Makita 6095D and Makita 6093D are the Same

Here is an interesting note for those of you looking for parts for a makita 6095D drill or parts for a makita 6093D drill.

There are the same drill except for the chuck! The 6093D has a keyed chuck vs the 6095D which has a keyless chuck.

Both are great drills, and have been around for a long time. In fact the 6093D was introduced around 1986, making it over twenty years old. Obviously a lot has changed since then, as far as power tool technology is concerned. Newer batteries are stronger (have more torque) and run for longer. Nonetheless, many people call us and mention how excited they are to find parts for either of these two drills, because of how long they have had them, and how well they have worked for them. A lot of folks like the fact that these two drills are very light and not heavy like the newer 18V models. (These drills are 9.6 volt models by the way).

How to Deal with Crabgrass on Your Lawn

This post is not really about power tools, but would I figured that the home and garden section was close enough. Over the past few months I have noticed some awkward types of grass growing in our otherwise beautiful lawn. I am a bit particular about taking care of my lawn (not like I want the neighbors to be jealous or anything...) so I finally decided to do some investigating. I think I have a serious outbreak of crabgrass.



So I started doing some research, and found out what to do. Unfortunately, I have already missed the ball on the most important time to deal with crabgrass. Apparently, a little amount of herbicide in the spring can go a long way to controlling the crabgrass for the rest of the summer. That is when the roots are still weak, and it is much easier to stop it altogether. But, hope is not lost. There are still some treatments out there that can at least control the growth of crabgrass, and then I can focus on doing more next spring to prevent it altogether. So, I went down to Lowe's Hardware and purchased a bag of fertilizer with a crabgrass specific herbicide. I applied it just like instructed. Hopefully it will slow the problem down, and then I will be ready to treat it better next year.

Adhesive Back Sander Pads vs Hook and Loop Sander Pads

Many people have ordered sander pads from us, but have been surprised / confused at the type of pad that has come in the mail. "It's not like the pad I had before," has been a response from several customers.

This post is dedicated to a short but sweet explanation of the difference between a hook and loop (Velcro) sander pad, and an adhesive sander pad.

A hook and loop sander pad is the most common type, as it comes standard on most new random orbit sanders. Dewalt, Bosch and Makita make some of the best sanders (but that is another post). This pad is called a hook and loop pad, because it is a Velcro style pad. I found a great definition for velcro from answers.com. It says that Velcro is "A trademark used for a fastening tape consisting of a strip of nylon with a surface of minute hooks that fasten to a corresponding strip with a surface of uncut pile."

The link has some great pictures and a history of Velcro for those that would be interested. The advantages of velcro pads are ease of use and durability. Hook and loop pads can last a long time if used correctly. One recommendation that I have is when you are sanding, do not push too hard on the surface to be sanded. Let the sander do the work, gently applying pressure and moving the sander slowly and smoothly.

Now for the adhesive back sander pad. Just like the name suggests, this type of sander pad has a surface that accepts a sticky or adhesive pad. The surface is usually a type of rubber. The sanding disks come with a thin sheet that can be peeled of to reveal the sticky part that will adhere to the pad. I personally prefer the hook and loop pads, but there are many people out there that like the adhesive pads better.

I recommend the Milwaukee Heavy Duty Club

I just wanted to let our readers know about a great resource for Milwaukee Power Tools. It is called the Milwaukee Heavy Duty Club.

Heavy Duty Club Registration

Your have to fill out some information, including an email address and your name and a few questions about yourself.

Once you have that you can get access to member information like product training, and product comparisons. I really like the product training section, because it has articles on tool repair and maintenance.

Cordless Batteries - What are volts and amp hours?

Cordless power tools have come a long way since Makita's 7.6V Cordless Battery. The increase in technology has given us more power, and longer run times. This has given us more freedom, and flexibility with our tools. Something that I can only imagine will only get better.

Technology will allow us more freedom, with more power and less weight. This post is dedicated to cordless power tool technology.

First let's start with a few definitions and some background.

Volt- The technical definition goes like this: Basic unit of electrical potential. One volt is the force required to send one ampere of electrical current through a resistance of one ohm.
From: www.notepage.net/wireless-messaging-glossary.htm

Sounds like college physics all over again. Let's attempt to make simpler. Electric potential is the key phrase. Electric potential is just like any other potential, it is the ability to do something. When they talk about potential, they are talking about a difference in potential between two points. Here is an analogy that will help. Let's say you have a ramp from a table top to the ground. If you have a ball at the top of the ramp what is going to happen if you start the ball rolling down the ramp? It will go all the way to the floor right? You could say that the potential difference is the difference between the top of the ramp and the bottom of the ramp. What if you put the ramp higher? The ball is going to move faster right?

This is just like Voltage. Only voltage is the difference between CHARGES, not height. A volt is just a way to measure the difference for electricity. But it works the same way. If you have a difference in charges, it is going to cause the current to flow. So having an 18V tool means that you have 18 Volts of electric potential to power the tool. If you want more power to do your work, you need a higher voltage. Are we having fun yet?

Now that we know what voltage is we can move on to the next important concept: Amp Hours.

An amp hour is a rating that tells how much amperage is available when the battery is evenly drained over a period of 20 hours. Now, this rating represents an average over the 20 hours, so if you want to find out how many amps the battery will put out, just take the rating and divide it by 20. So obviously, the higher rating the amp hours, the higher the out put will be over a period of time.

So, now that you know the ratings for cordless power tool batteries, it will be easier to tell what is important when you buy them.

New Shipping Options - UPS

We are letting everyone know that we are now offering UPS as a shipping option. We have previoulsy only shipped via DHL and USPS. But you have spoken and we have listened. Many customers have asked if we would ship UPS, so effective immediately, we now have it as an option. We work hard to keep your cost down, so we only charge what it cost for us to ship. Shipping prices are calculated by the overall weight. This is different than many online retailers who make money on shipping by charging too much. Here is our ereplacementparts.com UPS shipping page.

Parts of a Miter Saw

During the weekend, I had a chance to break out a brand new Dewalt DW714 Miter Saw. We are putting up some chair railing as part of some decorating in one of the rooms in our house. What a great saw! Dewalt surely has done well with their design in the DW714. Although only a single bevel saw, it is simple to use, and gives one of the straightest cuts of any saw I have ever used. I thought I would take a few minutes and write about the features found in a miter saw, and some tips on using miter saws in general.

The first thing to look at is the diameter of the blade. Miter saws usually come in 8", 10", 12", and 14" varieties. The diameter is the length from one end of the blade to the other through the middle. Obviously the bigger the diameter, the larger the cuts that can be made.

Next, I wanted to talk about the difference between a compound miter saw and a regular miter saw. A regular miter saw will pivot right and left to let you cut at an angle, like molding around a door frame. A compound miter saw will allow you to tilt the motor and the blade to make a beveled cut. (I used this feature when I was cutting the chair rails at a 45 degree angle, to make two pieces fit together on a 90 degree corner. ) A compound miter saw is a must have if you are putting up molding, chair rails, or anything else that needs a beveled cut.

The next feature that I wanted to highlight was the slide feature. My saw doesn't have this feature, but it is a great feature to have, especially if you are cutting wide stock. Basically, miter saws with a slide capability have the motor and blade connected to a slide component, that allows you to slide while you cut, enlarging the width of stock that you can cut.

Miter Saw Repair

The most common dewalt miter saw repair parts are the cords, the blades, the carbon brushes, and the switches, all of which are easy to replace. Also, the kerf boards are often in need of replacing as well. Make sure to keep you miter saw in good working condition to be safe.

How to Find the Correct Model Number For Your DeWALT Tools

Today's article will be about how to correctly find the model number for your DeWALT power tool parts. At eReplacementparts.com, we sometimes run into the problem of customers ordering the right parts, but for the wrong tool. Although we are glad to exchange these parts with a small restocking fee, it's a lot more fun for EVERYONE if the order is correct in the first place.

So, here are some tips to help make sure that the part you order is for the right DeWALT tool. The most important thing to know is the model number of the tool. The best place to find the model number is on the manufacturer's name plate. This plate is where the manufacturer displays the information about the paticular tool, the serial number of the tool, the manufacturer contact information, and any safety warnings you should know about before using the tool. Here is a DeWALT reciprocating saw name plate:

Almost all manufacturers will put the model number in the top left corner of the plate. In this case, the model number is DW938. Pretty straight forward, right?

The next thing to note is the version of the tool. When DeWALT comes out with a new tool, they may find that it needs a few design changes to perform better. So, they will make the design changes, and then come out with a second version of the tool. For most manufacturers, this would be be noted as "TYPE 2". They will continue with TYPE 3, TYPE 4, and so on until they feel that all of the bugs are worked out. The schematics (parts list) for the different types may look exactly the same, but you have to be careful, because the parts that you are looking to replace may be the parts that were changed in the new version of the tool. So make sure that you have the right type. For DeWALT, you can find the TYPE just below the model number of the tool.

Now, when you do a search for a paticular model all of the existing types should come up. Just pick the one that fits your tool.

Another thing to note with DeWALT tools is that sometimes you will see letters on the end of the model number. These letters show additional options for you tool. The most common is the letter "K". When you see the letter "K" on the end of a model number, it means that the tool comes as a kit, usually with a box. See the manufacturers catalog for more details.

This article is meant to help mostly with DeWALT tools. If you have questions about other manufacturers, check back in the future because I will be posting articles about other manufacturers soon.