right angle drill issue

[Ricc Havens]

I have a right angle drill from Woodturners Wonders it's a week shy of two years old so out of warranty. Doesn't get daily use.

While using yesterday it just slowed down and stopped. It was like a cordless drill whose battery ran out of juice. Not a sudden stop just as if i slowly release the trigger. I Didn't notice any smell like something burnt out so it seemed odd. I did not hear any grinding noise like the gears wearing and binding up. It just slowed down and stopped even though I had full pressure on the trigger. And Yes, I routinely blew out the dust as maintenance.

When I press the trigger I don't even get an electrical hum like it want to work but something is keeping it from spinning.

At 2yrs old it's out of warranty so does Anyone have any ideas of a potential fix before I toss it and move on and replace it?

Thanks
Ricc

[Josh Molaver]

I'd call Ken - I don't know him but he seems like a stand up guy from what I've observed.

[Paul Williams]

You might try taking it apart and checking the switch and brushes. blow the dust out and reassemble. I had two brand name right angle drills quit on me, so I bought one from Harbor Freight thinking I cold replace it often for th e cost of a good drill. It is still going strong. I think it is 5 years old.

[allen thunem]

drills were not designed to be used as sanders... the dust that collects inside the case ruins them.
i used to take mine apart on a regular basis and just blow the dust out of them. it seemed to help alot .

[Reed Gray]

I seldom blow my angle drills out. As near as I can tell, what wears them out the fastest is using 3 inch discs, too much pressure, and running them at full speed. It is true that the dust inside can clog up the brushes. In theory, the bearings are sealed, which is different from being 'shielded' so the dust doesn't really get inside them. What usually goes bad with them first is the bearings. Once I learned to sand at slow speed and to use very little pressure, my sanding process went a lot faster, and drill life doubled at least. Blowing out your drill may help. Blow out the trigger area also. If dust has built up in it, tapping it with your hand/palm or a dead blow hammer may knock some of the dust out. If you take it to a shop to get it fixed, it will most likely cost you more than a new drill.

robo hippy

[Ricc Havens]

I'd call Ken - I don't know him but he seems like a stand up guy from what I've observed.

Ken Rizza is a stand up guy. I don't expect him to replace it since it's 2yrs old and out of warranty. It was more about the weird way it stopped and quit working as I didn't smell anything burnt up inside. So I thought maybe someone else had run across a similar issue whether it was the WW branded drill or some other brand. I guess I'm one of those guys who feels guilty calling a supplier after a warranty has expired hoping they will do something even though it's not their fault.

[Ricc Havens]

You might try taking it apart and checking the switch and brushes. blow the dust out and reassemble. I had two brand name right angle drills quit on me, so I bought one from Harbor Freight thinking I cold replace it often for th e cost of a good drill. It is still going strong. I think it is 5 years old.

Thanks for the idea.

[Patrick Morris IV]

I had the same problem (same drill), found that the brushes were worn out. Called Ken and he has brushes in stock. I ordered the brushes, got them in a day or two. Replaced now runs like a new one. Kudos to Ken for his support of the tools that he sells, not everyone else provides that level of service.

Pat Morris

[Forrest Forschmiedt]

Same angle drill I've bought from Amazon. Only difference is color of the plastic case and the brand label, that and approx $28 cheaper on Amazon. (Sorry Ken)
Compared Ken's picture of the inside and they are exactly the same. Same shielded bearings, same metal gears, etc.

First one I bought last a year exactly to the day. Died the same way you describe, just slowed down and stopped. Opened it up and cleaned it out. The brushes had lots of material left, still moved freely and still had decent spring tension against the commutator but the commutator itself had worn way down, worn so much the the motor is toast. My guess on the failure (not worth the time to confirm) is a melted wire or solder joint from overheating.

They get really hot when you use them for sanding. Makes a difference if you make an effort not to cover the vents so they can cool. Also, as Reed says, they work better and last longer if you don't use too much pressure against the work.

For a sub $40 power tool, it's cheaper to replace than spend much money on so replace it I did. Kept the old one for parts. Good thing since the gear came loose from the chuck shaft in a few months but I was able to swap it out from the old one and get back to work in short order.

[tom lucas]

Same angle drill I've bought from Amazon.

For a sub $40 power tool, it's cheaper to replace than spend much money on so replace it I did. Kept the old one for parts. Good thing since the gear came loose from the chuck shaft in a few months but I was able to swap it out from the old one and get back to work in short order.

Same here. I've had mine 2 years. When it fails, I'll just get another. Costs about the same as I spend on beer in 2 months. A bargain. I just wish it were keyless.

[William C Rogers]

I have had two of Ken's blue drills. First one started shooting sparks out of it and second one just quit. I bought the drill through Craft Supply and they stood behind the sale and refunded my money. I have had one of the cheap HF right angle drills still strong after 4 years. After the blue drill failed I bought the HF Bauer angle drill and like it much better than the blue drill. Just a couple of months old, so not sure on how long it will last. I then came across a Milwaukee at an estate sale. It bis by far the best I have used. I will buy the Milwaukee drill the next time I need a drill, just a better drill than all the others I have used. No more blue drills for me.

[Ricc Havens]

I had the same problem (same drill), found that the brushes were worn out. Called Ken and he has brushes in stock. I ordered the brushes, got them in a day or two. Replaced now runs like a new one. Kudos to Ken for his support of the tools that he sells, not everyone else provides that level of service.

Pat Morris

I will wsee if they still do. Thanks for the info!

[Ricc Havens]

Same angle drill I've bought from Amazon. Only difference is color of the plastic case and the brand label, that and approx $28 cheaper on Amazon. (Sorry Ken)
Compared Ken's picture of the inside and they are exactly the same. Same shielded bearings, same metal gears, etc.

First one I bought last a year exactly to the day. Died the same way you describe, just slowed down and stopped. Opened it up and cleaned it out. The brushes had lots of material left, still moved freely and still had decent spring tension against the commutator but the commutator itself had worn way down, worn so much the the motor is toast. My guess on the failure (not worth the time to confirm) is a melted wire or solder joint from overheating.

They get really hot when you use them for sanding. Makes a difference if you make an effort not to cover the vents so they can cool. Also, as Reed says, they work better and last longer if you don't use too much pressure against the work.

For a sub $40 power tool, it's cheaper to replace than spend much money on so replace it I did. Kept the old one for parts. Good thing since the gear came loose from the chuck shaft in a few months but I was able to swap it out from the old one and get back to work in short order.

thanks for the info. I do use light pressure and slow speeds (per Reed's videos and Vince Wood n Wonders instructions over the years.) This drill didn't seem to get hot. I'm surprised the coomutator was worn before the brusheson your drill. I will open mine up this weekend and check it out.

[Ricc Havens]

I have had two of Ken's blue drills. First one started shooting sparks out of it and second one just quit. I bought the drill through Craft Supply and they stood behind the sale and refunded my money. I have had one of the cheap HF right angle drills still strong after 4 years. After the blue drill failed I bought the HF Bauer angle drill and like it much better than the blue drill. Just a couple of months old, so not sure on how long it will last. I then came across a Milwaukee at an estate sale. It bis by far the best I have used. I will buy the Milwaukee drill the next time I need a drill, just a better drill than all the others I have used. No more blue drills for me.

I bought a Milwaukee new in box off Ebay a few years ago. was disappointed as it lasted only a year before the gears started grinding. It was more money than what it was worth to send out for repairs since there is no local repair place near me. I bought a Harbor freight to replace that and it lasted 3yrs before dying. So I decided to stick with the cheap models over the milwaukee. Maybe I will look into giving Milwaukee another try if I can find a good deal on ebay. again.

[Reed Gray]

I have 4 of the Sioux/Milwaukee drills. Sioux used to make the ones for Milwaukee, but then Milwaukee decided to make their own. I have had them all rebuilt several times. I went to a bearing place and asked about the bearings that were used. There are 'shielded' bearings, and 'sealed' bearings. Dust will work its way into the shielded bearings, which will lead to sooner wearing out. With the sealed bearings, dust can not get in. I have sealed bearings in all of mine now. Some times you can get rebuilt ones direct from Milwaukee or Sioux, and they are about half of what the big box stores charge. I can't bring myself to buy 'throw away' tools. I have been pondering a sanding system that would be flex shaft and run off of a mini lathe, and set up in my articulated arm for bowl sanding. As things stand now, I may get that done, but I figure I would be able to sand using 5 or 6 inch discs. That sanding arm, and yes there is a video on that, is one tool I could not live without. It allows me to rest the arm that is holding the drill on a rest which moves, so weight is a non issue. Since all the weight is supported, I can spin bowls by hand with one hand and hold the trigger with the other. I consider this essential for the first grit or three.... Just about every one has a mini lathe.....

robo hippy