Now I did it.... nut driver stuck in Angle attachment AN-XS

[reible]

I was attempting to repair a grapevine trellis and I have to drive some lag bolts in a tight spot.  So I ordered and received (yesterday) the angle attachment.  I was able to drive two of the three lag bolts using a Crescent Apex 7/16 nut driver.  I did not have enough room to do the third one so I hoped to put in a shorter nut driver.... BUT the driver is stick and I can not pull it out of the angle attachment.

So how do I at least save the angle attachment.....??????

Ed

 

[squall_line]

While holding the angle attachment, tap the nut driver around on all 6 sides and it should loosen up.

 

[Packard]

While holding the angle attachment, tap the nut driver around on all 6 sides and it should loosen up.

I agree.  This should work.

That would have been my suggestion.  I use that same technique to loosen collets on my routers.  I tap with a piece of hard wood.  It does take a significant “tap” to do this.  A soft headed (dead blow) hammer will work, but I find it is more “tap” than I want and I worry about hitting the collet too hard. 

This also works for releasing a Morse taper (your chuck into your drill press).

In any case, I agree with Squall. 

 

[Cheese]

FWIW...that method is also viable to loosen covers on jam/jelly jars and on canning jars.  [smile]

 

[Michael Kellough]

Usually running in reverse (against a load) will free the bit.

 

[waho6o9]

Add a drop of light oil and tap it out.

 

[reible]

Just a little more information:

I had been working outside in below freezing temperatures, I thought that might have been an issue but not that the parts are all warmed up they are still stuck together.

The driver moves say a 1/16" in an out.  Hard to tell for sure but it looks like there might be a "C" shaped wire in the angle attachment and the notch in the bit is catching on that.  That is how it works on other attachments I have but they always pull apart with enough pull. 

Tapping has not produced any results so I'm going to try a small amount of lube and see what happens.  Maybe that and the tapping will work??

Ed

 

[Cheese]

Did you try running it in reverse against a load? Like Michael says...that should free it up.

 

[reible]

Nothing I've tried has done any good.  The nut driver just doesn't want to pull back out.  It wiggles around and can slide back and forth about 1/16" but refuses to go any farther.  The lube and tapping was my last try for the day.

I had also emailed Festool so perhaps they will offer a suggestion in the near future??

Ed

 

[Bob Wolfe]

get a BIGGER hammer.  BW

 

[Scott in San Diego]

The AN-XS angle attachment has a wire C-clip that is designed to retain only 1” insert bits in the holder.  Not intended for use with power bits as they will always get stuck in the holder.  The only way I have found to remove the offending power bits is to use pliers or vise grips on the bit shank and forcefully pull straight out (axially).  You might damage the wire clip doing this.  I learned this hard way on Makita bit holder extensions.

 

[reible]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

Got up at 3:00 ish this morning after thinking about the situation to give it another go.  Using an angled dental pick I found the opening in the wire "C" and then inserted the pick on the edge of the wire and pushed, at the same time I pulled on the driver keeping a steady pressure on the dental tool.  Then with not much force the driver came loose.

So I'm good to go and have learned a lesson about the Festool "C" clip and the wrong drivers.......... don't plan to ever do this again.

Now I can go back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.

Ed

 

[squall_line]

I'm glad you got it out, as my next suggestion involved a bench vise and a pull hammer.

 

[Chainring]

So the C clip ends up going past the hex on the bit and slips into the recess/concave portion. Since that recess/concave portion, at least on reible's bits, is very abrupt there's no ramp for the C clip to slide over and release; it just gets stuck. Sound about right?

 

[Imemiter]

I'm glad you got it out, as my next suggestion involved a bench vise and a pull hammer.

I would've gone there first thing! OP's method sounds hard to improve upon.