The county where I live offers (offered, back in the Before Times) Fix-It-Fairs where people could bring their broken things, furniture, appliances, tools, what have you, to a place like the fairgrounds or some other largish site where volunteer Fixers, previously recruited, were ready with their own tools and materials to take a crack at getting them working again. I'd signed up to be one of the volunteer Fixers, then pandemic.
Recently, there has been an effort by the same county office to offer *virtual* fix-it-fairs. I said I'd be willing to try to help in that way too. Just yesterday the list of broken things was sent to us volunteers:
As a pilot version of a virtual Fix-it Fair, we partnered with a volunteer-run Tool library to help them fix some of their tools. They are eager to learn how to detect the problem and fix it. They sure have a bunch of basic tools to attempt a repair.
Quote:
Below is the list of items and symptoms. Please reply to me if you feel confident you can help Library volunteers detect the issue and try to eliminate it for a particular item/s (or all).
Dewalt DW311 corded reciprocating saw: no noise when trigger is pulled
Dewalt DW938 battery operated reciprocating saw: no noise when trigger is pulled
McCulloch MCS2001 wood chipper: will run for a couple seconds but then shut off
Sun Joe CJ602E wood chipper: smoking when turned on
ShopVac Model 905200: no sound at all when it is turned on. A volunteer replaced the thermal fuse (maybe not in a safe or correct manner) and it started running the first time it was turned on and then off, but five minutes later it wouldn't turn on again. The switch may be faulty - a continuity test doesn't seem consistent.
Please also let me know:
What basic tools should volunteers have handy for the repair
Your general availability for October. We will coordinate with volunteers to find the best time for all
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This is to be done remotely.
I've talked people down from the tower, so to speak, but these look ... challenging. I would approach the prospect of guiding a stranger through the process of fixing a wood chipper that smokes when turned on
with extreme caution. I shudder at the endlessness of the list of how that could go wrong.
I like fixing stuff. I like helping people. I'm good at it. But this seems like an extra degree of difficulty that I'm not prepared to undertake. I wish them luck though!