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18K views 76 replies 20 participants last post by  Beginningwoodworker 
#1 ·
Delta/Rockwell Unisaw

I've been searching craigslist for that perfect table saw for a month now it seems and lo and behold the table saw that is perfect for me popped up and I was lucky enough to grab it. I paid all of 200 dollars for a 10" Delta/Rockwell 1.5 HP unisaw in working condition. I was walking through the Nelson Atkin's Museum in Kansas City, MO in fact when I came across it and I immediately started making calls to make sure I could secure it.

Being on tour at the moment my buddy Jeff dropped off a check for them and my buddy Leon was kind enough to go pick it up. The thing weighs a ton (not literally of course) but it is a 3 man job. Rich and Adam were also kind enough to go to my house and help unload the thing. Thanks guys!!

So anyways, right now I'm just counting down the time before I get off tour and can go home and get a good look at this thing for myself. I'll post pictures along the way and ask you all out on the site for help plenty!

Cheers,

Joe Kwon
 
#12 ·
Photos

I got home today and promptly started to take a look at the saw and snap some shots. I have no idea what condition the motor is in. But I did notice one of the three drive belts is missing. I figure I could just replace them all while I'm in there.

It's also missing the motor cover and front panel cover. Other than that everything seems to be there. It came with a Unifence but it has a big gash in it from blade contact. I'm already considering replacing the fence on account of that. Found one on craigslist that I'm gonna check out tomorrow.

For now here are some photos.

-Joe
Brown Wood Luggage and bags Bag Gas


Motor vehicle Automotive tire Gas Electrical wiring Machine tool


Motor vehicle Wood Engineering Gas Machine
 

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#13 ·
Photos

I got home today and promptly started to take a look at the saw and snap some shots. I have no idea what condition the motor is in. But I did notice one of the three drive belts is missing. I figure I could just replace them all while I'm in there.

It's also missing the motor cover and front panel cover. Other than that everything seems to be there. It came with a Unifence but it has a big gash in it from blade contact. I'm already considering replacing the fence on account of that. Found one on craigslist that I'm gonna check out tomorrow.

For now here are some photos.

-Joe
Brown Wood Luggage and bags Bag Gas


Motor vehicle Automotive tire Gas Electrical wiring Machine tool


Motor vehicle Wood Engineering Gas Machine
You may could attach a piece of hardwood to the fence and be good to go. But then, a fence off CL at a good price may be worth the added cost. At $200 for the saw, you can afford it!
 

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#16 ·
Photos

I got home today and promptly started to take a look at the saw and snap some shots. I have no idea what condition the motor is in. But I did notice one of the three drive belts is missing. I figure I could just replace them all while I'm in there.

It's also missing the motor cover and front panel cover. Other than that everything seems to be there. It came with a Unifence but it has a big gash in it from blade contact. I'm already considering replacing the fence on account of that. Found one on craigslist that I'm gonna check out tomorrow.

For now here are some photos.

-Joe
Brown Wood Luggage and bags Bag Gas


Motor vehicle Automotive tire Gas Electrical wiring Machine tool


Motor vehicle Wood Engineering Gas Machine
This is an image of the inside of the unifence track. There is some heavy wear inside the track as well as on the track. will this cause alignment issues with the blade of the TS?
 

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#24 ·
Topless

Sewing machine Home appliance Gas Wood Kitchen appliance


Got the cast iron top off the Unisaw today. Tons of sawdust. I took that as a good sign meaning that it works still. I won't know that until I get my house rewired for 230v. I'm not sure how much refurbishing I will have to do to this thing. Everything on it seems to move smoothly and the only thing wrong with it so far is cosmetic. I thought about taking it all the way apart and running each piece through a sonic cleaner but now that is seeming ridiculous. The pulley's are shiny and looked machined not cast which was a nice surprise. The motor turns without any noise when I turn it manually. Also a good sign.

The belts are totally gone. Cracked ever 3/4 inch and dried up and one belt is missing. I've started reading around and it seems as though there is a on going war about link belts and unisaws as well as matched sets. I don't know who to believe. Some say the unisaw can run on just 1 belt. I'm gonna have to wait on that one.

I'm on the lookout for a dust chute now to install at the bottom of the base of the saw. There is a little cut out that seems to take a dust chute but I'm not sure where to get one. Also, would it be over kill to add a second dust chute to this saw?

Looking at the Delta 1.5HP DC since it's in my price range and has a ton of good reviews.

Oh yeah, forgot, I picked up a Biesemeyer 52" fence system from craigslist today. Got it for 225 and it's in great shape. A lot better shape than the unifence that came with this saw is in. I felt a little bad that I paid more for the bies than I did for the saw though.

Wood Engineering Gas Machine Track
 

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#25 ·
Topless

Sewing machine Home appliance Gas Wood Kitchen appliance


Got the cast iron top off the Unisaw today. Tons of sawdust. I took that as a good sign meaning that it works still. I won't know that until I get my house rewired for 230v. I'm not sure how much refurbishing I will have to do to this thing. Everything on it seems to move smoothly and the only thing wrong with it so far is cosmetic. I thought about taking it all the way apart and running each piece through a sonic cleaner but now that is seeming ridiculous. The pulley's are shiny and looked machined not cast which was a nice surprise. The motor turns without any noise when I turn it manually. Also a good sign.

The belts are totally gone. Cracked ever 3/4 inch and dried up and one belt is missing. I've started reading around and it seems as though there is a on going war about link belts and unisaws as well as matched sets. I don't know who to believe. Some say the unisaw can run on just 1 belt. I'm gonna have to wait on that one.

I'm on the lookout for a dust chute now to install at the bottom of the base of the saw. There is a little cut out that seems to take a dust chute but I'm not sure where to get one. Also, would it be over kill to add a second dust chute to this saw?

Looking at the Delta 1.5HP DC since it's in my price range and has a ton of good reviews.

Oh yeah, forgot, I picked up a Biesemeyer 52" fence system from craigslist today. Got it for 225 and it's in great shape. A lot better shape than the unifence that came with this saw is in. I felt a little bad that I paid more for the bies than I did for the saw though.

Wood Engineering Gas Machine Track
that fence will make that saw i think you made a good choice … good luck on the refurb i just did my first on a jointer … its addicting and a lot of fun. Enjoy your machine.

Edit: Welcome to the gang … and it seems like youve all ready got rule #1 down … No pics, it didnt happen.
 

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#29 ·
Table Saw Top Cleanup and Belts

Wood Audio equipment Gas Hardwood Fixture

Wood Grey Beige Collar Sleeve


I started cleaning up the top to the table saw today. I saw this website where he was working on the same saw as I am so I decided to take his methods. I started with 320 grit wet/dry sand paper then to 400-600-800-2000.

I think it turned out alright.
Gas Tints and shades Audio equipment Wood Composite material


Water Wood Grey Flooring Floor

Also here is a photo of the belts. So yeah I'm sure I need to replace them.
Automotive tire Tints and shades Bicycle tire Fashion accessory Rim
 

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#30 ·
Table Saw Top Cleanup and Belts

Wood Audio equipment Gas Hardwood Fixture

Wood Grey Beige Collar Sleeve


I started cleaning up the top to the table saw today. I saw this website where he was working on the same saw as I am so I decided to take his methods. I started with 320 grit wet/dry sand paper then to 400-600-800-2000.

I think it turned out alright.
Gas Tints and shades Audio equipment Wood Composite material


Water Wood Grey Flooring Floor

Also here is a photo of the belts. So yeah I'm sure I need to replace them.
Automotive tire Tints and shades Bicycle tire Fashion accessory Rim
Nice going Joe. I'm about at the same point as you in the process of cleaning up my Unisaw (cleaning everything, etc.) I have put mine on hold until I can get some bikes out of my way so I'll have room to continue.

I'm eagerly awaiting more on your refurb.
 

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#36 ·
Wiring?

Yesterday I started removing all the wiring from the switch and the motor because they had all but dry rotted away. The wire that went from the switch to the wall is 14/3 while the wire from the motor to the switch is 14/4. I spent several hours yesterday at Lowes and Home Depot trying to track this 14/4 wire down and was unsuccessful. Does anyone know how to wire these motors?

Circuit component Passive circuit component Hardware programmer Electronic engineering Computer hardware


When I opened the panel on the motor the wires were all connected except the red wire from the 14/4 it was just capped off. So I figured it wasn't used. After labeling and disconnecting the wires from the motor I opened up the switch to find that the red was tied to black on the reset switch and the white was tied to red on the reset switch. Now I'm baffled. What the heck is going on here? Why is red tied to black and capped off on the other end?

Any help at this point would be great.

-Joe

PS: What's a fair price to have an electrician wire a subpanel with 2 240v breakers for me if the run to the sub panel is only a foot or so and the run to the two 240 outlets is less than 20 feet?
 

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#37 ·
Wiring?

Yesterday I started removing all the wiring from the switch and the motor because they had all but dry rotted away. The wire that went from the switch to the wall is 14/3 while the wire from the motor to the switch is 14/4. I spent several hours yesterday at Lowes and Home Depot trying to track this 14/4 wire down and was unsuccessful. Does anyone know how to wire these motors?

Circuit component Passive circuit component Hardware programmer Electronic engineering Computer hardware


When I opened the panel on the motor the wires were all connected except the red wire from the 14/4 it was just capped off. So I figured it wasn't used. After labeling and disconnecting the wires from the motor I opened up the switch to find that the red was tied to black on the reset switch and the white was tied to red on the reset switch. Now I'm baffled. What the heck is going on here? Why is red tied to black and capped off on the other end?

Any help at this point would be great.

-Joe

PS: What's a fair price to have an electrician wire a subpanel with 2 240v breakers for me if the run to the sub panel is only a foot or so and the run to the two 240 outlets is less than 20 feet?
Is your motor wired for 220 or 110 volts from the sounds of it someone wired it for 110 need more info.
 

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#56 ·
Guts.

I finally bit the bullet and removed the engine from the cabinet yesterday. I didn't want to go this far because I was afraid to see what was inside it after reading klw21's post. Luckily mine wasn't as bad as his was but there were a couple things that caught my eye. Better for me to show you a picture than it is for me to try to explain it.

Automotive tire Rim Motor vehicle Automotive design Stairs


Here's a closeup of the winding. Is this something I should be worried about?
Light Wood Metal Pattern Circle


There was also this weird thing with what looks like raptor claw marks in it.

Tire Automotive tire Wheel Tread Musical instrument


Finally here are a couple videos of the engine spinning.


Is this noise something I should be concerned about? Is this the sound of a bad bearing or totally normal?



Anyways, I've also put the new blade on to see how it spins as well as the new belts.
Gas Tints and shades Automotive lighting Art Circle


I've decided that I'm not going to mess with taking the whole cabinet apart because there aren't any signs of rust on the inside of the saw and I'm more likely to mess something up if I try to. For now I'm just gonna give the outside a nice clean up and coat of wax and then blow off as much of the sawdust from the inside as I can and start making the parts to cover the open parts of the cabinet. My dust collection system is getting here today as well as my new 220v sub panel! Super excited about that.

That's it for today.
 

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#57 ·
Guts.

I finally bit the bullet and removed the engine from the cabinet yesterday. I didn't want to go this far because I was afraid to see what was inside it after reading klw21's post. Luckily mine wasn't as bad as his was but there were a couple things that caught my eye. Better for me to show you a picture than it is for me to try to explain it.

Automotive tire Rim Motor vehicle Automotive design Stairs


Here's a closeup of the winding. Is this something I should be worried about?
Light Wood Metal Pattern Circle


There was also this weird thing with what looks like raptor claw marks in it.

Tire Automotive tire Wheel Tread Musical instrument


Finally here are a couple videos of the engine spinning.


Is this noise something I should be concerned about? Is this the sound of a bad bearing or totally normal?



Anyways, I've also put the new blade on to see how it spins as well as the new belts.
Gas Tints and shades Automotive lighting Art Circle


I've decided that I'm not going to mess with taking the whole cabinet apart because there aren't any signs of rust on the inside of the saw and I'm more likely to mess something up if I try to. For now I'm just gonna give the outside a nice clean up and coat of wax and then blow off as much of the sawdust from the inside as I can and start making the parts to cover the open parts of the cabinet. My dust collection system is getting here today as well as my new 220v sub panel! Super excited about that.

That's it for today.
This is my best guess. I used to work at a company that made motors and generators.

The loose string should not be a problem as long as the copper windings are still all glued together by the varnish. The string is mainly used to tie the winding together so that they are located correctly until after the stator is dipped in varnish and cured in an oven. I would just cut the loose string off and not worry abount it as long as the winding are still solid. However, I would closely check the windings to ensure that whatever cut the strings did not also cut into the wire. This could short some of the windings together and cause the motor to overheat.

As far as the claw marks on the rotor or armature (the part that rotates), it appears to me that the black part is a balance weight that is held in place by some hits with a cold chisel. This is similar to balancing the wheels and tires on your car.

I really don't know what is causing the noise problems..

I hope that this helps.
 

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#62 ·
Gentlemen Start Your Engines! (motors)

I fired up the unisaw for the first time today! I have never owned a unisaw before or used one so I have no idea if it's running smoothly or not. BUT! I will say that it sounds amazing. Here is a short video clip of it running.



How am I supposed to know if everything is ok? I mean it seems ok. No weird engine noises. The blade stops faster than my little dewalt stops. Is that normal? There is also a "thud" as it slows down.

Anyways, I'm just gonna finish making the covers for the saw and then move stuff out of my basement, pull up the carpet, run the DC pipes, and build an outfeed table, build an extension table and then I'll be able to start making things.

I'm just super excited it's even turning on!
 
#70 ·
I've got a door

Just a quick blog post here. Just wanted to show you the new motor cover I built and installed today.

Held closed with Neodym magnets. I love magnets.

Wood Machine tool Sewing machine Gas Machine


Brown Wood Wood stain Fixture Hardwood


Wood Computer hardware Audio equipment Machine Electrical wiring
Joe,
Your saw is coming together nicely, and it appears you are getting a handle on dust containment/collection.

Nicely done.
 

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