (Feb 19, 2020)

Trinidad Ed said:


> I just started to make my first guitar and it has been a real challenge. I bought a binding jig from a well known luthier supplier that has a carriage that replaces the factory base and mounts a Bosch colt router. The carriage allows the router to follow the contours of the guitar to cut the channels for the binding and purfling. It is precise work. Unfortunately, my Bosch colt's spindle is slightly off-center and as a result the supplied bit rubs against the jig's collar that rides on the guitar's edges. I never noticed this when I used this router for round overs, beveling or cutting grooves because it was never an issue. Is this a common problem and is it fixable? Can I make an adjustment to center the spindle. It's about a 1/16" off center.
> 
> :frown:


I have found that there is a slight burr on the edge of the opening above the latch that makes the base kant when you lock it down. take a small file and deburr that may be all thats wrong.
Dennis Laird
Big Tool Store


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

KUDennis; that thread was from 2015. Hopefully the problem was resolved a few years ago! 
Welcome to the forum.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

KUDennis said:


> I have found that there is a slight burr on the edge of the opening above the latch that makes the base kant when you lock it down. take a small file and deburr that may be all thats wrong.
> Dennis Laird
> Big Tool Store


Welcome to the Forum Dennis. There are a lot of old posts around. It occurred to me that if the base has the right kind of bolts, that you can slide the base over a 16th or so and use a centering cone to line the base up properly, just as you can with a full sized router. Here's a rough diagram of the way the mounting hole has to be drilled to make that work. It allows some movement for centering, but gets the pan head bolt out of the way.

The second pix shows the centering pin in place. Once the base is centered, the illustrated method of double drilling slightly oversized holes allows you to tighten down the base. My Colt is not available at this moment, but I think it has this type of hole drilled.


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

Since the edge of the base serves as a reference edge, the collet must be centered as mentioned. Bosch makes a centering cone we are expected to use for taking out any decentering the mounting screws introduce when fastening the base to the unit. It costs $7.99. It should be included with every tool, but isn’t. Might be worth a try before taking more drastic measures.

Any other defects deserves to be addressed by Bosch. Think I’ll check perpendicularity on both my 1617 and Colt 125...


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## Hover (Nov 13, 2019)

is it the carriage or the router???...


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