DeWalt Chop Saw problem

[John T]

Okay, Tool Talk right??? I bought a Dewalt chop saw at an auction a good while back and it works "fairly" well I have it plugged direct to a good circuited good heavy 20 amp outlet (No 12 wire) with NO EXTENSION CORDS and it runs smooth n quiet but has an issue. If Im cutting off say heavy 1/4 inch angle or channel iron when cutting the angles or down the sides etc it goes thru like butter butttttttttttt once I get to the flat areas it (as Id expect) slows down and really has to work and ifffffff I bear down hard n really get at it, it pops the 20 amp breaker out on thermal, not if I take it easy. Ive seen other chop saws where you can really bear down and put your weight on them they still cut slower buttttttt keep cutting no tripping breakers. DOES SAME EVEN ON DIFFERENT CIRCUITS OR EVEN AT HOUSE

I guess I will pull the brushes and check n clean the commutator (check for pits or burned/melted connections) and give her a good cleaning and look for shorts or melted solder elsewhere.

Anyone had a Dewalt or other saw act the same and what was the cure??? I know a new saw lol Can the cutter blade have a problem with age???

John T

 

[Sam form WA]

Try changing to a different (different brand) wheel. Also, when cutting angle iron, place it in the saw vise corner up, so that the two sides are both angled down towards the saw table.

 

[guido]

Hello John T,
You are on the right track.
Brushes tend to wear to the point that they bounce on the comm and draw lots of juice.
If you find that they are not worn(PROBABLY ARE), you can take the leading and the trailing edge and scrape of some of the material.
When the sharpness of those edges are removed, you will make the motor draw less current. Aslo make sure the segments of the comm are clean,
Guido.

 

[old]

Does this saw have a way that you can cut and also see the brush area??? If you can then watch that area and see if either or both brushes make a lot of sparks. If either one does then you found the problem and your brushes are sticking or are getting to short or the brush spring is getting to weak the push down as hard as it needs to. BTDT on a couple chop saws I have and have had them pop the breaker and that is when I figured out what was going on. A new set of brushes for the one fixed that problem and $10 sure is better then $100 plus for a new saw

 

[Ivan in Mich]

I have the dewalt chop saw and mine will pop the breaker also and it sits a foot from the breaker panel. It has done this from the time I bought it new. Sent it back and new one does the same thing so I just take it easy. On cutting I try and make sure the blade is not making a flat cut by positioning the work so it is alwasys cutting from the edge.

 

[JDseller]

They others have pegged it. Check your brushes first. When you get that handled try a different brand of blade. I have found that the Milwaukee and Dewalt cut better than the cheaper brands. Some of the blades are too hard an will not cut very well but last longer but what do you gain if it takes more time/electric to do the job.

I have an elcheapo blade that is so hard it will not hardly cut anything. It is great for sharpening mason drill bits. I can use the narrow part to cut the relief back into them.

 

[Tom-NorthCenTX]

Better be careful using using the technique you described as "really bear down and put your weight on them". I have seen the discs explope and really throw some mean looking pieces in every direction. I have a dewalt for 13 years now and it still cuts good, but will throw the breaker sometimes at startup. Tom

 

[Greenday]

Sounds like a problem possibly with the brand or type of blade

 

[Mark-Ia]

Take your blade off and turn it around. The sides tend to get glazed and not allow it to cut as it should.

 

[salser]

For those having trouble with popping breakers when they first start the chop saw, I was having the same problem - my Makita would pop the breaker on a 20 amp circuit right as I was starting it up about 50% of the time. Replacing the breaker with the same type of breaker didn't help, but what did help was going to an electrical supply house and getting a 20amp breaker with a different trip profile. I can't remember the name, but it might have been called a slow blow breaker or a slow trip breaker. Anyhow, it completely fixed the problem. Note however that I was having the breaker tripping problem when the saw was being started, not while it was under heavy load while cutting something.

 

[JRSutton]

Since others have covered the blade and brushes -
I'd add that it's also worth checking the alignment of the blade.

If you're off - you may not notice the extra friction of trying to cut (or more accurately "grind") with the side of the blade until you get an inch or two into a cut. Then it can start to add up very quickly and act like a brake on the blade.

Make a deep cut into something tall and thin, with dependably parallel sides. Flip it backwards, and run the blade through it again (with no power) to see if it catches anywhere - if it does, you're out of alignment.

Repeat with a wide flat piece, cutting a shallow groove.

(if you don't want to bother - at least look for a shower of sparks coming from one face more than the other while cutting - or obvious excess wear on one side of the blade)

Even if this doesn't fix your problem, it's always good to have a saw that's perfectly square anyways.

 

[John T]

Okay, after reading yalls comments, I beat er on down (as my 86 yo neighbor says) to the shop, removed the brushes and end plate and found:

Brushes are still plenty long enough,,,,,,,no pits or melting or burning on the commutator,,,,,,commutator was dirty somewhat coated and the insides were pretty dusty n dirty,,,,,,,,,

So I blew out all the dust,,,,,shined up the commutator and brush ends and the brush mounts and contacts,,,,,,,,cleaned n polished n spread open the plug blades,,,,,

She still runs fine so I'm gonna invest in a new blade (not all that expensive) and give her a try, I think after all that for what I paid ($40) plus a new blade its gonna do a good enough job for me even if I have to go a bit slower there when Im on a big flat portion and I will mount my iron so Im cutting at the angle as described below.......

THANKS GANG see why I love this place !!!

John T

 

[wisbaker]

When you get to the "wide" part you're grinding through a much bigger area, that takes more work. Take it easy when you hit the wide part, slow down it'll save your saw and make you less likely to experience the thrill of HSLA (high speed low angle) things flying through the air in your direction. Besides when you have to stop and reset the breaker your not gaining any time, SLOW DOWN it'll go quicker, you won't save time by breaking your tools or going to the emergency room!

 

[old]

I own 2 working chop saws and here not long ago I had a chance to buy a metal cutting band saw and I jump on it with both feet. I think I payed less then $25 for it but did need to do a bit or work to it to make it work. I am tell you this just so if you see one at auction for a cheap price you might want to buy it also. Nice thing is you can turn on the band saw and let it do its thing and walk away from it. And yes if you can it is best never to cut flat stock or other such stuff so that you have a big flat area to cut across

 

[wilson ind]

Get a good lawyer sue Dewalt!!!!! Be careful bearing down on that thing I don't like many people but you happen to be one I do!!

 

[John T]

Glad Im NOT one you dislike neighbor. What are you a "grouchy old man" lol

John T

 

[wilson ind]

I Been taking the Dave 2 correspondence course on people unskills!!!

 

[MSM]

I have 2 that do the same thing,usually when asking alot out of them. I have found that using a thinner disc makes a big difference. May have to go to a welding supply store to find them.

 

[36 Coupe]

A fellow I know pinched a chop saw blade.It shattered and cut his throat.He has had several operations to remove fragments of the wheel from his neck.One fragment lodged in the muscles in the back of his neck.Close to his spinal cord.He has a scar from his bottom lip to his breastbone.Ill stick to my 4x6 power hack saw.

 

[Anonymous-0]

wisbaker, you are 100% right.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I see only Sam mentioned it but different blades can make a HUGE difference on chop saw!!! A lot of them just plug up and glaze when cutting wider sections. Makita blades work really well and so do Walter. Let the saw do the work and don't force it. If the piece and the blade are just turning orange, you could be cutting for hours and not making any progress. First thing to do is go buy a Makita blade and try it out. It could be like night and day difference! If doing straight cuts on angle, turn the angle so it's like an upside down V when cutting.

 

[Jason the Red]

John, Wisbaker has it right. The issue you are having is not an electrical issue, however the result is.
I have used several different chopsaws almost daily over the years and have suffered from the same problem frequently. When sawing through a horizontal surface, you are cutting through more surface area, hence more resistance. Add to that resistance, mill scale or oily residue gumming up the blade and the blade cannot efficiently cut the material. The natural reaction is to press harder which overworks the motor and causes the fault.
What I have found is if the material being cut is lifted slightly to create a prevailing edge for the blade to grab, the saw will cut better.
Hope this helps, as you are always one to help others

Jason

 

[John T PS]

So I went to Lowes and bought a new Dewalt 1/4 x 14 Blade and will try it tomorrow. The blades they had were either 1/4 like my old glazed one or 7/64 so I went with the thicker heavier 1/4 like it had. With the clean and polished commutator and cleaning out the dust and servicing the plug etc I betcha it will work better now. It wasnt all that bad before, it would just trip, the breaker if you were too long or too hard on the flat surface of steel.

John T

 

[Jon Hagen]

Use the narrow cutting disc and make sure it says for metal cutting. Takes about 1/2 the energy to cut through a thick piece of steel with the 7/64 VS the 1/8 disc.
We like the long life and easy cutting of the Makita 7/64 disc, have had trouble with Dewalt discs glazing over if you get the metal too hot.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A 1/4" blade? You'd have trouble cutting tin foil with a 1/4" blade! Grinding wheels for angle grinders are 1/4" thick! Zip disc's for cutting are are as thin as 3/64" for angle grinders. Get a Walter or Makita chop saw blade, I know they work a lot better than most others. You should be able to get a blade about 3/32" or 7/64" thick for a chop saw.

 

[M-MAN]

A 1/4 inch of steel is a lot to cut at one time so slow down old friend. We'd like to keep you around a while.

 

[Slowpoke]

I had one at work that did the same thing. It had a real hard time cutting the flat section of angle but did the upright section easily. And it couldn't handle something like 2" square stock at all. It would just about stop cutting after a few seconds. But it didn't throw the breaker.
I wouldn't trade my metal cutting band saw for 3 of those chop saws.

 

[John T PS]

Thats what I get for not having my glasses on lol its a 7/64 NOT 1/4 (16/64)

John T

 

[JDseller]

A trick I use when every my chop saw blade glazes over and quits cutting it to dress the cutting end with a stone dressing stick. The kind you use on a grinding wheel to get it back to flat.

Many times when my angle grinder quits cutting well I just grind a limestone rock a little and it cleans the wheel out so it will cut better.

 

[Anonymous-0]

At least you weren't writing a legal document. LoL

 

[Jon Hagen]

Until you need to cut a chunk of hardened steel or bad steel with hard spots in it, then the chop saw looks pretty good .

I have both chop saw and band saw in my shop, each has it's place.