Comments on: Miter Saw Tune-Up

By: Rick Carpenter

Rick Carpenter — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 04:23:43 +0000

I use a similar method of squaring the fence at 90 degrees. I take a thin piece of trued stock, cut it in half, then stack the halves and saw through close to one end. (Throw away the cut-offs!) Take the top piece and flip end for end and check the joint. Adjust fence to square as necessary. Like I said, similar.

By: Joe in North Georgia

Joe in North Georgia — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:58:26 +0000

A fine article that I wished I had seen before I undertook my miter saw tune up last week. Seems like I’ve still got work to do.

My only question was why you never mentioned the grandaddy saw of them all (at least around here)–the Hitachi 10 in. slider, which is very popular and sets the standard for the others. (I must admit I haven’t used the Milwaukee or Festool). I’m not saying which is better, just that it still remains a “go to” saw that would be interesting to compare with the others for its adjustment features (which I admit, are a little behind the times).

By: Utah stair builder

Utah stair builder — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:28:40 +0000

One thing that can affect the bevel stops it sawdust. On my DeWalt I have to check it periodically and blow the sawdust away. Saws riding around in a trailer take a lot off abuse and need to be checked often. Great article, I had not considered drift.

By: Bruce Thompson

Bruce Thompson — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:45:43 +0000

David Collins says that “there is no adjustment for blade tracking problems.”

For Bosch there is. The head is attached to the rails by two set screws. Loosen one, tap the head mounting knuckle in or out as needed, re-tighten the set screw and you’re good to go.

By: Gary Katz

Gary Katz — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:55:29 +0000

Kobus,
I’ll answer for Dave…No. Take the saw in for repair!
Gary

By: Kobus Schmidt

Kobus Schmidt — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:59:58 +0000

Thanks for this article Dave it was very helpful. I own a Bosch saw like the one you used for this article and was wondering if you know how to (if at all possible) re-tension the pivot coil/spring. My saw doesn’t return to the maximum open position after a cut, thus leaving the blade guard in a half drawn position and the spinning blade exposed. I had a little incident – lucky for me the work piece was the only thing damaged.
Any ideas?
Thanks

By: Frank Rogers

Frank Rogers — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:11:13 +0000

Very informative article, but I have to add that not all whacked out saws are from China. I always thought my DeWalt was a sorry piece of equipment on till a bought a Kapex. Talk about being being out of whack. I could never get good cuts no matter what I did. Some times I just get so frustrated that I just use the DeWalt. I put a straight edge on the table and measured the distance. The right side of the swivel table reads .005 and the left of the swivel reads.017. Talk about being whacked, and this saw as never dropped or banged. I dread calling festool because I sent other other tools back to them and they came back worse than they were. I guess what I am saying is that you could spend a fortune on what is supposed to be a great only to find out that it is no better than any other saw.

By: Ed Burt

Ed Burt — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:58:17 +0000

Great article, excellent photos, love the embedded video clips. Thank you for taking the time out of your life (and away from your music!) to pull it together for the benefit of the rest of us.

…Ed
http://www.BurtHandyman.com

By: Joe Stoddard

Joe Stoddard — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:01:36 +0000

Good article Dave – I’ve been hearing more and more that saws are totally out of whack right out of the box.. I’m guessing this corresponds to moving manufacturing to China. Any thoughts about that? If every brand is equally poorly built – what are our options?

By: Kreg mcmahon

Kreg mcmahon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:05:46 +0000

Dave. Really enjoyed the article and your bio thanks for taking the time to write this