This is my 10" power miter saw also known as a "Chop Saw".  Since my use of these tools has been at different times in my life and only for short periods of time I did not know how ,or ever have to change a blade on one.

While using this saw recently, it started to smoke like crazy while cutting wood and I couldn't imagine why.  Didn't think too much about it really.  Well I was telling someone who has used them a lot and he said it was because the blade was dull and needed to be sharpened and/or changed.  OK, so I went a bought a new blade.  A really good one as I don't want to change them often.  They are costly.  They come with different size and number of "teeth" on the.  Some for general cutting and some for special materials and some for fine finish work so you get nice clean  cuts.  I didn't buy the most expensive but I did buy a really good one for fine cuts.  I was told that there should be a tool to use to take the bolt off and it should be somewhere connected to the saw.  My friend could not find it.  While at the store I asked someone to show me where it would be as they have that same saw there.  He did show me and in fact there is a tool attached in the back side of the saw for this purpose.

Now the problem was that I was not strong enough to hold down the button that locks the blade in place and use the tool to loosen the bolt.  It was nearly impossible because of their location.  But, I posted on Facebook that I was going to have to "rely on a "Man" to help me.  Ugh!!!  I hate to have to even ask.  One of my guy friends told me to put a 2X4 under the blade.  (lodge it) and so I decided to try that and it worked.  It held the blade tight enough so it wouldn't turn for me to loosen the bolt and change the blade.  The same for putting the new one on.  I never would have thought of that on my own so I am writing here to help any other "women" who might be undertaking these projects and come into this problem.

That was the whole point of this post.  To hopefully make someone elses frustration go away.  The new blade cuts like butter and the edges are so fine they feel satiny.  LOVE the new blade. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope I have been of some help.