# Table Saw motor not working after cleaning sawdust from it



## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

So, I take the shop-vac and prop the table saw back off it's stand (Hitachi work site saw c10fr,) undoing the bolts so I can mount it onto a shop made stand. Blowing with the air compressor and getting sawdust out of nooks and crannies and generally cleaning it up to mount on the stand clean.

After I set it on the stand, NOT bolted down, just starting it up because I've heard these things might be sensitive sometimes, and it doesn't start. I checked the reset button and nothing, no resistance or anything. It's a sealed fuse box basically, so I can't just check and change a fuse it that's the problem. I jumped the two wires going into the reset button/fuse box but nothing, so I'm guessing it's not that that's the problem, but something in the motor which was working fine yesterday, you know when it was dirty and filled with sawdust…

UGH! I obviously can't cut anything, and Hitachi s giving me the runaround telling me they find no proof that I registered the product which I did immediately upon receiving it for a gift. (I wouldn't buy a Hitachi tablesaw if it was my choice, because it's way too proprietary as to the miter slot and crappy fence and a few other things. BUT that's what I was given. It's not like I can just go out and buy a new saw, and no I don't need suggestions to go buy another one.

Has anyone ever had any problems like this? is it from tipping the saw to clean it? That doesn't really make much sense, since it's made to break down and be pulled along on the wheels which would tilt the motor also.

I thought cleaning the dust from the motor would be a good thing, but it doesn't seem it is after all.


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## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

Did you read the manual ? Maybe there is a trouble shooting section there.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

dude, if I was there in person, I'd punch you in the face! I'm not stupid!

Try coming back to a thread of mine, when you have something productive to offer. You rarely have anything to help anyone.


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## jeh412 (Feb 27, 2009)

Did you try something else in the outlet to make sure the circuit breaker isn't tripped?


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

Yeah, John I sure did. It's narrowed down to the saw, I plugged a radio into that outlet and nothing, halogen lights, nothing…


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

???? You plugged stuff into the outlet, nothing works. Sound like the outlet has no power to give to the saw.


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## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

You think that punching me in the face would be smart ? And people wonder why I get an attitude ? Goodluck with your Playskool saw.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

sorry, not what I meant Joe… It does work, nothing more from the table saw when I tried again.

I purposely didn't edit the post above that said I got nothing. Unlike you Woodchuck.

Woodchuck, quit trolling.


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## cedarforests (Feb 19, 2009)

hey thug check your switch with all that dust flying it may have compromised a contact ,is power getting to the switch is power coming out the end ? if so your problem isnt electric .


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

You probably blew a wire clip off, or worse case broke a wire by blowing into the motor. If you ar going to try to fix it yourself it's motor dissassembly time and see what you see. I don't know how that motor is constructed, but some motors also have electrical contacts inside and possibly you blew a chip of wood between the contacts.


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

Maybe you just blew dust into the on/off switch box? try wiping the contacts


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

Joe, that's possible, but I won't be taking the motor apart as I know nothing about the insides of motors.

Kiwi, the on off switch is sealed.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

In the old days you could take the motor to a motor repair shop, but I don't know if those places exist anymore in our throwaway world. I doubt that there is an off the shelf motor for that application so it would seem that you have to work with Hitachi - or you know buy a "better" saw.

A lesson learned the hard way - use compressed air judiciously. In my former life one of my buddies was a machine shop manager and he had a rule for the shop - never clean a machine tool with compressed air. Granted, that was in metal cutting shop, but some of the same principles apply in a wood shop as well.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

I think Joe is onto your problem. Many motor have a starter contacts that are centrifugally operated. The contacts have to touch when the motor comes to a stop- so it will start the next time. When the motor is started, the spinning of the armature causes the contacts to open. Maybe the air pressure forced a chip between the contacts. I had an old Sears Radial Arm that did this on a regular basis. If you still have the motor on the bench, try spinning the shaft by hand. If it is the starter switch, the motor may run if you manually start it.

As I reread your post, and I don't mean to insult you, did you try pressing the wire into the back of the power plug? If the wire failed at the junction of the plug strain relief and the cord, it would cause this. This is a weak spot on any cord and can fail easily especially when unplugging the cord.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

Joe, you're right, lesson learned. I have an older Craftsman Contractors saw still, so all is not totally lost, yet.

Les, not an insult at all. I'm no electrician at all, and I actually had to go to my Step Father house a mile or so away, to get his voltage meter, ( and school me on it). I'm about to try seeing if there's voltage going through all the way, and if I can't get things going, I'll take the motor to him and we'll pull it apart and check things out. As for the other part, I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean the contact on the on off switch? Those are all pushed on tightly. I do know from testing the reset switch that the circuit is ok there, just have to go to the actual wires now.


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## smokey1945 (Feb 20, 2009)

I am new here so my thoughts are probably not worth too much. But when I was drivig a big truck and had an alternater going out, I would whack it a couple of times with a hardwood stick and get a lot more miles out of it. Worth a try. Just a thought. )


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

that's the best response yet! If I had a stick I didn't mind breaking…

The motor has good voltage, but the ground on the power wire coming in, is jumpy. I'm thinking it maybe got kinked, and possibly is the cause?


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

A bad ground wire would not keep it from running. Would be a safety issue though. (You could be fried if you get between the saw and a ground in the event there is another electrical problem in the saw.)


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Ric,

I was thinking that the wires, inside the saw's power cord, may have broken off at the plug (where you plug it into the wall receptacle). But you just said you measured good voltage at the motor so that eliminates that possibility. My thought about the ground wire would be that it is not causing the problem OOPs just saw Joe posted my thought here.

Did you try to manually start the motor by spinning the pulley shaft. This is no joke- wrap a piece of rope around the pulley or shaft (don't tie it onto the shaft or pulley!), plug in the motor, pull the rope like you were starting a lawn mower (Hold onto the motor!)- if the problem is a starting contactor, the motor should run until you unplug it. If it does run, you could use the compressed air again while it is running to try and dislodge any dirt that was trapped between the contactor points.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

as it turns out, that was ok too, it just was jumpy when I tried it the first time, after that, it was solid every time. I can't take the motor off tonight, as I'm too frustrated and will only be more frustrated, I'm sure, if I continue tonight. Thanks anyway Joe.

Lew, it's a direct drive. Probably one of the problems anyway, besides being a junk table saw. It's about as useful as an 8" tabletop saw is to a master carpenter. I'm told that if I open the motor, that I should check where the brushes are, and see if the gaps that should be there, are filled with particles of dust, and if so, to clean them if I can. I really hate this idea but it seems necessary at this point, if I want the second saw to work when I need it this weekend.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Lew has a good idea about using the air again. Before you tear it apart, blow into it again with much gusto and maybe you'll get lucky and fix it. At this point it won't hurt it anymore than it's already been.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

I think you're right Joe. I'm trying as I type this, to blow it out from both ends and more dust comes out, but at this point, how much worse can it get from blowing air into it?


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

Joe, I don't want this rumor getting around, but you're a GENIUS for pushing me to keep blowing the motor out, before taking it apart. I wish I hadn't had the saw tilted up a bit with my leg near it when I flipped the switch and almost had to change my undies! Talk about Scared! Thanks to MOST of you guys for your helpful suggestions.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Whoop de do - all's well that ends well.


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## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

You thinking it was a ground wire, pretty funny. You almost cuting your leg, predictable and PRICELESS.


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## marcb (May 5, 2008)

I'm not typically one to offer insults, but when you yell at someone claiming to not be stupid, then you do THAT? Makes one wonder.


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## oldskoolmodder (Apr 28, 2008)

Hey troll woodchuck, never said I almost cut my leg, ya dillrod. You arrogant SOB.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

STOP! You guys need to calm down. You're past the point of breaking the posting rules and general civility.

Please stop doing so in the forum or take it outside-- a/k/a to PM's.


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## Tuna (Apr 3, 2015)

had this same problem: sawdust got in somewhere it didn't belong, took off the legs/stand and dumped out the sawdust, banged it on the shop floor a couple of times and it fired up on the first try. Thanks, people.


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