Anyone repair their own tools ??

I use a lot of power tools ,, when they start breaking down ,, unless they're just completely wore out ,, I will try fixing them before throwing them out and buying new ones .
So now ,, I've got a 5" orbital sander that acted like it had a short so it was loosing power . I took it apart and the brushes are starting to wear out . I took them out and stretched the spring out to keep the contact with the armature ,, so this will last for a little while ,, but my question here is ,, where can you buy parts like these to do these repairs . The manufacturer website didn't list these parts for sale ,, but I know someone has to sell these parts .

 

Lots of times you can get brushes that are the same length but are a little larger. Sand them down so they fit the channels, voila!
Round brushes, not so easy
Amazon has tons of them if you don't have a local motor shop.

 

AC and DC are different Carbon Layups , I buy mine from many places , and yes I fix many..
I'm having a crap time with my porter cable roofing air nailer , I'll try again , when i cool off
Sloth

 

I buy brushes from the local electric repair shops, usually the shops that handle starter motors and other automotive stuff can help find the correct brushes! You can also soak them in brush lube, it's the liquid version of dielectric grease, and old racers trick from the days of R/C and Slot Car Racing! Another trick is to cut a slot across the face of the brush, it helps cut down on arcing and helps cool the brushes! For more power, you can "Cheat" the brushes by back cutting the trailing side of the brushes, this usually makes more torque just don't go too far! If you cut the lead side, they will make more HP, but will also run hotter!

 

I buy brushless whenever i can. Use my stuff for a living so cant have much downtime. Really like my makitas.

 

been picking up good quality tools like Milwaukee for years - more these days than ever - guys dumping their corded for battery pack - same same with the pneumatic stuff .....

just spotted on FB a huge Milwaukee double handle drill motor that someone was using for drywall mixing - $10 and probably take $5

 

Or it glows in the dark? Plenty ''stuff'' on FB is NIB hot

 

Same here with the Makita tools!
Been through every brand and found Makita to to be the toughest! Really love their new brushless drill motors, those have a metric ton of torque and the batteries last all day! I still have an old 9.6V drill, just replaced the batteries a few weeks ago, it runs like brand new, probably 20 year old drill! I also swap out all drill chucks to the Jacobs tool less chucks, really makes them rock!

The only other brand of cordless tools I use are Zenex, and they are hard to find, but worth the effort and cost! For corded tools, I'm really down to my Skil 7 1/4 worm drive saw, and an old Black and Decker 1 in two handed drill motor, and a Big old DeWalt angle grinder, plus a couple of Flex variable speed angle grinders which are worth their weight in gold!

 

This sander is a Skil ,, it out performs a Porter Cable and Dewalt . Got a couple of Bostich battery drill and impact ,, porter cable drill,impact,sawz all ,, they're more of a home owners type of tool ,, but I've had them at least 8 yrs and the batteries and tools are still holding up ,, kind of impressed by that . The P.C. and Bostich have similar batteries ,, one has a tab on the top that prevents it from being used in other tools ,, I took my multi tool and cut the tab off ,, now bostich and PC tools and batteries are all interchangeable . Chargers as well .
Thinking about moving to Milwaukee battery stuff.

 

Boss runs milwaukee, they are pretty stout tools as well. The have alot more tools than makita.

 

My brother is a professional contractor and he is pretty exclusive with DeWalt tools, they do have the most tools and options, and the company supports them! Outside a few specialty tools, that's the only brand he uses, and he gets pretty cranky about it too!

 

They are decent. Im just a big makita fan

 

If one has the know how to fix a tool that is a priceless skill. Finding parts is hard because local dealers seem to have low stock but I have found yard sales or the Restore (habitat of humanity store) often have used tools that you can buy cheap and use the parts to repair yours. My old landlord had 4 of the same lawn mower. Only one ran and the rest were for parts.

A friend gave me a used ax. The head was really in good shape but the handle was loose. I mentioned that I was going to swap the handle out and he had a fit because it was a hickory handle.

 

I used to find motor brushes at an old hardware store, you know, the ones that still have inventory from the 60’s. Then it closed. You might look around for one of those old stores.

I used to be able to order switches/speed control triggers from Sears for all my Craftsman and some other brands too. That is no more too.

Regarding cordless power tools, on Ebay you can find cross brand battery adapters. I like those a lot. I can use Milwaukee M18 batteries on my Dewalt tools that use 18v nicad XRP packs. You can get adapters for most combinations of tools to batteries for Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Ryobi, Makita, etc. This really opens up the options and considerations for changing to or adding other brands to your shop.

AT

 

I believe in preventive maintenance.
I bought an electric drill and it came with an 18 gauge wire, I replaced it with a much longer 14 gauge wire. I am happier and the tool is happier as well.
I bought a harbor freight lathe and the motor controls died so I replaced all that fancy switching because it is a 120 volt DC motor I set up a battery bank and switching of my own design and it runs stronger than ever. so much so that the belt couldn't stand up to the work so I replaced it with a chain and sprockets and it runs flawlessly. a little loud but flawless.
I've built a lot of tools that are not on the market simply because I enjoy doing it.
I built a 12-volt DC crane that works in the trunk of a car to lift an electric wheelchair in and out. Some things I built are so special there is no practical market for them and I can't be bothered to play that game anyway.

 

Your friend was right MM ,, take that handle ,, sand it down ,, smooth it up ,, take a propane torch ,, singe the handle a little bit ,, that will seal the wood a little , rub a few coats of Boiled Linseed Oil on it ,, and you'll have a nice tool .

I go to them Habitat stores right regular ,, I'll pick up an Axe ,, Maul , Mattox , Pick Axe ,, etc , occasionally ,, mostly because they are the old good strong tools ,, not this cheap stuff you waste money on these days .

 

Brushes , and where i shop for them ::
https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholes...arbon+brushes&spm=a2g0o.home.1000002.0&dida=y

 

Seventeen years in a component rebuild shop, I'll try to fix anything. Parts are the issue. Nearly all my tools are air powered now, so a few drops of oil and an occasional repacking with grease keeps them screaming along.

My 1/4" rechargeable battery powered impact gun is a Makita and I can't seem to wear it out.

 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention its easy to recondition the commutator on the armature to improve brush life and improve performance.
Chuck the armature in a lathe and cut the commutator down a little bit until mostly clean. No lathe, you can often do the job vertically in a drill press for smaller armatures. Clamp a 90 degree center punch vertically in a work table vice. Center it directly below the chuck and a bit further away than the motor shaft is long. Secure the vice to the drill press table. Position the armature shaft in chuck and lower quill until the center drilled end of motor shaft sits firmly on center punch. Lock quill in place. Put a little lube/oil on center punch/shaft interface. Run drill press at slowest speed and clean up commutator with a fine mill file and/or fine emery paper.