Thread: Has anyone got a "burnt-out" PowerMaster 10" Mitre Saw?

Mate I am so sorry, after hanging on to a black and decker compound saw ( that I lent to a mate and it came back stuffed ) for over 9 years I dumped it about 3 months ago in a clean-up rekon the switch would have gone close
BTW i used it as an excuse to get a LS1013 and have never regeted it

Dear Ashore,

Originally Posted by Ashore

Mate I am so sorry, after hanging on to a black and decker compound saw ( that I lent to a mate and it came back stuffed ) for over 9 years I dumped it about 3 months ago in a clean-up rekon the switch would have gone close

The words: "Such is Life..." come to mind (Now, is there a Ned Kelly "smiley" tucked away somewhere?...)

Originally Posted by Ashore

BTW i used it as an excuse to get an LS1013 and have never regretted it

Naughty Ashore! Naughty toolaholic! (like a little Devil perching on my shoulder and whispering in my ear...)

'Tis the thought that counts, though, so Many Thanks all the same Ashore!

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

looks like a pretty standard on/off switch have you tried googling for electrical spare parts or take switch into small appliance repairer to see if their suppliers could help

Dear Fubar,

I did actually have a Google of the switch's Part No., but there were only two pages odd on the whole web that didn't sound like they were links to of some sort or another... Unfortunately, the two non- matches turned out to be unhelpful anyway.

I did indeed also ring the best of the local repairers of brand-name tools, who surprisingly reckoned that the component Part No. meant nothing to him - ie. he only went by the tool manufacturer's Part No., as opposed to a component's stamped Part No. from it's own manufacturer. I then rang Trade Tools for good measure, because they sell a lot of generic gear with their own sticker on it, but again no luck...

I haven't given up yet, but this morning less than 1hr after "scolding" Ashore for trying to tempt me, I was "lured" into the following opportunity that seemed incredibly timely due to the looming possibility of not being able to track down the switch:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=87961
Since I needed a saw quickly, I pounced on the Elu. In doing so, I've also bought myself the time needed to track down another switch for the PowerMaster if there's one out there.

So... Ashore my Good Man, your Little Devil ended up having a victory of sorts after all... I trust you'll approve, even though it's not a Mak...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

Dear Batpig,

Have you pulled apart the handle where the switch is housed? Quite often the switches used are a generic type. If not you could replace the switch with one of a similar rating ie: for an 850 watt motor, divide the 850 by your mains voltage (240 volts) = 3.5 watts. So now you try to find a switch of 3.5 watts or more, that your yellow trigger handle will operate.

Someone like Ozito or GMC should be able to point you in the right direction.

I thought Jaycar may have something, but doesn't look promising (web site - http://www.jaycar.com.au/index.asp) If you get really desperate you could try a mod using their Large Waterproof Pushbutton Momentary SPST Switch - CAT. NO. sp0732
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=652

In the mean time, do you have contact details for the Powermaster Plus distributors? They were in Eastwood, NSW, but I cant find them in the phone book. I need to ask about replacement brushes for a rotary hammer drill. Anybody know where to buy carbon brushes? - I can grind oversized brushes to fit, if I know where to go!

Haroyd

Dear Haroyd,

Yes - I've got the thing apart even as we speak, and you can see a photo of the offending Switch in my first post. It looks okay in the photo, but looks are deceiving - because its just charcoal inside...

I have already contacted the unit's importers, Positec, and they have unfortunately told me that the Switch is no longer available as a Spare Part. It is not at all a common type or model of Switch, and no amount of Googling of it's Component Number will provide me with anything other than a list of dubious links to Russian sites...

Now, with regard to your own hunt for Motor Brushes, Positec no longer markets any of their units as "PowerMaster", but are instead currently badging their tools as either "Rockwell" for M10, or "Worx" for Home and Thrifty. In each case, it is a different range of tools, though. Anyhow, here is a link to the Rockwell website page that contains Positec's e-mail address:
http://www.rockwellpowerequipment.com.au/contact.aspx

In the event that they can't come good on some Brushes for you, I distinctly remember reading a Thread around here somewhere in which one of the Posts said that there was a chap down your way who specialised somewhat in replacement Brushes, to the point of sometimes even grinding those of another model to suit the tool in question. You will have to do some searching of your own to find the Thread.

But before you do anything, there's a pretty good chance that your Rotary Hammer is simply a different coloured version of this particular "stalwart" from Ozito:
http://www.ozito.com.au/productinfo....rodid=RHG-550K
If yes, Ozito will be your best and simplest bet for the Brushes...

Now back to the subject of my Switch, I have already scoured the full range of Switches of all types on offer from both Jaycar and Dick Smith - as well as a couple of other electrical-type outlets, including WES and RPG - all to no avail... Having carefully thought about the layout inside the Saw's handle, and the wiring and Micro-Switch for the Safety-Brake circuit, the best compromise for my purposes will be a 10A DPDT Slimline Rocker or Momentary (either Rocker or Flush-Mount Pushbutton).

So if anyone can point me in the direction of such a Switch, that would be great...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

I had a couple of switches burn out in my old Makita "copy" saw over the years and Carbatec in Melbourne stocked them as a spare item. Last weekend I threw out the saw as it had too many serious problems to keep using and I thought briefly about salvaging the switch but didnt.

Dear Ashes,

Originally Posted by Ashes

I thought briefly about salvaging the switch but didnt.

C'est la vie... (as the French are apparently fond of saying...)

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

There are some power tool repair services around, they may have something suitable

Dear Bob,

Not a bad idea, but the buggers all work on Manufacturer's Part Nos. (ie. Metabo Part No. 123456, which you would obtain from looking at the Exploded Parts Diagram for the unit...) rather than the Component No. stamped on the side of the part itself. I did the rounds of all of the "locals" and none of them were interested; they just don't have the necessary "Tinkerer's" spirit anymore...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

Most of the experienced repairers should be able to look at it and say it looks like a.... and go from there.

Batpig,
Another suggestion that may help.
I have been able to repair a chinese sliding compound mitre saw using Ryobi parts.
Go to the Ryobi Aust site and have a look at the handle on the metal cut off saw. That looks close to the same setup as yours.

You can go to Bunningsand order the parts at the special orders counter.

This may be a solution.
PEN

Batpig
Try RS Components, Farnells or maybe John Turks. I'm not sure where all there stores are but a internet search will get you their catalogs and contacts. I do know RS is over at Archerfield and Turks have several stores around Brisbane. Good luck.
Baz

Dear Gents,

Pen - I had a bit of a look at the Ryobi units but couldn't find any Exploded Parts Diagrams, and also kind-of liked the idea of going over to a Rocker anyway...

Baz - Turks had nothing worthwhile, but RS (good suggestion!) had a slimish DPDT Rocker that looked like it might fit in (going by the tangled info about it on their website), so I've ordered one and it should be here any day soon. In the meantime, I "hotwired" the Mitre Saw with some little screw-tight "Acorns" in order to test the motor windings by using the GPO switch to switch the thing on and off, and she ran . So I'm just waiting for the switch to show up now...

Many Thanks,
Batpig.