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MLCS Router Collet Extension
MLCS_router_collet_extension

For 1/2" collet routers! Give your router bits an additional 2-1/4" (for #9465 or 2" for #9473) when you extend them through the router table top with our router collet extension. Eliminate the dangerous temptation of withdrawing the shank from the collet in order to raise the bit and to "provide the full depth of cut." The router collet extension makes it possible to use all diameters of 1/2" and 1/4" shank bits safely. Place the router collet extension shank in the 1/2" router collet and the router bit shank in the extension collet and tighten both. Wrenches and instructions included. NOTE: Will not work with 1/4" collet routers.

Router Collet Instructions(PDF)
ROUTER COLLET EXTENSION for 1/4" and 1/2" shank bits
#9465 For 1/2" shank bits. Reg. $42.90 $29.95
#9473 For 1/4" shank bits. Reg. $42.90 $29.95

Wrench Sets for previously purchased Router Collet Extensions are now available for both 1/4" and 1/2" shank.
#9466 1/2" Shank Wrench Set.....SALE $7.95
#9474 1/4" Shank Wrench Set.....SALE $7.95
WEB SPECIAL!
Get BOTH 1/4" and 1/2" Router Collet Extensions
Plus a 3 Piece Wrench Set
#1721 2 ROUTER COLLETS and
3 WRENCHES
Regular Price $59.95		 $49.95


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Average Customer Rating: (4 reviews)
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collet extenion (5/5), Dec 23, 2008

By bob sopko (bethlehem pa US)

No comment.

Skeptical at First (5/5), Oct 22, 2008

By Richard Franks (Kyle Te US)

I purchased the extender to use my router to make bowls. Using the extender and a bearing guided dish cutter bit, I can use a template and remove stock to a depth of approx 3". I was concerned that the extender would introduce some wobble or eccentricity to the bit. This has not been the case at all. The sides of my deepest bowls are perfectly straight and require minimal sanding. Great product, great price and great service - like always. rf

Safe router bit extension (5/5), Oct 20, 2008

By Marc Rea (SIERRA VISTA AZ US)

This extension is a great idea. It allows me greater flexibility when I use my router table! Now I can use bits that would not clear the table top without raising them unsafely in my router's collet.

Well worth the price! I only wish I had bought them as a set.

MLCS Router Collet Extension (4/5), Oct 8, 2008

By John Hanlon (Encinitas CA US)

I use both the 1/4 and 1/2" extensions in my router table. They have made all the difference in the world in the ease of changing bits and obtaining the exact height I want. At first I tried changing bits while the extensions were still in the table but found it easier to pull the extension and change the bit out of the router.
I only gave the extensions 4 stars because I found it difficult to remove bits that were narrower than extension collet nut. On most bits as the nut is loosened it pushes the bit out of the collet, but on a bit that is the same diameter or less than the collet capacity, the nut slides past it. I've had difficulty freeing these bits from the collet.
This issue aside, I like the extensions alot and use them constantly.

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Fine Woodworking's "Collet Stretcher" review

Fine Woodworking featured the MLCS Router Collet Extension in the Tools & Materials section of issue #159 from December 2002. Here are some quotes from the article:

"Collet Stretcher" - The router collet extension from MLCS adds about 2-1/4" to the length of a router collet, a handy feature in the router table for above-the-table bit changes."

"When a router is mounted in a table, the collet of the router often ends up positioned well below the surface of the table, even after the motor has been raised to its maximum height. That means some bits are not able to reach far enough above the table to provide the full depth of cut."

"Recently, MLCS began selling a router-collet extension that quickly remedies the problem. Also, as I quickly discovered, the extension makes bit changing a lot easier because the extension, which adds 2-1/4" in length, allows the collet to be raised well above the table. With the collet exposed it becomes relatively easy to work a pair of wrenches and change a bit."

"If you use a router table a lot and regularly struggle to install bits, the router extender might be worth a closer look."


Wood Magazine Shop Proven Products review

 MLCS_router_collet_extension_review

From Wood Magazine's Shop Proven Products section in the March 2003 issue:

"Bit won't go high enough? Extend it."
Sometimes, especially with my table mounted plunge router, the combination of the router's limited plunge depth, the table insert's thickness, and a short shanked router bit cause me to tempt fate by pulling the bit farther out of the collet than I like, creating a safety hazard. It is for such situations that MLCS sells the Router Collet Extension...
...it installs just like a router bit. Once it's mounted, you insert your bit into the collet, tighten it as you normally would (you'll need a 1-1/16" open or adjustable end wrench), and begin routing.
I measured .006" of runout (wobble), but detected no increase in vibration or chatter when routing red oak (the router itself contributed less than .001" of runout). As a bonus, with the Router Collet Extension installed, I found it was easy to change bits from above the table.
A few words of caution: extending your router's collet puts extra stress on the tool and its bearings, so take multiple passes on stock, especially with large diameter bits (MLCS recommends using bits no larger than 3-1/2"). "