JMG

@SetBuilder Metal filings under the base plate is a slightly different issue than the bearings rubbing or scoring the face edge, and your vacuum/air dusting process is a good response, along with the tape. Not certain if wax on the surface in that situation would help, or trap the filings making the issue worse. One thing that I have noticed, is that the black phenolic base plates that usually come with the routers score easily when working on metals and can cause scratching themselves in some cases from the scratches on them. A majority of the base plates on my routers have been replaced, using quarter inch thick Corian. I even added some Corian to the bottom of my Milwaukee circular saw for working on acrylics. The Corian wears better along with better glide properties, and fewer holes for tiny bits to get trapped in and scratch the surfaces. A drawer full of unused original plates and new Corian blanks yet to be applied when others might wear out. The only time I find myself using the original base plates is when I need to use a fixed guide bushing. I use half inch material for difficult plate designs where strength or flex might be an issue. Also as insert plates for my router table setup. A side note: Keeping the center hole close to the size of the bit being used can also limit the amount of material getting under the plate to cause scratching, but will also limit visibility.

From what I take out of your explanation, the situation you find yourself in is a fairly common practice for a poorly organized or badly managed company. They show signs of not having a strong financial footprint, along with possible cash flow problems, which can extend from the quality control issues of the past. Customers definitely object to making, or signing off on those final payments when they feel they are not getting what was contracted for, and those issues become a hurdle that some companies can never overcome. In any assigned position that you accept in job life, you eventually either make it your own or move on to something else. Whether you start your own company, or work for someone else, you eventually make your own job description when working in the trade skills. One of the issues I see here is one that experience will teach you over the years, and that is that you did not take enough time in negotiating your current position, and did not get someone to sign off on a fixed time period for review with a specific form of pay bump written into it. What you do from this point on is on you. If you are not happy, first look to see if there are other similar companies that you could contact for employment. Take a vacation day, or sick day if the prior is not an option and go investigate other opportunities. Do not ever mention to anyone at your current work site that you have any dissatisfaction or may be looking elsewhere. If you find some other opportunity that looks promising, offer to take someone that matters in that organization out to lunch and talk to them about their company. Do not at any point bad mouth the company you work for, as it will only reflect badly on you for being part of a bad company or look like you might be one of the problems. Find out what they think is great about where they work... and so on. Once you have another option to look at, re-negotiate your current position, and get it in writing. If that fails, then turn in a written resignation with time frame and move on. If you do not feel comfortable in your work, the stress levels will eventually wear you down and/or affect your health. This comes from my personal perspective and experiences and is all I can offer for advice. Take it for whatever it might be worth. I personally dislike companies who fail to offer a job description or violate one that they assign to you. It puts you in a no win situation without a solid foundation to stand on when it hits the fan.

In order to keep trimmer bits from scoring the face edge lamination, wax is applied to the area that the bit rubs against. Laminate suppliers sometimes sell wax sticks designed for this purpose, but paste wax can be used as well if they are not available. It is a defensive measure that I used when trimming mostly on expensive laminations, such as high gloss finishes or aluminum sheet products. Also using wax with solid carbide trim bits is a good idea as well, no matter the grade of material. Some of the laminate products that I was tasked with applying ran in excess of $300 a sheet at times, and nothing is worse than having to purchase an extra sheet of material just to rip a single strip off to fix a screw up that could have been avoided with a little extra effort. Contact cement can build up quickly between bit and bearing, causing a seize mid cut, turning a metal bearing into the perfect tool for trashing an edge, so the flat plastic bearing surface makes sense to me for more than one reason.

Makita Australia is showing a coming soon banner on their main page, but there is no other information available... https://www.makita.com.au/ One hopes that when they get around to releasing this in the states that there will be a kit available with all of the bases included, just like the corded trim router.

Looks like they would be a good replacement for having to wax the edge before trimming every time. Would be curious to know how long one lasts.

Know anyone with a 3d printer?

@KC_Tool I have been doing a light search on WorkMo units and downloaded the catalog to get an idea of what is available. While it looks like they have put major effort into the system, I am uncertain that it is going to gain any quick favor in our market. The few current pricing structures I have seen being offered stateside are far beyond reasonable for the core sections, and overall it looks as though the system is targeted more for L-boxx setups than anything else. The T-boxx core setup looks to waste too much space between cases, and does not allow enough vertical shelf count in the existing core support box further limiting cost effectiveness. As far as a mobile system, it looks to be limited only by what they will be able to offer based on vehicle floor designs they produce. Overall I am intrigued by the system, but fear the initial package costs will simply and/or effectively put it out of reach. For my own interests, the only real useful parts of the system currently look to be the T-boxxes and support rails, in that I could build something that would work specifically in my own space, as I am not looking for the mobile solution outside of something on casters that will roll around the shop.

Funny, but I found myself looking more at the material storage in the background than I did at the chair... I miss having that kind of space to ramble around in.

The part he needs is the handle section in the center of the bottom picture. Single assembly that attaches to the front and top of the main housing. These are pics of my personal unit.

Not to mention the only reason those girls were in the water was probably to relieve themselves...

No, it's not for sale...

Handle set discontinued

Is that price $90 Australian or $90 US. Exchange rate might make a difference. If the part has been discontinued, you are pretty much SOL, and the only option is pay the price or find someone who could 3d print a part, and still pay the price... Wish I could be more encouraging, but I commend you for wanting to do the right thing and fix the issue. The only other possible option I can think of is to find a unit for sale for parts, or bite the bullet and pay for a replacement miter saw.

So who wants to be the guinea pig on this at $2500. All the Home Despots near me are showing stock on it...

https://www.ryobitools.com/offerings/current?p-6&utm_source=Ryobi&utm_campaign=9776217891-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_03a9d65f40-9776217891-294370293

Just got an email about the release of a fluid transfer pump and drain snake. Fluid pump is a hybrid cordless/corded unit.

Some killer prices on those sets... Must RESIST... Still waiting for that sk hammer kit to show up.

Ask a local machine shop to make one?

Channel bending tool.

Out of those three items, I only have experience with one of their miter saws, and it required replacement parts early in its career, and while the operation was smooth during the first few months of use, it rapidly degraded into a rougher/course feel after that and the noise level of the motor increased along with vibration to the point that it was only used when absolutely necessary. It is another one of those tools that my brother took off my hands, cause hey, it was free... He was also the person who caused it to need replacement parts back then too.

@Bremon Not all of the lack of recommendations for DIY grade tools are due to enthusiasm for a particular branding. I simply cannot recommend either Hitachi or Ryobi due to personal experience with them. While they may have some tools that will fill the need for some type of light duty use, I had only one item from Hitachi not wear out early in its life, from general to hard use over the time I owned them, and it was an industrial grade item that had a few quirks one would not normally find on other brands. All of the other units I purchased from those brands wore out, in some form or other, in comparatively short time frames compared to the brands I currently maintain. These were mostly corded variants as the cordless systems we now enjoy were not generally available when I had purchased them, but the lack of longevity or abrasive noise levels in those tool brands has never fostered the feeling of comfort needed to be able to make a recommendation for their purchase when asked. I started using Makita when they first offered a 7.2v battery drill in the early eighties and outside of the lack of power in the early offerings, I never had any issues that could make me not recommend the brand. I have had multiple of their corded items and just recently gave a thirty plus year old miter saw to my brother and he was very happy to get it. It has yet to be rebuilt and was probably the most used tool I ever purchased. I just did not need it any more, as I am no longer running a business with a need for multiples of tools and have been cutting the cord across the board, as it were. Milwaukee corded tools were a mainstay as well, early in my career. I still have the first circular saw I ever purchased and it is still in great working order too. From personal experience, I can only recommend tools that have stood the test of time, and consider them to be a less expensive purchase for the long term, over lower cost for a short period of time one might experience using a DIY brand tool.

One can hope that if Milwaukee ends up offering one that they add a variable heat adjustment to it instead of just a high low setting. I have an industrial grade unit with adjustable heat levels for use with different glue grades and it would be perfect if it did not have a cord attached to it...

Generally there are little known contract issues with the state or country that the facility is located in that require a percentage of civilian jobs be supplied based on the size of the force in residence. At my permanent duty station, the general supply depot was run by civilian clerks, which always seemed to be a security issue to me, but it was part of the agreement of job creation for locals that was being applied between the Army and the state of Hawaii. There were many times when we sat on our thumbs and watched civilian crews work at jobs we could have easily performed, and frankly we were generally bored out of our skulls and would have welcomed the activity, but that was above our pay grade.

If you get bit by the cordless tool bug, you will probably end up with multiple battery platforms in the long run. My primary power tool platform is Makita. I have had excellent results with the brand over the long term and it could be a good place to start. My secondary battery platforms have been Dewalt and Milwaukee, and recently some Metabo grinders have found their way into my kit. It will ultimately come down to ease of availability and drain on the wallet, in my opinion. Just try to keep an open mind and not become a fanboy for one specific brand so as to not miss out on the best tool for the job. They all have tools with strong points, and the competition between brands does nothing but good for us as consumers. As an aside, I personally have had more problems with Bosch power tools than all of the other major brands combined, and yet I purchase their jigsaw blades and sds drill bits almost to exclusion of other brands. Time will tell what works for you. Good luck with your journey down the rabbit hole of tools...

Fixed that for you...