Give it to me straight Doc, is it bad?

[Corndoggeh]

Picked up this Aluminum Craftsman crowntop 3x21 sander, gets hot pretty fast so I took it apart. This thing got toasty, and looks like its about a 10 minute drive from giving up the ghost, definitely feels that way when only 1 minute of running makes it too hot to touch. Just look at that cooked insulation!

The bronze bearings, gears, etc are all in pretty good shape surprising enough and the body is still nice and shiny, I think this thing sat for a very long time so that the insulation started cracking before giving some hot suppers that finally made it toast.

Any hopes in finding a similar motor for this thing? Is it worth trying to fix it or would it be better as a parts donor. It wouldn't be worth buying the same sander just for a motor, maybe theres a good substitute that someone knows about?

 

[tym]

Most of the cooked insulation I'm seeing is in the field coil. If so, perhaps it could be rewound?

 

[disston]

I bought a Cman weed whacker, corded model, at my local Hardware Store. Burned up the motor the first time I used it. Will not be buying any more Cman electric tools. Period. I already shy away from the hand tools. In the older stuff I can find brands I like more anyway.

Too bad. I was raised on Cman tools. I can't trust them anymore. Cman is now a clearinghouse for junk. The name Craftsman is the equivalent of getting mugged.

How can they not know why we won't buy this JUNK? Who cares if Sears fails? They deserve to go to hell for the scandalous way they operate.

This stuff is designed to fail, plain and simple. It was not intended to work. It was intended to get your money.

 

[disston]

Most of the cooked insulation I'm seeing is in the field coil. If so, perhaps it could be rewound?

It is brand new. Why should the customer have to rewind the motor field core on a brand new tool?

If you have the receipt take it back and only accept your money back. Buy something else that works from somebody else.

 

[Corndoggeh]

Tym, I'm not sure to be honest, the rotor looks to be in pretty rough shape too as the contacts seem to be pretty cooked as well with the wire-to-contact insulation seeming to flake off. I was thinking the whole motor was pretty much cooked at this point as theres no telling how long it ran like that getting hot, also with the rotor being cooked on the end like that gives me the impression that the insulation there would be on its way out too.

Disston, I mean some of the new stuff can be said about that but then again this sander is from the 60's so I'm not surprised that the insulation started cracking. This is definitely not a new sander...

 

[ddawg16]

It is brand new. Why should the customer have to rewind the motor field core on a brand new tool?

If you have the receipt take it back and only accept your money back. Buy something else that works from somebody else.

New? How about 'new used'.

That motor can't be rewound....and least not cheaply. But the OP should be able to find a replacement.

 

[Bighead38]

What's your location op? Local to me is an electric motor place. Guy has been in business forever. It's literally floor to ceiling with electric motors. There is a little path from the door to the packed workbench. The place is a disaster and should probably be on hoarders but the guy knows electric motors better than anyone. He gets it done fast and for a good price. I was actually sad leaving there a few weeks ago. Realized he is the last place around and there is no one to take over the business. Seems to me that business could make a come back with the push for everything to be electric.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Sadly, electric motors are rapidly joining the ranks of the throw away society. We had a 2 hp 3 phase motor burn out last week, and there was only around $30 difference between new and rewinding. The company opted for new due to the cost and downtime.

 

[Corndoggeh]

What's your location op? Local to me is an electric motor place. Guy has been in business forever. It's literally floor to ceiling with electric motors. There is a little path from the door to the packed workbench. The place is a disaster and should probably be on hoarders but the guy knows electric motors better than anyone. He gets it done fast and for a good price. I was actually sad leaving there a few weeks ago. Realized he is the last place around and there is no one to take over the business. Seems to me that business could make a come back with the push for everything to be electric.

Tucson, that would be cool to see. I already assumed that it would be difficult to rewind and was hoping for some kind of interchange for the motor or a low cost replacement (since i could buy another on ebay but id like to atleast attempt at 'saving' this one)

 

[crguy]

Tucson, that would be cool to see. I already assumed that it would be difficult to rewind and was hoping for some kind of interchange for the motor or a low cost replacement (since i could buy another on ebay but id like to atleast attempt at 'saving' this one)

It's a Good way to waste time and money on a piece of junk. But - feel free to knock yourself out.

 

[Alchymist]

I bought a Cman weed whacker, corded model, at my local Hardware Store. Burned up the motor the first time I used it. Will not be buying any more Cman electric tools. Period. I already shy away from the hand tools. In the older stuff I can find brands I like more anyway.

Too bad. I was raised on Cman tools. I can't trust them anymore. Cman is now a clearinghouse for junk. The name Craftsman is the equivalent of getting mugged.

How can they not know why we won't buy this JUNK? Who cares if Sears fails? They deserve to go to hell for the scandalous way they operate.

This stuff is designed to fail, plain and simple. It was not intended to work. It was intended to get your money.

Luck of the lemon draw. Many years ago I bought a Craftsman 1/2" electric drill. Burnt it up on the 2nd hole I had to drill - 3" hole saw in 1/8" wall square tubing. Returned it for a second one, drilled all the remaining holes, and it's been a reliable one ever since. Still use it.

 

[tym]

Tucson, that would be cool to see. I already assumed that it would be difficult to rewind and was hoping for some kind of interchange for the motor or a low cost replacement (since i could buy another on ebay but id like to atleast attempt at 'saving' this one)

Maybe you could find one in rougher cosmetic shape and swap out the guts (rotor, commutator, and field coils)?

Had it been only the field coils, rewinding them yourself should not have been technically difficult.

 

[disston]

Sorry I didn't understand it was a '60's tool. The OP said "picked up". Was not clear to me. I still had a bad experience with a brand new Cman weed whacker. I bought it over the Winter and so was several months before I used it. By that time I lost the receipt.

 

[Packard V8]

Has to be something valuable/rare/obsolete/out-of-production to be cost-effective to repair. Production has been optimized to where few can be profitably employed repairing anything currently available; just build one more unit.

If a GM car fails final testing at the end of the assembly line, it's usually something electrical/electronic buried under the dash somewhere. The new car goes to the automotive recycler to be cut up for parts and they just build one more.

jack vines