Jeff Bartley
01-18-2013, 4:44 PM
This post goes out to all the other owners of newer dewalt chopsaws......I think mine is a 718....it's the 12" slider, 5 years old but very well cared for! The problem is the bearing adjacent the belt pulley on the motor shaft. The other week I noticed the saw was making a new noise and immediately thought of a bearing. After asking my local repair guy about it he reported that these saws have issues with this bearing. His thoughts were that the belt comes tensioned too high from the factory.
I'll pass along the warning he gave me: don't wait to fix it because if the bearing goes out completely you can't pull the race off and then must use a dremel or similar tool to cut the bearing off the shaft! Lucky for me my work for the next week doesn't require the chop saw and the repair shop keeps these bearings in stock! I love this saw and really can't complain.......it wouldn't be fair to compare it to something like the Kapex.....the Kapex is in another price category altogether....but I bet the Kapex has bearings that will last more than 5 years!
I'll report back after I tare it apart!
I'll pass along the warning he gave me: don't wait to fix it because if the bearing goes out completely you can't pull the race off and then must use a dremel or similar tool to cut the bearing off the shaft! Lucky for me my work for the next week doesn't require the chop saw and the repair shop keeps these bearings in stock! I love this saw and really can't complain.......it wouldn't be fair to compare it to something like the Kapex.....the Kapex is in another price category altogether....but I bet the Kapex has bearings that will last more than 5 years!
I'll report back after I tare it apart!