Tool Gloat gone bad

Julio Navarro

Member
Messages
281
Location
Tampa
I just wanted to complain to someone about my tool headache.

I bought what I thought was my dream (relatively) TS when I brought home my brand spanking new Hitachi TS. I had read rave reviews about how well built and durable it was. It had a powerfull 3hp(or so it says) motor and is belt driven with a super accurate and heavy duty fence.

It looked all it had boasted it self to be.

When I finally got it together (simply putting the base table together and attaching the raising and tilt controls) I turned it on only to see and hear this thing shake rattle and roll like a Mack truck going through 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears with a full load.

Needless to say I was very disappointed. I immediately lamented my decision to buy this saw instead of the Ridgid counter part I had coveted for years.

I contacted Hitachi via email and they agreed that this was not normal, (duh) and that I should take the saw to a service center.

I felt a little better but still did not relish the thought of carting the gosh darn heavy saw onto my wifes van.

Fast forward several months. After a prolonged bout with my back pain and being diagnosed with 4 degenerative disks in my back and neck and a more serious than normal struggle with depression I am now starting to set foot in the shop again and am facing the prospect of taking the saw to the service center.

I took a look under the hood and determined that the mechanism which holds the motor and pulleys, basically the armature, is loose and rattles. Additionally, the pulleys are not lined up vertically to each other they are slightly of planar by about a 1/2"

Anyway, just wanted to vent.
 
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Julio, that just sucks, and I'm surprised that the Hitachi saw is so bad, as all the Hitachi tools I have are very good, but that does not include a table saw, so who knows.

If I were you, I'd ask them to take it back and to get your money back, go buy the saw you want, and be done with it.

Nice to see you back around here again too! :wave:
 
I am this far from doing that , Stu. And youre right I love HItachi. I have two routers, drills, grinders and they are built like modern tanks. Thats why I bought the saw.
 
Julio,

What Stu said! If it's not what you wanted, send it back! A tablesaw is supposed to be a thing of joy. I'd hate turning on the lights in the shop and facing a disappointment every time. Life's too short for that kind of thing! ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
A large number of Ridgid owners seem very satisfied. Does your Hitachi also have the non-standard miter slots? That would be just one more reason to take it back and get what you wanted originally. Nothing against Hitachi, they make great stuff. This just might not be one of their best.
 
[size=+1]Julio,
I'm not sure which Hitachi saw you have, but a friend of mine - several years ago - bought what was then their top of the line Tablesaw, and it was really nice. It had a very good fence, and was very smooth-running. It had plenty of power, and with it's included wheeled stand, was pretty heavy, but still easily considered 'portable.'[/size]
 
hitachi.jpg

heres the saw. It has standard mitter slots on both sides of the blade and a cast steel top. The base and wheels are heavy duty.

I think I just got a bad one.
 
Sounds like someone, in the factory, forgot to tighten the nuts and bolts.

Hopefully, you will get this resolved quickly. I do have a question though.

Did you get documentation, from Hitachi, about sending it back to a service center? I ask this because it has been several months since you first placed a claim.

I hope things work out for the best!!!!

joe
 
Good to see you drop in, Julio. Real sorry to see you're having problems with your new saw. I was seriously considering the same saw when I got my Ridgid. It looks like a good saw (although the 3hp 110v motor is pretty much marketing talk). If Hitachi doesn't make you happy, as Stu said, take it back and get the one you want. (And if it's another Hitachi, that's great, too.)

Consider it a temporary setback, not a stop. ;) In the end, having a nice TS will be worth the trouble you're going through now.
 
Hello Julio;
Good luck with the saw. About the back problem, I recently had back surgery, I had Interior-Posterior Spinal Fusion. Sounds a lot like what you will go through. They replace detererated disk with plastic wedges and fill the wedges with bone from your hip.They also install a 8in. titanium rod on both sides of spine and bolt them togather. I seem to be in more pain now. I had 5 disc out. I suggest anything other than this surgery. The depression seems to go with the injury. Good Luck, I feel your pain.:doh:
 
I may not be able to return the saw or get a new one but Hitachi has a 2 year warranty. I dont mind taking the saw to a service center, it's the hassle of lifting the saw on to the van and back down again. I'll try to get my neighbore to help.
 
I may not be able to return the saw or get a new one but Hitachi has a 2 year warranty. I dont mind taking the saw to a service center, it's the hassle of lifting the saw on to the van and back down again. I'll try to get my neighbore to help.

Don't "Try" Julio, get the neighbor to help, I'd get some help for something like this, as at the very least you don't want to damage the saw, scratch your wife's van, or the worst, hurt your back again.

Get some help, nice way to build a good relationship with the neighbor as well, get his help, then when the saw is fixed, make something nice but simple like a cutting board and give it to him to say "Thanks".

Cheers!
 
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Don't "Try" Julio, get the neighbor to help, I'd get some help for something like this, as at the very least you don't want to damage the saw, scratch your wife's van, or the worst, hurt your back again.

Get some help, nice way to build a good relationship with the neighbor as well, get his help, then when the saw is fixed, make something nice but simple like a cutting board and give it to him to say "Thanks".

Cheers!

I'm with Stu, get some help. I'm working from home today as my back is out (very minor compared to others). I'd flip a neighbor kid a twenty-spot before I would risk a setback on your recovery.

I had a bit of trouble with my 22124 when I got it. The wrong wings came with it. I made the error of contacting Sears who had the whole saw swapped for one that still had the wrong wings. I then got the Steel City folks on the phone, they figured out what happened and shipped the right wings post haste.

The point is I went through a little pain but ended up with a very nice saw that I am very happy with. I hope you will end up the same.
 
Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Brad, my back problems pale in comparison to yours, ouch! I am doing much better with better nedication. I was using codine and other narcotics which pretty much kept you from doing anything with a power tool. Now if I had been a talk show host that would have been a different story.

I called the service center and they do pick up a delivery for free, of course it depends on their timing and schedule so that solves the lifting problem but now it seems as though it will be another month before I can use the saw. Oh well, I wish I had thought about that when I was laid up, I could of had it done by now.

I am suffering terribly wanting to make some sawdust again.

But anyway, I believe everything happens for a reason so I will be patient.
 
The guy form the service center picked up my TS yesterday and not very gently either. So now I sit and wait to hear from them and hope I can get it back in less than a month.

The space left by the saw may give me the opportunity to reorganize some things.

I need to build an enclosure for my Pentz cyclone to reduce some of the noise. When I working the cyclone is right over my shoulder and the noise is nuts.

Anyway heres hoping for the best.
 
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