Some DIY Maintence will put Used tools back in Main Stream Operation:
I have a Craftsman 3/8" electric drill that was one of the first power tools that I ever could say was mine. My father gave it to me when I left home after graduating from High School. This drill and I have been through some times. I used it and to be honest abused it quite a bit.A lot of these repairs can be done without even taking the housing off the tool. So to extend your tools service life and get the most from it lets examine a few things you can do.Theses new furnace filters have been engineered to eliminate the many problems found in ordinary furnace filters. They are available through air conditioning companies and home inspectors; you can also find them on the internet by searching Air Sponge Filters.Always keep safety in mind and have fun with your woodworking projects.Professional grade tools are made to withstand long hours of use and abuse. Many home shops have a number of Professional grad tools but for the most part most home shops have tools that are some what less in quality.The number one power tool killer is HEAT. If you want your tools to last you have to keep them running cool. Any motor by its very nature has armature windings, gears, and bearings that turn at high rates of speed. A natural law says that with any action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So if while your power tool preforms a certain operation the opposite reaction is that it will create heat. If your tools are so hot that they are uncomfortable to hold in your bare hands then its time to do something or the end is near.Many times new brush ends are flat but they will conform to the shape of your armature in a short time. "Seat" the new brushes by running your tool with no load for a while.Always remember SAFETY FIRST:Motor Brush ReplacementWe all know how important nutritious food and clean drinking water are to our health. But rarely do we consider another major health factor we cannot see, touch, or taste: the air we breathe. Medical studies confirm that many people unknowingly breathe "sick" air in their homes and offices every day�air that contains common microscopic elements like pollen, dust mites, and bacteria. As this polluted air is absorbed into our skin, lungs, and blood cells, it often causes or aggravates allergic reactions, headaches, fatigue, recurring colds, breathing difficulties, dizziness, nausea, and serious respiratory diseases.Keep it clean. Any tool expert will always tell you that keeping dust and dirt from gathering around the motor of a power tool is one of the most important factors of long tool life. All your tools that use universal motors have air intake slots so that air can be sucked through with a fan. A natural byproduct of woodworking is dust and that dust will get sucked into these intake slots. Besides these intake slots every tool has plenty of other nooks and crannies that will grab that dust and hold it.Now saying the brushes need replaced might have you going off looking for brushes, which you will never find. What you will really find that everyone calls brushes are small blocks of hard graphite with little springs attached to them.That old Craftsman drill that I told you about. I still have it and have replaced the brushes several times. By the way it was new in the 60's.5. Clean the areas where the filter sits. You can use an old toothbrush to get into the furnace�s blower and smaller spaces and thus effectively remove accumulated dust and debris.No matter what grade of tool you have none of them are made to be the "last tool you will have to buy".By whatever method you need to acces the brushes once you have removed the covers the tension on the small springs will be released and they will jump out at you. Gently pull on the springs and the brushes will slide out. The brush will be curved to fit the curvature of the rotating armature. In most instances if it is less than 1/4 inch from the bottom of the curve to the bottom of the brush it should be replaced. If your owners manual is available you may want to check to see of they have a different specification. You will want to remove and measure both brushes as they will not always wear at the same rate.If your tool wont start up without a little help from you or you see a lot of sparks flying around the motor housing ( a little sparking is ok just not more than 1/4") or if that motor just doesn't sound or feel right it could be the brushes need replaced.7. Run the furnace for a few minutes and observe if there are unusual sounds or smell coming out. If you smell burning wires or are hearing crackling sounds for prolonged period of time, shut down the furnace and call in a furnace and duct cleaning professional.Again the best course of action is to obtain a replacement from the manufacturer.If your shop is equiped with an air compressor then daily cleaning will be a snap. Make sure you know which slots on your tools are intake and which are exhaust then while it is running shoot a nice refreshing jet of compressed air into the intake side and watch that ole dirt and dust go flying.Check out these simple steps on how you can go about cleaning your own furnace filter.As a result, particulate buildup on the filter increases thereby increasing the pressure drop or resistance across the furnace filter. When this occurs the airflow naturally seeks the path of least resistance. Since the thin cardboard filter frames provide a poor perimeter seal, when the resistance increases, air tends to leak around the frame edges thereby completely avoiding filtration.4. Once you locate the filter, take it out from the furnace. If you have a reusable filter, you can just take it out and clean all the dirt from the filter with your garden hose. Let it dry before replacing it. If you have a disposable filter, you can just replace it with a new one.For the home shop items such as pads, electric cords, on/off switches and motor brushes can be easily replace and done so without a huge pinch in the pocketbook.Finally one day I need it for somthing I was working on and when I got it pluged up and pulled the trigger, nothing happened. I checked the power supply, and all of the other things like wiggling the cord with no results. Then I happened to grab the chuck and kind of twist it a little and since ole dummy me had the trigger squeezed all at once the thing took off and tried to take my fingers along with it.One you have done that it's time to open up the housing again and compare the wires on the old cord with the ones on the new. If they are not the same before you continue you need to contact the manufacturer. If the "hot" and "neutral" wires are switched it is sometimes possible to damage a motor. This is know as reversing the polarity and it is better to check before you burn your motor up.In conclusion by doing some of these easy and inexpensive routine maintenance procedures you can take a good used tool and keep it from being used up.If new brushes are called for then you have a couple of options. The first and best is to replace with the manufacturer's replacements. If that is not an option then generic brushes are available and will do an adaquate job.Now I am sure that all of you are organized and when you get a new tool you safely file that owners manual away for future reference after you finish reading it. So you now need to go to the archives and find that manual for the particular tool you are having problems with and get the part number for the problem switch. Now you can easily order a new replacement from the manufacturer. Get the cost and compare and decide if it is worth replacing before you order.Cord ReplacementWith the newer tools that have variable speed triggers if they get worn you may go from variable to just one or even no speeds. Could be a defective switch.3. Locate the furnace filter. The furnace filter is that spongy like piece of object that sits between the furnace and the air duct. It has a width of 1 inch or slightly more than that.6. Replace the filter and put back any safety cover that you have removed. Check to see if everything is in order, if yes, you can reconnect the furnace and turn it on. If you have an electrostatic air filter, simply take it out, wash it with a hose an place it back in the filter tracks.Here is still another common problem with power tools and it is not that hard to fix.Air conditioner filters commonly used in residential applications are often inefficient, low cost furnace filters purchased from a local hardware store. These filters generally consist of a cardboard frame housing fiber mats or blankets of varying thickness, fiber sizes, and densities. Manufacturers recommend changing these filters regularly, however, homeowners rarely follow such recommendations.Accessing the brushes is easier on some tools than others. You may have to remove the tool housing or you might be able to access the brush cover from outside the housing.It is a good idea to inspect your power cords on a regular basis and look for things like fraying, missing grounding pin or the cord pulling out of the tool housing. Any of these conditions can pose a shock hazard or short circuit your tool.If you are going to have to unassemble any part of the tool you need to remember that you will at some point have to put it back together.If it is and you have that new switch in hand you will need to get inside the tool housing. Once in there get yourself a pencil and paper and do a simple drawing of the switch and wires. Note the position and colors and look at the new switch to make sure the wire colors and positions are the same. Remove one wire from the old switch and attach the comparable wire from the new switch. Do these one at a time until all of the wires have been attached. Position the switch and make sure it operates smoothly before reassembling the housing and hooking up the juice.This brings me to a simple DIY operation that if done on a regular basis will avoid those skin burns that I got.Remember a Cool Tool is a Good Tool.Just this one simple maintance procedure will put many extra hours of use into your tools.When I start to take something apart I get a shallow cardboard box to lay the parts in so that I can keep them seperated and organized. This will make reassembly go much smoother. Watch for different lengths of screws and bolts. A perfectly good tool can be ruined because you try to put the wrong screw back in and strip out a thread.
Always keep safety in mind and have fun with your woodworking projects.
Author: Gene Miller
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