Patent ID: 7404781

Claim:
A method for operating a power tool comprising: providing the portable power tool, the portable power tool including a housing, a motor, a driven member, a transmission with a plurality of planetary gear sets that transmits rotary power between the motor and the driven member, and a speed selector, the speed selector including a single switch member that forms a portion of an exterior of the portable power tool and an actuator that couples the single switch member to an axially-translatable member of the transmission; moving the single switch member from a first position, which is associated with a first, lowest overall speed reduction ratio, through a second position, which is associated with a second, intermediate overall speed reduction ratio, and into a third position, which is associated with a third, highest overall speed reduction ratio, to cause the transmission to operate in the third overall speed reduction ratio; and guiding the actuator with the housing while the single switch member is being moved; wherein at least three of the plurality of planetary gear sets transmit torque between the motor and the driven member in each of the first, second and third overall speed reduction ratios; and wherein three of the plurality of planetary gear sets perform a speed reduction and torque multiplication function in at least one of the first, second and third overall speed reduction ratios.