I have experienced this problem since I purchased the 4100XC. A couple of days ago it seized completely. The problem is not the screw. The problem is the hole where the screw goes through the the bracket that holds the bottom of the screw. The rod is steel and the bracket is aluminum no bushing or bearing. This is what is binding. Remove the 2 locking nuts and washer and grease the socket and reassemble. Vola. Issue fixed. Riser works smothly.
This saw is the second Bosch table saw I have used following a Dewalt 10" tablesaw. As a remodelling contractor I use this saw for everything and every wood species and synthetic from Boral to Azeks. This replaced a Bosch 4000 that I loved that had served me well for over 6 years. The 4100 had several subtle changes; the table top and rip fence was sized differently so my back up sacrificial rip fence no longer fit. My table extensions both outboard and width transferred over, but they modified the table saw base so that my stack of spare 10" blades I kept on board for both my tablesaw and 10" sliding compound went from six blades to two. I purchased this saw in the fall of 2018 and I use compressed air to clean the saw mechanism after every project. Same problem that others have described, binding raise/ lower function of the blade, stripped raise and lower handle. A table saw that you can not adjust for height is absolutely worthless. I was a Bosch fan, but they have definitely cheapened their products. It is a shame.
I have been using this saw for over 20 years. Occasionally, the height mechanism binds making adjusting the blade height difficult. Inside the saw are two smooth guide rods that have bronze bushings. When the bushings and rod are dry, the mechanism will bind. A very light application of oil or better yet a dry silicon lubricant solves that problem and only takes a couple of minutes to lubricate it. The raising mechanism also has a threaded rods that raise and lower saw frame. That also should be lubricated when you do the guide rod lubrication. All of the 4000 series have the nylon gears. I have never had any problems with the gears - probably because I keep the guide rods lubricated along with the threaded rods. I clean my saw after every or every other job. I have never had the handle loosen - again because I have not had the binding that would increase the force to turn it. I wonder if your handle has become slightly rounded so it slips on the shaft. It should not slip or spin if you hold it on and turn it. If it does then you will need a new handle. I recommend that you find a dry spray lube so that the saw dust doesn't stick to the surfaces. You can try a graphite lock lube - either liquid or powder - to lube the guide rods, gears and threaded rods.
thanks for the comment! i'm aware of the need for keeping the rods clean and dry-lubed. in my years of using bosch jobsite table saws, i've never had a problem until i started using them in high humidity... and here in houston, and also in miami, there is simply no way to keep those rods clean. as a professional carpenter, i have time to deep clean my tools once per week... like the old union guys, who got to sharpen their tools on friday. in my humble opinion, if you have to flip over a table saw and deep clean the internals every day, it is a bad tool.
Just bought this -still in the box bc something was stopping me from opening it. Thank you! Going right back to HD unopened! Skilsaw worm drive is being ordered right now.
ive been eyeing the wormdrive ever since it came out! if you dont need the larger table and fence of this bosch model, that skilsaw is probably a great option. the original skilsaw worm drive circular saws lasted decades, and i hope the new skilsaw worm drive products are even half as good
I've had mine since 2010. No problems. It's a home use saw but have done many gut/remodel projects for myself and friends/family. Maybe I just got a good one. I have Bosch jigsaw, dishwasher - recommend to everyone. Hitachi (Metabo) 12" dual bevel sliding miter saw also great purchase - rigid telescoping rise stand much better, I use on mitre saw
Same problem here. Have used the saw extensively on commercial projects. Cleaned regularly. Replaced first set of plastic gears after about 3 years of use. Folllowing that tried to pay extra close attention to cleaning and lubricating. About to replace second gears after only about 2 years on them. Big disappointment
Great video! My saw is currently seized up, while making drawers for my kitchen. I'll be first to say I haven't kept up with the cleaning or lubrication. (I'm a hobbyist. But...that said, it took a good six years for my malfeasance to catch up to me. No problems prior to this. Imagine my surprise however to hear / see that plastic or nylon is used on the gear mechanism! Like you, I'm mostly a Bosch shop. And I've been happy with the 12v and 18v tools I have, save a battery or two. I'm going to tear into to see what I can do. Appreciate the video.
I just ran into a problem lowering my blade on the 4100. I was having some trouble adjusting my riving knife - it was always just a hair to the left of the blade. During the adjustment I over compensated and left the riving knife a hair to the right, this was enough to cause the bottom of the riving knife to angle to the left and just catch the metal dust port housing which stops the blade from being lowered. You can easily check if this is a problem by raising the knife to its max height and see if the blade now lowers with no problem.
I noticed this same problem the first day I got this saw. Unfortunately I bought it second hand(is in amazing condition though) so I won’t get any warranty when those gears finally do strip or if a washer,screw or any piece goes missing when the handle comes off. So I need to be intensely mindful while raising and especially lowering the blade. Which also slows me down and costs money in the long run. I wipe/brush the gears and rods after each day of using the saw but it still gets gummed up with dust so fast. I’m not trying to figure out a way to shield the area from the dust somehow without compromising the lower/raising action. Maybe a curtain of sorts. Also didn’t like how hard it was to find a shop vac hose to fit the 4100 dust port. The saw is $800 where I live. It’s a gravity rise stand kit. And to have this kind of issue with the gears and lowering action at this price point in infuriating. Anytime it binds ways 5-15 mins to clean and fix. Cuase that the only way to fix. Which entails cleaning, lowering, clean again, raise, clean some more and repeat until it moves the full range freely again. And on demanding jobs this will reoccur way too frequently. I also regret buying it and wish I’d just gone with a job site dewalt at this point. I never had any issues their saw when using it in the past.
Yes my sons fell over, and it would work by somehow tapping motor. So he found the closeout at lowes at 300.00. He paid 649.00 originally. I think it is only the switch, and will replace it as a spare. I had issiues with Bosh hammer drills myself. On table saw I am more than pleased with my Dewalt. He uses his table saw every day, along with the 12 inch miter saw. We are in the flooring flooring business. So my son does hardwood and laminate floors every day. He uses special blades specifically for lamiete, and that takes the strain off the saw. I hate to say this, when he bought his new set up I was impressed, until I found the made in china stamp. I realize so many tools are made in china, but Bosh has a price that I would expect to be better than harbor freight. Im begining to think that made in china is no different no matter the store. I have a 10 inch harbor freight compound slider that can cut straight down 5 1/4 baseboard.it works flawlessly and has the clamps and lazer you would expect on a premium saw. I bought it for small jobs and use my 12 inch Dewalt for whole houses. The harbor freight cost 239.00 and I could do whole houses with it,and 10 inch blades cost less. I guess i enjoy the big dewalt too much on big jobs.
I've been using the gravity rise stand for over 15 years. I can get it in my truck and up stairs very easily. I guess maybe it depends on how you are loading but I can get it in my truck with one hand.
kudos! i meant to say, with a 12" glide saw attached to it, it is MASSIVE and HEAVY! okay, so take the saw off, you say... but the glide saw, with the clamp brackets attached is MASSIVE AND HEAVY!. it just doesnt do anything for me, personally. thanks for your input tho. more input equals more informed decisions.
Interesting rant, I had my first Bosch 4100 25 years ago used it to build retirement home, didn’t like raw aluminum top. Seven years ago bought the new style and works great, use it at my maintenance job at a large resort and side carpentry and repair jobs. I also own the mini table saw with the tubular frame my only complaint about that saw is start up with the motor. Some folks just can’t get stuff to work!
I have experienced this problem since I purchased the 4100XC. A couple of days ago it seized completely. The problem is not the screw. The problem is the hole where the screw goes through the the bracket that holds the bottom of the screw. The rod is steel and the bracket is aluminum no bushing or bearing. This is what is binding. Remove the 2 locking nuts and washer and grease the socket and reassemble. Vola. Issue fixed. Riser works smothly.
This saw is the second Bosch table saw I have used following a Dewalt 10" tablesaw. As a remodelling contractor I use this saw for everything and every wood species and synthetic from Boral to Azeks. This replaced a Bosch 4000 that I loved that had served me well for over 6 years. The 4100 had several subtle changes; the table top and rip fence was sized differently so my back up sacrificial rip fence no longer fit. My table extensions both outboard and width transferred over, but they modified the table saw base so that my stack of spare 10" blades I kept on board for both my tablesaw and 10" sliding compound went from six blades to two.
I purchased this saw in the fall of 2018 and I use compressed air to clean the saw mechanism after every project. Same problem that others have described, binding raise/ lower function of the blade, stripped raise and lower handle. A table saw that you can not adjust for height is absolutely worthless. I was a Bosch fan, but they have definitely cheapened their products. It is a shame.
So who’s table saw do you prefer?
I have been using this saw for over 20 years. Occasionally, the height mechanism binds making adjusting the blade height difficult.
Inside the saw are two smooth guide rods that have bronze bushings. When the bushings and rod are dry, the mechanism will bind. A very light application of oil or better yet a dry silicon lubricant solves that problem and only takes a couple of minutes to lubricate it.
The raising mechanism also has a threaded rods that raise and lower saw frame. That also should be lubricated when you do the guide rod lubrication.
All of the 4000 series have the nylon gears. I have never had any problems with the gears - probably because I keep the guide rods lubricated along with the threaded rods. I clean my saw after every or every other job. I have never had the handle loosen - again because I have not had the binding that would increase the force to turn it.
I wonder if your handle has become slightly rounded so it slips on the shaft. It should not slip or spin if you hold it on and turn it. If it does then you will need a new handle.
I recommend that you find a dry spray lube so that the saw dust doesn't stick to the surfaces. You can try a graphite lock lube - either liquid or powder - to lube the guide rods, gears and threaded rods.
thanks for the comment! i'm aware of the need for keeping the rods clean and dry-lubed. in my years of using bosch jobsite table saws, i've never had a problem until i started using them in high humidity... and here in houston, and also in miami, there is simply no way to keep those rods clean. as a professional carpenter, i have time to deep clean my tools once per week... like the old union guys, who got to sharpen their tools on friday. in my humble opinion, if you have to flip over a table saw and deep clean the internals every day, it is a bad tool.
Just bought this -still in the box bc something was stopping me from opening it. Thank you! Going right back to HD unopened! Skilsaw worm drive is being ordered right now.
ive been eyeing the wormdrive ever since it came out! if you dont need the larger table and fence of this bosch model, that skilsaw is probably a great option. the original skilsaw worm drive circular saws lasted decades, and i hope the new skilsaw worm drive products are even half as good
I've had mine since 2010. No problems. It's a home use saw but have done many gut/remodel projects for myself and friends/family. Maybe I just got a good one. I have Bosch jigsaw, dishwasher - recommend to everyone. Hitachi (Metabo) 12" dual bevel sliding miter saw also great purchase - rigid telescoping rise stand much better, I use on mitre saw
Same problem here. Have used the saw extensively on commercial projects. Cleaned regularly. Replaced first set of plastic gears after about 3 years of use. Folllowing that tried to pay extra close attention to cleaning and lubricating. About to replace second gears after only about 2 years on them. Big disappointment
Great video! My saw is currently seized up, while making drawers for my kitchen. I'll be first to say I haven't kept up with the cleaning or lubrication. (I'm a hobbyist. But...that said, it took a good six years for my malfeasance to catch up to me. No problems prior to this. Imagine my surprise however to hear / see that plastic or nylon is used on the gear mechanism! Like you, I'm mostly a Bosch shop. And I've been happy with the 12v and 18v tools I have, save a battery or two. I'm going to tear into to see what I can do. Appreciate the video.
I just ran into a problem lowering my blade on the 4100. I was having some trouble adjusting my riving knife - it was always just a hair to the left of the blade. During the adjustment I over compensated and left the riving knife a hair to the right, this was enough to cause the bottom of the riving knife to angle to the left and just catch the metal dust port housing which stops the blade from being lowered. You can easily check if this is a problem by raising the knife to its max height and see if the blade now lowers with no problem.
I have experienced the issue with the gears with my 4100.
i keep thinking about having one 3d printed out of aluminum. i wonder how much it would cost
I noticed this same problem the first day I got this saw. Unfortunately I bought it second hand(is in amazing condition though) so I won’t get any warranty when those gears finally do strip or if a washer,screw or any piece goes missing when the handle comes off. So I need to be intensely mindful while raising and especially lowering the blade. Which also slows me down and costs money in the long run.
I wipe/brush the gears and rods after each day of using the saw but it still gets gummed up with dust so fast. I’m not trying to figure out a way to shield the area from the dust somehow without compromising the lower/raising action. Maybe a curtain of sorts. Also didn’t like how hard it was to find a shop vac hose to fit the 4100 dust port.
The saw is $800 where I live. It’s a gravity rise stand kit. And to have this kind of issue with the gears and lowering action at this price point in infuriating. Anytime it binds ways 5-15 mins to clean and fix. Cuase that the only way to fix. Which entails cleaning, lowering, clean again, raise, clean some more and repeat until it moves the full range freely again. And on demanding jobs this will reoccur way too frequently.
I also regret buying it and wish I’d just gone with a job site dewalt at this point. I never had any issues their saw when using it in the past.
Yes my sons fell over, and it would work by somehow tapping motor.
So he found the closeout at lowes at 300.00.
He paid 649.00 originally.
I think it is only the switch, and will replace it as a spare.
I had issiues with Bosh hammer drills myself.
On table saw I am more than pleased with my Dewalt.
He uses his table saw every day, along with the 12 inch miter saw.
We are in the flooring flooring business.
So my son does hardwood and laminate floors every day.
He uses special blades specifically for lamiete, and that takes the strain off the saw.
I hate to say this, when he bought his new set up I was impressed, until I found the made in china stamp.
I realize so many tools are made in china, but Bosh has a price that I would expect to be better than harbor freight.
Im begining to think that made in china is no different no matter the store.
I have a 10 inch harbor freight compound slider that can cut straight down 5 1/4 baseboard.it works flawlessly and has the clamps and lazer you would expect on a premium saw.
I bought it for small jobs and use my 12 inch Dewalt for whole houses.
The harbor freight cost 239.00 and I could do whole houses with it,and 10 inch blades cost less.
I guess i enjoy the big dewalt too much on big jobs.
I've been using the gravity rise stand for over 15 years. I can get it in my truck and up stairs very easily. I guess maybe it depends on how you are loading but I can get it in my truck with one hand.
kudos! i meant to say, with a 12" glide saw attached to it, it is MASSIVE and HEAVY! okay, so take the saw off, you say... but the glide saw, with the clamp brackets attached is MASSIVE AND HEAVY!. it just doesnt do anything for me, personally. thanks for your input tho. more input equals more informed decisions.
I had the same problems, saw this post, fixed it as good as new, cleaned it , lubricated with dry cyclone, took maybe 15 minutes
So….. this vs the Dewalt equivalent, you would prefer the Dewalt? I did not expect that.
Everyone has a taste, I guess. I’ve been using this saw for over 10 years and I love it. Sorry you’re having problems with yours.
dont get me wrong. i use it all the time! had a 3/4 dado stack on it today, and it didnt wince!
My Bosch table saw is only 18 months old and I guess the gears r stripped cuz my handle wont even turn
Interesting rant, I had my first Bosch 4100 25 years ago used it to build retirement home, didn’t like raw aluminum top. Seven years ago bought the new style and works great, use it at my maintenance job at a large resort and side carpentry and repair jobs. I also own the mini table saw with the tubular frame my only complaint about that saw is start up with the motor. Some folks just can’t get stuff to work!
I got the same problem 🧐