Evolution Rage 3 saw is crooked

[GirlnAgarage]

Edit: video of problem - http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/7227/w3a.mp4


I had this in my garage thread but decided to move it here for some tool exposure.

I got an Evolution Rage 3 sliding miter saw for Christmas. So thrilled

Took it out to the garage to work on a project. Before cutting on my work pieces I tested it on some 1x2.5" scrap. The result of a 0* cut netted a less than 90* end.

I figured the fence was off so I attempted to square it. I ran the cut again and got the cut a little closer, but it is still off. I adjusted the table thinking the miter degree indicator is off. But between the fence, table and square I couldn't true up the blade I figured for the project I was cutting it wouldn't be that big a deal. So I pulled out a wider piece of ply board, about 7" wide. I pulled the saw out and made a sliding cut. The machine runs beautifully and cut the ply nice with the low RPM

But it also cut this

I think the head is crooked somewhere since it cut the table guides. The table and head are bolted together.

Here's the parts diagram: http://www.evolutionpowertools.co.uk/downloads/02partslist/rage3uk.pdf

I go to poking around considering it is the mounting unit to the table (#44). But those bolt holes are not adjustable and the piece is roll pinned in. It couldn't have been bumped and moved there. I look at the sliding assembly thinking the rods are somehow off but they run true. I then loosen the handle for the bevel angle adjustment (#M2) and the blade trues up in the table guide channel - bingo!

When I tighten the bevel angle adjustment it cranks down and twists the sliding assembly(#69) skewing it to one side. Is this really a well thought out design? I called Evolution and left a message since they're still out for the holidays. Does anyone else have this problem with their Rage 3, or any of their compound miter saws for that matter?

I'm a bit annoyed that a saw that sells for a few bills has such an elementary problem. I have called Evolution and left a message. I did submit the online product registration on Christmas day. I expect Evolution will take care of this problem, but I'm disappointed that this is even an issue.

 

[Mandres]

I haven't heard of this particular model or brand. How did a guy in TX end up with a British SCMS ?

I suggest sending it back where it came from.

 

[blue dog]

I have a 12" hitachi compound saw that fell over in the truck when the brakes were applied on the heavy side, it has the exact same problem. Tried for hours to true it back up, did not succeed. Sent it out to the hitachi authorized repair center and have not received it back.
***** for you that it came out of the box like this. Is this one of the models that can cut steel as well as wood ?
I have been looking at the evo steel cold saw. Hope it works out for you.

 

[geologist]

RMA it and they'll repair or replace. It's *probably* a localized incident, but really hard to say.

 

[porphyre]

Man, that *****. I hadn't heard of this saw until you started posting about it. You seemed really excited about getting one. Hope everything works out...

 

[GirlnAgarage]

blue dog, that's correct. Exactly why I was so excited about it. I do plenty of wood projects to need a miter saw. And I didn't have an efficient way to cut metal for metal projects. This was a perfect solution for me. Wood saws run too high an RPM for metal, but with this one I can run any blade I prefer for the material. Versatile for sure.

Steven, that's what I'm hoping for, it being one that slipped through QC cracks. My first hint that it did was there was a spare washer (loose) that was jammed up under one of the bolt &washers securing the fence. Not a big thing but something noticeable.

Mandres, gotta love the global market


I'm gonna wait 'til DH gets home to load it up and head to Lowes to see if they'll exchange it. (He's my heavy lifting mule) I can run other there myself but it's a production If they let me exchange I'll open up the new one there and see if it exhibits the same problem. No need to bring home anther with the same issue. I don't feel like waiting around until after the holidays for a call back. I want my new saw NOW.

 

[rlitman]

That kind of reminds me of the original Delta miter saws where you just cut into a block of wood (there was no rotating slot).

I know that i had to adjust the protractor on my Dewalt to get it to cut straight when set to 90 degrees (and the bevel stops, which are those set screws that bump into those cast protrusions), but I never had to adjust it that way. That's a bit concerning, and makes me think either they have no QC, or it was damaged in transit.

I'd unplug it, lock the blade in the down position, slide it all the way out, and push/pull it sideways to see if anything is loose. If everything fits right, then I would consider adjusting the head so the blade falls in the middle of the slot, but only if I could be sure that it's not just a minor adjustment issue, and not something deeper (like a twist in the support arm, or a loose bushing allowing one rail to move more than another which lets it run off course). Of course, if you do end up fixing it, be sure Evolution sends you a replacement set of those plastic inserts.

Once you're past that part, only then can you adjust the stops and protractor for square. Just remember that if you put a square on the table, and try to get the blade vertical, it should only be in contact with the blade at the tooth, and then you need to adjust it until the gap between the square and the blade is even, all the way up.

 

[rlitman]

to load it up and head to Lowes to see if they'll exchange it. . . .see if it exhibits the same problem. No need to bring home anther with the same issue.

I haven't seen this in stores around here. If that's the case, that is certainly the best thing to try. If it were mail order (as I had assumed), then the hassle of shipping it back might be more than a quick fix. But if this really was the one made at 4:55 on a Friday, then that quick fix might run deeper than you hoped.

Best of luck to you with this! This really seems like a perfect tool for the type of stuff you build. I sometimes wonder how I would cope without my sliding compound miter saw. That thing has worn through half a dozen carbide blades already, just cutting wood.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I haven't seen this in stores around here. If that's the case, that is certainly the best thing to try. If it were mail order (as I had assumed), then the hassle of shipping it back might be more than a quick fix. But if this really was the one made at 4:55 on a Friday, then that quick fix might run deeper than you hoped.

Best of luck to you with this! This really seems like a perfect tool for the type of stuff you build. I sometimes wonder how I would cope without my sliding compound miter saw. That thing has worn through half a dozen carbide blades already, just cutting wood.

When I began shopping around I looked at online sources. I saw that Lowe's offered the option of buying online, shipping to your store and you could pick it up. I figured this was the way to go (Amazon and other stores were more expensive). This is what DH was planning to do but he said when he looked on the Lowes page to order it showed "In Stock" at the store. So he drove down and bought it there.

He told me this after I opened it up and it surprised me too that it was in stock. I had never seen them on the shelf. I'm still skeptical. I'm wondering if DH actually picked up a saw that someone else ordered online




I did a video real quick of the problem: http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/7227/w3a.mp4

 

[rlitman]

Well the video sums up the issue pretty well, but it's making me queasy with my face so close to the blade.

Yeah, that doesn't seem right at all. I can understand that things move a little with the bevel clamp loose, but that's quite a bit. Anyway, looking at that, I suspect that if you flip the bevel to the other side, it'll just get even worse when you loosen the clamp.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

lol sorry - couldn't hold the cam (at a better angle) and turn the handle at the same time.


It's as if the gap on the two mounting faces is too big. There is a real thin shim/washer in between the two faces. My first though to solve this big gap is to crank down the nut (#76). But that's a pretty obvious mark if it didn't. Don't want to give anyone an excuse to deny the fix/replacement.

 

[krnbk2]

Slightly off topic. What exactly makes this saw unique so that it can cut through steel, aluminum, etc over say a traditional miter saw?

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Slightly off topic. What exactly makes this saw unique so that it can cut through steel, aluminum, etc over say a traditional miter saw?

The RPM which the blade turns. Metal saws use a much lower RPM while regular wood saws are much faster. Since the RPM is in the metal cutting range, now the work falls on choosing the right blade. This particular saw uses a "multipurpose" blade. The type/number of teeth on the blade is what makes the difference on the materials. Wood blades use less teeth. Metal needs a few more.

 

[Steevo]

They make a really cool fully shrouded circular saw version of this saw too.
I am hoping your warranty exchange goes well, as I'd like to do business with this company myself.

 

[rlitman]

The RPM which the blade turns. Metal saws use a much lower RPM while regular wood saws are much faster. Since the RPM is in the metal cutting range, now the work falls on choosing the right blade. This particular saw uses a "multipurpose" blade. The type/number of teeth on the blade is what makes the difference on the materials. Wood blades use less teeth. Metal needs a few more.

The tooth profile is different too. Regular wood cutting blades have a tooth with a deep gullet behind them, and nothing more. These steel and multipurpose blades have a raker behind the tooth to prevent taking too deep of a cut. It's kind of how a chainsaw works, and its how you can cut steel, because the carbide will cut the steel just fine, but only a thousandth or so at a time.

 

[tonydanzah]

Whoever makes that saw also made my rigid 12" compound sliding miter saw

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Yay! New saw in the garage and it works properly! Big shout out to Lowes. They allowed me to return/refund and repurchase the new saw (essentially exchange). The employees were skeptical when I explained the problem because the saws get great reviews. When I offered to show them, they believed me lol They also allowed me to open up the new box to check and see if the new saw exhibited the same problem as the other. It did not. Even the display model was solid and straight. I got a dud I guess.

And Lowe's does now stock the Rage 3, at least in my store. So yall keep your eyes open at your local stores. Thanks Lowes for taken care of me.

 

[Nighttrain]

Glad that worked out. I am wondering if it had a loose bearing on one of the two radial (tubes)? I am in the market to upgrade my 12" compound miter saw with a radial compound miter and have just about had my hands on each make. Some of the ones in the store I have noticed have loose giudes on the arms. Not sure if that would cause it to go that far thou.

 

[Rayko]

Thank you so very much for your posting. I own a Rage 3 Saw. I originally purchased the saw because it could cut steel as well as wood, and my primary need is for cutting steel. It works great. I have had the saw since 2011.

Recently I needed to make some critical cuts that were 11" long in 1/4" steel plate. It had to be square. However, I discovered that the saw was not cutting straight, and over the 11" length it was off by 1/8". Way too much for my need. I could tolerate 1/32" but that's it.

I did everything to try and solve the problem, not unlike this original post. Nothing worked. I even called the Evolution Company for technical help, and they couldn't help... Fortunately an internet search turned up this post.

Replacing the thin plastic washer underneath the "orange clamp handle" (that locks the side tilt function) with a combination of the thin plastic washer (to facilitate a smooth operation), combined with a standard steel washer which pressed against the cast steel frame of the Tilt Mechanism, solved the problem completely. The saw now cuts straight.

Thank you so very much for the advice.

Rayko

 

[Aquaticbob]

Replacing the thin plastic washer underneath the "orange clamp handle" (that locks the side tilt function) with a combination of the thin plastic washer (to facilitate a smooth operation), combined with a standard steel washer which pressed against the cast steel frame of the Tilt Mechanism, solved the problem completely. The saw now cuts straight.

Thank you so very much for the advice.

Rayko

This is a good piece of information to have! I plan on picking up one of these evolution saws here in the near future, so now I will know what to do when it starts cutting off center

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Thank you so very much for your posting. I own a Rage 3 Saw. I originally purchased the saw because it could cut steel as well as wood, and my primary need is for cutting steel. It works great. I have had the saw since 2011.

Recently I needed to make some critical cuts that were 11" long in 1/4" steel plate. It had to be square. However, I discovered that the saw was not cutting straight, and over the 11" length it was off by 1/8". Way too much for my need. I could tolerate 1/32" but that's it.

I did everything to try and solve the problem, not unlike this original post. Nothing worked. I even called the Evolution Company for technical help, and they couldn't help... Fortunately an internet search turned up this post.

Replacing the thin plastic washer underneath the "orange clamp handle" (that locks the side tilt function) with a combination of the thin plastic washer (to facilitate a smooth operation), combined with a standard steel washer which pressed against the cast steel frame of the Tilt Mechanism, solved the problem completely. The saw now cuts straight.

Thank you so very much for the advice.

Rayko

Rayko, thank you for this information, this is good stuff. In the back of my mind I wondered if this part/connection will turn into a wear item the longer I have & the more use the saw. If it does come up again, I'll know how to handle it.

Thanks again