Thread: Is my corded drill now dangerous after overheating?

I have a makita cordless that the magic blue smoke came out of, whilst I was overdecking it. (Overdecking is the term used when driving 14g bugle screws into hardwood without pre drilling because you were lazy)

anyhow gave it a rest, didn’t think it would work again, about a month later I tried it and no smoke, worked fine. However under heavy load it gives up the ghost but drilling timber all good. As long as I don’t load it up too much it is a good second drill.
cheers

Ditch it - not worth messing with.

BTW the smoke from over heated electrical wiring insulation contains Hydrochloric acid which results from the thermal decomposition of PVC plastic which is why it takes your breath away.

Originally Posted by BobL

Ditch it - not worth messing with.

That was my inclination as I don't know what's happened to the drill's innards and therefore can't assess the risk. It was an impressive amount of blue smoke and continued for a while after shut down, so there's been a fair bit of damage to something, most probably insulation and that can't be good if wires are bare.

Curiousity got the better of me, so I pulled the drill apart.

No sign of burning or other damage to the insulated wires.

Might be very slight burning on the copper on the armature.

IMG_1549.jpg

Significant burning on the copper on the stator.

IMG_1552.jpg

I'm guessing there was some sort of coating on the copper and when burnt that produced the smoke.

No sign of heat or any other damage elsewhere.

Doesn't seem to be any reason not to continue using it.

Sorry but your field winding is fried, time for an upgrade.

Originally Posted by dinosour

Sorry but your field winding is fried, time for an upgrade.

Thanks.

No need to be sorry. I'm not. This means I have to buy a new tool, which is a happy time.

If anybody is inclined to tell me how to keep this drill working, please don't. I want to buy a new one.

And as a bonus, now I don't have to reassemble the old drill.

Originally Posted by 419

... If anybody is inclined to tell me how to keep this drill working, please don't. I want need to buy a new one.

Typo corrected.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Typo corrected.

Maybe not.

Since being overwhelmed with the excitement of buying a new drill I recalled that I had an old - probably around 40 years - Bosch CSB 420E corded hammer drill and dug it out. Still works fine. Probably at least as good as the Makita was at its best and, given the belting the Bosch has had, probably better. I think I'll try to resist the desire to buy a new one and stick with the Bosch until I manage to destroy it as well. There's also the problem that I have a new Bunnings XU1 $35 drill that was bought recently as a sacrificial tool for a rough job that I didn't want to use the Makita on, but the XU1 refused to sacrifice itself so it's still serviceable and I need only one corded drill for a bit more grunt occasionally. I also have half a dozen cordless drills, and another three cordless impact drivers, in daily use plus others that are serviceable but retired. So it looks like more a case of want than need for a new tool.

Nonetheless, I have a cunning plan. I'll research corded drills and choose an expensive one - must check out Festool's range -and use that as the figure to use the same amount of money to buy an entirely different new tool, or as part of the price of an even bigger and better new tool. This will provide hours and hours of fun trawling the internet and looking at tools and pondering what I should buy.

Originally Posted by 419

... Nonetheless, I have a cunning plan. I'll research corded drills and choose an expensive one - must check out Festool's range ...

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

• Prepare oneself for sticker shock, and
• Be wary of Festoolitus, be very wary.

Also, their CXS cordless mini drill might be the only electrical tool that is cute!

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

• Prepare oneself for sticker shock

Not only am I prepared for sticker shock, I'm looking for a severe case of it. This increases the amount of money I can put into another tool I want and, when I work out what I want, I am sure I can convince myself I need it.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Be wary of Festoolitus, be very wary.
Also, their CXS cordless mini drill might be the only electrical tool that is cute!

I am quite able to resist any inclination to buy most tools in Festool's range. The only ones I have are a still excellent half sheet sander bought about 10 BK (10 years Before Kids, when I had money to indulge myself) and a recently bought pair of their nifty track saw clamps which fits my Ozito track. Don't know if this is correct, but when I bought the clamps a Festool dealer told me that the Ozito track, like most other tracks, is a direct copy of the Festool track after Festool's patent ran out.

The CSX drill is exactly the sort of helpful advice I need want. Seems to retail generally at $549, which is way more than a replacement Makita drill at Total Tools for $109
https://www.totaltools.com.au/173416-makita-13mm-variable-speed-hammer-drill-m8100kb?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={CampaignName}~{AdGroupName}&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqaXJufvOgQMV_KpmAh3yEQMEEAQYBSABEgJn5fD_BwE
, so I'm already into and past reasonable router lift inserts. I wasn't planning on buying a router lift and insert although I've been thinking about it, but I couldn't justify the cost for a minor improvement over my existing router tables. But that was when I didn't have a spare $549 to spend.

I'm sure Her Indoors would say my thinking is flawed, but she doesn't use tools so her mind doesn't work like mine.

The right angle chuck on the CSX drill is neat. Much better than the after market right angle thingies I have, which often are too bulky and awkward to use in tight spaces, which is where they're usually required. So I googled 'Festool right angle drill chuck' and this came up https://www.google.com/search?client...ht+angle+chuck. Not only does it show right angle chucks but the even handier offset chuck attachment which would be great for holes and bits that are closer to an obstacle than the radius of the chuck.

Hmmmmmm! Is this how Festoolitis starts?

Originally Posted by 419

... The right angle chuck on the CSX drill is neat. Much better than the after market right angle thingies I have ...

Brilliant. You have found the solution, and have identified the problem.

I can confirm that Total Tools have a neat little right angle chuck for only $549, and with a free mini
CXS drill attached.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Brilliant. You have found the solution, and have identified the problem.

I can confirm that Total Tools have a neat little right angle chuck for only $549, and with a free mini
CXS drill attached.

This may not be the solution I need want.