Router bit chatter on oak plywood, worked for weeks then it bit me

I've been banging out cabinet doors with a cheap 1/2" straight bit from the local box store, never had an issue until last Tuesday on a job near Portland. The chatter got so bad it ripped a chunk out of the face veneer on a customer's premium maple piece, cost me nearly $120 in material to redo. I think it was the arbor getting loose from vibration over time, not the bit dulling like I assumed at first. Anyone else had a bit go bad suddenly after months of solid use, or do you swap bits out on a set schedule?

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david_adams14d ago

Man, loose arbor gets everyone eventually. Check that collet every time you swap bits, cheap routers are sneaky like that.