Power tool repair

bohman

bohman

Well-Known Member
Does anybody in the St. Mary's/southern Calvert area repair tools? I have a circular saw that is doing its best to die an early death. Was in the middle of a project last weekend when it started making a grinding noise. When I turned it off, a small piece of copper (looks like it used to have an electrical connection) fell out of the motor housing.

It will still run, but with the noise that it's making I figure that's a bad idea. I don't really feel like buying a new one. Can anybody fix it? I don't have the spare time or necessary skills to open it up and diagnose it myself.
 
Katelin

Katelin

one day the dark will end
Check the bushings..doubt they are that worn down, but could be a faulty install....
 
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owenslx3

Member
there used to be a guy at dysons that fixed tools....i would call and ask before i drove there.....hes cheap to
 
bohman

bohman

Well-Known Member
Dupontster said:
:yeahthat:....If they can't fix it, you need a new one...
Click to expand...

When you're right, you're right.

I didn't have any other projects that required a circular saw for a while, so it sat on the workbench collecting dust until I finally took it into Wenger's a few weeks ago. The guy I spoke with said the piece I found was one of the commutators. He didn't even crack open the saw, he just said that technically they could fix it but it would cost less just to buy a new saw.

Once I brought it home, I figured there was no harm in ripping it apart myself just to see what had happened. Sure enough, there was a commutator missing and the brushes had been ripped to shreds by the open spot. The commutator itself had obviously fallen off while the motor was at speed, because the armatures were ground up where that bit of copper had fallen into them. It was a horrible mess, and certainly not fixable.

I've never seen that happen to ANY motor before, large or small. Just my dumb luck, I guess. I AM lucky that the blade didn't slow down enough to kick back on me.
 
garyt27

garyt27

INAFJ
bohman said:
When you're right, you're right.

I didn't have any other projects that required a circular saw for a while, so it sat on the workbench collecting dust until I finally took it into Wenger's a few weeks ago. The guy I spoke with said the piece I found was one of the commutators. He didn't even crack open the saw, he just said that technically they could fix it but it would cost less just to buy a new saw.

Once I brought it home, I figured there was no harm in ripping it apart myself just to see what had happened. Sure enough, there was a commutator missing and the brushes had been ripped to shreds by the open spot. The commutator itself had obviously fallen off while the motor was at speed, because the armatures were ground up where that bit of copper had fallen into them. It was a horrible mess, and certainly not fixable.

I've never seen that happen to ANY motor before, large or small. Just my dumb luck, I guess. I AM lucky that the blade didn't slow down enough to kick back on me.
Click to expand...

Tim the tool man, you aint.
 
BOP

BOP

Well-Known Member
I have a Black and Decker circular saw that hasn't been used all that much that has lateral movement of the blade...it moves in and out as much as 1/8th of an inch. It's not supposed to do that. I noticed a piece of 1/2 in plywood had a wavy line instead of a smooth line, and I'd used a guide. I unplugged the saw and grabbed the blade, which is when I noticed that it moved side to side. That's what I get for buying Chinese made junk. Wish I still had my gear drive saw from back in the day. I used that thing all day, every day, but that was a long time ago. I can't justify the expense for DIY type stuff.
 
GWguy

GWguy

*
garyt27 said:
Always buy the best tool you can afford. Save yourself a lot of headaches and money in the long run.
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I used to to think that way too. Now I buy cheap stuff from Harbor Freight. If it breaks, I get another and still save money. Most of the time, it doesn't break.

All my tools used to be Craftsman, but their quality has gone way downhill in the past few years. I know a number of people that did not get replacement tools for things that broke.
 
BOP

BOP

Well-Known Member
garyt27 said:
Always buy the best tool you can afford. Save yourself a lot of headaches and money in the long run.
Click to expand...

If I was still doing trade work, absolutely. Now that I jockey a desk for a living, and any trades work I do is strictly small scale, it's a tradeoff between quality, including reliability, capability, and longevity, and price. I've had a Dewalt drill from back in the day that's served me well over the years, and I still use it a lot. I was all set to buy another one, but a Porter-Cable drill and driver set fell into my lap at a price I couldn't pass up. I intend on replacing the corded circular saw with a cordless Porter-Cable because the price is right, the reputation is good, and I already have a charger and a couple of batteries.
 
garyt27

garyt27

INAFJ
BOP said:
If I was still doing trade work, absolutely. Now that I jockey a desk for a living, and any trades work I do is strictly small scale, it's a tradeoff between quality, including reliability, capability, and longevity, and price. I've had a Dewalt drill from back in the day that's served me well over the years, and I still use it a lot. I was all set to buy another one, but a Porter-Cable drill and driver set fell into my lap at a price I couldn't pass up. I intend on replacing the corded circular saw with a cordless Porter-Cable because the price is right, the reputation is good, and I already have a charger and a couple of batteries.
Click to expand...
Porter-Cable is pretty good stuff, much better than a lot of other stuff (B&D) (Skil)
 
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czygvtwkr

Guest
garyt27 said:
Porter-Cable is pretty good stuff, much better than a lot of other stuff (B&D) (Skil)
Click to expand...

Porter Cable use to be pretty good stuff, they are owned by Black and Decker now, so is DeWalt. The stuff you find at Lowes and Home Depot often have different part numbers and are more cheaply made than the version that looks just like it that comes from a tool store, you have to watch out now.
 
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