Power tool Question. More of a rant.

Factual Questions
1

O.K. This nearly went into the Pit, but maybe someone knows something I’ve missed.

I’ve been using all sorts of power tools for over half my life. Lets say about 25 years.

I’m talking about drills, circular saws, reciprocating saws, sanders. Whatever.

Why in the world do they put that little trigger lock on them? The one, usually on the left side of the handle, under your thumb (if you are right handed). This little button locks the tool in the ON position.

What the heck? It is so easy to accidentally lock the trigger in the on position. Why in the hell would you want to do that? If your finger is too tired to hold the trigger in, you sure as heck need to take a break. Hell, the drill or whatever would burn up before you could possibly get that tired.

This has always been an annoyance to me. What are these designers thinking?

I bring this up, because yesterday, I was using a 3" hole saw, in a 1/2" drill, when the @##$%^ trigger lock did what it was designed to do. The drill locked on at full power.

Ever run a 1/2" drill with a 3" hole saw? Ever have one get away from you? I had to unplug the thing to stop it. I now sit here with a sore left forearm, a nice big bruise on my right leg, and a thumb that my brother made me put a band-aid on because “I was bleeding on all the tools”.

I have the same sort of switch on my sawz-all.

Anyone have any idea why they do this? I’m going to disable mine. It’s become more than an annoyance, it’s dangerous.

2

Well you clearly may have been using power tools for more than half your life…but you certainly have never made a living by the power tool code! The lock is to save your hand/forearm/shoulder from cramping, getting uncomfortable etc…etc…when using the tool for extended periods. When you have a deadline of 4 oclock and you have not started any sanding or what not and need to hustle…there is no time for taking a break, and you want to save your forearm strength etc.etc. for finishing the job…hence the lock on the power tools.

3

Some tools are different. Some are easy to engage, some need effort. They have this so that you can put the tool on auto, and for rough jobs, you can use more force on the tool instead of one hand on the trigger and one on the tool, you can use both hands. It really depends on the job. There are some materials that you wouldn’t want to use the feature on because as you describe, can end up throwing the tool all over the place and can be dangerous. But then there are some that are more forgiving. I seriously doubt that if your finger was tired that you need to take a break. If that was the case, houses would take a year to build instead of 2-3 months. I’ve used the feature quite a bit for different things and have never burned out a drill.

Also, to deactiviate the feature, just press the trigger button and depress, this usually deactivates the hold button and powers off the tool. No need to take the time to unplug while you have a violent tool on auto, you can hurt someone.

4

It’s not just the fatigue factor that makes the trigger locks useful, more often, at least for me, is the awkwardness of the positions I find myself in. Sometimes it’s tough to position yourself so that you can hold the tool and pull the trigger.

There is a lot of varience in the way manufacture’s design off/on switches and locks. Ideally a trigger lock should require some deliberate action to activate.

5

I’ve been doing more than just using power tools half my life. I should elaborate.

I have been a framer, building houses, and an exterior trim guy siding houses to make a living. I have completely gutted (pulling out the subfloor, pulling down and replacing walls and all the plumbing) and rebuilt 5 bathrooms and two kitchens. I have roofed 4 houses. My family (Granpa, Mom and Dad) built a 240 lot mobile home park. I started using power tools when I was 11. I was the kid that hooked up the gas lines to the homes. Thank you RIDGID.

I am currently putting a two story addition on my house.

Save my hand from cramping? You have to hang on to the tool no matter what. Pressing on the trigger takes what, two pounds of pressure or so? None of this has anything to do with my hand/forearm/shoulder strength. I respect your posts phlosphr. But I wonder how much you know about building and construction.

Heh? Ever have your finger get tired? I sure haven’t.

**ParentalAdvisory - **An extra 9 months because of a trigger lock on a drill? Umm. No. I’ve never used a trigger lock, nor has my brother (he was a framer longer than I was). He has probably built 30 houses or so. Never needed it.

In what circumstance have you used the trigger lock? I can’t imagine needing it. And I have done a LOT of remodeling. Those (IMHO) are the hardest situations in building. Lots of small spaces, and hard to get to areas.

You have never burnt out a drill. Neither have I. Because I will let them rest when performing work. They drill needs to rest WAY before I need to. I have had plenty of experience in that. Including a retaining wall made up of 100 6"x6"x8’ timbers. All of which had to be drilled before the pins could be driven in. For that job I used my Rockwell ½" tee handled drill. It’s a beast. I’m just glad that that drill does not have the always on ‘feature’.

I don’t mean to rant against you guys. I have had a LOT of experience working with power tools. I have never, never, needed the lock on switch. At best, it is an annoyance, at worse it can be dangerous.

I’m the guy that hates new lawn mowers with all the ‘safety’ features. Ridiculous. Know how to use the tool, get it in the right position and use it. Trigger locks on power tools are dangerous. Ever seen one on a worm drive?

6

bnorton -

That would be fine. All the drills and saws-alls I have worked with have the trigger lock on the left hand of the pistol grip housing, and are far, far to easy to activate accidentally. Maybe it’s the size of my hand or something. But it happens a lot.

It could be put somewhere else, but at greater cost. IMHO, since I believe they are nothing but a good way to twist a drill or break a blade, they should be eliminated.

7

Well, let’s see. Not at your level of experience, but I’ve remodeled my house, including gutting a couple of rooms down to the joists, and I’ve done quite a bit of woodworking.

On a router, you use the trigger lock all the time, particularly when you’re using it as a table router.

On a power drill – I once had to drill a hole for an electric cord in an inaccessible (or at least nasty and cramped) crawlspace. I attached my power drill to a 2x4 with baling wire, set the trigger switch, and drilled from a distance. I’ve also used a drill as a miniture lathe in combination with a router to make dowels and cylinders. I needed the trigger lock for that.

Belt sanders need a trigger lock so that you can lay them flat and use them as bench sanders.

There are attachments that allow you to use a circular saw as a table saw and those obviously need a trigger lock, although that’s a bit Mickey Mouse and dangerous for my taste – circular saws scare me at the best of times.

On a jobsite, it’s a matter of personal preference. I agree that it’s a bit less safe to use the trigger lock on a sawzall or a hefty powerdrill, but if you’re doing a prolonged cut, sometimes it’s more comfortable.

8

Oky-dok. I’ve done some weird improvising too. But the switch that is easily, very easily, locked in the ON position should be removed. If the drill on the end of a 2x4, held on with wire (?) could have easily be kept on with another piece of bailing wire or electrical tape on the trigger.

I don’t think a tool should easely and accdentaly be turned on so that you may not be able to turn it off unless you unplug it. Grab the handle, start cutting or driling, and there you go. The tool will not shut down. Bad news. Bad, bad design.

For a sawz-all, broken or bent blade. For a drill, broken bit. For me, frustration. And injury (just a little blood and bruises).

If you want to use a tool for somethng it was not designed to do, you are on your own.

9

My 2¢ on the topic, as a contractor who plays with the same toys all the time. Occasionally the lock on serves as an inconvenience, yet I believe if it were a problem, OSHA, CPSC, and other agencies would exert pressure on manufacturers to change the design.

Safety is a major part of tool design. Don’t you think this is the reason for two finger startup on tools such as circular saws and power mitre saws? Personally, I like bump-fire on my nailers, but if you’re in the industry, you’re aware of the fracas surrounding that convenient option.

For what it’s worth-modification of the lock on feature may void the UL listing of the tool and leave you in a bad position should you or someone else suffer an injury while using something you modified. IANAL, but my ‘don’t go there’ alarm is flashing.

10

my sawzall doesn’t have a trigger lock… or at least, not in a place where I’ve ever noticed it.

11

**danceswithcats[/]

Not to worry. I’m just an average Joe that uses tools. Not a business. I started this thread about built in ‘features’ that make the tool more dangerous to use.

My air nailer is also a ‘bump fire’.

I’m surprised that the design on electric tools hasn’t changed. Have you ever used the trigger lock to keep an electric tool working?

The trigger lock on electric power tools is a bad idea. I have never, never seen anyone use it. The lock is in a really bad place, that makes it very easy to engage when you don’t want it to. And I have never needed it or worked with someone that did.

Lots of tools have changed over the years. My chain saw had a ‘saftey’ that did not make the tool safer. I disabled it so that my saw would be safer (not the chain break, stupid in the handle kill switch). It’s a STIHL.

The kill switch in the handle made the saw unpredictable. You could not set it on the ground and pick it up and use it.

I would also have disabled an ‘always on’ switch. Stihl knows that this is not something you put on a power tool.

I am convinced, that the people that design ‘safety’ features have never used the tool.

Sorry, I’m ranting a bit here. But a lock to keep a drill or sawz-all going? Bad idea. Something is going to give. Bit. Blade. Tool, or operator.

Again, I have many years of experience using these tools. The ‘always on’ switch was just an annoyance. I never used it. Never really thought about it, except when it caused problems.

Yesterday, this ‘feature’ bit me in the ass.

12

Is that a Milwaukee? I’m using some generic terms here. My Makita has an always on switch.

I hate many of the ‘safety’ features that have been forced on us. I don’t recommend any additional safety features for these tools. Except. IMHO, the trigger lock is unneeded, and potentially dangerous. I have drilled many, many holes. I have never, ever been in a position where I would lock a drill on.

13

Kinda weird that you put the band-aid on your thumb, then.

14

Try setting screws into drywall.

I have two tools for this. A drill with a countersink attatchment, and a dedicated drywall gun. Locking them in the on position is the preferred and the standard way of using this tool. Saves a little bit of time maybe, but most importantly it keeps the tool at the high RPMs needed for the countersing to work properly.

When using a reciprocating saw, I’ve locked it on to make it easier to work through a cut on large pipes in awkward positions.

On a drill, I’ll lock it it on when mixing morter/grout for tile setting, or when mixing drywall mud, or when mixing paint colors. It’s just a little bit easier to use that way.

On a skill saw? I can’t recall ever using one that had a lock on position, the ones I have use a simple trigger or have a safety lock out.

I understand how frustrating it is to have a tool lock on when you weren’t meaning for it to do that, but ranting that such switches should all go is just kind of silly.

15

countersing = countersink

FYI

16

I might chip off the lock on my skill saw switch.
I’m gonna leave the “continuous” setting on my bit brace though.

17

Try setting screws into drywall.

I’ve done this quite a bit. I will use either a 3/8 or 1/2" cordless drill.(the 1/2 is over kill but it’s what I have.) Never used the always on feature.

Whatever guys, to each his own.

18

Well, maybe it’s Ridgid tools that are part of your problem? I’ve never heard of them except that they are the house brand for one of the big-boxes. Who makes them?

19

The only time I can remember using a trigger lock is on my sanders, and maybe my angle grinder. I can see why one would be useful on a saws-all but not a hand drill or circular saw. :eek:

I agree with the OP to the extent that a trigger lock that doesn’t require a deliberate two finger or two handed action on the part of the user is badly designed and dangerous to boot.

I also think that we can’t rely on the manufacturers or OSHA to do everything in our best interests. The first real power tool I owned was a table saw from Sears. Being new to the power tool business I carefully read the instruction booklet. One of the things they emphasized over and over was that you should never place yourself in the path of the saw blade. There were all sorts of dire warnings and gruesome graphics about the dangers of kickback. So given that, it astounded me where they chose to place the on-off switch? It was right underneath the lip of the table and out of the line of vision. The only way to find the switch was to bend over and look under the table, thus putting your head and face directly in the path of any kickback. Here was an electrical component which they could have placed anywhere, but the chose to put in about the most dangerous position imaginable. I had to develop a technique of sort of slapping the switch off with the flat of my foot.

20

AFAIK, RIDGID makes RIDGID.

I’m surprised you haven’t heard of them. The most familiar RIDGID tools that I used have been plumbing stuff. Pipe wrenches, and pipe thread cutters.

The offending drill was a Makita.