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I have the HF 98194 12" compound miter saw. Got the 12" version because I felt most of my cuts would be on 2x4 and larger type lumber and precision wasn't the main factor, although it has been more than accurate enough for this.
After equipping it with a diamond blade and making 130 cuts on concrete pavers, the slide function got rougher and rougher and was pretty well caked with the super-fine powder that came from the cuts. I disassembled the slides in order to get at the insides with an air gun. I made an interesting discovery. There were two linear motion bearings on the right side (45mm x 30mm x50mm) and a simple bushing 13mm deep on the left side near the front of the support arm housing. Pretty much what the parts listing called for except that bushing on the left should have been approximately 50mm long when eyeballing the parts listing. Not much support plus quite a bit of friction since there was no rolling bearing on the left.
I checked the current manuals for 12" miter saws offered and discovered different configurations. 61970 has 3 linear motion bearings (better setup than mine) and 61969 shows 4 linear motion bearings (much better than mine). The specs on the two current saws are identical, but the number of linear motion bearings has just got to be a consideration if you want a smoother operation.
I have a request in now to HF to find out if the linear motion bearings (LM30UU) are available so I can press them in place on the left side and hopefully improve the operation of my saw.
If you plan on buying one of these, or any other brand/model, I would suggest taking the time to look at the parts catalog to find out how they are configured.
Mike
After equipping it with a diamond blade and making 130 cuts on concrete pavers, the slide function got rougher and rougher and was pretty well caked with the super-fine powder that came from the cuts. I disassembled the slides in order to get at the insides with an air gun. I made an interesting discovery. There were two linear motion bearings on the right side (45mm x 30mm x50mm) and a simple bushing 13mm deep on the left side near the front of the support arm housing. Pretty much what the parts listing called for except that bushing on the left should have been approximately 50mm long when eyeballing the parts listing. Not much support plus quite a bit of friction since there was no rolling bearing on the left.
I checked the current manuals for 12" miter saws offered and discovered different configurations. 61970 has 3 linear motion bearings (better setup than mine) and 61969 shows 4 linear motion bearings (much better than mine). The specs on the two current saws are identical, but the number of linear motion bearings has just got to be a consideration if you want a smoother operation.
I have a request in now to HF to find out if the linear motion bearings (LM30UU) are available so I can press them in place on the left side and hopefully improve the operation of my saw.
If you plan on buying one of these, or any other brand/model, I would suggest taking the time to look at the parts catalog to find out how they are configured.
Mike
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