# Makita LS1016L blade wobble after 8 months



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

In hopes of finding an answer from other owners of this saw... Did anyone else with it have an issue with an angled laser? Mine doesn't seem to be parallel to the blade so when lining up a cut, if I were to toss the laser at say a 12" board with marks at in line- the laser only hits some of the lines depending where the saw sits (all the way towards me or at the back of the cut. 

It's off juuuuuust enough to annoy. I still always double check where the blade physically lands but it would be nice if the laser could at least get me close all of the time... Don't have the dough for a Kapex yet ><

And this is my second laser issue since I returned the first one for the same issue within 30 days to my local depot. I can haul it out to a Makita center like 40m away but just wanted some input before I do.


----------



## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

TBFGhost said:


> They did, they now carry Irwin "Marples"...


BTW, these Irwin Marples blades are quite good. I grabbed one in a pinch and it cuts very nice.


----------



## Nick R (May 20, 2012)

sy85 said:


> In hopes of finding an answer from other owners of this saw... Did anyone else with it have an issue with an angled laser? Mine doesn't seem to be parallel to the blade so when lining up a cut, if I were to toss the laser at say a 12" board with marks at in line- the laser only hits some of the lines depending where the saw sits (all the way towards me or at the back of the cut.
> 
> It's off juuuuuust enough to annoy. I still always double check where the blade physically lands but it would be nice if the laser could at least get me close all of the time... Don't have the dough for a Kapex yet ><
> 
> And this is my second laser issue since I returned the first one for the same issue within 30 days to my local depot. I can haul it out to a Makita center like 40m away but just wanted some input before I do.


I find the laser off when the saw is in the upright position, I have to pull down and towards me, letting the blade guard move away, and then the laser line becomes true.


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

Nick R said:


> I find the laser off when the saw is in the upright position, I have to pull down and towards me, letting the blade guard move away, and then the laser line becomes true.


Same here. The laser gets more accurate the closer the blade is to work piece.


----------



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks. Soon as I get a chance I'll do some testing and see if the same method holds true for me. If its off I don't mind so much- as long as I know some repeatable trick to get it to work out.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Nick R said:


> I find the laser off when the saw is in the upright position, I have to pull down and towards me, letting the blade guard move away, and then the laser line becomes true.


Ditto


----------



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Nick R said:


> I find the laser off when the saw is in the upright position, I have to pull down and towards me, letting the blade guard move away, and then the laser line becomes true.


When you find it true, is it true like parallel to the blade? Or just in one spot? My issue is it seems tweaked at a slight angle to the blade.


----------



## Nick R (May 20, 2012)

sy85 said:


> When you find it true, is it true like parallel to the blade? Or just in one spot? My issue is it seems tweaked at a slight angle to the blade.


Yes it does become parallel to the blade. I can make a cut, and without moving the board, the laser line will be parallel. 

I haven't taken the laser off the saw, only played with the adjustment once when I first got it. Maybe what it mounts to is tweaked? Sucks that yours is off, because I use the laser to quickly get the miter angle off a pencil line on the board. I have gotten used to how handy it is.


----------



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Yea. I think I just got super unlucky and had two with tweaks. I suffered some bad kickback on a 1x8 or something the other day that halfway through the cut, pinched the blade and broke part of the black retractable part at the back of the blade guard and caused a gouge in the teal panels on the base so I want to take it into the repair facility anyways, have them tune it right before I use it for fine furniture type stuff again or other things where I need precision. 

Just need to find the time to take it in. Think I also got. Lemon on the fence adjustment to a 90 degree to the blade. One side has more than enough adjustment, the other has nowhere near enough. Issues aside, it's not enough to turn me from the saw or Makita, although I do wish I had gotten the 12".


----------



## Nick R (May 20, 2012)

sy85 said:


> Yea. I think I just got super unlucky and had two with tweaks. I suffered some bad kickback on a 1x8 or something the other day that halfway through the cut, pinched the blade and broke part of the black retractable part at the back of the blade guard and caused a gouge in the teal panels on the base so I want to take it into the repair facility anyways, have them tune it right before I use it for fine furniture type stuff again or other things where I need precision.
> 
> Just need to find the time to take it in. Think I also got. Lemon on the fence adjustment to a 90 degree to the blade. One side has more than enough adjustment, the other has nowhere near enough. Issues aside, it's not enough to turn me from the saw or Makita, although I do wish I had gotten the 12".


That stinks. I had a bad kickback when I was trying something I shouldn't have been, the force of the kickback actually made the adjustment set screw for the left fence gouge into the soft aluminum fence. Now, even when the set screw is maxed out, I am just barely square to the blade. 

After that incident, I realized that you have to be a little more delicate with this saw. Like you, I am not turned off by this, just have to keep in mind not to be rough or try iffy cuts. 

Wish I got the 12" sometimes too:laughing:


----------



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

As to the kickback- I also know it wasn't just my saw and how I was cutting but that it WAS in fact the board. About a week later I went to use our Delta Unisaw to cut another piece of it, and the board starting pinching into the blade- thankfully that wasn't nearly as bad and I stopped before something REAL bad could have occurred. Decided to use the rest of that wood for the fireplace after that...


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

NINZAN STUDIO said:


> Another issue has popped up with my Makita. The miter table detents are "loose". As I swing the table, it'll slide into "0" (or any of the other detents 22.5, 31.6, 45) and the thumb lever pops up. But I have play left and right on each detent...about 1/4 degree left to right. Might not seem like much but it's a big deal for me. I've messed up a few cuts until I realized the problem after first squaring the fence thinking that was the problem. I'm having to lock down the table at each detent now. Any ideas?
> 
> I looked underneath the table and basically there's a pin (233 in the diagram) that springs forward into a cut out in the base, maybe that pin is worn out and needs replacement? Anyone else have this happening with their LS1016L?


So I talked to Makita headquarters in Pompano FL. Service rep, Emilio, was super helpful. I was told that the loose detents are not normal and to take my saw into a service center (1 hr north of me). He even looked up my product registration because I haven't been able to locate my original receipt. Luckily I'm still within my factory warranty by about 25 days. I'll keep you all updated with what transpires.


----------



## CITY DECKS INC (Sep 4, 2012)

i know about dull and warped blades. get a good 1 or 3. get them sharpened. It's much cheaper then buying new blades.


----------



## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

This is one of the many bad reviews of this saw and it is making me think my decision to purchase the Bosch was a good one. Time will tell.


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

CrpntrFrk said:


> This is one of the many bad reviews of this saw and it is making me think my decision to purchase the Bosch was a good one. Time will tell.


Next miter saw I buy will be the Kapex (with a vac), mainly for the dust collection


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

CITY DECKS INC said:


> i know about dull and warped blades. get a good 1 or or 3. get them sharpened. It's much cheaper then buying new blades.
> 
> If not time for a new one.


The blade wobble is was having I fixed...small amount of pitch built up behind the arbor plate (not sure how). I cleaned it really well and put the same blade back on. Fixed. I bought a new blade for the job I'm in now.


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

NINZAN STUDIO said:


> So I talked to Makita headquarters in Pompano FL. Service rep, Emilio, was super helpful. I was told that the loose detents are not normal and to take my saw into a service center (1 hr north of me). He even looked up my product registration because I haven't been able to locate my original receipt. Luckily I'm still within my factory warranty by about 25 days. I'll keep you all updated with what transpires.


Update: about three weeks after I dropped off my 1016L to Jim and Slim Tool repair in Largo, FL (about 1-1/4 hrs one way from where I live), they called me and let me know there was nothing wrong with the saw, that I need to just look down the angle with the turn knob per manual. I called Emilio at Makita (FL headquarters in Pompano) again and he confirmed this. The detents are merely a "short cut" to get close to the angle but you still need to eye ball the arrow pointer and lock down the angle with the turn knob. So I picked up the saw, no repair charges, but it cost me about $40 in gas & highway tolls.


----------



## u812 (Dec 27, 2007)

*Blade wobble*

Something tells me I suspect it's the blade and it's wore out causing the blade to heat up and warp.
When a blade gets built up with pitch it's usually because the kerf is worn. Especially on hardwood. A sharp blade will cut clean and no buildup.
I have a makita 10" been using over ten years and no problems. I have wore out the table and other parts but the motor keeps on. It cuts accurate as the day I bought it. Its a work horse.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

NINZAN STUDIO said:


> The detents are merely a "short cut" to get close to the angle but you still need to eye ball the arrow pointer and lock down the angle with the turn knob. So I picked up the saw, no repair charges, but it cost me about $40 in gas & highway tolls.



What?  Really?...I dunno, I like mine.


----------



## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

NINZAN STUDIO said:


> I was in Lowes today and it seems that they've cleared out their CMT stock.


http://www.lowes.com/Search=cmt?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=cmt#!

I used to get the itk blades from their store, but then they went all orange. Local store may still carry the orangies, but if they don't, I'm sure you can order them. I buy stuff they don't sell at the local home depot...I just order it from them.


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

TBFGhost said:


> What?  Really?...I dunno, I like mine.


That's what the Makita service regional rep told me. I've gotten used it now, but it's definitely not dead nuts tight like when I first got the saw. It used to detent right into 0 or 22.5 and there was no movement left or right. Oh well.


----------



## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Buy a new detent off of ereplacementparts.com or someplace else. Pretty sure it is a separate item that and be taken off and replaced. I know it is on my Bosch.


----------



## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

Yeah I looked into it, before I tried to get Makita to fix it. They concluded its normal. I've concluded it's either the detent notches, which are part of the base, that are worn out OR the lock pin's tip has wear on it. The lock pin is cheap and replaceable. The base is no longer available / obsolete and I'm sure it's crazy expensive if you can even find it. Better to buy a new saw. I'll probably try swapping the lock pin first.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

The dentents are wedge shaped, so as it wears it still should stay centered in the detent.

Make sure you don't have any build-up in there and they are smooth.


----------



## DayCo (Oct 12, 2013)

Has anybody found a solution for the blade wobble problem on these saws?

Mine is about three months old. I didn't notice the problem until last week when we were installing ¾" thick casing and the blade would eat away an extra 16th on the thickest part of the casing on miter cuts. Tried a brand new Freud blade and it still wobbles.

Since I'm out of the 30 day return window, Acme Tools won't take it back. They did order in new arbor/blade flanges in case they were warped...:no:


----------



## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Order a real blade. Tenryu full kerf or something equivalent.


----------



## Anderson (Sep 7, 2009)

I have had my 1016 for about 2 years and the table locked up tight as a drum, not to sure what happened. I did a full strip down cleaned it all out and it is locking into the detents much more positively like when it was new.


----------



## DayCo (Oct 12, 2013)

```

```



Leo G said:


> Order a real blade. Tenryu full kerf or something equivalent.


Aren't the factory Makita blades made by Tenryu? The factory blade is full kerf, and wobbles worse than the thin kerf Diablo 90 tooth blade. 

Not saying you're wrong at all, I realize that full kerf blades are generally able to cut straighter. I think the problem resides in the bearing and not the blade.


----------



## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Most factory blades I have seen on saws suck. Good for cutting 2x material.


----------



## StrongTower (Mar 4, 2010)

Leo G said:


> Most factory blades I have seen on saws suck. Good for cutting 2x material.


With the exception of Makita blades, I buy them for my saw, resharpen about 3 times and buy another. All the MakBlades I've had were all thin kerf.


----------



## JoeCole (Feb 4, 2014)

DayCo said:


> ```
> 
> ```
> Aren't the factory Makita blades made by Tenryu? The factory blade is full kerf, and wobbles worse than the thin kerf Diablo 90 tooth blade.
> ...


I don't think the factory blade is full kerf. I do think you are right about the thinner kerf blades having much less wobble. That's certainly been my experience with my Makita 1016L.


----------



## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

StrongTower said:


> With the exception of Makita blades, I buy them for my saw, resharpen about 3 times and buy another. All the MakBlades I've had were all thin kerf.


My only experience of coming with a good blade was Festool. I've dealt with Hitachi and Bosch. The out of the box blades suck. And if they don't, then the Forrest blade is uber fantastic. Because that's what I compare them to.


----------



## StrongTower (Mar 4, 2010)

Leo G said:


> My only experience of coming with a good blade was Festool. I've dealt with Hitachi and Bosch. The out of the box blades suck. And if they don't, then the Forrest blade is uber fantastic. Because that's what I compare them to.


Makita blades are basically the Silencer line from Tenryu, cut exactly the same. I've have tried and tried with Forrest, love that they are an American company, but I can never get the results I get from Tenyru.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

DayCo said:


> Aren't the factory Makita blades made by Tenryu? The factory blade is full kerf, and wobbles worse than the thin kerf Diablo 90 tooth blade.
> 
> Not saying you're wrong at all, I realize that full kerf blades are generally able to cut straighter. I think the problem resides in the bearing and not the blade.


The factory blades are not full kerf... they are actually ultra thin kerf.

If the bearing is a problem, odds are you will feel the play in it if you grab the blade and wiggle it side to side. You could also have warped arbor washers, which are a simple fix, replace them.


----------



## DayCo (Oct 12, 2013)

TBFGhost said:


> The factory blades are not full kerf... they are actually ultra thin kerf.
> 
> If the bearing is a problem, odds are you will feel the play in it if you grab the blade and wiggle it side to side. You could also have warped arbor washers, which are a simple fix, replace them.


There is definitely play on the blade when its wiggled side to side. I think Acme is in denial that there could be a bearing problem when the saw is so new. I'll be in touch with the local Makita rep tomorrow. Acme Tools ordered a set of arbor washers for me, so I'll give that a shot. 

I think the blade that came with my saw is close to ⅛". It's definitely thicker than the Diablo that's been on the last couple days. 

We have 7" tall base to install tomorrow; that'll be a lot of fun with the way the saw is performing


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

DayCo said:


> There is definitely play on the blade when its wiggled side to side. I think Acme is in denial that there could be a bearing problem when the saw is so new. I'll be in touch with the local Makita rep tomorrow. Acme Tools ordered a set of arbor washers for me, so I'll give that a shot.
> 
> I think the blade that came with my saw is close to ⅛". It's definitely thicker than the Diablo that's been on the last couple days.
> 
> We have 7" tall base to install tomorrow; that'll be a lot of fun with the way the saw is performing



Yeah you should have ZERO play in there. I don't. 

The only tool I have with play in the blade is my Baby Bosch table saw, which Bosch tried to "correct" but that is how they are being produced as I got two others with the same problem and the display models at the Bosch service center have the same play. Its slop between a needle bearing and the back of the arbor.


----------

