Tool Repair, Tacoma WA?

[jahill5]

Hey All,

 

I live in Tacoma WA. I have a Dewalt sliding miter saw that needs a little mechanical work. I've tried the factory service center in Seattle, but they are unwilling to help me, as they can not replace all the broken pieces (trim, guards, dust chutes etc) to get it back to factory specs.  I'm not concerned with all the trim pieces, I'm only concerned with motor parts.  Electrical motors are not my forte, and honestly I'd rather spend my free time working "with" my tools, not "on" them. Does anyone have a recommendation for a tool repair business in my area that is willing to work on tools (like an old school repair shop), and is not all wrapped up around plastic parts and factory specs?

[Eric.]

Man good luck with that.  I went to the ends of the earth trying to find someone to work on my Grizzly jointer when it pooped...and I came up empty.  At least you *could* ship your saw somewhere for repair if you had to.  Not sure there's any value in that considering shipping costs but at least it's an option.

[Jfitz]

Hi jahill - what specifically do you need for the motor?  If the motor is totally shot, you might be better off trying to pick up a new saw.  If it's a minor repair, then even though it's not your forte, if it's a straightforward fix you might save yourself some aggravation and money.

[jahill5]

Jfitz,

I'm not sure. The saw still works, but seems to be taking a bit longer to come up to speed, and loses power on bigger cuts.  I suspected it needed a cleaning, and perhaps new brushes. Nothing seems to indicate bearing issues, or gear box problems, and all the wiring and switches seem to be fine. 

I am somewhat quickly realizing that the day and age of "repair" seems to be gone. Warranty service is tough enough; but once you start looking for someone who can replace a bearing, or a brush on a tool they can't just call the manufacturer on, everyone starts looking at you like you have three eyes. I completely get the "new saw" approach, but man... throwing things that can be fixed away always rubs me the wrong way. It's a whole other topic, but I think the "disposable" attitude these days is really causing a ton of society's problems.

[Jfitz]

What model saw?

[jahill5]

It's a Dewalt DW708 Type 3.

[Tom King]

Brushes are easy to replace.  You just screw the cover off, pull the old ones out, put the new ones in, and screw the cover back on. It's a one minute job, and most of that time is finding the screwdriver.  Typically, you will wear out a couple of sets of brushes on a power tool before other stuff starts to wear out.  On my circular saws, I will run through a couple of sets of brushes, and then expect to replace the trigger soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-DW705-Replacement-Carbon-145323-06-2pk/dp/B00EYC4K2E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1496778747&sr=8-4&keywords=dewalt+dw708+parts

Unless it gets into replacing bearings, armatures and such, I can turn a screwdriver and wrench easier than I can take something somewhere.    http://www.ereplacementparts.com/dewalt-dw708-type-crosscut-miter-saw-parts-c-1009_1163_2604.html  Once parts get over 20% of a new one, that tool has long since paid for itself anyway, so is upgraded to another model.

[Ibboykin]

That sounds exactly like a brushes issue and there is nothing easier.  

[jahill5]

It's a Dewalt DW708 Type 3.

So here's the follow up on all this.

 

I dropped my saw off at the Dewalt Factory Service Center in Seattle for a tune up (I have never done on myself, and honestly wasn't interested in doing so).  They told me that there was going to be no problems, that parts were available (I specifically asked), and that the project would take two weeks.  In two weeks I called in and was told that they had gotten behind.  Not a problem, I wasn't in a rush.  Two weeks later I called in again, and was told that it still wasn't done. Two weeks later, I called in again and was told that the saw would not be serviceable as parts were not available. I went up to Dewalt to pick up my saw. (Keep in mind this is after they had it for six weeks)  When I got to the counter they rolled out a fully disassembled saw. I asked why it was all in pieces and the salesman directly told me that since no repairs were made, and there was nothing to bill me for, there was no way to recoup the labor fees for reassembly. I calmly pointed out that I had brought in a fully functioning saw, and expected to leave with my saw in the same condition as I had brought it in. The salesman, paused for a minute, and asked me to step out for a cup of coffee and come back in :20. When I returned, the salesman presented me an assembled saw, which he promptly pointed out, still wouldn't work.  When I asked why, he said that it was missing parts. At this point I was getting fairly hot. I pointed out that it was fully functioning when it came in, and that if it was missing parts they had gone missing while it was there. I further pointed out that they had better "find" some parts pretty quick.  He disappeared into the back. While waiting, another customer in the store told me that service there was always like this, and recommended against having them service anything in the future.. The salesman reappeared and produced parts for me. When I went to load the saw into my truck, I realized that it had not been properly, or carefully assembled, and that nothing was tight.  Deciding against a further fight, I took the saw home.  Following the advise of everyone here, I ordered parts and began a tune up.  At this point I discovered that one of the brushes was completely missing, and the brush cap was not the correct one (it didn't even fit into the hole). Many screws were missing, and plastic parts were just smashed into place.  They obviously had not even reassembled it with all of the correct parts. It's still on my bench waiting on a few more small pieces.  With luck I will be able to get it going again.

I do not think I will ever patronize that business again.

 

Thank you to all of you for the feedback and assistance.

[MattF]

I would write a very professional wordy letter to Dewalt Corporate explain your situation. This level of customer service is completely unacceptable in my book. 

 

I might have been carried out in cuffs if I was you. 

[fastev]

Won't help you now, but next time you might try Barbo Machinery in Portland.  A bit of a haul, but I've had nothing but exemplary service from them each time I've been in.  They do repairs and sell used machinery.  No affiliation, just a happy customer.  Might be worth a call...