Evolution mitre saw table inserts

[Johnwa]

Morning all, here's a question for owners of Evolution R210SMS mitre saws. The orange plastic table insert on my mitre saw seems to have dropped allowing the workpiece to foul on the aluminium as I slide the work across it. I thought I would remove the plastic insert and investigate what had moved. Unfortunately after removing the fence I can't shift the insert, I've tried to gently lever it out but it feels as if I lift it up any further it will snap, almost as though its been glued down. Does anyone on the forum have any experience of this problem with this saw. I have emailed Evolution in Sheffield but have not yet had a response, so my next step was "ask the experts on the forum". If only Evolutions technical support was as on the ball as their advertising dept, they email me every day!.

 

[TheUnicorn]

youtube video here seems to just unscrew with no sign of adhesive (not sure of model number though)

 

[Johnwa]

Unicorn thanks for your reply, unfortunately mine doesn't have any visible screws to remove, thats why I think its either fixed with moulded clips or probably glued into place. Thanks anyway. John

 

[Bigbadmarky]

I whipped mine off a few weeks back as it got full of teeny tiny offcuts (I need to make a zero clearance). It wasn't glued down or anything. It was a faff to remove the fence and everything first though. There were little hook tab things (I'm sure there is a technical term for them) which I believe held it down at the front so needed lifting and sliding towards the back.

 

[Johnwa]

Thanks BBM,I thought there were those tabs that snap off when you try to shift them, I 'll have a try later, see if the lift and slide method works. Still no response from Evolution support, it makes you think twice before buying Evolution again doesnt it? I wonder if anyone from the company reads this forum?

 

[stuart little]

I've got a Metabo mitre saw, the instruction manual says that the insert can only be removed by breaking it, then [obviously] replaced with new. Prob. not applicable in your case.

 

[Johnwa]

Stuart I'm beginning to think you are right, after much prising with a screwdriver and turning the saw upside down to look at the bottom it looks very much like its glued in. What a stupid thing to do, talk about built in obsolescence. If it is glued in that's the last piece of Evolution gear that I will buy. Thinking about it, it probably is. I've had a constant battle with it to get a true 90 degree 3 axis cut since I've had it. Still no response from Evolution support yet!

 

[clogs]

my Dewalt 305 slider has done that very thing from new.....
just got on with it....muscle memory lifts the wood a little everytime.....
my insert is now trashed after 20 years of service, must add it to the to do list...

 

[Ollie78]

Try the zero clearance tape from fast cap. It's quite thick and should sort it out. Or make up a complete base from thin MDF or ply. I do this sometimes when I have a particularly delicate repeated cut.

Ollie

 

[stuart little]

Stuart I'm beginning to think you are right, after much prising with a screwdriver and turning the saw upside down to look at the bottom it looks very much like its glued in. What a stupid thing to do, talk about built in obsolescence. If it is glued in that's the last piece of Evolution gear that I will buy. Thinking about it, it probably is. I've had a constant battle with it to get a true 90 degree 3 axis cut since I've had it. Still no response from Evolution support yet!

My first table saw was an Evolution Rage which didn't last many months before the motor expired. Unlike you, I had a very good response from Evolution by way of sending a replacement complete unit & collecting the faulty one. I didn't enclose the stand & several years later sold it on the bay for a few quid. I found it not not to be accurate enough for decent jobs, so eventually it was replaced with a DW. I also started off with an Evo. mitre saw, which was most suited to cutting up reclaimed wood from conservatories etc. with a few hidden nails & screws, & after sorting the useful hardwoods, cutting the rest up for firewood until our Housing Assoc. banned open fires, then the Evo. went in favour of a Metabo.

 

[Shan]

Stuart I'm beginning to think you are right, after much prising with a screwdriver and turning the saw upside down to look at the bottom it looks very much like its glued in. What a stupid thing to do, talk about built in obsolescence. If it is glued in that's the last piece of Evolution gear that I will buy. Thinking about it, it probably is. I've had a constant battle with it to get a true 90 degree 3 axis cut since I've had it. Still no response from Evolution support yet!

Jonhwa, how did you get on? Have you managed to remove the orange plastic insert? I've tried to get mine out (same saw) but no luck. As it has split I want to replace it with a wooden insert but ideally didn't want to break the original one in-case it can't be done. There appears to be a little play in it so I'm thinking that it probably has some tabs somewhere as opposed to being glued.

Interested to know how you got on.

Shan.

 

[Johnwa]

Stuart,
I completely agree with your comments about Evolution stuff working well but lacking the accuracy to work very well. I think if they paid more attention to detail and quality in manufacture, they could be producing very good gear. It's all down to money!
Shan, I still havent managed to do anything with the insert, I've been busy with other things but I have to do something soon, I need the saw for a job, I have looked underneath and there are I think plastic tabs so I'll try levering them a bit, but this brute force goes against everything I had drummed into me as an apprentice, so I'll keep looking for the engineers approach before I hit it with the hammer. Lol. I'll pm you if I sort it.
Cheers all
John

 

[Shan]

John. All sorted. Finally removed the insert. As explained above all you need to do is lift the back tab out and then slide it out as there's tabs on the side. I removed the fence and used a small flat screw driver to pry it out. I'll attach a photo that might help.

Good luck with it. Shan

 

[Johnwa]

Follow up to my question. Thanks to Bigbadmarky, he was absolutely correct. Remove the fence, prise the back end of the insert up and slide the whole thing toward the back of the saw and out she comes. Cheers Marky

 

[Marty]

Unicorn thanks for your reply, unfortunately mine doesn't have any visible screws to remove, thats why I think its either fixed with moulded clips or probably glued into place. Thanks anyway. John

Probably too late for you but it might help someone else with this problem. Bad design really, the first thing anyone would want to do is make a zero clearance insert, and Evo aren't helping.
You need to get underneath and there is one clip at the motor end of the plastic insert that needs to be pushed clear with a small screwdriver, and after that you can just slide the insert out. It only needs to slide 5mm-ish for the lugs down the sides be clear, then the whole thing can be lifted out

 

[csnowd]

Once out is it possible to then attach a homemade zero clearance or is there no means to screw it down?

 

[Marty]

While I had mine out I thought about making a zero clearance from 3mm polycarobonate, since I had a pattern. Instead I filled the slot with Wickes Black Hybrid (love it), face down on old worktop. Leave a couple of days to fully cure then refit. Been using it all summer, but obviously only good for perpendicular cuts. Given I didn't honestly expect it to work, I was thrilled!