Temporarily out of service
It’s the oldest power tool I have, and after many years of good service it’s earned a rest at last.
It’s the oldest power tool I have, and after many years of good service it’s earned a rest at last.
I mentioned a few blogs back that I was about to retire my trusty Porter-Cable 690 router. That router was one of the best tools I ever got, and I didn’t have to own it long before learning why the 690 is such a classic. It served me well for 25 years. Yes, I got it in 1997, which I remember not because of a good memory, but because that was the same year I started at Woodshop News.
But it’s been getting louder, and the odd noises it’s making don’t sound good. So, after one last routing chore yesterday, I pulled it out of its longtime home in my router table.
I don’t have any kind of expertise at motors or electrical tool innards, but I’m guessing a tool repair guy could tune it up, replace what needs replacement and add more years to its life. And I intend to do exactly that, but in the meantime I’ve popped in a replacement while I continue to work.
I’ll miss that PC 690 if for no other reason than it started its professional woodworking life about the same time I did.
Can’t get to it right now, but I will find a repair shop to take it to, probably this spring. When that happens, I’ll welcome that 690 back into my shop and give it its old job back.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
