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117K views 106 replies 36 participants last post by  jbertelson 
#1 ·
He shoots, he SCORES !

HokieMojo was right: I should have been blogging this, from the get-go.

So … playing catch-up … I'll re-create the series, and simply link to the old ones.

And away we go !

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/23475

[no need to comment on anything you've already seen/commented on. I just want to make it easier for others … who may have interest … to follow the RAS project in chronological order-a HUGE benefit to the "series" feature of blogs !]
 
#15 ·
Just getting my bearings

It was time.

I replaced all four RollerHead (carriage) bearings. Not particularly easy, because the king bolt (the slotted thing in the center of this photo) had frozen, rendering the clamping mechanism inoperative, and nearly impossible to budge.



I love PB Blaster :)

The clamping mechanism is the knob at the 4:00 position, in this pic. It works beautifully, now, giving nice linear feedback, as it clamps the yoke down:

-
Then, I cracked the motor, cut all the electrical wiring (to be replaced, in the next step), and pulled the front bearing. The bearing puller made short work of that job.

The old one did NOT turn easily. Good choice to replace it.

Then, I pulled the guts out of the motor, to access the back bearing.

Uh-oh.

Over time, the back bearing had galled to the armature. Long story short, I broke my bearing puller, and spent well over an hour beating the snot out of this thing, ruining a cheap chisel, and working up quite a sweat in the process.

It finally came off.

A little emery cloth on the armature, and a light coating of grease should prevent its recurrence. The back bearing didn't turn freely, either. ALSO a good choice to replace it.

The pics:





My co-workers:


What it takes:


Every fastener that was removed was cleaned up and properly lubricated. The mating surfaces that allow the yoke to pivot needed a fair amount of elbow grease, but … after that … and once a thin film of synthetic grease was applied … the motor pirouettes elegantly :)

The wires that exit the winding, and connect to both the power cord and the circuit breaker … are trash.

I'm tempted to take the motor to a local small appliance repair shop, and see what they think.

If I'm smart, I'll get new windings, and a new circuit breaker with proper terminals. The wires from the power cord are soldered onto this breaker, making it difficult to re-use, once I put the new power cords on.

Time to be smart, and NOT be penny wise and pound foolish.

Maybe tomorrow.

For today, I have to belt sand my hands (next time, I will wear disposable gloves), and have myself declared a Superfund site :)

I'm trying hard NOT to consider a cosmetic restoration. I just want everything to WORK … perfectly.

But then I found THIS …. and suddenly … can't even LOOK at my RAS, anymore:


Can you STAND it ??? It's all powdercoated, nickel plated, balanced, blueprinted, stroked, relieved, ported, has twice pipes, and wide ovals on it. AAAAHHH !
-
So … aside from THAT :)rolleyes:) ... yeah … I'm having fun :-D
 
#16 ·
Looks good. I'm enjoying reading your progress. I have my grandfather's Craftsman from '61 and took it all apart down to the motor but found I didn't really need to replace the bearings or anything…just a good cleaning. Honestly the only reason I have it because it was his and it works as a good disk sander. Your saw looks like it'll run like new…if not better. Thanks for the step by step blog.
 
#49 ·
Light 'er up, Folks !

Got a call, late this morning, from Ye Olde Motor Shoppe.

The RAS motor is ready.

.......................[clears throat] WOO-HOO !!!!.......................

Installed it.

Spliced the new mil-spec (not really, but it's a beefy boy !) toggle switch into the two power cords.

Locked and loaded the blade and stiffener.

Put on its overcoat (the blade shroud), and … despite ALL my efforts and hard work ….

It runs !



Yes, I DID do a test cut, after making this video, and … to my utter amazement … it cuts, too !

But … no more fun and games until I get the table Dead Flat and aligned, and then … the whole saw … aligned.

And then … the sky's the limit !

I've got a 2-tube, 4' fluorescent fixture right behind where I would stand to use this saw, and facing 90 degrees the wrong way.

So … tomorrow … I'll flick it around, and mount it right above the RAS table, then mount the new "dust snout," and set about aligning … well … everything.

I'm a PHRASOD, right now !

[Pretty Happy, Radial Arm Saw-Owning Dude]

HokieMojo ??

You out there ??

No pressure ;-)
 
#70 ·
(Less) Dust in the Wind

How does a dog get the LAST bit of water out of his bowl ?

With a half-lap :)

Spent too much time figuring out how to get Hurricane Walter to spew less dust, or-at least-how I could capture the dust he spews.

Shroud seemed like the way to go.

So …. with leftover plywood from the construction of the ol' ChupaCaja, I made me a dust collection box.

ID is about 8" wide x 8" deep x 8" tall.

The joinery is (IS it called this ?) half-lap (or lock miter, or … well … whatever you call it !).

My biggest Forstner bit-at 2-1/8"-wasn't quite big enough for my Shop-Vac hose, so … after cutting the 2-1/8" hole, I stuck the hole over the biggest spindle that my oscillating spindle sander had to offer, and … gave it a few whirls.

Now … the Shop-Vac hose has an EXCELLENT friction fit, the box sits beautifully right behind the blade, and atop the saw frame, and …. the dust collection is just great.

To be quantitative, I'd say the BOX captures about 95% of the dust. OF that 95%, I'd say 85-90% goes RIGHT into the hose. The rest gets pushed toward the nozzle, and goes bye-bye.

There wasn't a dead-simple way to insert the hose from the bottom, or I would have. I'd either have to snake the hose behind the cabinets, semi-permanently, or invoke a 90 degree elbow, which … would decrease CFM more than I wanted to.

This saw … yesterday made an AWFUL mess of my countertop. Today: virtually no dust at all.

I'll likely mount it to the saw base AND the back (concrete) wall with either double-sided tape or … something.

For now, though, it works, it was zero incremental cost, it took about an hour, and … Walter seems happy :)

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Table Wood Grey Stairs Floor


Tire Hood Wheel Wood Automotive exterior


Shelf Wood Shelving Gas Hardwood


Wood Table Wood stain Wall Hardwood


Sewing machine feet Sewing machine Sewing machine needle Sewing Household appliance accessory


Sewing machine Wood Sewing machine feet Creative arts Household appliance accessory


BY THE WAY ….

For those following this series …. I bought the Master Plate, from Grizzly:



For ME, it made a BIG difference in ease of aligning the RAS.

I'm pretty sure I've got this thing dead-on [WOO-HOO !!!].

I started by removing my Mister Sawdust table. I stuck the mag base of my dial indicator on the underside of the RAS motor, and … using it … got the table awfully darned parallel to the radial arm. A few thou', here and there. Nothing more.

Then … re-mounted the table, and re-installed the sacrificial 1/4" topper (sadly, this was TWO HOURS before the replacement hardware, that I had ordered, arrived [D'OH!]).

The Master Plate made it very easy to get the blade square in every axis. I've done QUITE a few test cuts, and … each … is well nigh perfect !

Next time I'm tearing into the saw, I'll replace the table mounting/adjusting hardware. For now … I'll likely plug up the dust collection snout [or … get a Wye, and run a second small hose TO that dust collection snout], and … just start getting acquainted with the thing.

Thanks for looking !
 

Attachments

#71 ·
(Less) Dust in the Wind

How does a dog get the LAST bit of water out of his bowl ?

With a half-lap :)

Spent too much time figuring out how to get Hurricane Walter to spew less dust, or-at least-how I could capture the dust he spews.

Shroud seemed like the way to go.

So …. with leftover plywood from the construction of the ol' ChupaCaja, I made me a dust collection box.

ID is about 8" wide x 8" deep x 8" tall.

The joinery is (IS it called this ?) half-lap (or lock miter, or … well … whatever you call it !).

My biggest Forstner bit-at 2-1/8"-wasn't quite big enough for my Shop-Vac hose, so … after cutting the 2-1/8" hole, I stuck the hole over the biggest spindle that my oscillating spindle sander had to offer, and … gave it a few whirls.

Now … the Shop-Vac hose has an EXCELLENT friction fit, the box sits beautifully right behind the blade, and atop the saw frame, and …. the dust collection is just great.

To be quantitative, I'd say the BOX captures about 95% of the dust. OF that 95%, I'd say 85-90% goes RIGHT into the hose. The rest gets pushed toward the nozzle, and goes bye-bye.

There wasn't a dead-simple way to insert the hose from the bottom, or I would have. I'd either have to snake the hose behind the cabinets, semi-permanently, or invoke a 90 degree elbow, which … would decrease CFM more than I wanted to.

This saw … yesterday made an AWFUL mess of my countertop. Today: virtually no dust at all.

I'll likely mount it to the saw base AND the back (concrete) wall with either double-sided tape or … something.

For now, though, it works, it was zero incremental cost, it took about an hour, and … Walter seems happy :)

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Table Wood Grey Stairs Floor


Tire Hood Wheel Wood Automotive exterior


Shelf Wood Shelving Gas Hardwood


Wood Table Wood stain Wall Hardwood


Sewing machine feet Sewing machine Sewing machine needle Sewing Household appliance accessory


Sewing machine Wood Sewing machine feet Creative arts Household appliance accessory


BY THE WAY ….

For those following this series …. I bought the Master Plate, from Grizzly:



For ME, it made a BIG difference in ease of aligning the RAS.

I'm pretty sure I've got this thing dead-on [WOO-HOO !!!].

I started by removing my Mister Sawdust table. I stuck the mag base of my dial indicator on the underside of the RAS motor, and … using it … got the table awfully darned parallel to the radial arm. A few thou', here and there. Nothing more.

Then … re-mounted the table, and re-installed the sacrificial 1/4" topper (sadly, this was TWO HOURS before the replacement hardware, that I had ordered, arrived [D'OH!]).

The Master Plate made it very easy to get the blade square in every axis. I've done QUITE a few test cuts, and … each … is well nigh perfect !

Next time I'm tearing into the saw, I'll replace the table mounting/adjusting hardware. For now … I'll likely plug up the dust collection snout [or … get a Wye, and run a second small hose TO that dust collection snout], and … just start getting acquainted with the thing.

Thanks for looking !
some fancy dancing there neil

great refurb on the saw
and a cool collection box
 

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