# Bosch router table starter pin



## jpaskell (Mar 18, 2017)

Anyone know where one would be able to purchase a starter pin for a Bosch router table RA1181?
I have searched the internet, ereplacement parts, etc.

Bosch says Home Depot is the place to get Bosch service and parts.
Visited Home Depot, no one there knew what I was talking about.

Anyone have a hint?

Thanks,
Jim


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Jim you can make one for almost nothing by finding a 3" bolt with the same thread as the hole in your plate and then installing it with the head cut off.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Jim; no idea if it's the same one(or thread) but the Bosch plate comes with one. Mine did but I just looked up the plate and it doesn't say it does(?) ... Bosch RA1250 
Is this what you 're looking for?
https://www.amazon.com/Starter-Pin-Router-Table-Insert/dp/B0041H6WZA


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## jpaskell (Mar 18, 2017)

Cherryvillechuck,
Thanks for the note. The parts list says the pin is a 1/4-28 thread. Sounds foreign, perhaps metric. Would the threads not leave thread marks on the work piece? I'll check the local hardware store.
Thanks again,
Jim


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## jpaskell (Mar 18, 2017)

*Bosch starter pin*

DaninVan,
The RA1181 comes with the pin. It's a 1/4-28 thread. If the pin you recommended came with a 1/4-28 thread it would work. Bought the table off Craigslist and pin was the only thing missing. Love the table though it works great for a weekend novice. 
Thanks for the note.
Jim


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

jpaskell said:


> Cherryvillechuck,
> Thanks for the note. The parts list says the pin is a 1/4-28 thread. Sounds foreign, perhaps metric. Would the threads not leave thread marks on the work piece? I'll check the local hardware store.
> Thanks again,
> Jim


Jim go to your local hardware store and they will have a 1/4"x28 bolt for about a dollar or less. Get the lowest grade bolt they have it will be softer so you can cut the head off.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

jpaskell said:


> ...The parts list says the pin is a 1/4-28 thread. Sounds foreign, perhaps metric...


That's 1/4 inch fine thread (not metric). Should be easy to find. If you go this way, get one that's not threaded all the way. So the part showing would be smooth.


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## jpaskell (Mar 18, 2017)

Thanks all,
Sounds like a trip to the hardware store today. This appears to be rhe easiest and cheapest way to go. 
Many thanks to all who responded.
Jim


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Jim; you probably already thought of this, but you can also cut a portion of the bottom threaded section off as well, if you think the threads are going to be above the deck by too much. Buy a nut as well; run it up the thread before you make the cut, then run it back down and off...it'll 'chase' the cut portion so you don't damage the threaded hole in the deck.
Just makes life easier!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

jpaskell said:


> Cherryvillechuck,
> Thanks for the note. The parts list says the pin is a 1/4-28 thread. Sounds foreign, perhaps metric. Would the threads not leave thread marks on the work piece? I'll check the local hardware store.
> Thanks again,
> Jim


Jim, knowing about thread pitches is some useful info so I'll quickly describe how it works so that you can recognize it. Any thread pitch that starts with a fraction is SAE (Imperial- which now only applies to the US and I think 2 other countries in the world). Many people think that the size of the hex head is the size of the bolt but that can vary. What it refers to is the shaft of the bolt, i.e. it's diameter. The second number refers to the number of threads per inch. As pointed out, 1/4" x 28 is a standard fine thread pitch. Standard coarse is 1/4" x 20 threads per inch.

Metric thread usually starts with M, the diameter of the shaft, then the distance between 2 threads. A 6 millimeter bolt would be close to the same size as a 1/4" but it would be listed as something like M6 x .75 or 1. In the metric example the .75 pitch would be a finer thread as the ridges are closer to each other than the 1.0 pitch.

It's worth knowing this because it can save you some grief. If something doesn't want to thread together it may be because one is SAE and the other is metric. It's only the US and I think 2 3rd world countries that aren't metric so you will gradually see SAE disappear. Everything that US companies sell abroad already have to be labeled in metric and sold in metric measure so it may still happen in our lifetimes.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

use a headless shoulder bolt....

.


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## jpaskell (Mar 18, 2017)

You guys are great! Stick486 specifically, suggested a 1/4-28 headless shoulder bolt. Dragged my butt to the local True Value hardware store. Sales guy walked to the shoulder bolt area, picked up a 1/4-28 and my table is now complete. Total cost....49 cents. 

Many thanks, again to all that responded.

Jim


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

a headless shoulder screw would have been cheaper...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Picky, picky...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The gas to the hardware store was more than 49 cents.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Picky, picky...


you know how it is...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> The gas to the hardware store was more than 49 cents.


should have picked up several...

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

'Cause as everyone knows, the spares will be right there when you need one; no searching through stuff...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> 'Cause as everyone knows, the spares will be right there when you need one; no searching through stuff...


right here...

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

You spelt 'accessories' incorrectly...


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## thomas1389 (Jan 4, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> 'Cause as everyone knows, the spares will be right there when you need one; no searching through stuff...


Yeh, right.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> You spelt 'accessories' incorrectly...


and???


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> ...Buy a nut as well; run it up the thread before you make the cut, then run it back down and off...it'll 'chase' the cut portion so you don't damage the threaded hole in the deck.


Dang, you fellas is smart! :laugh2:
This solves a minor irritation whenever I cut a bolt or threaded rod down; getting the thread to start in the nut after chopping it off.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

SPELT (got my curiosity up):

noun
1.
one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, Triticum aestivum spelta, native to southern Europe and western Asia, used for livestock feed and as a grain for human consumption.

verb (used with object), spelled or spelt, spelling.
1.
to name, write, or otherwise give the letters, in order, of (a word, syllable, etc.): 

verb (used without object), spelled or spelt, spelling.
1.
to name, write, or give the letters of words, syllables, etc.:
He spells poorly.

origin: before 1000; Middle English, Old English from Late Latin spelta, probably from Germanic; compare Old High German spelza (German Spelt) 

Haven't seen this word used in decades. Perfectly legitimate word, just a rarity that stirred my curiosity.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

What can I say, Tom; we speak and spell the Queen's English up here.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Laughing because I just realized Tom Googled my spelling!


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## gen (Jun 5, 2019)

*Bosch fulcrum pin*

Quick and inexpensive solution (the best one is to purchase a bold as indicated by one of the contributors below): but if you want a substantial post not a thin bolt, you can do the following. Purchase the 4/20 fulcrum pin from Rockler for $4.99--they will send you two pins in the pack. Take one and gently thread it into one of the holes that is at about 2 O'Clock in the Bosch router table insert plate, taking your time to do a quarter turn, then a half turn, and then reverse it, and then continue again proceeding by quarter turns and reversing after about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn until you have rethreaded the entire hole to suit the Rockler 4/20 fulcrum pin. A little patience with your vice grips and within 3-5 minutes you are done because the aluminum table top is really quite soft. Then you are left with one pin with a few rough marks from the vice grips and another that is perfect! They will both work quite well.


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## gdonham1 (Oct 31, 2011)

Glad you figured it out. One more suggestion would be to get a plastic spacer you could put over the bolt. The plastic sleeve would protect your project from a dent in it. The starter and/or safety pin is to keep your project from spinning out of control when the wood is feed into the router bit. Sometimes you get the start of the spin and the starter/safety pin prevents the out of control but the work does slam into the pin.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I realise that this is an old thread but there is a far better way than a pin, THE FENCE, all tables have one.


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