Cleaning the Tables, Part 1 of 2

Today wasn't as productive as I hoped it would be due to intermittent rain. However, I was able to degrease, strip, wire whee / sandblast, prime, and paint the undersides of both tables.

Here's the table hanging off my forklift. It's about 300lbs +- The auxillary table is in the background on a 5-gallon bucket. It's about 70lbs +-



First up, I hosed every angle of both tables with Foamy Engine Brite. I prefer the stuff with the blue can top. It's basically Purple Power or Super Clean in a foaming aerosol. It doesn't leave a residue like the Engine Brite with the orange cap will:



Then, I pressure washed the tables thoroughly. For those not familiar with pressure washers, they're specifically designed fling all the crap from the object you're washing onto you. No pics of this part of the process due to the mess.

After two rounds of Engine Brite and pressure washing, I figured I had most of the gunk off the tables and onto me. I let the tables dry for a while and then applied paint stripper:



Notice the dark, gunky drips. That's more oily goo! I've found paint stripper succeeds in removing oily gunk where any other cleaner wouldn't touch it. Most of the nastiness was concentrated around the blade slot and trunnion.

Here's the back of the main table after a quick scrub with a wire brush, followed by a thorough pressure wash. Tip: When pressure-washing after stripping, mist everything down for a while before getting close. This way, most of the stripper will be washed away before you send chunks of it flying!

About this point, a large storm moved though.



After allowing it to dry a few hours between rain storms I rolled the table out and inspected it. All traces of oil and grease were gone. However, I had a little bit of a rust problem and a few areas of paint hanging on. The angle grinder made short work of it, however:



The wire wheel turned up a few casting imperfections in the side of the table. These were filled with casting filler at one time. I cleaned them out with the wheel as best as I could, then laid down some new body filler:





About this time, the second wave of rain came through.

When the rain cleared, I brought the auxillary table out and repeated the process. Here, I used the sandblaster very lightly to remove the remaining junk from the backside of the table.



By now, the body filler on the main table edge had cured, so I went back and sanded it down. Here's the result:



Finally, I primed and painted the underside and edges of the main table:



Tomorrow, weather cooperating, I'll paint the table edges and refinish the tops. Once that's done, I'll have to use the forklift to put the table back on the trunnion. That should be entertaining...

I have lots of video clips I need to knit into another video or two. However, they take a couple hours each. Maybe once the schematic / wiring diagram is complete...

Cleaning the Tables, Part 2 of 2

I managed to get quite a bit done here.

I started by masking off the underside of both tables:



Then, I sprayed the table edges yellow:



As soon as the yellow was tack-free, I installed the auxillary table:



After giving the paint on the main table a few more hours, I slung it between the forks and installed it on the trunnion. By slinging the table I was sure to avoid scratching the paint up and it also makes it possible to guide the part into position.





Next up, installing the table hardware:



Since I'm not going to mill the tables this year, I stoned down the burrs and went over the entire auxillary table with Scotch Brite and waxed it. I'll finish the main table this week.



Finally, I had a little spare time so I installed the Job Selector Frame / Name Plate:



The light at the end of the tunnel is within view.

Repairing the Power Feed, Part 1 of ?, & etc.

Over the past couple of days I've been working on cleaning up the power feed and associated parts. This part of the saw is in about the same shape as the rest, it could use a little help. However, it is complete, which is good!

I began by disassembling the power feed cable and chain. I'll be installing a new cable and chain, as both are in VERY sorry shape. The 1/8" aircraft cable was so frayed that it was jammed in one of the pulleys. The feed chain had actually snapped in two places. It was "repaired" with baling wire.



The cable terminations are very interesting. They consist of a barrel and a thimble, both of which have an angled land machined into them, similar to a flare fitting. The cable end is frayed out, caught between the point and the land, then the assembly is tightened down and the cable captured. It sure does make changing the cable easy! Here is is coming apart:



I'll take some better photos when I put it back together.

The chain, after breaking it:



Here's some of the pile of parts removed and ready for stripping and sandblasting. Some of these aren't related to the power feed, but it was a convenient time to do them:



Again, figuring I'd tie up a few loose ends, I disassembled the guide blocks to clean them up at the same time. First up, the hardened cap is removed from the bearing. It's a light friction fit, very easy to pry off:



Then, working from the back side, I used a punch to tap out the spindle the bearing mounts on:



Then, the spindle can be tapped out of the bearing. Don't make the mistake I did and use a plate with too small of a clearance hole. The spindle has a rather large shoulder which is now a little bit smaller. No bother, I'll make another:



The lower guide block wasn't in as good a shape as the upper. It's bearing was seized solid, which caused the back of the blade to wear completely though the guide. The squeaky bearing gets oiled? Not in that shop...



A care package arrived from the Surplus Center today as well. Inside was the new Norgen 0-60 PSI regulator and solenoid valve for the chip blower. However, the regulator does not have a bulkhead nut installed! Apparantly, every one they have is like that. Hmm, might have to make one. I hope it's not metric, but I know it will be!



I plan to have another update tomorrow, with a better explanation of the power feed system and it's various parts.

Till then...

Repairing the Power Feed, Part 2 of ?, & etc.

The past two days have been rather productive. I'll begin with my ride though the rain yesterday. I hit the hardware store, the farm store, the power transmission supply, and a few other places, all in different towns, all in the pouring rain, all on the bike. I love riding in the rain, so it was good afternoon. Here's the catch:



Included there is a new power feed chain, new cable, new guide bearings, additional bolts and miscellaneous hardware.

After getting out of my riding gear I set to work. Here are the guide blocks after sandblasting and just before painting. Do-All wants over $1,000 for these two pieces.



After painting:



Then, I made a new axle for the lower blade guide bearing to replace the one I mangled:



I installed the new axle along with the good old axle, then tapped on new bearings. New bearing caps are available from Do-All for $7.50 each, so I'll be ordering a few of those shortly.



Then, I installed the lower guide block and it's holder on the saw. I have not pinned the holder into position yet, as I want to see how things line up with a blade installed. I may have to "tune" things somewhat.



Here's another under-table shot, from another angle:



With the guides done, I did a quick and easy task and installed the recently painted band tension handwheel. Before I could install it, I needed to install the handle on the wheel. I've found simply installing the handle with a set screw sometimes slips. So, I drop a BB into the hole before the set screw, which helps engage the machined slot in the handle shaft. It also prevents the set screw from loosening due to cyclical loading:



Here's the handwheel installed:

Next, I began work on the power feed pulleys. These are interesting. There are two different styles of pulley, two with axles and three without. Each pulley has a full compliment of ball bearings in a two-piece race with no cage. Looking at the pulley, it is obvious that they were made on a turret lathe with a form tool.

Each pulley was full of gunk and crap. Initially, I considered replacing them with Ralmark aircraft control pulleys, which would probably work. However, I decided to give cleaning them a shot. The results were remarkable!

First, I dropped all the pulleys into a bath of purple degreaser. After allowing them to soak for several hours, I removed them one at a time and vigorously rotated them to break up the gunk. Then, I blew high pressure air through the races:



The air blew out the majority of the gunk. I finished by flushing the races out with water, then another air blast to dry them off. The result: Good as new! I was surprised!



After cleaning and painting all the other parts I began reassembling everything. Here are the components that make up each of the two adjustable power feed pulleys on the table. Those handwheels are COOL!!



Notice the disc near the center top? After assembling the first two pulleys I realized I was one short! It was fairly obvious someone else had been in the power feed before me and lost that part, which forms the back of each pulley cover. Installing without it was not going to fly, so I made a new one.

I began by blanking out a piece of 1/8" steel with a hole saw:



After finding a suitable mandrel, I turned the OD until it comfortably fit the pulley case:



Another view, showing how it fits to the "axle" of the two center table pulleys that feed the cable down to the power feed arm:



That emergency over, I got back to assembling the feed pulleys. Here's the first one, ready to go back on the saw:



The completed assembly, on the saw:

Repairing the Power Feed, Part 3 of ?, & etc.

Today, I spent most of my time on the power feed chain and cable assemblies. I bought a 10' link of #41 chain I bought at the farm supply to replace the original chain which had a few minor issues:



The chain must end in a complete link with roller and bushing. Initially, I considered using an "offset link" which I bought in a pack of 4 from the farm store. However, on closer inspection I realized it would have the same problem as an open chain. The roller bushing is held in place by a press fit to the plates alone. Over time, it will loose and the roller and bushing will fall out leaving two loose plates. It needs a rivet, like the old chain on the left.



Scratch that idea...

In the meantime, I broke the 10' chain in half, which is the correct length for the saw. At least, that's what came off. My chain breaker won't work on a chain this small, so I used a pin punch and a piece of plate with an appropriate hole in it, same as before.

While breaking the chain, I had an idea. Why not make a new rivet? I thought about it for a minute and took a few measurements before getting busy.

First, I broke another link and scavenged two of the plates. I cut one of them in half and used the bench grinder to turn them into two circular shims, to simulate a full link plate:





Then, I turned a rivet blank, tested it, and chucked it up like this for drilling. For a hole of this type, I feel more comfortable doing it on the drill:



Here's the result, after parting off the rivet:



Using the rivet is easy. Simply assemble the two shims on either side of the chain plates, and push the rivet though. Then, use a center punch to expand the shop head of the rivet by pounding it into the drilled hole:





With that end of the chain done, I got busy on the "permanent" end of the chain. I used a clip-type master link here. I cannibalized the spare roller bushing to insert into the cable eye:

Finally, I threaded the 1/8" 7x19 aircraft cable though the various pulleys and assembled the thimbles. To do this, begin by fraying out the cable end, after passing it though the thimble back:



Then, pull the frayed end back into the thimble until it is just short of the unthreaded portion. Make a mark with a sharpie marker on the cable, so you don't lose your position and thread in the other half of the thimble, clamping the cable end between the point and the land:



Here is the completed assembly:



With the power feed done, I began working on the saw interior by installing the transmission drive pulley and tachometer drive bracket:



Then, I started work on the tach drive. This thing uses a proprietary bearing which is probably impossible to find. So, I'll be making a new tach drive shaft with new, easy-to-find bearings. It's a bear to remove, I ended up pressing it out from the tach cable drive end, which is to the left in this photo. The big hunk in the middle of the shaft is the bearing, which is assembled ON the shaft. The shaft is not press fit into the bearing. I'm currently thinking about replacing it with two 6200 radial ball bearings, as the OD on the 6200's would match the current case ID. Expect more on this in a day or so:



That's all for now!

WOW!......... How much you charge an hour?

Really nice work, and excellent documentation!

Thanks for the thread.

Not too much, not too little, but just right!

If you have a project in mind, PM me. I'll be happy to discuss it with you.



Thanks!

No problem, hope it helps or at least provides some good entertainment.

My tach driver bearing is also shot, and I plan on doing exactly the same thing. Unfortunately, I first had to buy a lathe and refurbish it, then a tool grinder, and so on. One of these days.

Phenominal work!

Ryan

Actually, it is a common bearing. SteveinMI informed me that these cartridge bearings are called "Water Pump Bearings". A search of several cross-reference charts does not turn up the exact bearing. However, it does turn up two very close matches:

First preference:
Series W
NSK# 885140
FAG# W2406-1

Second preference:
Series W
NSK# 885307
FAG# W2385

These bearings are very similar, except for the shaft lengths, which vary slightly. My bearing has a 5/8" shaft on the tach drive end and a 1/2" shaft on the pulley end. Presumably, this is a Series WS bearing. However, I can't find the correct shaft diameter combination anywhere. Both of the above bearings have 5/8" shafts on each end. So, if my bearing supplier can obtain one of the two I'll bore the pulley out to 5/8" and my tach drive problem will be solved!

I learn something new every day!

Ryan,

It looks like you posted while I was typing. I should be able to tell you how this turns out in a day or two.

BTW: I stopped by your website again, trying to figure out how the darn thing came apart! I ended up placing the assembly in the press and pushing on the tach drive adapter. It got slightly dented, but that was the only way it was coming out. TIGHT fit, it was.

Nothing wrong with buying more machines.

Thanks!

Rebuilding the Power Feed, Part 4 of 4 and etc

After two rather productive days I have the entire power feed system cleaned up, repaired and reinstalled.

After removing the weight block, hinge, control chain, etc from the "to do pile", I disassembled it to the component level and sandblasted, wire brushed, painted, deburred, etc:









With the parts cleaned up and painted, I began assembling the lower power feed. I started with the power feed pedal arm, then the weight block hinge and lower power feed pulley:





Then, I cleaned up the weight block control chain. An overnight soak in purple degreaser removed all the gunk and the paint splatter:



After securing the chain, I installed the weight slider and weight block:



A before photo of that area:

Then, I cleaned up the Bakelite knob and reinstalled the power feed control handwheel:



That concludes installing the power feed! It is now 100% operational.

Installing the Transmission Shift Linkage

Once the power feed was done, I went ahead and installed the shift linkage. This is pretty easy.

The first step was to clean up the bearing blocks that support the shaft. Here are two of the three. Those are steel bearing inserts:



With the bearings, shafting, and etc cleaned up, it's just a question of installing and pinning everything in the correct order. Punch pricks I made when disassembling the machine aided in getting everything together correctly



Here's the shifter knob. I cleaned it the same as all the other knobs as I detailed in the blade welder rebuild:



Dataplate #1

I concluded today by installing the main machine dataplate. Originally, the dataplates were installed with drive-in rivets, per convention. However, I don't have any. Instead, I decided to use some #6 button head screws. I'll use the same screws for every dataplate on the machine.

I began by drilling and tapping the old rivet holes to 6-32. Then, I doped up each of the four screws with "permanent grade" red Loctite. This will prevent the screws from vibrating out:





I think the screws look fine!

I had a talk with my bearing supplier today regarding belts and a tach drive bearing. I should have an idea of how to proceed on the tach drive in a day or so.

Till then...

I'm very interested to hear the details of your tach drive bearing issue... Mine was disconnected (no belt) when I got it, so I'm anticipating a similar issue.

Love to see your work, very clean. I'm also glad to see somebody else out there addicted to the sandblaster. As I've told friends, cleaning is a dangerous thing, once I make a clean spot it's hard to tell where I can stop.

Bluesman,

Here are the details:

My bearing supplier has informed me that their supplier can obtain an NSK# 885586 bearing, which has longer ends than both my preferences, for $52.50. I can cut the shaft to length, but I'm hemming and hawing on the price! I'm going to talk to another supplier recommended to me by Steve in MI and see what they say.

My supplier does have all the belts in-stock. Prices as follow:

Gates 3510: $22.40
Gates 2260: $11.90
Gates 1440: $11.55
Gates 3320: $17.65



Thanks!

Yep, you have to be careful with the sandblaster. As you can tell, I don't know where to stop! Scotch Brite, wire wheels, etc. all fit into this category as well. Cleaning up old things is, for me, restful. It's not hard work, just time-consuming.

Disassembling the Variable Speed Drive

Ahh, it's finally time! I've been eyeing this Bakelite and Iron thing for months now, wanting to tear into it. The Bakelite vari-drive pulleys and the transmission gearing are the two major things that cause many people to scrap these saws. For me, it's not a scrap-or-not issue, just another thing to attack. However, I was curious about the condition of mine.

Here it is, before starting:



I began as I have with every other section of this saw, by completely disassembling the drive into as many pieces as possible.

The first problem I found was a sign that somebody else has been here before me. This is the U-joint that operates the adjustment mechanism jack screw. The U-joint rotates about 30 degrees due to that botched repair. The other side of this U-joint you may recall I had to drill out due to a mushroomed dowel pin.



Next up, I tackled removing the main pivot pin. This was a bear. I ended up turning the casting over on two blocks of wood and beating it out with a 2lb hammer. As you can see, it was covered in goo and rust:



Here's the inside of the main pivot pin bore:



Now that I had the variable pulley assembly off the main casting, I started taking it apart. The first order of business was to remove the oil cup.



Then, I used an impact gun to zap off the axle bolt. It wasn't under much torque:



After looking at the parts catalog, I determined that the Bakelite pulley halves are secured to the main shaft by four 1/4" set screws. The set screws are pal'd up, two in each threaded hole, the same way one would use a Pal Nut.



With the pulley half off, you can see the drill spots where the set screw pairs seat:



Getting the pulley halves apart was NOT easy. Years of gunk had built up, making them nearly impossible to remove. I was very afraid to use impact as I did not want to shatter the Bakelite. After using WD-40 to loosen up the gooey crud, I was able to remove each piece.

You can see how much crap was gumming up the works by looking inside the sliding pulley half's bore. No wonder this thing was chewing up belts!



Here's the main shaft after removing all the pulley parts. Yes, that's rust.

Next, I removed the main axle from the arm casting. It is held in place by a modified bolt. Notice, it has a slot machined in it, no doubt by a Do-All band saw. This is presumably to vent the center of the axle, which functions as an oil reservoir for the variable drive pulley. (More on this later.)



I neglected to take any photos of pressing the axle out of the casting. However, it was a straightforward operation. I just hope I remember which way it goes back together, as the oil holes must orient in the proper direction. I think the parts manual makes this clear, we'll see!

Obviously, the next task was sandblasting and cleaning all the various parts.

Here are the main castings after sandblasting:



Most of the other parts, except for the pulley pieces:

Rebuilding the Variable Drive, Part 1 of ?

I made additional headway while waiting for the degreaser to do it's thing.

You may have noticed the variable speed control wheel was in the pile of power feed parts I sandblasted several days ago. The end of the control shaft was damaged by a previous attempt at repair. There is no material left here to install a new spring pin:



Obviously, the shaft needs to be replaced.

I began by driving out the dowel pin that secures the shaft to the cast iron handwheel. Due to the angle at which the pin is installed, I ended up using a bent piece of 1/8" welding rod to finish driving it out:



I had a heck of a time getting the handwheel off. I ended up securing a large set of vise grips to the end of the shaft and stepping on them while pulling up and rotating the wheel on the shaft. The blue electrical tape around the speeder handle was to prevent blasting sand from entering the speeder handle axle bushing.



With the old shaft removed, I needed to figure out how I was going to match drill the new shaft. Using an aircraft extension 3/16" drill, I found the bore was cocked slightly to allow clearance to the handwheel rim. Using the shank of the drill I found the center location though both bores of the handwheel and marked it with a pencil. The other axis is located by holding the drill directly up against the handwheel rim:



Then, I prepared a section of 1/2" cold rolled mild steel to become the shaft:



After pounding the handwheel onto the section of cold rolled, I set the handwheel up on blocking on the floor. Then, I drilled the new shaft, keeping the drill shank up against the wheel rim and between my pencil marks:



The hole turned out in perfect alignment. I finished by driving a new spring pin:



Next, I tackled the old variable speed control shaft bushing. This is a piece of stamped and drawn steel which mounts just inside the saw body. It's purpose is to support the handwheel. When I ran the saw before taking it apart, I discovered this bushing is a source of squeaks and rattles. NOT acceptable!

Here's the old bushing on the right, with the makings of the new bushing on the left. As you can see, the old bushing is simply a piece of steel with a drawn "bushing section" stamped into it:



Here's the new bushing mounting plate after boring a press-fit hole for the new bronze flange bushing. Since it mounts from the back side of the machine, it can be any shape. A square is easy: