For the first time in a long time I was not able to cannibalize pieces/parts from my sanders
to get one working…
[img_assist|nid=1065462|title=Dead 5540 pile|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=478|height=640]
…And yes, I am quite well-versed at tearing the triggers down and getting them to keep going!
Off to the tool store I go…
George
artz ...
george gall
and plusonesurfboards
.....some gold there !!
hi George !!
GREAT to see you posting here again !
keep up the good work , wow it looks like plenty of sanding times behind you and , I'm sure , plenty MORE ahead
yes keep that stuff out of your eyes , alright ! I remember last year all too well [still got the photos , too]
cheers
ben
oily kroips
this is a grand point of departure for a sculpture project!
the assemblage of these pas-par mec parts would be well coated with scrap resin.
Archeologists will surely be entertained when these parts are found
centrally located in that Pyramid
on the point of the undisclosed pointbreak inthe remote baja .
where the remains of thousands of 20th century surfboard builders
are intered. with their favorite boards.
…ambrose…
So who should we look up on Facebook?
which Makita?
Some guys use air sanders for the same reason of lightnesss.
Plus less parts to fail.
Makita 9227CX3 7-Inch Sander/Polisher Variable Speed Kit?
hahaha wow, that’s a lot of sanding!
Yeah Chris, a few boards for sure…
…and I got 3 more machines downstairs, also used up and broken…
Hi George -
Business is good! =D
Thanks for that John, I’ve been using these guys for a while:
http://www.toolpartsdirect.com/cgi-bin/schematic.cgi/milwaukee/5540_802-A
I think all the parts I’ve got, regardless of the combinations will no longer yield a
single working machine, ha ha. Parts are a good way to go, plus I think it’s time
to get a couple whole machines and start over… Chris, you’re right, if you get on
FaceBook we have a page it shows how full we are right now, it’s crazy, just had
an Aussie shaper (S.African ex-pat) do 70 boards with us…
Nice!
i got 2 of the 9227cy…i really like them so far…for as light as they are, they seem well balanced and get the job done…
they look just like the one in the picture but the front handle is the normal/off to the side type
i have (2) 0-1750’s and (1) 0-2800 i’ll sell…i just switched over to makitas after my 55 year old wrists couldn’t take the weight anymore…that 2 1/2 lbs makes a big difference. pm me if you’d like
the Makita = 600 to 3000 rpms
the 5540 = 0 to 2800 rpms
The control of the 5540 is what makes it a good tool.
Too bad the Makita did not have the same control?
i miss delicate speed control in the trigger…the makita has it in the real low rpm’s but it’s touchy and you really can’t rely on it…it was worth the trade-off for me though…osteoarthritis is a bummer
I like the weight of the Makita and it is easier to handle.
Too bad the 5540 wasn’t lighter or the Makita did not have tighter controls?
people would beat a path to your door if you could provide that combo
Those tools look like they were never taken care of. The worst thing you can do is cover the vent with a piece of tape like the one on the top of the picture, and it looks like there was tape on more than one of the vents at one time. Clean your tools at the end of the day, and leave the vents open. Yeah, lots of sanders do that to keep the dust from blowing in their face, but its hard on the tool.
GOOD POINT!
Points well-taken, which are the most common issues within industry. They look thrashed but the tools
have been basically taken care of, just heavily used, ha. Most of what you see are older machines,
(obsolete A, B and C versions of the 5540) which are around 10-plus years old and used all the time.
Machines are blown out daily when they were working, (and unplugged overnight,) but on their last
run they get no cleaning just handed to me for the fix.
I have a Milwaukee at home which only I use, and it is at least 20 years old and pristine, so our workers
do not have the same stake in my tools as I do, ha ha. (But they use them all day long too…)
It’s up to me to do things like switch and brush maintenance. I’ve become pretty good at fixing the guts of
that pesky switch. If it wasn’t for that, the 5540 and 6078 would be great machines. The 9227 has that
darn delay at spool up. Otherwise a great sander because they are light in weight, my Sanders are
young so the 13 pounds doesn’t bug them. They decide if they want to put tape on the “eye side” and
I agree you’re right, do not want backflow which glazes the brushes and possibly overheats. At least the
tape is not completely covering the vent, just diverting forward which also clears seeing the disc a little.
Once I see an armature drop I know it costs too much (my time and $) to change out parts, so I get a new
one, then that one becomes cannibalized. I just ordered more parts today, turns out there are no complete
5540’s immediately available in local stores. I’ll keep at least three of them going with the parts coming…
I want to say that I’ve tried many other brands, one of our guys even went the Harbor Freight route (and
bought the warranty) but eventually gave up after his 5th exchange, plus they said they would not totally
replace his machine after the 3rd one so he paid partially for the last 2.
Hitaci had a great sander/polisher which is excellent for shaping, the lightest tool of its’ kind, but the
switch is too sensitive to dust. I still have two of those machines, almost new looking still, (but shaping
only.)
Another brand that works okay is the DeWalt, but the action is not as nice for rail work as the Milwaukee.
I should note the switches last a lot longer if the machines are unplugged when not in use… …the switch
has dual high tension contacts a bit like the points in a distributor of an older car, they can fry if left alone.
George