My 12 inch Dewalt Miter saw is acting up. Sometimes, the brake doesn't engage right away, and sometimes, it doesn't start when I pull the trigger. (I have to move the blade up and down a few times before it will engage.) Is this a simple fix, or should I be worried?
Thanks,
S.
The very fact you feel the need to ask the question, leads me to believe you know the answer.
Put saw in your vehicle and head for the DeWalt service station.
Try changing the brushes. I'm not sure which model you have but the brushes should be easy to get at and it's normally pretty obvious where the covers are.
Mike O.
The first thing I'd try is blowing out the switch with an air compressor.
Yeah, I did that. I haven't changed the brushes, but the saw is only a couple of years old. Also, I don't know if the brushes would be the reason the brake doesn't engage right away.
Thanks to the other poster too for their info.
S.
I had a problem that my blade would not stop also. Turned out the attachment screw was very loose. The blade was spinning on the end of the shaft. Tightening the screw fixed that problem.
Dave N
It needs servicing from an authorized Dewalt dealer. I suspect a bad switch. You might want to troubleshoot yourself, look for an exploded view diagram and keep careful track of parts.
Since both issues point towards the switch, instead of spending a lot of time diagnosing, pay $14 for a new switch and put it in. It took me all of
5 minutes on a job site.Steve P.
That's not a bad idea. I will give that a shot.
Thanks,
S.
Sounds to me like either the brushes are worn out or the commutator or armature has a problem. The brake depends on having good contact between the brushes and commutator. A worn commutator would also cause the starting issue since you have to turn the blade sometimes in order to get it to start up.
Check the brushes first, then look down inside the brushholder with a flashlight. All of the copper segments should look identical (uniform black tracking is normal). Also, the gaps between the copper segments should be identical in width. If one of the gaps looks a little wider and rough at the edges, then you need a new armature.
Much appreciated. Doug. I will check it out.
S.
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