Fatigued washers?

[Aaron Fude]

Hi,

Just bought a new saw which we disassembled for shipping.

In putting it back together I observed that the washed are "fatigued". They have the imprints of the spring lock washers in them.

Is it a good idea to replace them or is it actually better to use these "broken in" washers?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Joe]

Replace them if you can find some that are absolutely identical. The imprints show that the lock washers were working. Don't overtorque the bolt/nut system. Careful mechanics use inch-pound torque wrenches to get things uniformly tight to prevent binding or warping housings.

Joe

[mike]

That's not metal fatigue. The washers just yielded (squished) under pressure. New ones of the same material will do the same thing assuming they are tightened the same. It's not a big deal.