One day I realized that my collection of hand power tools had become quite old. Some of them are pushing 20 years! I don’t think I would have predicted this when I bought them so no real complaints. That is until today. A few weeks ago the brush on a Porter Cable 690 Plunge Router shot across the room. Needless to say work had to stop until I figured out what had happened. It turned out that the plastic cap had cracked and the brush sprang out of its home. I was able to screw it back in and get back to work. It is shocking that I have not ordered a replacement since my “field fix” is not going to last.

This was the culprit

Today my Porter Cable 6″ Random orbit sander had an incident. By incident I mean complete failure. A bearing blew, a screw sheared and into the recycling bin it goes.

A close up of the orbit mechanism and the busted bearing.

I wonder what will be next? I have my eye on a Panasonic 12V cordless drill that is acting up. Perhaps it could be my other Porter cable router, it is howling a bit. My fear is that there are probably half a dozen tools that are of this vintage. It would almost be easier for me if they all jumped at the same time!

By Nico Yektai -
New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information