Battery-powered tools - RANT!

This is good to know. Both my 13.8 batteries are bad. One will charge to 9 volts and the other to 6. I'm going to try this tomorrow. Mine were $85 for the pair when the first one died 4 years ago.

 

I've got a new electric. And this Skil has a lot of life left. They overbuilt it, Ford-Tough! Plus it came with a laser leveller and 2 batteries. If this works, Amen. If it doesn't, I'll buy one replacement and live with it until it dies. The little B&D screwgun is also battery-powered and I've had it for 4 or 5 years.

 

We keep giving you excuses to buy tools do you take them No....

 

The good ol' freezer trick. I've done that with several laptop batteries.
Sometimes it takes several cycles of freeze, thaw, full charge, full discharge to break the "memory" that the battery has taken from being shallow cycled too much during use.

 

I've got new tools I haven't even used! My big pair of Bosch routers, a Dremel set with the Drill Press and some 400 attachments, a new sander. About 4 drills. and my bandsaw goes largely ignored.

Ok, so if this first run doesn't fly, I'll try again. Good to know Steve.

 

The batteries used in these power tools do not have a memory. They are nimh (nickel-metal hydride cell) nit nicd, nimh cells do not have a memory characteristic. However a nicd (nickel-cadmium) can have a memory to them.

I have been running RC cars for 26 years and moved through the different technological advancements of all 3 types of batteries. Lipo(Lithium-ion Polymer) is the newest and best to use. They are light weight, can run twice as long on less mAh (milliampere hour) ratings. Unlike Nicd and nimh, they give a constant burst rate until they reach their cut off voltage of 3.3v per cell. So you get full power until they reach that voltage, where the others just steadily die off in power until they go flat.

But ys, you will need to fully cycle these batteries as recomended several times before they come back to life, if they will. Then cycle them this way every 10 charges at least, after getting them to come back to their full mAh ratings

 

Well cycle 1 went well. Nothing blew up, but it charged up fast, and drained faster. Back in the freezer for 7 days this time. The other one still is useful for about 20 minutes.

 

All my shop tools are plug in but I wouldn't be without the battery stuff. Porter Cable, Dewalt, Milwaukee. B&Ds arent that strong to start with. Dewalt is their "commercial" brand.

 

You know something guys? BF's comment about short cycle recharge inspired a thought. Somebody may win the lottery here...

It's too obvious to ignore. When the battery is put on charge, it could easily drain it first - like a trickle discharge so it doesn't overheat and expand the chemistry, and then recharge overnight or something.

Some of the new products promise a ONE-Hour recharge rate, but I think that'll really wreck the batteries faster.

 

I couldn't resist yesterday. Everywhere else this was selling for $90 plus 12% taxes (Provincial and Federal sales taxes). Home Depot was clearing them out in a Tool Blowout sale. One box was open and mine was still sealed. I've got a manual jig to sharpen drills too, but I'd been oggling this Drill Doctor for ages. $77 with taxes.
http://www.drilldoctor.com/

It won't do my auger bits, but I'm good at those anyway. But steel bits?!?! Oh yeah. I must have over 200 from a box that a neighbour gave me. So this is a must have.

Even comes with a DVD manual! Slick.

Also found this fine page with lots of drill bit info (pics too.)
http://www.toolnewz.com/HandTool_Basics/DrillBits.html

LeeValley sell the manual jig (Canadian prices):
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32965&cat=1,43072,43086

The auger bits I do with small files and stones. But I don't use them often, except in deep holes or really large ones under a hole-cutter size (less than 1" diam.)

 

I always wanted me one of them drill docs. I will have me one some day, Oh yes, I will have one.

 

The Angle of Dangle!

Actually its a chart of sharpening angles for all kinds of things, from scissors to drills and chisels.
http://www.toolnewz.com/HandTool_Basics/Sharpening.html

Check out the tool comparisons and other archived documents (before they disappear?). If this is the index/home page, it won't be there long.:
http://www.toolnewz.com/index.html

 

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH you are cruel Toolman

 

I got it! A solution to the Dead Battery Society!

I woke up this morning wondering how Sears have one battery-charger for their whole lineup that charges from 2 VDC to 24 VDC (DC Volts). The wife works there, and I spotted one with 2 batteries at 50% off, plus her employee discount (hehehe ). (From $150 CDN$ B4 tax to under $60 with tax.) My Skil drill batteries are $79 CDN$ each, B4 Tax!

With a charger circuit like that one, and a dead battery case for the given tool, it wouldn't take much to replace the battery contents with a circuit that delivers more amps (probably no more than 10 AMPs) and run it off of 120 VAC through the step-down transformer in a Sears charger. At least, you could use it on shop projects. Regular drills have too much initial torque and speed.

That was my wet dream this morning...

 

this worked great for me..

when my snap-on cordless impact&drill 14.4 batteries finally wore out ... these guys rebuilt all 3 for 135 bux which was alot better than buying only 1 new from snapon for 120 dollars.
they work as good as new. took one week from bid to batts in hand.

http://shop.ebay.com/john_hoffa/m.ht..._sop=10&_rdc=1