Hi Jay,
There are three things that will need to be looked at to diagnose a problem with the brake on your mitersaw. The brake operates by the switch sending current to a brake coil within the field. The brake coil is reverse polarity of the normal polarity of the motor. Charging the brake coil stops the blade magnetically.
The problem could be with the switch itself. It may not be switching over to allow current to the brake coil. The motor brushes could be causing the problem. If they are not making good contact with the armature then the braking circuit cannot be completed. The brake coil itself may have failed. This is the least likely cause of the problem but it does happen. In fact we have a Ridgid mitersaw in our shop right now with a failed brake coil.
The new switch is part #
823493. The brushes are part #
816768. The field is only offered by Ridgid as part of the entire motor assembly. It is part #
828125.
I hope this helps!
-UtahAV
-Mark