Need help diagnosing issue with 12" Delta Cruzer Miter Saw

[Melvin Feng]

I've had this miter saw since 2020, and it has been great so far, though I'm not a heavy user. Recently, it has been making an odd sound.

Here is a video of what I'm experiencing:


My first thought is the main bearing, but before I just go and start buying parts and tearing it apart, I thought I'd try to get other's experience and thoughts on it.

I have messaged customer support, but they just directed me towards the parts suppliers and told me to look at diagrams, so not much help.

Ideas? Thoughts?

[Richard Coers]

First check the brushes. Check for any side to side play on the blade. Spin it over by hand to check how the bearings feel. Since those saws use the brushes for the breaking action as well as running, that's the most logical thing to look at.

[Melvin Feng]

First check the brushes. Check for any side to side play on the blade. Spin it over by hand to check how the bearings feel. Since those saws use the brushes for the breaking action as well as running, that's the most logical thing to look at.

That's great insight! I'll take a look at the brushes to see their condition. The blade does seem to spin just fine when I rotate by hand, but I'll check again too.

[Melvin Feng]

So I checked the brushes, and they seem to be fine to me20240306_215130.jpg

I checked the belt, the belt seems fine. It does spin, but I don't know if it is in my head or not that it feels notchy when I'm rotating the bottom pully. I can't feel it when I'm just rotating the blade though. I'm getting the feeling that I'll be disassembling a good portion of the saw now. haha.

[Rick Potter]

My first thought is that the belt is loose, or maybe even the blade. It freewheels after the motor is stopped.

Does it have adjustment?

[Richard Coers]

They usually use cog belts. I'm guessing a set screw or woodruff key has come out of a pulley. Of the belt is deteriorated and some cogs are missing. It's a $30 belt.

[Melvin Feng]

Well, this is embarrassing, but I wanted to provide resolution, especially if anyone in the future has similar symptoms. The blade was just slightly loose. I tore apart a good amount of the saw (tested it with the belt removed, adjusted tension, it is a v-belt, etc.), and then realized that arbor bolt was just a tad loose (I couldn't actually feel any side movement in the blade itself, so it was very slight). I tightened it up and tested it, and it was back to normal. At least it was a simple fix!

Thanks to those of you that gave suggestions, I appreciate it!

[Barry W. Larson]

Hi Melvin:
A bit off topic, but how do you like the Cruser saw? They look interesting?

Thanks.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada eh!

[Melvin Feng]

Hi Melvin:
A bit off topic, but how do you like the Cruser saw? They look interesting?

Thanks.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada eh!

I actually really like it, but I will say that I don't have extensive experience with other brands, or even extensive use of this particular miter saw. I tend to use it for cutting stick lumber, but when I do have pieces that fit the capacity, I'll use it for finer cuts too. I did upgrade the blade to a CMT blade which I'm pretty happy with.

What I like best is that it doesn't have the horizontal poles of traditional sliding miter saws that require a lot more space behind. I am pretty limited on space, so that was important. For some reason, I prefer the orientation of these hinges over that of the Bosch, really just personal preference though.

The sliding head can definitely be shifted side to side if you are pushing in those directions, but I find that it is accurate enough for my cuts, and I have become pretty consistent with pulling straight down and not adding side to side pressure. When I need to take off just a smidge, I do the trick of pushing the material against the blade while it is down, shifting it to the side just a bit, and then I'll lift it up and then cut, which allows me to take really small amounts off when I need that kind of accuracy.

The dust collection is pretty terrible, so I bought the unit from shop nation: https://shopnationstore.com/products...ust-collection and it made a world of a difference. I have the miter saw on one of those switches that also turns on a shop vac that I have beneath the miter saw for dust collection.

The loose blade is my mistake, just something I wasn't expecting. In the future, I'll make sure to check that first.

Other things that come to mind is that everything was square when I took it out of the box. I had all my machinist squares ready to set everything, but everything that I checked was as I wanted it, which was nice.

I hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else about it I can help you with!

[Rick Potter]

Glad you caught that. A few years ago at a church work day, a guy was working with a chop saw that was borrowed, and the blade actually came off while cutting. Ruined the blade cover, but no one hurt.

[Barry W. Larson]

I actually really like it, but I will say that I don't have extensive experience with other brands, or even extensive use of this particular miter saw. I tend to use it for cutting stick lumber, but when I do have pieces that fit the capacity, I'll use it for finer cuts too. I did upgrade the blade to a CMT blade which I'm pretty happy with.

What I like best is that it doesn't have the horizontal poles of traditional sliding miter saws that require a lot more space behind. I am pretty limited on space, so that was important. For some reason, I prefer the orientation of these hinges over that of the Bosch, really just personal preference though.

The sliding head can definitely be shifted side to side if you are pushing in those directions, but I find that it is accurate enough for my cuts, and I have become pretty consistent with pulling straight down and not adding side to side pressure. When I need to take off just a smidge, I do the trick of pushing the material against the blade while it is down, shifting it to the side just a bit, and then I'll lift it up and then cut, which allows me to take really small amounts off when I need that kind of accuracy.

The dust collection is pretty terrible, so I bought the unit from shop nation: https://shopnationstore.com/products...ust-collection and it made a world of a difference. I have the miter saw on one of those switches that also turns on a shop vac that I have beneath the miter saw for dust collection.

The loose blade is my mistake, just something I wasn't expecting. In the future, I'll make sure to check that first.

Other things that come to mind is that everything was square when I took it out of the box. I had all my machinist squares ready to set everything, but everything that I checked was as I wanted it, which was nice.

I hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else about it I can help you with!

Thanks Melvin. Appreciated.
Barry