Whether cordless, dedicated, gasoline, propane, or pneumatic, the life of every power tool can be lengthened dramatically with the right care and maintenance. Tune-ups, scheduled parts replacements, and other maintenance can keep tools and machines performing their best for years.
Many tool owners choose to service and repair their own power tools, a great idea to save a trip to the shop since many repairs and maintenance are fast and easy. Please take a look at eReplacementParts.com's "How-To" articles, forums, and discussion boards for repair advice.
The best way to service power tools is with the right repair tools. Making power tool and machine repairs without the right hand tools can damage tools, cause further delays, and be dangerous.
Below is a list of essential tools for power tool and other machine repairs. These tools tend to be inexpensive, and they return their value by helping repairs go smoothly.
- Adjustable Spanner Wrench- Used for changing grinding wheels. This wrench is adjustable, eliminating the need to buy different-sized wrenches for different grinders.
- 3-Jaw Bearing puller- Very useful for removing bearings from just about any tool. Removes gears too.
- Bearing Separator- When a bearing is flush against another part, like an armature bearing against the commutator, a bearing separator is first needed to create space between the bearing and the armature. Once the bearing separator is used, a bearing puller will have access behind the bearing to get it out.
- Torx Driver Bits- A majority of manufacturers are switching to torx screws, so torx driver bits are becoming increasingly important. These bits are 6 inches, reaching those screws deep inside a tool's housing.
- Folding Torx Key Set- Light and compact, this key set makes it easy to reach where a cordless drill/driver can't. This set includes sizes T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, and T-40
- 6-piece Snap Ring Plier Set- These are two-way adjustable pliers that are best for removing retaining rings, which can be very difficult without the right tool.
- 7-piece Drive Pin Punch Set- Knocking out roll pins, bearings, won't be challenging with this pin punch set. These are handy for countless little applications.
- Ten-in-one Screwdriver- This ratcheting screwdriver includes three different bits: flat-head, phillips, and torx. The versatility of this kind of 10-in-1 driver set can't be beat.
- Wire Cutters- Using a knife or other blade is risky for cutting wires and removing electrical insulation. An inexpensive set of wire cutters will be safe and effective.
- Multimeter- A multimeter (or multitester) is a must for diagnosing electrical problems in power tools. They are inexpensive and highly useful.
- Soldering Kit- Dozens of tool and machine repairs will require a little soldering, and a good kit soldering kit is worth every penny for most power tool and machine owners.
- Braided De-Soldering Tape- This special soldering tape is used with a soldering iron to remove existing soldering on electronic parts, like motors and switches. It is highly useful for making electronic repairs without damaging tool parts.
This set of hand tools will keep a whole shop or garage of powered machines running strong.
