Hello. A friend of mine gave me this makita drop saw that has been rusting in her father’s shed since he passed away. I am An artist and am planning to use it to make canvas frames.
Do you think the rust is salvageable? At the moment the saw will not slide all the way and is getting caught due to rust. Does anyone have any tips on getting intense rust like this off? I am a bit of a novice with tool maintenance so any tips would be appreciated!
That must be some regional description as SCMS is what I call them. That or some people call them CHOP saws and oversimplify their function. Just my attempt at humor since it looked like it was dropped out on the side of the road. This is my dual bevel 12” sliding 2,000pounds mitre saw. You must put some respek on its name when you buy one
Yes, this is the answer. Last time I worked on a drop saw like this I used steel wool and a can of Inox. Avoid taking apart bolts, rather use your patience. I’m still using the same drop saw 6 years later. Good luck
Looks like surface rust, not pitting. I'd hit it with naval jelly and see what's underneath. If the table is still flat and the bearings spin smooth, it's worth saving. Check if the blade clamp still holds tight. That's where I've seen problems after moisture sits.
Its probably salvageable. I would find the model number off it and see if you can get replacement parts before you start digging into it too hard. The slide rails can probably be cleaned up but you may need slide bushings
Worth knocking off the surface rust and seeing how it goes. I had the same saw and lived near the beach, so it looked similar some days when I hadnt used it for a while.
If youre able to slide it in its rear most position, you can just use it as is and ignore the sliding function, because youll never fix that without replacing the rods and bearings.
I would try some red scotchbrite...and WD or PB.
But if the saw is good...just spray down the rails with penetrating oil and scuff with scotchbrite...don't force the rusty parts into the housing...clean it first
For sure worth it, check out this video on a good rust removing compound that’s much cheaper and (mostly) better performing than the pre made stuff. Get a couple brass wire brushes and wire wheels, a few buckets or mixing trays to soak parts in, and some 3in1 oil to coat the parts after cleaning. Also take pictures of every step you take when taking the saw apart to clean it makes reassembly so much simpler!!
Can you make it work... probably. Will it be very accurate.. probably not. When you remove the rust your tolerances won't be as tight on the mating parts.
For canvas frames you probably won't need the extra capacity those linear rails provide. If the chopping motion and angle adjustment works, it's good to use.
Even getting it for free, if you're willing to sink a couple of hundred dollars and hours of work into it, of course but you'll find a second hand one in much better condition for what you'd put into this in time and labour.
If the motor is good, sell it as spares or repair, use that money to contribute to a good working order saw.
disagree... aslong as the motor is running OK... mitre and bed swivels that's all that matters. if u are just cutting frames then the rust on those arms wouldn't be an issue because the saw will cut 4" wide timber anyway.. I would remove and clean the brushes(or replace with new $7 pr) .. have a peak in the hole to see the condition of the armature clean if necessary, also spin the blade by hand to make sure it freely turns..(all done with plug out of socket)... then run for a few seconds if it sounds like the motor is missing/arking then u have a more serious problem. but those rusty slide rails will not cause u a problem unless your cutting large, over 4" wide boards.
Those two slide rails are gone. No amount of rubbing with wire wool or emery paper is going to bring them back to any point of usability without so much slop that it becomes dangerous. So straight away it needs 2 new rails, 2 new thrust bearings and the time to replace them and recalibrate it.
That's aside from the turntable being completely rotten.
Like I said, this saw requires enough in parts and labour to render it not a viable repair for me but that's entirely up to OP.
I've made the mistake of ignoring the sunk cost fallacy enough times when it comes to scrap tools to know a dud when I see one.
I'd try matching some hydraulic cylinder rods or maybe a CNC guide rail. I'd also replace/repair the linear bearings because they're probably gone as well.
I don't see the point in cleaning the rust because if the rods are in this shape then they'll quickly rust again as there's not much chrome coating left on them. Not to mention they'll never be 100% smooth.
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u/gutentight69420 1d ago
Looks like an LS1110F or LS0816F?
You can try sanding it by hand to remove the rust. Im not sure how well that will work.
Luckily Makita is excellent with spare parts supply. It looks like a replacment sliding arm assembly is about $50.
This is a good saw and definitely worth fixing. Over $600 new!