My mitre saw stand gave out after 8 years on a job in Portland

Last Tuesday I was cutting baseboards for a living room remodel and the locking mechanism on my old folding stand just snapped. The saw tipped forward and the blade guard got bent up. I spent an hour on the ground fixing it with a hammer and zip ties to finish the job. That stand was a cheap one I bought when I started out and it worked fine until it didn't. I ordered a heavier duty model that night and it showed up two days later. Has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible moment on site?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasschmidt8d ago

That exact moment when a tool fails right in the middle of a critical cut is always the worst feeling. You know right away the day is going to be longer and more frustrating than you planned. The zip tie and hammer fix is something every one of us has had to do at some point, it's basically a rite of passage in this trade. Eight years from a cheap stand is actually not terrible, but the sudden failure is what gets you. Those locking mechanisms are usually the first thing to go when the metal fatigues or the plastic cracks. A heavier duty model with a real steel pivot and proper lock pins should give you a lot more peace of mind for the next eight years at least.

young.nora8d ago

I don't know though, sometimes that cheap stand breaking is a blessing in disguise... you were probably due for an upgrade anyway. Plus eight years of use out of something that cost less than a nice dinner out is honestly winning in my book.

faith_king8d ago

EIGHT YEARS from a cheap stand?! That's INSANE.