When should you not work on your woodworking machinery? Changing brushes is easy, but what about replacing a router switch? or a broken guard on a chop saw? That seemingly simple task on one saw took me 1-1/2 hour once. How about Changing bearings on a table saw, overhauling a bandsaw, yanking rollers from a planer? Have you ever attempted a maintenance project that you wouldn’t advise one to do?
Replies
I lapped the beds of a 16'' jointer..one on top of the other with carbarundum (sp?)..paste between them till the suction was so strong I could hardly move the one on top..DO NOT Attempt to do that. A machine shop wanted a grand..and they were heavy to move..so I decided MY way would be better..took 3 days of swirling them together, and changing grits...gotta laugh now tho' worked like a charm, but gawd was I sore.
RJT,
Each person has to know his/her own limitations - some things I wouldn't bother with, others would consider simple and vice versa.
I'd be curious to know what kinds of "shop maintenance skills" folks consider basic, which skills people don't have but would like to learn, and which tasks are considered too darned hazardous or critical for anyone but a licensed professional.
Paul
jazz: you expressed my question darn nice.
you guys related?
Go Stab yourself Ya Putz! Ya think I Parked here?
I agree with jazzdog. One has to be comfortable with what they know they can do. I have had big shop machinery completely apart all over the floor of my shop, rebuilt it and went on my way. On the other hand I have sent my chopsaws, drills etc out to be reconditioned because of time factors and I have several backups (that's important). If you don't think you can fix a machine properly I say don't do it, find someone who can and avoid the time and possible injury it could cause. It's a good question.
I haven't lapped the tables on a 16" Jointer (wow!) but I've ripped into bearings on almost all of my machines at one time or another. I've made a tensioner for the drive chain on my planer and completely rebuilt an old Unisaw. However, the older I get, the more valuable my time becomes to me. I used to dream about getting and restoring a big old band saw; not any more. I'm going to get me a MiniMax; only question is when and how big. I enjoy working on old stuff but I enjoy woodworking more. More WW, less peripheral hobby time; that's the motto from here on out.
If you have lots of time and little cash, get deep into everything and learn all you can. If you have less time and more cash then buy the best new stuff you can afford and you'll more than likely never have to repair it. Most of all, enjoy it!!
Regards,
Mack
How much is your time worth? How much does a shop charge for maintenance? How are your mechanical skills and interest? Write it down and decide.
When I get stuck on a project I'm not really enjoying I find myself fixing or adjusting or cleaning tools until I give myself a boot and get the job done.
When I'm on a creative roll I will run out and buy a new tool if the old one even hiccups - and explain later.
I once had a cordless driver with fine print on the side "remove this pin only for recycling". So I pulled the pin. The thing burst open and pieces went everywhere. I could hear the small parts giggling as they ran off and hid. It all went to the recycle bin as per instructions.
Yes,I made it. No,not hard. Yes, a long time.
RJT,
You have got some great posts here full of experience. As far as what I would not recommend to do your self , I tried to dis-assemble a Makita 9.6 cordless drill , for the life of me I could not get it apart. On the other hand ,I may replace a cord or a switch on a power tool or machine. The way I look at it is the time it takes you to get the tool or whatever to a repair shop can be spent fixing it. Over the course of a career if I had hired a repair person or had one come out for electrical problems with shop or tools , much money would have been spent. Also I have been able to learn about many different things.I took the arbor assembly out of my old unisaw and took it to a machine shop to replace the bearings. I have completely had about every part off and back on the old Makita 2040 planer rollers bearing blocks sprockets . But most of my (good deals) can easily take many hours or days to bring them back to life , so be selective as was said based on your own abilities , time and desire .
dusty
i do repair work on all my tools, its really helpful if something breaks down on a job site, plus i know the weak points of my tools and carry a few spares, particularly brushes, switches and cords
i have a tool box dedicated to tool repair, it has all brushes, some switch componets a couple of cords and some other components that i know wear out regularly
that box also carries tools required for those repairs, like wire strippers, various screwdrivers, allen keys etc etc
that one box has saved many many lost days on jobsites over the years and fits nicely under the drivers seat of my van
caulking is not a piece of trim
The key to wether to fix your stuff is, can you make more money doing something else. If your are in the biz and a multi K$ job is on the line get someone else to fix it fast. If you are not in that position and have the time, you can pay yourself the $80 per hour the commercial shops charge.
Bud
good advice here, I'm about to fix up an old powermatic lathe, pretty straightforward, mostly electrical stuff, removing rust, tracing down missing parts.
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