[AT] OT - Harbor Freight sliding miter saw update

[Grant Brians]

Richard, last year I bought a standard DeWalt power miter saw at a yard sale
for about $40. Perfect price and it works beautifully including the slowdown
clutch. It doesn't have the second angle of the new compound miter saws, but
it is well engineered. I had craved one of these and looked at the Chinese
models and decided NO because of all the reasons you mentioned.
    I hope all is well with you, I'll catch up off list....
        Grant Brians
        Hollister CA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Walker" <richardwalker at pobox.com>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 9:04 AM
Subject: [AT] OT - Harbor Freight sliding miter saw update


> My thanks (with reservations!) go to whoever alerted the list about the
$99
> deal for a 10" sliding compound miter saw deal at Harbor Freight.
>
> I didn't feel comfortable with ordering the saw on-line due to worrying
> about the possibility of finding a fault and then having to eat paying a
> high freight charge to return the 50-pound saw for warrantee.  I checked
> with the manager of my local HF store and he said since they don't stock
> that model, it could NOT be returned to them if ordered on-line and it
> proved to be faulty.  They only handle exchanges/refunds on items bought
> directly though their store, not on catalog purchases.
>
> So instead I bought the saw from a HF store 45 miles from me which did
have
> it in stock and would honor the warrantee if returned to them.  I hauled
it
> home, unpacked it, plugged it in, and squeezed the switch. It ran for
about
> half-a-second, then quit.
>
> OK, figured I would do some simple troubleshooting before returning the
> saw, just in case it was a bad wire connection at the plug or a switch
> malfunction.  Continuity check, voltage check, etc. I'd rather fix it
> myself, even if it took a few minutes, instead of doing a 90-mile round
> trip to return the saw.  I mean, what's so hard about taking a switch out
> of a power tool?  Right.  Took out the four screws which were securing the
> plastic handle half, and as I was removing the half, SPROING!!!  The damn
> thing had Jesus pins inside related to the safety interlocking
> mechanism.  Jesus pins are, in case you don't know, small components that
> spring out of equipment while being disassembled and wind up under the
> workbench, lost in the dirt, out of sight twenty feet away, or otherwise
> gone for good.  You then shout "Jesus!" very loudly.
>
> The wiring checked out fine, the switch checked out fine, the brushes
> checked out fine, the motor windings had continuity, no clue as to the
> problem.  So I buttoned the saw back up (minus the several missing Jesus
> pins!) and will return it soon for another one.  If this next one proves
> bad too, I'll simply request a refund and forget about owning one.
>
> Was wondering how the rest of you who bought these saws like them.  My
> thoughts are that the construction seems typical of most Asian machinery,
> being light (cost-cutting), and somewhat  Mickey Mouse in design,
> especially when you look at things like adjustment procedures, etc.  But
at
> 1/5 the price of an equivalent Makita or De Walt sliding miter saw, it
> seems to have a place in a shop where it will just get occasional usage.
>
> Provided it runs, that is!
>
>
> Richard
>
>
> Richard & Judy Walker
> Monrovia, CA
>
> richardwalker @ pobox.com
> judywalker @ pobox.com
> delete spaces to use addresses
>
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