Delta Unisaw #1: Cleaned up and trying to decide if I should keep it.

Not sure where you’ve been with this thread (just looking at it for the first time)...so hope I’m not repeating things already discussed, but…if it is the motor, I would imagine it would be the bearings which you could replace , rather than buy a new motor. Also, ask around for a shop that has a good reputation for rebuilt motors. We’re probably getting ahead of ourselves here though! Is there any play in the shaft of the motor? Are the pulley’s straight, aligned with one another, and tight?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Dorje,

I have taken the belts off to eliminate the arbor and pulley alignment issue with no real change. Tomorrow I will take the pulley off the motor and see if maybe the pulley is bent. I never noticed any play in the shaft, but I am going to really take a hard look at the motor tomorrow. I’ll run it out of the saw to isolate it completely.

Kevin

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Sounds like a plan. Let us know how the motor sounds on its own. It’s a good looking saw…I’m hoping it all works out for you. Don’t see why it wouldn’t!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I would say it’s definately worth it. This is a good saw and it looks like it’s in great shape.

-- Tony, Ohio

It’s a shame you’re not closer, I’d give you your money back.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

I’d bank on the arbor bearings. The pulleys on a Unisaw are machined Ci so I doubt they’re the problem. My Powermatic #66 vibrates a bit after I shut it down and I know it’s about $150 fix to replace the arbor bearings. I won’t do it though until it gets louder. HA! It could be motor bearings but you’d want to take that to a motor repair service for that fix. Unless of course you’re adept and comfortable with breaking open a motor. I’m too ham fisted for that one. Too easy to screw up the armature and/or stator.

How about the blade? Sometimes the answer to a question is the simplest, ala Occam’s Razor. Also, you didn’t describe the belts; cracked, hard, ovoid, etc. That said, do you have any way to check for run-out? How about the motor mount flange bolts?

BTW, did the saw come with a manual? If not, you can download a .pdf of it from the Delta site. Good luck.

I also, noticed that you’re missing the right wing and tableboard. Do you plan on replacing them? I would and as previously mentioned, do you want your money back?

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

jcees,

I have already ran through the normal tests and isolated the problem. I have removed the belts from the saw so the only thing spinning is the motor itself.

I have rebuilt a couple electric motors in the past, but I don’t think I’ll play with this one.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

What did you find out today? Sounds like your saying it IS the motor…

details…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I’m with Dorje. Details..

Did you remove the pully, and you are still getting vibration?

If it is the motor, then it would be worth it to have it fixed. You got a great deal on the saw.
Plus you got those dust collectors.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

The top looks great, and you said it was awful at the start. How did you get it so nice? Steel wool?

-- Maplewood, MN

Sorry guys, I was unable to try again on Sunday. Had a “couple” honey-dos that needed to be finished first and they ended up taking the whole day plus part of the night. But, she is happy again and I will be playing with it tonight I hope. I am planning on attending my first Sunflower Woodworkers Guild meeting tonight. I recently found out about these guys and this is the first chance I’ll have to go. I’m excited.

I am also spending my evenings this week creating a list of items to get for the shop. I am heading to Kansas City for the Woodworking show and knowing me I’ll end up buying a few things. Anyone else going? http://www.thewoodworkingshows.com/kansascity.asp

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

rikkor,

The top only looks that good because the picture doesn’t show it well. The stop is shiny and slick, so I think it will be fine. It looks like the guy used this for his workbench or assembly table. There was glue all over everything along with paint and stain. There was a fair amount of rust on the table.

I will tell you how I got it off, but I do not want to hear about how wrong is was for me to do this. I know it was a bad idea, but I was getting desperate. I used sanders on it. I know I know. I was very careful and went over every spot the same amount, stopping to check with a straight edge to be sure I was keeping it flat. I cannot see any negetive results from this method, I was just scared sh#$less the whole time that I’d mess it up. It still needs to be hit with a finer grit to remove some light scratches, but it looks much better now. I wish I had pics before I started to show you why I took the chance.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Kevin – Navel jelly (auto parts store) will remove rust and just about anything else off of steel. Just apply a thick layer and wait about 15 minutes. Then use a scrubbing pad like for doing pots and pans, so loosen everything up.

Clean it up and you’re done. You can use a random orbit sander with a real fine grit like 320+ to shine
it up to look better than new. As long as you keep up on waxing it, it will stay like that forever.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

GaryK,

Thats is funny that you say that. My wife and I were in Lowes this weekend getting some Epoxy and I saw the Naval Jelly bottle. We both had a good laugh at the name. Guess I should have bought some instead of just laughing at it.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas