Modifying an old miter saw for accuracy

[Woodworks by John]

My 10 year old Ryobi saw had lost it's accuracy due to the detents in the base becoming worn and sloppy. I removed the fence and added my own table with a perfect 90 degree block, centered on the blade. I am now able to cut exact miters and have also made a length stop for repeated cuts. If anyone needs this info contact me and I will give you details. It sure beats spending $500.00 or so to replace the saw or else buy an attachment for my tablesaw.

 

[framerguy]

John,
I solved the wear-out problem by setting up 2 LS-1030 chop saws, one facing 45 degrees left and the other ........well, you can figure that one out.

My problem now is, after 10 years of faithful service, the brakes on each one of my saws have stopped braking!!

I can't figure out where to access the automatic blade brake on these Makita saws to clean them. They work intermittently which seems to indicate that sawdust may have gotten into the system somewhere and stops the brakes from engaging all the time.

If anybody has an answer or can point me to the "brake pedal" I'd appreciate the help.

 

[wpfay]

I had trouble with an old saw that was only braking when it felt like it. The brushes were shot as well, so I replaced them and the darned brake started working again. Don't know if the two are related but I didn't do anything else to solve the problem.