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Thread: Chop saw exposed to rain

  1. #1

    Chop saw exposed to rain

    Hi
    I was given a chopsaw recently , I believe a Hitachi. It belonged to a tenant of a friend of mine who did not pay his rent. My friend got several tools from the gentleman in payment. Two chopsaws, so he kept the better one, and offered me this one.
    It works fine; I have used it a couple of afternoons' worth of work, but...
    This machine was left out in the rain. The blade was a rusted up nightmare, and I'm wondering how bad the internal guts, the motor, etc., fared. You can see rust on the internal parts looking through the vent holes in the housing.
    Is there a way to lubricate the motor? I can't find any oil holes or anything of the sort. I have even contemplated just spraying penetrating oil like PB Blaster into every opening, vent, etc. Directly on the motor, etc. The only reason I haven't is because I don't know what that will do, and if I were to plug it in and try to operate it before the oil has evaporated, I'm thinking I might get electrical shorts or even fire for my troubles.
    Is there anything you might do in my situation?
    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    North of Detroit
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    I would just try it out. When framing our 7 1/4" saws would often get rained on or just get wet from snow. It never really affected the tools. If we are talking long term, then ya I guess it could get damaged.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
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    Spraying any kind of oil indiscriminately in the motor is not a good idea. I will muck up the brushes & commutator & cause dust to stick to the windings. It will destroy the motor eventually. Take it apart & clean up the internals. Check the bearings & replace/relube as required. If moisture has gotten into the gearbox then it should be cleaned out & have new grease.

  4. #4
    Do not spray anything into the motor or try to grease the bearings. You will wreck the motor.

    If the bearings are bad - replace them.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Baker 2 View Post
    Hi
    I was given a chopsaw recently , It works fine; I have used it a couple of afternoons' worth of work, but...
    This machine was left out in the rain. The blade was a rusted up nightmare, and I'm wondering how bad the internal guts, the motor, etc., fared.
    I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" If it runs fine and the bearings don't make noise, then put on a new blade and use it.

  6. #6
    I have a sawzall I left on the basement floor when I was building my house. To use the sawall I unplugged the sump pump. When I left for the day, I forgot to plug the sump pump back in. When I got to the house the next day, the sawzall was immersed in water. I took it apart, got all of the water out of it, cleaned it up, lubricated anything that needed it, and put it back together. It worked fine. 32 years later, it still works.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Kamiah, ID
    Posts
    280
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Austin View Post
    I would just try it out. When framing our 7 1/4" saws would often get rained on or just get wet from snow. It never really affected the tools. If we are talking long term, then ya I guess it could get damaged.
    1 on this. I built houses in NW WA State. The only time our tools dried out was both days of summer.
    +

  8. #8
    Thank you, gentlemen. I will just keep using it.
    Much appreciated, and makes me feel better.

  9. #9
    I see vinyl siding guys with a Dewalt 12" miter saw mounted on side of trailer all the time. Saw is exposed to rain, snow and highway debris all the time. Keeps on a ticking.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    I have an old one sitting outside to cut firewood. I throw a upside down tub over it to keep the rain off. I have to shoot some wd40 on the main pivot pin every year or so.
    Bil lD

  11. #11
    I've got a Rigid portable tablesaw that lives in my backyard. I've literally brushed snow off of it and made my cut. Yes, the plastic parts are clearly going to degrade a lot faster and the steel parts have a very healthy layer of rust. I'm absolutely sure the bearings will enjoy a substantally shortened life, but it does start up everytime going on four years now.

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