# Craftsman 27683 micro adjust on plunge depth



## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

I picked up one of these a few weeks ago and have liked it fine until today. I just recieved a Milescraft inlay/engraving set and thought the plunge microadjust would work great with it. Wrong - the adjustment screw is so loose it won't hold the adjustment. Vibration causes the microadjust rod to work it's way lower and lower. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this issue or if I just got a bum one.


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## Willway (Aug 16, 2012)

jschaben said:


> I picked up one of these a few weeks ago and have liked it fine until today. I just recieved a Milescraft inlay/engraving set and thought the plunge microadjust would work great with it. Wrong - the adjustment screw is so loose it won't hold the adjustment. Vibration causes the microadjust rod to work it's way lower and lower. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this issue or if I just got a bum one.


I have exactly the same router and there is no looseness at all in mine. I just looked at the PDF and I don't see any way to tighten, or an adjustment. Could be a fault in the one you have. Contact Craftsman you have a pretty descent warranty. Are you tightening the the depth lock thumb screw? I'm not trying to sound like a WA but this needs to be locked while you are using the router.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Willway said:


> I have exactly the same router and there is no looseness at all in mine. I just looked at the PDF and I don't see any way to tighten, or an adjustment. Could be a fault in the one you have. Contact Craftsman you have a pretty descent warranty. Are you tightening the the depth lock thumb screw? I'm not trying to sound like a WA but this needs to be locked while you are using the router.


Hi Dick - Thanks for the response. Yeah, the depth lock thumb screw is tight. What I was trying to do was lock the rod with the bit plunged to the surface and then use the micro adjust to dial in the width of cut I wanted with the V-groove bit... didn't work. Seems like there should be a nylon insert or something in there to grip the threads. 
I may need to go with the warranty but I hate to. 
Thanks again for the come back.


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## Willway (Aug 16, 2012)

*Micro adjust*



jschaben said:


> Hi Dick - Thanks for the response. Yeah, the depth lock thumb screw is tight. What I was trying to do was lock the rod with the bit plunged to the surface and then use the micro adjust to dial in the width of cut I wanted with the V-groove bit... didn't work. Seems like there should be a nylon insert or something in there to grip the threads.
> I may need to go with the warranty but I hate to.
> Thanks again for the come back.


Hi John, I looked for other post on this problem and only found one. Check with Craftsman and see if there is a service center near you. Sometimes they can repair it while you wait.The one close to me is in Abilene, never had to have any Craftsman tools worked on but they do warranty service on Milwaukee plus many other brands of power tools. Just click change at the top and put in the city you want to check.

Sears Repair Services | Sears Home Services


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Willway said:


> Hi John, I looked for other post on this problem and only found one. Check with Craftsman and see if there is a service center near you. Sometimes they can repair it while you wait.The one close to me is in Abilene, never had to have any Craftsman tools worked on but they do warranty service on Milwaukee plus many other brands of power tools. Just click change at the top and put in the city you want to check.
> 
> Sears Repair Services | Sears Home Services


Hi Dick - looks like the closest to me is Wichita, that's still a 2½ hr drive. I bought it from the Sears franchise outlet in Hays so I'll likely take it back up there. Hopefully they will just order me a base but I doubt it. Will probably have to package the whole thing up and and have them send it in and order a replacement. Likely two weeks at best. I can't even get a screwdriver warranty replacement up there without excess drama. :fie:
Thanks for the input anyway.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Willway said:


> Hi John, I looked for other post on this problem and only found one. Check with Craftsman and see if there is a service center near you. Sometimes they can repair it while you wait.The one close to me is in Abilene, never had to have any Craftsman tools worked on but they do warranty service on Milwaukee plus many other brands of power tools. Just click change at the top and put in the city you want to check.
> 
> Sears Repair Services | Sears Home Services


Not any more! No power tools are repaired locally at any Sears location that I am aware of unless you happen to live next door to the Dallas rebuild center! In fact here in North Central Ohio, they have been 100% ship out for 30+ years. For many lower priced items, 2 year or so replacement warranties are available.. If they break, take them back and they will give you a new one for it. As John mentioned, even that may take awhile if you are going to a dealer(privately owned) store!

Sears Home Services is just that... in home service! Think washer, refrigerator, TV(only larger than 25"), garden tractor,etc, etc.


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## Willway (Aug 16, 2012)

*An alternative!*



jschaben said:


> I picked up one of these a few weeks ago and have liked it fine until today. I just recieved a Milescraft inlay/engraving set and thought the plunge microadjust would work great with it. Wrong - the adjustment screw is so loose it won't hold the adjustment. Vibration causes the microadjust rod to work it's way lower and lower. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this issue or if I just got a bum one.


Hi John, an alternative would be to remove the knob and slide an 'O' ring over the shaft under it. I will check mine tomorrow and see if this is practical. I read something about this, with a different brand router, and they said it fixed the problem.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Willway said:


> Hi John, an alternative would be to remove the knob and slide an 'O' ring over the shaft under it. I will check mine tomorrow and see if this is practical. I read something about this, with a different brand router, and they said it fixed the problem.


Hi Dick - I thought about an O-ring but it seemed like I would constantly need to readjust it. Also wrapping with teflon tape would work but I think that would be a temporary solution at best. Mike or someone on here awhile back mentioned a liquid thread locker that remains "sticky" so things can be readjusted. 
I have some things to do in Hays today or tommorrow so I will stop in at Sears and see what they have to say. :shout:


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

*Update - Problem solved*

Took the thing back to Sears today and the guy just swapped out the plunge stop rod with the router he had on the shelf. For a change, I think I lucked out with a smaller franchise store rather than a company store. He initially wanted to ship the whole works back to their repair center. :dance3:


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## Willway (Aug 16, 2012)

jschaben said:


> Took the thing back to Sears today and the guy just swapped out the plunge stop rod with the router he had on the shelf. For a change, I think I lucked out with a smaller franchise store rather than a company store. He initially wanted to ship the whole works back to their repair center. :dance3:


Great to hear, I will be watching to see if this to see if everything works better. I did not get the opportunity to check mine today as we were rounding up stuff for the shop. Setting up a new shop involves a lot. I will be sure to check tomorrow so I know what to watch for with mine.


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