Older craftsman 12 in miter saw

[gear jammer]

Cutting a piece of 3 X 3 red oak with the green tint from metal. Found the bolt in the piece. My craftsman is old but has been a great and dependable saw. The bolt in the wood took out my back fence and I think bent the shaft in the motor.

Looking at 12 in. miter saws. Dewalt seems to be the high rated ones. Your thoughts on the Dewalt 12 in dual bevel saws would be appreciated. Or any other recommendations for my hobby shop.

Thanks.

[jteneyck]

Cutting a piece of 3 X 3 red oak with the green tint from metal. Found the bolt in the piece. My craftsman is old but has been a great and dependable saw. The bolt in the wood took out my back fence and I think bent the shaft in the motor.

Looking at 12 in. miter saws. Dewalt seems to be the high rated ones. Your thoughts on the Dewalt 12 in dual bevel saws would be appreciated. Or any other recommendations for my hobby shop.

Thanks.

Put a dial gage on the motor shaft and see how much runout it has when turning it by hand.  If it's really small, like 0.001" or so.  If it passes that test, put a new or at least different blade on it and see if it runs true when you turn it on.  If that's good than I'd say the motor is OK.  Then you can look to replace the back fence or fabricate a suitable alternative and avoid having to buy a new saw.  

John

[kurt18947]

What John suggests makes a lot of sense. If the motor is functional the fence shouldn't be a killer. I might put a known good blade on the saw and cut part way through a piece and stop. If the blade were wobbling I'd think the kerf would be a good bit wider than the blade. A pretty low tech check. I don't know what would be acceptable for kerf thickness vs. blade width. Maybe if the kerf were less than .005" wider than the blade it's fine? For example blade is .125" and the kerf is .130" or less the motor is fine? Or maybe I'm nuts?

[gear jammer]

Thanks. I don't have the dial gauge. I put on a good blade and cut half way through a 2 inch piece. I got about a kerf and a half and a rough sound from the motor. My guess is the motor is toast.

Surfing the net and I can get a 12 inch Dewalt local for about $24 more than on the net. I'll go that route, local.

[jteneyck]

Thanks. I don't have the dial gauge. I put on a good blade and cut half way through a 2 inch piece. I got about a kerf and a half and a rough sound from the motor. My guess is the motor is toast.

Surfing the net and I can get a 12 inch Dewalt local for about $24 more than on the net. I'll go that route, local.

Oh, yeah, that sounds like it's toast.  Let us know how you like the new Dewalt.  If you need to move it much, I hope it weighs less than my 64 lb Bosch.  

John

[museumguy]

First of all, I'm not a fan of Dewalt miter saws. I'm sure there are some who stand by them. If I remember correctly, there was fellow Woodnetter here that some serious issues with the fence on his saw not being straight or warped or something. The place I used to work sold Dewalt tools so we had like a dozen miter saws. Every one had a bad fence. I have 2 miter saws, a Bosch 12" glide saw and a Hitachi 10". The Hitachi gets the most use. I've often thought of selling the Bosch and then I need the bigger saw. The thing is a beast, weighs a hefty amount.