problem with variable speed saw

[irishjoe]

hi there,
my hegner variable speed saw seems to have developed a mind of it's own.it is ok starting off but after a while it just goes to max speed all on its own.has anyone got any ideas what is wrong???
cheers,
joe

[Keith Sharples]

Hi!  It may well be that the variable speed "pot" (rotary control) needs cleaning.  I would recommend giving it a spray with "Servisol Super 10" contact cleaner/lubricant.  You would find this in most electronics shops (Maplin or Radio Shack for example) or on eBay.  WD40 may also help here.  Simply remove the knob from the shaft (if possible) then spray the shaft.  Leave it for a moment to penetrate, then slowly rotate the shaft through its' full travel a few times. Repeat this a few times, replace the knob & fire up the saw.

THE CLEANING PART MUST BE DONE WITH THE SAW TURNED OFF!!!! 

I hope this helps...it's sure cheaper than buying a replacement part!

Keith.  (Norfolk. England)

[irishjoe]

thanks for that Keith.I'll give that a try,
cheers,
Joe

[Keith Sharples]

thanks for that Keith.I'll give that a try,
cheers,
Joe

I hope this will work for you Joe!  Please let me know how you get on.   

Regards.

Keith.

[Dan26]

I'm not sure of the Heger but I had a variable speed Craftsman and it was the control board that was bad. But start with the simple things like Keith said and clean the potentiometer first with contact cleaner. I would not recommend using WD40 because that is oil-based and can cause other issues.

[slowcutter]

On my RB Hawk I have to blow the dust out of the controls once in a while.
See if that will help.

[daveo]

had this problem once and was told it was a defective capacitor ( the one strapped to the side of the motor), however as it was an old cheap machine I scrapped it off and never so never proved it either way. the test is when running at full speed does it try to speed up then??

DAVE

[puzzleguy]

Hegners can be tempermental -
I know that when i first got my Polymax the switch
didnt work every time -
Hegner mentioned that from time to time it needed to be cleaned -
So I first started by using my air compressor ( on a very low pressure )
and cleaned out the switch - which solved the problem.
Those  motors are very exspensive and well built -most perform flawlessly for many many years .
If this doesnt work , Id call Hegner ( their nice people -but you need to be patient with them )
Ive noticed that i need to clean it out again - which is on my short list of things to do ,
when i get over this darn flu bug !

[irishjoe]

Keith,your suggestion worked perfect.I suppose that after four years of fairly constant use it needed to be cleaned.I'll try not to leave it as long next time,
cheers,
joe

[Keith Sharples]

Keith,your suggestion worked perfect.I suppose that after four years of fairly constant use it needed to be cleaned.I'll try not to leave it as long next time,
cheers,
joe

Hey Joe,  SO GLAD IT WORKED OUT FOR YOU!!!!!!!!   I've had those sort of problems in another hobby of mine, Ham Radio, so when my Lathe (I also do turning) started to run crazy, speed all over the place, the thought of the old Sevrisol super 10 came instantly to mind....it worked for me too.   

All The Best!

Keith.  (Norfolk.  England)