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7K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Grandpa 
#1 ·
Table Saw Belt

I replaced my table saw belt in the spring and am finding it now slips off the motor arbor when I adjust the blade for a bevel cut. This is a 25 year old Craftsman Contractor series.

I noticed a few weeks ago that the blade would not rip a 2×4 without getting hung up, smoking to beat the band and generally just not cutting it (so to speak).

I wonder if I went with one of these new hi performance belts or if I need to replace the motor arbor with something that will hold the belt securely.

The motor arbor is original to the saw, but it's designed in such a way that there is no grove for it to sit in, making it very easy for it to slip off.

I don't have this problem when cutting with no bevel, but as I mentioned, the saw did not want to rip a 2×4 which tells me the blade isn't moving fast enough, perhaps because the belt is bad or not tight enough.

Any ideas on a remedy? Are motor arbors replaceable?
 
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#2 ·
Are you saying the arbor assembly does not have a grooved pulley for the belt and that you're running the belt directly on the arbor shaft?

If so, that is the problem. You need to get a properly sized pulley to go on the arbor shaft. You will probably also need to get a shaft "key" if the shaft and pulley have a key slot.

Good Luck!

Be Careful!

Herb
 
#3 ·
Herb,

Thanks for that.

No, it's not running on the shaft. The motor arbor has a place for the belt, but it is not a groove. I know that sounds weird. It's just a lip. That's enough, apparently, when the blade and arbor are lined up, but not when the blade is set to bevel. I would like to replace this arbor because it doesn't see right, but this is the way it came. I don't know why it's just started acting up this way, unless it just wore out really fast.

Rex
 
#5 ·
What model # is your saw? Does it have the motor suspended from a bracket out the back of the saw, with the belt running on pulley on the motor and in to the saw where it runs in a pulley mounted on the the blade arbor shaft?

Or is the motor mounted internally with a short belt running from the motor shaft to the blade shaft? and if the later is the case, does the motor tilt when the blade tilts? If not, did yoiu get the right belt, that could be the problem…

Herb
 
#7 ·
I have a saw like this in my shop. There should definitely be a v-groove pulley on that shaft. Don't got back to Sears. Go instead to a good hardware store that will have a machines steel pulley of the correct diameter. The belt pulls on the sides and not on the bottom of the groove. You will need to replace the belt again. The original pulley on this saw was cast aluminum and they are….well, not very good lets say. When you put this all together be sure the motor can hinge in and out to keep the belt tight. It is possible to tighten the bolts where gravity can't do its job. If I could affor it, I would replace both pulleys with machined pulleys. That is a good investment and you should be surprised at how smooth this will make your saw operate.
 
#9 ·
Thank you all for the good ideas.

I went to my manual after Herb's reply so I could show him what the pulley is supposed to look like.

While doing that it showed me that the pulley I'm supposed to have is NOT what I do have.

The pulley is there, TomD, but it is completely missing one side of the V for the V-grove. I couldn't believe my eyes. Only a little bit of a rough edge remains. So yes, it's time for a new pulley. Grandpa, thanks for letting me know a hardware store should have this, and for your advice about getting a machined pulley, not this crappy aluminum. I would have gone online and wasted a lot of time looking for OEM.

Have any of you ever taken a pulley off the arbor? I got it done, took about an hour. Wicked little job, plenty of WD40 and a torch, just to get the set screw out! Good thing I have all the basics in my shop for a nice little grunt job like this. I should be back up and going in no time.

Thanks again to all of you who shared your expertise and friendliness here.

Rex Hamann
Andover, MN
 
#12 ·
I think you will have to pay more than $50 today. I would expect to pay about $15 each for the pulleys and I think the guys on here tell us that the cheapest you can find a link belt is about $30 at Harbor Freight. Always good when they agree with something you have stated…..right. Good luck on your repair. If you can't find those pulleys let me know.
 
#13 ·
There's a place called In-Line Industries which sells the package, two pullies and an accu-line belt for $48.95 plus shipping. I'm ordering it from them. Hope my other pulley isn't the devil the motor end pulley was yesterday!
 
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