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milwaukee sawzall

k1c | Posted in Tools for Home Building on June 29, 2009 02:22am

My heavy duty sawzall (6521-21/981B) motor spins, with some kind of ratcheting sound, but shaft does not move. This happened before when blade binded in a fiberglass material and this time in a root of boxwood I was trying to get rid of. I came across someone at a contractor talk website saying the broken pin in a shaft is the problem. I checked the parts list, and more I look at it, more confusing it gets.
If you know, would you explain the problem using the parts name from the parts list and how to fix it? I have to fix this myself to keep this saw.
If this is not diy project, is Dewalt a good choice?
I learned carpentry on fairly cheap B&D and it used to shake me if the blade binded in a wood. What is wrong with Sawzall?
Thank you in advance.

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Replies

  1. Piffin | Jun 29, 2009 03:19am | #1

    google up their service provider nearest you and take it in. Might even cost you nothing if you smile and wiggle your ears just right. The motor is the expensive important part. what you have is like a u-joint in your truck going out. You gonna go buy a new truck because of that?

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

    1. k1c | Jun 29, 2009 04:05pm | #4

      That is just it. I buy based on reputation and then I have to perform a song and dance to have it work. What am I, a witchdoctor!? It wasn't the cheapest I could get, either. I think I will get Dewalt from HD and try binding it. At least returning it will be easy.
      Thank you to everybody for replies.

      1. Piffin | Jun 29, 2009 04:48pm | #5

        I'll take that other old POS off your hands then for shipping 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      2. KenHill3 | Jun 29, 2009 05:42pm | #6

        You can send it to me, or Piff and I can fight over it.Just an old sawzall that happens to be the best of its kind.

        1. User avater
          IMERC | Jun 29, 2009 08:28pm | #7

          I'm in....

          roll up yur sleeves....

            

          Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

          WOW!!! What a Ride!

          Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

           

          "Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"

  2. fm | Jun 29, 2009 08:12am | #2

    I've been through this twice.  The big momma sawzall cost me a hundred bucks to replace the front drive assembly.  I did it after binding it up a few times.  I tried the DYI route but realized that the drive parts seem to be a factory assembly and not very user serviceable.

    The second was the corded Hatchet.  Fortunately it was under warranty.  Again, binding it up trashed it.  both times I took it to a Milwaukee tool repair shop.  

    I've not tried other brands of saws so can't help you there.

     

    Frank  

    1. rez | Jul 01, 2009 12:14am | #11

      So, another little BT tidbit of important data.

       Do not let yer Milw Sawzall bind.

       

      be veeeery interesting

       

      Edited 6/30/2009 5:45 pm ET by rez

  3. frenchy | Jun 29, 2009 01:39pm | #3

    B&D is a very cheap verson of Sawzall.. With Milwaukee it's like you buy the Rolls Royce of reciprocating saws and everything else is inferior..

     I purchased the far more expensive Hilti  which actaully saws faster and found out it's inferior to the Milwaukee with regard durability..

    1. Shep | Jun 29, 2009 11:20pm | #8

      Depends on just how old that B&D recip saw is.

      I had a B&D Cutsaw that would easily match our Milwaukees.

      But that was back in the 70s.

      1. frenchy | Jun 30, 2009 12:13am | #9

        I bought my first recip saw back in the  early 1970's, the Sawzall. It's still working for me and has never had any maintinance done to it.  Now graNTED CHANGING THE BLADES IS SLOW AND IT DOESN'T CUT VERY FAST. (oops) 

          But darn near 40 years of work from one piece of equipment seems to indicate some quality..

         

        1. Shep | Jun 30, 2009 11:22pm | #10

          Well, dropping that B&D off a roof didn't do it much for keeping it good shape. LOL

          And when we went to try and get it repaired, parts weren't available anymore. That's a big plus with Milwaukee stuff.

          1. User avater
            IMERC | Jul 01, 2009 12:43am | #12

            just had my mid 70's Milwaukee overhauled....

            all the parts needed were on hand...

            Milwaukee repaired it for no charge... 

            Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

            WOW!!! What a Ride!

            Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

             

            "Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"

    2. k1c | Jul 03, 2009 06:42am | #13

      I wanted to know what it looked like inside so I took it apart. At least I figured I will be more familiar with next tool. Here's what I found out:
      1. The rubber boot can be peeled half way like a banana and does not have to be removed all the way to take the tool apart.
      2. Inside is packed with grease that is not soap/water washable, so be ready with paint thinner.
      3. The handle half is motor and reciprocating part is front half. My concern was front half.
      4. The gasket is cut in the bottom so do not rip it off. I did not.
      5. The metal plate will come off. Lift the top and slide shiny metal pin up. This will get the pin out of the way of the gear and plate comes off.
      6. The reciprocating movement comes from motor to gear to a kind of rocker arm that has a ball joint.I think the weak link is the shiny metal pin that controlls straight sawing to orbital sawing. When the blade binds, I think it somehow binds the rocker arm. When I first tried to spin the gear, it did not move. I got the rocker arm to move in its shaft by forcing the blade clamp shaft to move with hammer and screw driver. That is all I did and the saw is working now. The straight/orbital control lever, however, is stuck in staight position. I don't know why at this time. I may just use it without that control. I have a feeling the first repair was just that, no replacement part at all.
      The Dewalt 12 amp saw uses same mechanism (from their parts list). Bosch uses round movement transfer mechanism and looks like it will have less problem with binding or parts getting thrown off the track. I am still not sure if I'll get the Bosch but it looks better of the saws that use rocker arm mechanism.
      Would you mind posting a reply with the model number of your Sawzall? I like to see its part list and see if anything is different. Everybody was using Sawzall when I was learning carpentry and all of them looked beat up but still working strong. I don't why my Milwaukee has this problem but it is not a confidence builder.
      As far as getting Milwaukee to repair the saw, the first experience does not let me think that this time would be any better. Thank you in advance.

      1. k1c | Jul 04, 2009 03:56am | #14

        There is something else I just found out. The gear attached to the wobble shaft has a play in it. When it is pulled out so there is a play, spinning it does not spin the shaft. When the gear is pushed in so that there is no play, the gear spins the shaft. I think something that holds the gear to the shaft got worn out.
        I also found FHB (#174) review of the reciprocating saws that mention this weakness: "...,there are things you won't see, like the Milwaukee's shock absorbing system and the Makita's clutch, that reduce the chance for internal damage when the blade locks in a workplace."
        I tried Milwaukee. I plan to get Makita this time. Makita had this at least since 2005, and Bosch just changed their clutch (seeing from their parts list). I figure Makita had more time to work out the bugs. Anyway, thanks for replies and hearing me out.

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