HOW TO 

Replace the Guard Spring on Bosch or Skil Worm Drive Saw

Bosch and Skil worm drive saws account for a pretty large portion of the world’s industrial saw population. This, of course, is for very good reason; these saws are durable, powerful, reliable and resilient. Like any other machine, though, occasionally they require some repair or maintenance. The guard spring, one of these saw’s most abused components, is often the focus of these repair procedures. Fortunately for the many tool users that enjoy these saws, replacing the guard spring on a Bosch or Skil worm drive saw is a generally fast and simple process.

First, when the guard on one of these saws isn’t performing properly, the saw quickly becomes a very dangerous piece of equipment. Second, when the guard isn’t performing properly, it is usually the fault of a failing guard spring. Accordingly, these little components must be replaced in order to ensure you and your materials are as safe as possible. Before beginning the repair process, though, one must first ensure he has the right part(s) for the task at hand. Be perfectly certain you have the correct Bosch or Skil parts for your specific model saw before attempting to replace any component on your tool.

Following parts verification, the first step in this procedure, as with any other, is ensuring your tool is absolutely, entirely OFF and disconnected from its power source. Next, you’ll want to remove the blade from the saw. Lowering the guard makes the blade removal simpler, but you need only remove the blade nut and slide the blade away from the saw. Remove it entirely and set it safely aside.

After the blade has been removed, you now have access to the guard spring. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, reach into the notch at the top of the guard. Grab a point on the spring, pull it away from the notch, slide the spring through the notch and then out of the lower guard mount. Depending upon the type of guard spring your tool uses, the replacement might be slightly more or less difficult to install.

The spring you are about to replace will be one of two different types of spring. The first type will have a flared bottom and the other will have a bent wire. If the spring is the former type with the flared bottom, you may simply slide the thing in and out of the lower guard. The later type, however, requires that you hook it into the hole on the lower guard. Do this securely. Next, you will need to thread the spring (either type) through the bottom mount. Guide the spring through the top guard and, using those needle-nose pliers once more, stretch the part on to the attachment point on the top guard. Ensure the spring is securely in place.

Now that the guard spring is installed, you may replace the blade and blade nut. Secure the blade and return the guard to its former position. This, of course, concludes your repair. Congratulations, you have successfully ensured the most high-performance and safe reliability from your Bosch or Skil worm drive saw.