Extending the life of your powertools

Tech Tips

Tools and equipment are assets in any business, and taking that bit extra time to blow out the dust and store them properly when the job is done can add years to the life of a tool. Greg Davie offers some money saving tips.

It all adds up in the end: a buff here, a grinder there. Replacing tools and equipment is an inevitable task for any panel shop owner or manager; most of the time it is reactionary. A buff dies and you need to keep the staff working so you buy another one.

If you take stock of all the money you have spent on power tools over the years you might be surprised by how much it adds up to. I would bet most of you have a pretty good idea how much you have spent but don't care to admit it.

Your tools and equipment are assets of your business. If they breakdown not only are you faced with replacement or repair costs but add to that the lost productivity of your staff. To state the obvious, in order to keep the operation running smoothly your equipment needs to be in good working order. All too often tools breakdown not because of a quality issues but because of misuse and neglect.

Here are a couple of basic things you can do to make sure you maximise the working life of your power tools.

1. Check your leads - if a lead is worn out or showing signs of wear, have it replaced. Breaks in the line or electrical connectors will result in intermittent power supply to the tool which essentially turns the tool on and off quickly and repeatedly. If this is occurring in tools that are have variable speed control devices or use circuit boards they will be susceptible to shorts and damage to electrical components.

2. Don't ignore the obvious - If the tool doesn?t sound right or is not functioning at full capacity, don't work on the "she'll be right mate" methodology because there is something wrong with the tool and it needs to be looked at. The longer you leave it the worse it will become. Common causes that are easy fixes are things like replacement of brushes, replacement of bearings and tool cleaning; if left these easy fixes can turn in to seriously expensive issues.

TIP - a tool needs to have the brushes looked at if the motor is sputtering or making popping sounds.

3. Use the right tool for the job - This might sound like an obvious thing to say but all too often we find that a tool is damaged because it is being used for an application it was not designed for. A perfect example of this is using variable speed angle disk sanders as a buff. If you slow the sander down to buffing speed for a long period of time you will burn out the armature.

4. Keeping them clean - Keep your tools clean and free from dust. Taking 30 seconds on a regular basis to blow out your tools with an air duster can add longevity to your equipment. By doing this you will be:

a. cleaning electrical components which reduces the possibility of shortage,

b. removing abrasive dust from gears causing early wear on mechanical parts,

c. freeing up brushes. If dust builds up around the brush housing it can prevent them from easily sliding and making contact with the armature. This will dramatically reduce the life of the tool.

5. Store them properly - Keep your tools stored in a cabinet or closet when not in use. By doing this you will stop ambient dust build up on tools, reduce the risk of them being accidentally damaged (being run over or knocked off a bench) and help to prevent theft. Encouraging staff to put tools back after use will help save you money. Sometimes using a storage closet is inconvenient so consider using products like the Rupes Carrier that enables the tools to be wheeled around and stored safely in a convenient location to the working area.

TIP - a significant number of repairs are a result of dropped tools. When they are not in use store them out of the way.

The general theme of this is preventative maintenance. If you can encourage your staff to take a few simple steps you can dramatically extend the working life of your equipment.

Tech Tips is researched and written by Greg Davie of GnG Sales, suppliers of smash repair equipment and consumables under the brand names: Mako, Rupes, Star Sprayguns, Star New Century, Workquip, Autoglym and Tranmax. Head Office: 3 Foundry Road, Seven Hills NSW 2147 Tel: (02) 9680 4464