Power Tool Maintenance: Golden Tips for Tool Junkies

power tool maintenance is not something you can ignore, because if unaddressed it will not only put your safety at risk but also will reduce the tools’ service life and affect their performance.

Looking after your tools is not a hard thing to do and does not take much of your time and it actually pays off!

If you don’t know the basics about how to take care of power tools you could not expect them to be in good shape and do their best.

Why Is It Important to Take Care of Power Tools?

Power tools are the most precious property of professional users. They make life easier and doing physical work much more fun. If you do not take care of your power tools, after a while they will begin to show signs of deterioration.

Power equipment will have a long life if we know the best way to maintain them. To have immortal tools you need to exercise proper storage, necessary repairments, and replacement of faulty parts.

Knowing how to take care of power tools helps you improve these practical assistants’ safety and longevity.

Here you can read all about Power tool care and maintenance:

How To Take Care of Power Tools?

As demonstrated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, food, water, shelter, and health are some of the basic needs of any human being. As your best friends and loyal assistants, the power team in your tool arsenal also has the same requirements.

Feeding your equipment with highly performant motors and/or batteries and watering its moving parts with lubrication are the basic rules of Power tool maintenance for longevity. You should also shelter your power tools in a dry, cool, and safe place and keep them healthy by replacing their worn-out parts and keeping their blades sharp.

Keep reading for a detailed guide for each step and more Power tool maintenance tips.

Power Tool Maintenance Tips

To keep your corded, cordless, gas-powered, and pneumatic tools in good condition there are some general points to keep in mind: 

Keep The Moisture Out

Exposing your power tools to excessive moisture can damage them. A clean and tidy storage space, and keeping appliances in a well-ventilated environment ensures their safety and helps them to function properly when it is time to take them out of storage.

The best place for power tools is in their original box. As it’s not easy to unpack each time you want to use them so, keep your tools in an area that is as dry as possible. To control moisture in your storage unit, do not forget to buy some moisture-absorbing containers and put them on the shelves or in the cupboards where your tools are placed.

Heat Is the Number One Enemy

As most of the power tools are cordless and powered by a battery, it is important to keep your tools at room temperature. Heat can kill your power tools’ batteries. If you keep your tools in a place that is not suitable for storing, the life expectancy of these expensive, valuable, and practical tools will reduce. But there are other risks for tools when you store them at too high or too low temperatures.

Here’s an important tip on Power tool maintenance for beginners: Safe working temperature is essential in any workshop, garage, tool shop, workplace, etc. All power tools have a motor and their motors contain oil or grease; so, if you keep your tools outside in the cold temperature and try to use them before heating them up, the tool goes from a very cold temperature to a very hot temperature and this can decrease the power of the motor and cause early death. On the other hand, you should consider that heat can cause the capacity of your tool to drop faster than the times you store your tool in colder temperatures.

Take No Chances with Safety

Keeping safety features like guards, blade covers, trigger locks, and braking systems in check and under regular maintenance, is essential to prevent accidents like kickbacks and burns. Therefore, this step is one of the Power tool maintenance essentials.

Follow The Manual’s Instructions

Always go through each product’s manual for instructions on using and storing the tool and tips on that certain power tool maintenance and repair. The manual also includes instructions on choosing the right lubricant and an exclusive Power tool cleaning guide.

Power Tool Maintenance Checklist

Having a Power tool maintenance checklist would help you adhere to a routine that ensures the longevity and performance of your equipment.  

Here is your to-do list:

• Keep Your Tool Clean of Dust, Dirt, And Oil
• Lubricate The Moving Parts
• Inspect The Tool for Potential Malfunctioning or Damaged Parts
• Repair Or Replace the Broken Components
• Keep The Equipment in An Air-Conditioned, Dry, And Safe Place
• Check The Cords in Corded Tools and The Battery in Cordless Ones
• Make Sure the Fasteners Are Tight
• Sharpen The Blades If Necessary
• Make Sure the Safety Features Are in Good Condition

Let’s dive deeper:

How Do You Clean and Preserve Power Tools?

power tool cleaning is an important step in maintenance that should be doneprior to storing the products. In this step, the user removes dirt, grass, oil, metal shavings, and other impurities that can get into the motor or other moving parts and cause malfunctions.

The best way to clean power tools is to use Compressed air dusters, high-pressure washers, polishers, and other available cleaning tools. However, you should keep in mind that the improper use of cleaning tools can do more harm than good. High pressure can push the dirt right into the tool and cause more damage.

Power Tool Lubrication, Why and How?

Make sure that you are lubricating all the moving parts of your tool. Keeping your tool oiled will protect its moving parts from heat buildup and corrosion.

Power tool lubrication paves the way for more efficient and smooth performanceand increases its service life.

Lubrication is one of the most important Power tool maintenance techniques but only if done the right way. You should:

• Use a proper type of lubricant: An ill-suited choice can damage the tool
• Avoid over-lubrication: Too much lubricant can cause friction between the moving parts
• Be cautious around the electrical parts: Being careless will result in safety risks

Power tool blade sharpening is another important maintenance step you need to take.

You should always Make sure that your power tools are in top shape because using old tools with blades and bits that are not sharp enough will put more strain on you and reduce the efficiency and precision of the operation.    

Power Tool Maintenance Schedule

A power tool maintenance schedule is a must-have.Regular maintenance can help you to keep your power tools in good shape and ready to use. It is only in this way that your tool will operate efficiently and productively. All your tools need care, but your power tools need more attention.

Power Tool Battery Maintenance

Effective Power tool battery maintenance is essential because otherwise, you’d leave your cordless tools vulnerable to a drop in power, sudden failures, or poor performance.

To ensure the longevity and optimal performance of your cordless tool’s battery: 

• Charge it right: Plug the battery in after each time you use the tool and let it charge completely.
• Avoid overcharging: Leaving the battery on the charger can shorten its service life
• Don’t let it drain out completely: Draining out a battery completely will damage its cells
• Store it properly: Keep the battery clean and in a cool and dry place, safe from extreme temperatures
• Use the right Chargers: Recharge each battery with its compatible charger and nothing else
• Don’t leave it unused for too long: A battery might lose capacity if left unused for too long so use it regularly or at least recharge it once in a while (every 6 months or so)

Power Tool Motor Maintenance

Power tool motor maintenance is a multi-step process involving wiping off the air vents, checking the carbon brushes, Lubricating the shaft and bearings, checking the fasteners, and testing the tool to detect potentially unusual noises.

This is among the Power tool maintenance best practices that ensure higher efficiency and safety and let you save money in the long run.

Power Tool Troubleshooting

At the Power tool troubleshooting stage, you need to look for any existing problems and take care of them. Here are some solutions you might find helpful:

• The tool won’t start: Check the outlet and the power cord. if the problem insists, look for potentially worn-out brushes and replace them. In some cases, the dust and debris are to blame so cleaning the tool would solve the problem.
• It is overheating: Clean the tool from any possible dust and debris obstructing the air vents. The problem might also be caused by too much friction between the moving parts therefore relubrication might be a good solution. If nothing works, you are putting too much pressure on the tool and need to change your weapon!
• You hear odd and unexpected noises: Examine the tool for any loose part or fastener and check the motor for potentially worn-out components that need to be replaced.   

Reading this guide on Power tool maintenance for professionals and DIY enthusiasts you no longer have an excuse to leave your valuable assistants unattended!

FAQ of Power Tool Maintenance

What is the maintenance of the power tool?
Maintenance of power tools involves looking for faults and fixing them, lubricating tools, sharpening their blades, and storing them properly to keep them in good shape. 

How should a power tool be cleaned and maintained?
It should be cleaned carefully by Compressed air dusters, high-pressure washers, polishers, and other available cleaning tools.

What is the importance of maintaining power tools?
Maintaining power tools properly will improve their safety, performance, and longevity.