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I've owned an Evolution Rage-3 mitre saw (http://www.evolutionpowertools.com/uk/build/rage3.php) for about fifteen months. About a week ago the guard that covers the blade started to stick, and now it won't move at all.

The mechanism for the guard seems to be straightforward (it should move out of the way as I push the blade down to make a cut), but I'm not much of a mechanic so I'm struggling to work out what's wrong. What can I try to free up the guard?

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    Likely sawdust or its like has worked itself into the bearing about which the guard rotates. Unplug the saw and push/pull at the guard by hand. There should still be some play. Working it back and forth manually, perhaps with the saw on its side ought to clear the bearing. It's also possible you have a larger piece of wood stuck up in there blocking things. Does the blade still turn by hand, can you see anything up in the slot w a flashlight? You may need to pry a large blockage out of there w a screwdriver. – Wayfaring Stranger Dec 14 '14 at 4:19
  • There doesn't seem to be any play at all, like it's locked! Seems to be a hinged mechanism that is supposed to push the guard clear, but I can't see how that mechanism is sticking. The blade does still turn by hand; I can't see any blockage when I look with a flashlight. – Jim Dec 14 '14 at 15:33
  • Look around for an out of the way knob or obscure lever. The guard may actually have a locking mechanism for use during transport. They put such things in the oddest places. – Wayfaring Stranger Dec 14 '14 at 16:11
  • Thank you! Turns out that the mechanism that is supposed to push the guard out of the way was bent out of shape; it's now fixed :) – Jim Dec 15 '14 at 18:32
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The parts list shows

M1 Blade Guard and Linkage     EV3BSM1 1
M2 Blade Guard Release Lever   EV3BSM2 1

From which I deduce that Wayfaring Stranger's comment is a good one to follow up. Your saw has a locking lever for the blade guard.

The User Guide also shows 2. Blade Guard Locking Lever

Diagram of Rage 3 mitre saw

So maybe that lever is jammed/clogged or not in the position you thought it was?

enter image description here

If the lever moves but doesn't unlock the guard, you may be able to disassemble the guard, clean any sawdust and repair or replace any damaged or bent parts.

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    Thanks! We managed to get the blade out, and it soon became apparent that one part of the three-part hinged mechanism was bent out of shape so it couldn't push the guard open. We straightened it, and it's working great :) – Jim Dec 15 '14 at 18:33
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The Evolution Rage 3 has a three-part hinged mechanism that pushes the lower blade guard clear. One part of this mechanism was bent out of shape, and straightening it fixed the problem.

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