Hitachi/Metabo miter saw making horrible screeching sounds.

[LCHIEN]

After the last few cuts my saw has been making terrible horrible screeching sounds as it ran and coasted to a belabored stop with the blade ringing.
Its a Metabo HPT CD12FDH. 12 inch dual compound miter saw.

I spend the evening looking at bearing replacement procedures, pulleys and lubrications and exploded diagrams.

Well I decided to tear into it and I unplugged it, put the bungee cord on to hold the moving blade guard up and back and was about to remove the blade. I turned the blade a bit and felt the resistance and bad sound.

I turned it a bit backwards some more trying to see where the sounds came from, and this little offcut piece dropped out of the blade housing where it had been sucked up and wedged between the blade and the housing. From the burn marks looks like the pointed edge was rubbing against the blade.


Whew, what a relief. I didn't really relish tearing apart a saw that is not that old and used, for bearing or motor issues.
Maybe I always need to find the little cutoffs and make sure they are disposed of properly.... but then, sometimes they go flying on their own.

[JamesDean19]

Glad you found the culprit before tearing the whole saw apart! Those little offcuts love to sneak into the shroud on some miter saws. Once they wedge in there, the screeching and drag feels exactly like a dying bearing. Good catch pulling the blade guard up and turning it by hand.

[LCHIEN]

thanks. I'm sure I would have found it when I removed the blade, next thing.

[dbhost]

Don't scare me like that! I have the sliding version of that saw, the C12RSH2S and the last thing I want to hear about is them failing! This thing was a FAR cry more expensive compared to the HF saw it replaced! (That is still soldiering on in my friends shop with a metal cutoff blade doing duty as a chop saw)...