Just a short video i did to demonstrate how to change brushes on the 611 For those wondering.
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I have brushes coming in the mail this week and will be changing mine soon i will take some measurements.
I don’t know about dewalt But the general rule for universal motors is that when the brush was down to .25in it was at the end of life
common signs of failing brushes
burning smell
more arcing
changes in rpm under no load
non operational
intermittent operation
Most noticeable to me is arcing that can be seen when looking into the intake vents on top. after a while you will learn what condition the brushes are in just by looking at the arc. It can also be a good indicator that you need to change your speeds and feeds because when the motor is under too much load excessive arcing will occur at the contact point of the brushes.
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nope but my best guess is around .75in seems to be the average for brushes i have replaced in other motors. But like i said best guess.
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LOL, I spent a hour on youtube today looking for a video for this without any luck. Thanks for posting. Looks as easy as I thought it would be.
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great information.Thank you.
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Just pulled mine for another check tonight, probably have another ~20 hours on this set before change. I have two fresh sets currently, when I swap out this set, I’ll just order another one to keep a couple sets in stock. Will be my second change, it’s nice and easy. Only downside is that you have to pull the router out of the mount to do it, at least I do.
Dewalt, but my positioning in the carriage is such that one of the brushes is shrouded by the Z-axis top plate, and getting to it is a pain without removing the router. I might be able to rotate the router to clear, I’m not sure.
@ShaneBell Can you share your video in the maintenance and troubleshooting video thread? I’d love to see it become useful as a repository for every useful video, not just the ones with such a sexy personality (and modest…). 
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Looked everywhere for this video like this. Thank you.
On my 3rd set of brushes. This last set didn’t look that even when i pulled them out. t
he shorter one is .317.
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I am still trying to figure out why every ones brushes are getting ate up so fast. I just recently put my first set in and have been using the dewalt for months and 99% of the time i run mine full tilt. But what I do know is the more force it takes to make a cut the more arcing that occurs between the armature and brush and the less life you get.
I set my speeds and feeds by looking at the brush arc length. I know I have to be the oddball in the bunch and be different. I could be way wrong but it works for me. most of these speed and feed calculators are meant for heavier more rigid machines running lower spindle speeds
So, it seems like about .350 remaining or so is change-time?
I changed my bushes today and the router sounds terrible and is arcing a ton. Is anyone else seeing this? It’s almost like it needs to shape the new brushes to the curvature of the motor core.
Yeah, mine were definitely shot, but after running it for a bit by hand on some scrap the new brushes began to shape to the motor core and the arcing and noise were going away- so I guess they just need to break-in.
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That I am aware of. I was just making note of my bad operator habits.
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If it’s arcing and the brushes are good clean your commutator, I’ve used a toothbrush and contact cleaner. Make sure you’re brushes aren’t bridgeing the next set of contacts.
My opinion if I have it open and apart I’d just install new brushes.
