Hi, Don. I’m really enjoying the Makita sliding CMS I bought this summer! Have a couple of questions for you….. The safety button above the trigger, the one you have to push before pulling the trigger (switch) gets stuck in the “down” position, meaning one can accidentally power up. Is this button, or more probably its spring, easy to replace? Or do I need some kind of plastic lube so it pops up more easily??
Also, I was cutting a piece of MDO that was wider than the saw’s capability the other day, did a plunge cut doing about 2/3’s of the cut, then flipped it over, aligned it and finished up. Went like a charm. Is there any danger in doing a similar cut with solid wood, thicker stuff??
You’re right, the clamp on this machine is a gem. I was cutting 5/8″ x 7/8″ thick stock into 4.5″ lengths the other day, that clamp actually could hold it down even though it was so small. Easier to adjust than the Bosch clamp too.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
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FG
The little black safety button is removeable, pull it straight out and blow out the hole and check the button for burrs. The buttons are a wear item and I always keep a spare or two on hand. They are removeable like a key to safe the saw if there are youngsters or husbands about unsupervised.
I routinely do the cut you described and think it is safe as long as you make your plunge at max travel of the slide.
Glad you are enjoying the saw!
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SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES...THEY ARE NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING, BUT...THEY STILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS
D. G. already answered your question about the panel cut but I will add my comment. I use the SCMS to cross-cut long stock coming into the shop from my supplier. I use it to do final cross-cutting. With that said I cross-cut wide panels up to the maximum of around 28" on my SCMS by flipping them over.
But... with the general rule of thumb that if it appears to be a shaky without support and clamping it probably is so... provide proper support and clamp it. :>)
Sarge..
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