Makita 2401b The electric brake on my saw stopped working. Any ideas on what to check? Thanks Ian Canada

The brake on your mitersaw is an electric brake. When you release the power switch, the switch sends current to a brake coil in the motor's field. This reverses polarity to the motor and stops the armature from spinning. Good contact from the motor brushes is also important for this to work correctly.

The most common issues with a mitersaw brake are the brushes, part number,CB-154 , and the switch part number, 650618-3. It is less common but a damaged field can also make the brake not work correctly. It is part number 596356-2. https://www.ereplacementparts.com/makita-ls1216l-1234-dual-slide-compound-miter-saw-parts-c-97_98_99_40150.html

if it is electrical u might wont to check the battery if it is gas u might wont to chek the oil or the gas if it is gas

The 'brake' on tools like this is actually a function of the switch allowing some current to flow to one side of the armature to magnetically stop the motor & blade. If the motor works fine but it is no longer breaking you need a new power switch. You need Makita part number 651923-1 for an LS1211 saw.

could be the commutator bearing is going bad for the screeching and then if the commutator is dirty the brake might not function properly. They make a special stone to "clean" a dirty commutator. Let me know and I will try and help further if you need assistance

go to Makitatools.com and in the header type in your model number the manual is 5 pages long. I just looked at there.

If the model number is right it could be a couple things, I would try and blow the motor housing and area surrounding it with compressed air. Second I would FIRST unplug the saw and remove the brushes and check the condition, if they appear burnt I would replace them, if there is dirt or worn brushes it could cause a problem but before I got deeper into this tool I would recommend checking the date of purchase and seeing if it is still covered under warranty. This a fairly new model for them. If not let me know and I will look at a schematic for this and try and help more in depth.

how do the brushes look?

i need the owner/operator manual for a makita table saw model 12711 please tell me what steps to take to get one

You will have to check if it is a bearing going and the electric brake may not be getting any power to it now or it could be sticking.