Cut-Off Saws for Dummies

Stihl TS420 cut-off saw

Besides the high probability that any random "contributor" to eHow.com actually knew what he or she was writing about, the site had a nasty habit of scraping nonsense search phrases and sending them to freelancers to "answer." Take, for instance, the query, "How to Replace The Carbon on a TS420 Cut Off Saw"... take it, please; and take the alleged answer penned by Elizabeth Arnold with you. OK? Because to be honest, the people here who know what a cutoff saw is still have no idea how you "replace the carbon."

It should come as no surprise, then, that Arnold didn't have any idea, either, given her vocation (freelance writer) and educational background (she "studied English"), neither of which would be likely to expose her to using a heavy-duty saw for cutting masonry and concrete. That's probably why Elizabeth got sidetracked almost immediately,  telling her readers that,

"A Stihl TS420 concrete cut off saw features a 14-inch blade. You may need to replace the saw's blade, which can be constructed of abrasive carbon..."

Way to go, Liz, starting out with bullshit and turning it into fifteen bucks with a few minutes' work. In reality, though, that abrasive blade is not "carbon," it's (usually) resin or fiberglass impregnated with aluminum oxide grit. In other words, the OQ wasn't asking about changing blades. With all due respect, we don't know what the OQ was asking about! If the TS420 had an electric motor, maybe the question would be about carbon brushes, but it doesn't. The most likely explanation is that the OQ wanted to "replace the carb on" the saw, and the slang term for carburetor got changed to "carbon."

Whatever the case, Arnold's attempt was just plain stupid, as was her claimed reference to a book entitled Carpentry. She also botched the real-life instructions for changing blades, telling her readers to,

"Slide [the] metal pin... into the hole and spin the blade until it fully locks the wheel into place..."

...which is a sloppy way to say to turn the blade until the pin engages. And then there's,

"Turn the Stihl saw around so that the hexagon bolt that secures the abrasive wheel to the spindle faces you for easy access."

Had Arnold ever actually seen one of the saws (or understood the owner's manual from which she was cribbing) she might have realized that the hex nut (not "bolt") and the locking pin access hole are on the same side of the saw. When it comes time to reassemble the saw, Liz told us to,

"Spin the washer until the spindle grooves slip into the washer; catche [sic] and lock into place. "

Sorry, Liz, the washer has a tab that "slips into" a groove on the shaft, not the other way 'round.
In other words, Arnold not only interpreted the OQ's request incorrectly (given that there is no such thing as a "carbon blade" for this saw) and did not address the likely question of replacing a carburetor, she also did a lousy job of describing the process of changing blades.

Based on this contribution to the stupidification of the internet, she's cordially invited to attend today's Dumbass of the Day award ceremony to pick up her certificate. Any questions?

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