Saw a guy at work once chuck up a drill bit in a Dremel and then switched it on set at the highest speed.  The torque of the Dremel and the inertia of the bit twisted the collet apart, and the drill bit struck his eyeglass lens end on.  If he wasn't wearing coke bottle lenses he would have lost an eye.Have you tried some allen socket set screws?  Those very rarely get worn enough to be unusable.  You should be able to find the ones you need at McMaster-Carr though there are other much cheaper places also.

Please re read David C "s post above.  I have seen this happen to people who do not follow his advice.  You can get away with a lateral load several times and then disaster strikes. Some people do not realize there may be TWO TAPERS holding any particular drill chuck.  A morse taper holding the device into the quill of the power source, but many drill chucks are actually a chuck and a spindle held together with a jacobs taper.  Either taper can let loose under lateral load. Most set screws are stripped by using the wrong allen wrench.  Metric when it isn't metric etc.  Be sure you have the correct wrench.  Harbor freight sells a box of set screws for a few bucks.be safeken

New set screws are cheaper than most trips to the hospital emergency room.MIGHT be  away of heat-treating them harder.The Shopsmith manual SPECIFICALLY warns against using the drill chuck for router bits.Says it can't handle the sideways pressure.I have, on two occasions, in years gone by, used the chuck for routering.Was not injured.But Shopsmith says not to, and they designed the dang thing.Whether they put the verbiage in there to be VERY sure not to get sued, or if it's an almost certain DOOM to chuck a router bit in there, I knoweth notteth.I shall now tippy-toe off, and let more knowledgeable folks tell you what they know about this.

Please re read David C "s post above.  I have seen this happen to people who do not follow his advice.  You can get away with a lateral load several times and then disaster strikes.

Whether they put the verbiage in there to be VERY sure not to get sued, or if it's an almost certain DOOM to chuck a router bit in there, I knoweth notteth.

Yes, the danger is very real any time you use a router bit with hand-held work in a "drill press" configuration. (If that's what you're referring to.)There are a (very few) cases where I use a 1/4" double flute bit to do light stock removal, such as creating the small platform for a fifth string tuner when adapting a vertical string post for a fifth string, but those are light cuts in a very small area.With a drill press setup, especially with a bit greater than 1/4" diameter, it's very easy for the bit to grab and pull the work into the cutter.  In that case hopefully there's no body parts close by.Avoid doing this if at all possible!

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There are a (very few) cases where I use a 1/4" double flute bit to do light stock removal, such as creating the small platform for a fifth string tuner when adapting a vertical string post for a fifth string, but those are light cuts in a very small area.

Here's a photo showing Weldon shanks on mills and a carbide endmill on which I ground a spot for the screw by hand with a silicon carbide wheel.  You avoid sharp corners to prevent stress points.

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Have you tried some allen socket set screws?  Those very rarely get worn enough to be unusable.  You should be able to find the ones you need at McMaster-Carr though there are other much cheaper places also.

I have never used my Shopsmith to rout anything so I don't know anything about it.  I would look at replacing both the allen wrench and the set screw with new ones at the same time.  If your allen wrench is at all rounded off it will strip the heads quickly.  Another thing to do is to cut the end off and thus get a new tip.  Zach

Saw a guy at work once chuck up a drill bit in a Dremel and then switched it on set at the highest speed.  The torque of the Dremel and the inertia of the bit twisted the collet apart, and the drill bit struck his eyeglass lens end on.  If he wasn't wearing coke bottle lenses he would have lost an eye.

The 1/4" router bit chuck that came with my Shopsmith has become a real pain in the rear.  The tiny setscrews that hold the router bit in are stripped (the socket heads, not the threads) and I can't tighten them sufficiently.  Is there a danger in using the drill bit chuck with router bits at high speeds (I think the highest standard Shopsmith speed is about 6000 RPM)?

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Most set screws are stripped by using the wrong allen wrench.  Metric when it isn't metric etc.  Be sure you have the correct wrench.  Harbor freight sells a box of set screws for a few bucks.

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The Shopsmith manual SPECIFICALLY warns against using the drill chuck for router bits.Says it can't handle the sideways pressure.

Some people do not realize there may be TWO TAPERS holding any particular drill chuck.  A morse taper holding the device into the quill of the power source, but many drill chucks are actually a chuck and a spindle held together with a jacobs taper.  Either taper can let loose under lateral load.

There's nothing inherently wrong with holding a router bit in a standard Jacobs type chuck; in fact a bit will be held much more securely by a chuck than a sleeve that has set screws to hold the bit.  In the Shopsmith set up I'd feel much more comfortable if that bit holder screwed onto the spindle and had an actual collet assembly as found on the large majority of standard routers.

I have never used my Shopsmith to rout anything so I don't know anything about it.  I would look at replacing both the allen wrench and the set screw with new ones at the same time.  If your allen wrench is at all rounded off it will strip the heads quickly.  Another thing to do is to cut the end off and thus get a new tip.

Also, there is no reason to heat treat set screws if you need harder ones.  You can just buy Grade 8 set screws (MSC for instance) and be done with it.  If they are standard threads, Grade 8 would probably be best.  If metric then maybe Grade 9.8 or better.

The problem with routing with this arrangement is if the work is held by hand coupled with the relatively low spindle speed as compared to a standard router.  It is the method of holding the work combined with slow spindle speed that makes this a dicey proposition.

A sleeve with a set screw is precisely what a solid tool holder is that runs on large mills, usually with a notch cut (Weldon shank) for the screw to lock against.  Many folks run carbide mills without even grinding a spot for the screw.  I don't as I've seen them drift in the holder that way under heavy load.  I always grind a spot for the set screw to locate securely.

There's nothing inherently wrong with holding a router bit in a standard Jacobs type chuck; in fact a bit will be held much more securely by a chuck than a sleeve that has set screws to hold the bit.  In the Shopsmith set up I'd feel much more comfortable if that bit holder screwed onto the spindle and had an actual collet assembly as found on the large majority of standard routers.

The 1/4" router bit chuck that came with my Shopsmith has become a real pain in the rear.  The tiny setscrews that hold the router bit in are stripped (the socket heads, not the threads) and I can't tighten them sufficiently.  Is there a danger in using the drill bit chuck with router bits at high speeds (I think the highest standard Shopsmith speed is about 6000 RPM)?I've tried replacing the set screws but the new ones just get stripped also after a few uses.

I appreciate all your replies and I promise never to rout with the Jacobs chuck again.  I think what I really need to do is get some grade 8 set screws and find or buy a new Allen wrench of the proper size to keep handy for use only in those set screws.The tip on grinding a spot in the bit shaft for the screws sound pretty good too.

The problem with routing with this arrangement is if the work is held by hand coupled with the relatively low spindle speed as compared to a standard router.  It is the method of holding the work combined with slow spindle speed that makes this a dicey proposition.

There's nothing inherently wrong with holding a router bit in a standard Jacobs type chuck; in fact a bit will be held much more securely by a chuck than a sleeve that has set screws to hold the bit.  In the Shopsmith set up I'd feel much more comfortable if that bit holder screwed onto the spindle and had an actual collet assembly as found on the large majority of standard routers.The problem with routing with this arrangement is if the work is held by hand coupled with the relatively low spindle speed as compared to a standard router.  It is the method of holding the work combined with slow spindle speed that makes this a dicey proposition.

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Also, there is no reason to heat treat set screws if you need harder ones.  You can just buy Grade 8 set screws (MSC for instance) and be done with it.  If they are standard threads, Grade 8 would probably be best.  If metric then maybe Grade 9.8 or better.

Standard Jacobs chucks (if you mean a regular old drill chuck made by Jacobs) are not designed for lateral loads.  They are designed for axial loads.  That's why Jacobs makes a router chuck with a collet - the Power Chuck.  You don't side mill with a drill chuck which is what a router does.  Among the first things taught to machinists is not to use drill chucks for side milling.  It can get ugly very quickly - I've seen it happen to others.  Also, a chuck does not have the same runout tolerances (especially after repeated use) that a solid holder or collet has.  It is NOT a best practice to side mill (route) with a drill chuck.

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Here's a photo showing Weldon shanks on mills and a carbide endmill on which I ground a spot for the screw by hand with a silicon carbide wheel.  You avoid sharp corners to prevent stress points.

quote: Originally posted by rudy There's nothing inherently wrong with holding a router bit in a standard Jacobs type chuck; in fact a bit will be held much more securely by a chuck than a sleeve that has set screws to hold the bit.  In the Shopsmith set up I'd feel much more comfortable if that bit holder screwed onto the spindle and had an actual collet assembly as found on the large majority of standard routers. The problem with routing with this arrangement is if the work is held by hand coupled with the relatively low spindle speed as compared to a standard router.  It is the method of holding the work combined with slow spindle speed that makes this a dicey proposition. Standard Jacobs chucks (if you mean a regular old drill chuck made by Jacobs) are not designed for lateral loads.  They are designed for axial loads.  That's why Jacobs makes a router chuck with a collet - the Power Chuck.  You don't side mill with a drill chuck which is what a router does.  Among the first things taught to machinists is not to use drill chucks for side milling.  It can get ugly very quickly - I've seen it happen to others.  Also, a chuck does not have the same runout tolerances (especially after repeated use) that a solid holder or collet has.  It is NOT a best practice to side mill (route) with a drill chuck.  A sleeve with a set screw is precisely what a solid tool holder is that runs on large mills, usually with a notch cut (Weldon shank) for the screw to lock against.  Many folks run carbide mills without even grinding a spot for the screw.  I don't as I've seen them drift in the holder that way under heavy load.  I always grind a spot for the set screw to locate securely.

Yes, the danger is very real any time you use a router bit with hand-held work in a "drill press" configuration. (If that's what you're referring to.)

I appreciate all your replies and I promise never to rout with the Jacobs chuck again.  I think what I really need to do is get some grade 8 set screws and find or buy a new Allen wrench of the proper size to keep handy for use only in those set screws.

With a drill press setup, especially with a bit greater than 1/4" diameter, it's very easy for the bit to grab and pull the work into the cutter.  In that case hopefully there's no body parts close by.