Milwaukee drill advice?

[scottg]

Hey Guys
I took a Milwaukee drill home from a yard sale. Its a 1/2" Magnum Hole Shooter.

  I had promised myself I would never buy another used Milwaukee tool, but I did.
While the classics were wonderful tools, maybe the best ever made, they were strictly "other people's money", meaning too expensive for the average human.
By the time a sawmill or a treatment plant or a factory gets done with a tool?
Its usually.............. done.

  Well this one was only 10 bucks so like a fool I took it.
First, the wire was broken inside the heavy rubber strain relief collar over the cord. This is a Magnum so it has a twist lock removable cord. No way to fudge your way past that.
I had to cut it open and make a wire splice inside it and then slather the whole thing with hot melt glue and top that off with heat shrink tubing.
OK that worked.
Next the side handle was missing. Check, made one.

  When I got it all together I was finally able to try it out. The motor is powerful full strength!  But the switch is bad.  Its supposed to be variable speed forward and reverse. The reverse is broken and it only has 2 speeds stop and full on. 

This drill has been in continuous production, oh I don't know, but 40-50 years probably.
Its very popular. But even though its the same model number, subtle changes have happened all this time.
  I can find switches from many sources but they appear a bit different just looking at them.
  Do you suppose I could one of these new ones to work? They are around 20 bucks and I can't afford to not have it work. Anyone work on old Milwaukee stuff?

    yours Scott 

[Chillylulu]

I've worked with them for decades and they are hands down my favorite drills. The only exception is the "hole hawg."  Those wristbreakers always scared the crap out of me.  I found the magnum hole shooter could drill anything I needed. (Up to 4-1/2" holes in sch 40 pipe, no problem. They also fit into the best chain on drill press adapter I ever used.

With the twist lok, why not get a new twist-lok cord, or just splice after the plug?

I wonder if it would be vsr with the right switch?  I would go to Graingers and look at the switches next to the one I took out.

Good luck - those Milwaukee drills are the best.

Chilly

[Papaw]

Grainger's would be a good possibility, but I bet there is not one anywhere close to Happy Camp, Ca.

[Chillylulu]

What is happy camp, ca?

Chilly

[Papaw]

Better let Scott explain!

But till then-

Happy Camp (Karuk: athithúf-vuunupma)[2] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Siskiyou County, California in the United States. The population was 1,190 at the 2010 census.

The town of Happy Camp "The Heart of the Klamath" is located on State Route 96, about 70 miles (110 km) west of Interstate 5 and 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Willow Creek. The town of O'Brien, Oregon is accessible from Happy Camp (which is nearly 40 miles (64 km) away). The shortest route to Oregon, over the Grey Back pass, is a seasonal summer road and is not cleared or maintained in snowy conditions. The Forest Service, located in Happy Camp on SR 96,[3] provides road closure information.

Wkipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Camp,_California

[Chillylulu]

Gotcha

[Branson]

Glad to hear all the good things said about this Milwaukee.  I picked one up a couple years ago at a garage sale, but minus the cord.  Gotta get that cord and wind her up.  I think there's a Grangers in or near Sacramento.  I could always mail one to you, Scott, if they have them.  Oh, and there are two forms of plug for these, a two prong and a three prong.  Which do you need?

[scottg]

What is happy camp, ca?

Chilly

  End of the earth, turn left

   Camp is centrally located just 10 hours from San Francisco and 9 hours from Portland. Sac City is a piddling 8 hours drive in a fairly fast car, in very good weather. As long as you never shut the engine off.

   Unless you are me, who stops at every junk and antique shop along the way. A yard sale sign is like a big hook that just grabs and drags my truck right off the road, like it or not.
It once took me 18 hours to make Chico Ca. My kids had the cops and hospitals on the line searching....... heheheeh

Happy Camp is shown on every decent map. Otherwise there would be a big empty spot!
Look just along the Oregon border, 1/2 way between the coast and the central valley.
  Smack dab in the middle of the Klamath National Forest. 

  There is a Grainger store in Redding (3 1/2 hours each way) buy as far as I know its just a catalog store that carries no actual goods.
    I had no idea Grainger stocked drill switches at all though, so that is a cool tip.
   
I found some parts search parameters on the Milwaukee website. I found a model number that is close, and they had a replacement switch for that model. But I'm not sure if you count closest model listed up, or down?
I sent a note to Milwaukee and asked. Haven't heard anything yet.
       yours Scott     

[stillfishin]

Scott, I dismantled an older 80's Milwaukee Sawzall that the gears went out in a couple years ago. It had the twist lock cord and I saved it somewhere here. If I can find it I'll send it to you if you could use it.

[Branson]

Scott, I dismantled an older 80's Milwaukee Sawzall that the gears went out in a couple years ago. It had the twist lock cord and I saved it somewhere here. If I can find it I'll send it to you if you could use it.

There are three prong and two prong twist lock cords.  Which do you have?  If Scott doesn't want it, I need one for my hole shooter.

[scottg]

Scott, I dismantled an older 80's Milwaukee Sawzall that the gears went out in a couple years ago. It had the twist lock cord and I saved it somewhere here. If I can find it I'll send it to you if you could use it.

Hey How did I miss this?? I was asleep at the switch?
Oh geeze
yours Scott