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Thread: miter saw whirring sound, blade vibration, and loosening arbor nut

  1. #1
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    miter saw whirring sound, blade vibration, and loosening arbor nut

    Hello,
    Looking for confirmation or new ideas..

    Delta 12" miter saw has served me well for 20 years with basically zero maintenance ever.

    Recently, swapped in a new blade (same brand/style as the blade that it replaced) and began noticing that during braking there was a "whirring" sound that was new, and the braking happened more slowly than before. Blade used to spin to a stop in (say) 2-3 seconds, and this was now (approx) 5-6 seconds. Enough to notice, but not cuts were good so I didn't give it much thought.

    Flash forward a few weeks and several hundred cuts and the blade got stuck in piece of 3/4" pine. That was surprising. The arbor nut had loosened. Weird.

    I figured perhaps I hadn't tightened it well enough, so I went to tighten it. The arbor nut was hot to touch. Snugged very tight, I made a few more cuts and was able to complete the task but can noticeably see vibration and the whirring sound is still present. Luckily that task was a carpentry task and the cut was sufficient, but time to fix this.

    My research tells me I ought to:
    1. Ensure arbor shaft and washers are all nice and clean, and try another know-successful blade (e.g. the blade I just recently used)... perhaps the replacement blade is just defective and a bit too thin or is warped, or some dirt/grime is the culprit.

    2. If easy fix above doesn't resolve, replacing the arbor bearing seems the next logical step. Appears from quick research that doing so is far easier on a miter saw than my previous experience on cabinet saw.

    3. Some have mentioned that brushes could be part of issue in some cases, but I think arbor bearing seems more likely for these symptoms.

    What say you SMC gurus?
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  2. #2
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    Bob I think you will find that it is the bearings. The 20 years of use is a big clue,hot shaft and vibration seals the deal.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Mike! I think you're right. Going to dig out the owner's manual today and figure out how to remove/replace. Some youtubing shows me this shouldn't be terribly difficult as compared to recent table saw and jointer sagas lol
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  4. #4
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    Very strange.... I entirely disassembled the miter saw, cleaning it out as I went. Played with all the bearings and they were smooth as can be, not the slightest hint of resistance or crunch etc. The brushes are near-new looking too.

    It seemed senseless to pull the bearings off (turns out not an easy task on every miter saw) so I tried reassembling, putting a known good blade on, and giving it another go. Sounds fine again. Vibration gone. If I make a cut, let the saw cycle down, the blade is perfectly against the piece with zero gap even when rotating the blade 360 degrees. Blade braking has returned to the performance I've always had until recently. Shrug.

    Fool's gold? Or do you think that simply cleaning and showing the tool some love was enough to resolve?

    If it gives me more grief, I would be willing to purchase another miter saw as I only have $150 into this one and it's given me 20 years of service already... I prefer non-slider (less moving parts, more accurate, smaller footprint) and 12" (I use for home carpentry as well as stock break down for furniture)... current recommended models in the reasonable $$ range? I try to use table saw for cross cuts for furniture, but admit that the miter saw gets the job at times when it makes sense.
    Last edited by Bob Riefer; 05-30-2020 at 10:39 AM.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  5. #5
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    "current recommended models in the reasonable $$ range?"
    I hav been very happy buying from
    https://bigskytool.com/tools/saws/co...iter-saws.html
    have bought numerous items, some sold as renewed C all look and perform as new
    good luck
    Ron


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    One thought.

    Are you using a saw with a 5/8 arbor and a thin kerf blade with a one inch hole and a bushing? If so, and the bushing is thicker than the blade, it could be possible you are not getting the blade tight.

    If you don't have an arbor washer with a depression in it to take up the gap between a thick bushing on a thin blade, it may not tighten properly.
    Last edited by Rick Potter; 05-30-2020 at 12:24 PM.
    Rick Potter

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    AKA Village Idiot.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Riefer View Post
    Blade braking has returned to the performance I've always had until recently. Shrug.

    Fool's gold? Or do you think that simply cleaning and showing the tool some love was enough to resolve?.
    I've found that 90% of what is wrong with most mechanical things is dirt.

  8. #8
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    Bob,from your original description it seemed bearings were obviously suspect. Well it is not the first time ,I have been wrong before....

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Selzer View Post
    "current recommended models in the reasonable $$ range?"
    I hav been very happy buying from
    https://bigskytool.com/tools/saws/co...iter-saws.html
    have bought numerous items, some sold as renewed C all look and perform as new
    good luck
    Ron

    Great tip, thanks Ron! Bookmarked that for future use :-)
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick Potter View Post
    One thought.

    Are you using a saw with a 5/8 arbor and a thin kerf blade with a one inch hole and a bushing? If so, and the bushing is thicker than the blade, it could be possible you are not getting the blade tight.

    If you don't have an arbor washer with a depression in it to take up the gap between a thick bushing on a thin blade, it may not tighten properly.
    Good thought but not the issue in this case I don't think. 1" arbor on the miter saw and all the blades as well. The only difference I can see is that the blade that was used when having the problems was 80 tooth vs. the usual 40 or 60 that I had been using up until then. All blades are diablo, but perhaps the 80 toot version has some difference I didn't notice... perhaps thinner or thicker? I'll try to find specs...

    More likely, perhaps I had the blade installed with some "gook" keeping it from tightening securely
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Schierer View Post
    I've found that 90% of what is wrong with most mechanical things is dirt.
    It seems that could very well be the case this time around (and I'm hoping so! this saw has been just fine and I have no interest in a new "toy" when this one has always done what I asked of it)
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Kees View Post
    Bob,from your original description it seemed bearings were obviously suspect. Well it is not the first time ,I have been wrong before....
    I was right there with you... and I'm somewhat holding my breath to see if the issues return before too long. Fingers crossed it was a simple, and long lasting, fix!
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Riefer View Post
    Good thought but not the issue in this case I don't think. 1" arbor on the miter saw and all the blades as well. The only difference I can see is that the blade that was used when having the problems was 80 tooth vs. the usual 40 or 60 that I had been using up until then. All blades are diablo, but perhaps the 80 toot version has some difference I didn't notice... perhaps thinner or thicker? I'll try to find specs...

    More likely, perhaps I had the blade installed with some "gook" keeping it from tightening securely
    Found the specs...

    The 80 tooth blade has a plate measurement of .087" whereas the 60 tooth blade measures .071"... any perspective on whether that could have potentially been part of the issue?
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  14. #14
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    Wow, this is amazing. I've had this happen on my Dewalt 12" slider a few times. it's really freaky, especially at the end of a cut. Then, to find out the arbor nut loosened. I guess a good cleaning is in order.
    Thanks for your problem, uhh posting your problem.

  15. #15
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    No, I don't see the thickness of the blade being an issue here.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

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