How many good tools get thrown away?

[Paul Atkins]

I've got 25 bucks into a PC 4" belt sander that was tossed because of a broken gear. A switch replacement got the body grinder going. A bent pulley on the 4" Delta jointer caused it to be thrown out, and the craftsman drill press needed the motor plug replaced. The hinge mortiser needed a roll pin and the pickup I've been driving for 15 years I got for 200 bucks because the pinion gear nut had backed out.

[Dave Lehnert]

Anything with a gas engine (lawn mower, chain saw) that gets tossed is most often a dirty carb. Most often cheaper for a home owner to replace because a shop wants $100 to clean it.

[David Prince]

I have some shelves in the basement of my shop that I use as a "tool graveyard". They don't work, but I hate to just throw them out. Maybe someday when I have endless time I may start tearing them apart and see if I can fix them. Either way, they are resting peacefully at the moment. It just seems un-natural to throw a power tool in the trash even though it isn't working.

[Richard Dragin]

Those of us who fix our tools do so because we are able to. Most people do not have the aptitude or experience to fix power tools and economically it doesn't make sense to pay someone to do it.

[Chip Lindley]

Some of us had the curiosity to try taking things electrical or mechanical apart, then put them back together again. And, they RAN! Switches or bearings are not beyond the aptitude of most, but many are scared of anything electrical. Others tout their cerebreal talents rather than mechanical ability.

Today's disposable society makes things worse by the manufacture of cheap, throw-away power tools, really not worth fixing when they quit. But, old quality power tools are quite another thing. A $10 flea market Porter Cable 100 router needed only new bearings and brushes to run like new!

Some folks have more disposable income than others. If your professional time is worth $200 an hour, don't bother with a $10 router. If you are living on a shoe string, fixing a tool of decent quality might make sense. Others just hate knowing a perfectly good tool is going to waste, when they have the simple means to fix it.

[Jim Rimmer]

Anyone remember the techs "De-gausing" the tube???
.

I always felt like I should be saying, "Hocus Pocus, shazam, shabot" when degaussing. It was really wierd.

[Jack Wilson]

I fix my tools, and too many times on the job site. I spend a small fortune on tools and I make them last as long as I can. I still have most of my tools I bought since when I was 18, now I am 47. While I don't think of myself as a pack rat my wife may, (I hope not), but she does often ask why I keep all these junky tools. The answer is that they aren't junk, I buy expensive professional grade tools, and some of them are old, some are kept for parts scavenging and some I'll get around to fixing . I have around 20 nailguns, and I suppose some are so old they don't even sell parts for them any more, maybe those should go away, truth is they don't have the power of my newer guns, but that's another story. And saws, well the switches go on them, for some reason when the switches go they stay ON! So I need to unplug after each cut till I get a replacement switch. And there's more, but this is probably boring. Anyway, no, I don't toss tools, that's shameful. I have enough tools to be fairly well set up on 2 jobsites at once, (almost 3), and some tools are better than others, but they all work, and they can allways be used as backups. Waste not want not. (Actually that's not entirely true, I ALWAYS WANT MORE TOOLS!)

Jack
(and that little 'talking' icon up near the title,... I have no idea how to get rid of it)

[Glen Butler]

I am still kicking myself over a good tool I threw away 5 years ago. It was a nearly new 3 1/4 HP Hitachi router that I loaned to a neighboring framing contractor. (against my better judgement) I could hear him hogging out on the wood and felt I should go retrieve the tool, but figured he must almost be done. It just kept going and going and I was busy with my own work so ignored my better judgement.

When I got it back the brushes were arcing like crazy I took the motor apart and the commutator was blackened and pitted severely. My tool dealer said they has discontinued the router and parts were hard to find, but I have learned more recently that brushes are easy to come by and a commutator can be machined to run smooth again.

[lowell holmes]

Okay,
I have a DW621 router that needs the dust column replaced. I have the new parts.
The problem is that I haven't figured out how to break the router down to the point of being able to change the part out.
I hesitate taking the router completely apart. I have a blow up diagram of the router, but it does not show a disassembly description.

Any Ideas out there? I will not discard the router.

[John alder]

You would not belive the tools and equipment I have garnered from the curb on trash day and from tag and moving sales.When I retired I had a regular route I would follow on trash day.But alas nothing is forever now with any metal being pricy many scrap dealers are paying good money and some have started going around and collecting any metal and electronics before the trash man gets there so my pickings have deminished.Moving sales are still a great source but slower now that the sale of homes has slowed.What next? Did I say I am Frugile?

[Bruce Wrenn]

I don't have many "new" tools in my shop. I like "pre- owned" better. Of all the routers I own (25+), only one was bought new. It was at a store that was going out of business. My first PC 690 came from the junk yard. I have several air compressors that also came from junk yard, that reside in friends shops. My contractor's saw was headed for the dump when I rescued it. Went thru it top to bottom, using almost $400 in new parts. I use it everyday, even though I own a Uni. Was given a Rockwell 13" planer that needed a new motor ($500+ from Delta). Fixing broken wire to switch was a lot cheaper than a new motor. The list could go on and on. A quality tool is worth fixing, a cheap tool isn't worth owning. Only exception to above rule is HF multi tool. My handle is junquecol.

[Billy Trinh]

On occasions, I have good tools that get thrown away. It was good until I dissembled it...