I also had to order lockknobs for the handwheels. These are not SAE dimensions, they are metric. Impossible to find anyone with lockknobs with an 8mm steel threaded insert in stock. So those also were special ordered.

Due to the way these handwheels work – the shaft has a pin through it that is supposed to fit into a slot on the back of the wheel – I had to bust out the Dremel and a cutoff wheel and machine the slots into the back of each wheel.

Here are the handwheels and lockknobs assembled on the saw, at long last.

Then, it was time for the router table extension wing. The table is a simple ladder frame of 1×2 oak, topped with 3/4 mdf. It bolts to the side of the cast iron table using the hardware that already came with the saw for mounting extension wings. The table does not fasten to the fence rail. The legs are simply 2×4s and a diagonal brace of mdf.

So here she is. All that’s left is to do a final fine-tuning of blade and fence alignment, then install a zero-clearance insert and splitter. Eventually I’d like to add an overarm blade guard, but I’m comfortable working as long as the splitter is in place.

Just in time to get going on the Xmas gifts….

First, today I had to go out and find a replacement part. The unifence mounts with two 3/8” “stud” bolts – bolts with no head, just a threaded rod. One was missing. Thankfully, the local True Value hardware store had a perfect replacement. Not an identical match, but close enough in size and thread configuration to work just fine.

Here is a shot of one mounting hole in the fence rail, and the second shot is me loosely holding one stud bolt in the hole to show that it is a loose fit, not a screw-in fit. More on this in a second.

Here is the problem. See the end of the rail. A nut needs to fit into the top slot inside the rail, and the bolt protrudes through the fence, much like I’m holding it here:

You can’t put an assembled bolt inside the rail and finagle it to the hole. The nut seats smoothly in that enclosed slot, and MUST slide in from the side. The slot is essentially a box that surrounds the nut. How to do this?

This magic piece of cardboard (which came with the original packaging, and the original owner smartly kept INSIDE THE RAIL for future use)!

The cardboard is used to hold the nut and slide it down the inside of the rail, until the not reaches the hole. Then you screw the stud bolt in from the outside of the rail, into the nut. The machined slot inside the rail holds the nut perfectly.

Here is the nut, just as it reaches the bolt hole, sliding along the slot inside the rail:

After screwing the bolt into the nut through the outside of the rail, here is a shot that shows its positioning inside the rail. You can just see one corner of the nut, which is sitting securely in its slot. The bolt is clearly visible both inside and outside the rail.

Here are both bolts installed in the rail, ready to be inserted through the holes in the front of the saw table. The holes also are smooth-bores. The stud bolts are secured on the other side with washers and nuts. This give you some wiggle room to adjust the height of the rail a little bit, if you need to.

Before mounting the rail on the saw, I mounted the steel left wing in its place. The original hardware is still here, some very clever bolts that you can easily grip with your fingers, and then use a slotted screwdriver to do the final tightening once you have the wing level with the top. Very handy, because the wing is heavy and it’s hard enough to hold it up while reaching underneath to install bolts by hand, never mind using a wrench.

This shows 2, but there are three. These bolts thread into the holes on the side of the table, no nuts needed.

Here is the wing mounted, even with the table and ready for the fence rail.

Here is the saw with the wheeled base, left wing and the fence installed. You see how much room I have to do a nice router table for the right wing. A wheeled extension base is already ordered for that purpose, so turn the whole base into a unified, 6-wheel mobile base supporting the saw AND the wing router extension.

Here is a closer shot of the wing, rail and fence. You can see where the previous owner kissed the rail with a blade. :( Should be ok, I’ll just smooth down the ridges with some sandpaper. If I have to install an auxilliary fence, so be it.

Parts on order:

2 vintage metal handwheels that I won on ebay. If the description was accurate, they will fit – they even have T-slots machined into the back to accommodate the pins that I discussed in the last installment.

Zero-clearance inserts, two of them.

Link belt

MJ thin-kerf splitter

Wheeled base extension

The more I learn about the saw, the more I am convinced that this very early Jet contractor saw was either licensed from Delta, or else was a blatant rip-off of Delta. The insert dimensions are Delta dimensions, not Jet. The design of the handwheel mechanism appears to match perfectly with the design used on early Delta contractor saws. Pictures of the splitter mount seem very similar. I even found pictures of an old Delta contractor saw on ebay that looked IDENTICAL to my saw – even the paint color – except for the design of the legs.

First, the handwheels. One is missing entirely. The other is plastic, and beginning to disintegrate. I am going to replace both with proper metal handwheels.

The handwheel is 5” across, and the hub is 1-1/8” across. The bore is 3/8”. The locknut appears to be 5/16” – definitely larger than 1/4, but smaller than 3/8”.

On the back of the hub, you can see that a “T” slot cuts across the bore. There is a pin through the crankshaft that seats into this slot. I am not a Certified Handwheel Expert. Is this a normal configuration? Should it be easy to find metal handwheels with this T slot?

The original insert, and the shopmade zero clearance insert, are 13-3/8” x 3-3/4. This size appears to be readily available specifically for Jet tablesaws, so this is a no-brainer to get one that is machined from low-friction material and equipped with leveling screws, rather than make one in the shop.

I have made the executive decision that this project will return the saw to excellent working condition, not necessarily showroom hot-rod show-tool condition (are there showroom hot-rod tool shows?). Accordingly, unless I find something that is actually damaged, I do not plan to disassemble the guts of the saw. I just want to get the crud removed that is bogging down the works, and get it lubricated. Cosmetics will be secondary.

I found this DuPont teflon “dry” lubricant at Lowes. It goes on wet, so the solvent helps it to penetrate similar to WD-40, But then the lubricant dries, leaving behind the teflon and some kind of wax. Seems like a reasonable thing to try on the mechanicals (not the top – I’m sure this stuff has some silicone in it, which I don’t want on my wood).

Mission accomplished. I certainly didn’t remove all of that caked on resin/sawdust from Episode I, but I got it out of the worm gears , sprockets and tracks that guide the lift and tilt mechnisms. I used a beat-up old chisel that I use only for scraping half-dried glue squeeze-out from projects. Perfect tool both for chipping the gunk off flat surfaces, but also picking it out from between the teeth on each sprocket. Then a generous lubrication of all contact surfaces in there, carefully avoiding the belt channel on the pulley wheels.

Amazing what 30 minutes of work will do. It’s like a new saw already. The lift and tilt just glide back and forth with minimal effort. Beautiful and silky. And you can feel the stops hit metal-to-metal, not metal-to-gunk.

Now for the top. Again. I’m not aiming for a mirror. It will never stay that way. I just want it clean and smooth. First, I gave it a scrubbing with Noxon and paper towels. That removed all of the rust-colored deposits, leaving black marks where they had been. Then I got out my random-orbit sander with 120 grit. Spent about 10 minutes carefully – but lightly – scrubbing the entire surface.

Before:

After:

I need to get more sandpaper disks. Tomorrow I plan to hit it with 80 grit, then back to 120 and finish with 180. That, with a couple coats of paste wax, ought to have the top in the best shape it’s seen in a decade or more.

Finally, I removed the belt. I’m going to replace with a link belt. The motor pulley cover is a cracked mess, and makes an awful racket when the saw is on. I hate to remove it, but it’s hardly protecting anything in its current condition. Will have to see about finding a replacement.

I don’t want to start re-installing the fence and wings until I have the mobile base. That should be here in the next week or so. No sense adding weight until the body is already on the wheels.

I thought it might be fun for someone if I occasionally post updates here. And I certainly welcome all the tips and suggestions that anyone might offer.

Here is the plate – “Series” is simply “JET”. Serial Number is “46”. Jet customer service is helping me figure out what I have.

Black Unifence rail, angle bracket for attaching rail to entension/router tale on right side, and stamped steel left wing underneath them.

Unifence body. (Sitting on my old benchtop saw with aluminum top, not the new project saw.)

Old (warped) right wing extension table (top will be replaced). They also threw in an old roller stand for free.

Shop-made zero clearance insert was on the saw. If I can’t find prefab ones to fit this saw, it will be a template for me.

Previous owner kept lots of unused hardware – should be useful for me.

Rear. Motor rated at 1.5 hp.

Old, rusty, corroded Freud blade was in the saw – won’t even try to save it, the teeth are in horrible shape.

Deposits of tar/pitch and sawdust. This is the front of the saw, where the blade moves downward and flings the fresh-cut debris downward and forward. This gunk is caked in the threads of the blade angle mechanism, making it very stiff.

Previous owner jerry-rigged a new switch (holes in the front show where the original was). He was a contractor, so this is the kind of handy thing one might expect. It works fine, but I probably will replace with a proper safety switch.

The original splitter and guard are gone, but this appears to be the attachment point for the splitter. One of my top priorities. In the back of the saw, in the middle of the trunion, is an empty threaded hole. I wonder if that has something to do with the blade guard as well…

And here she is in my shop, ready to be rehabbed.

I will use the Unifence, rebuild the rightside extention table and hang my router lift in it. I have a complete mobile base (with extension) ordered. When finished, it will fill up my little shop, but it will double as my general purpose worktable as well as my table saw.

Wish me luck!

The case will be filled with 6 stacked wenge trays lined with black suede and plenty of small compartments. I plan to add a couple of ring bars to one or two of the trays.

So this year I am going to build her a huge jewelry chest. The production-line gift for relatives is going to be something else, but under cover of that project I have begun working on the chest.

The primary wood is goncalo alves (tigerwood). Will finish to reddish brown and polish up like satin. The show panel in the top, and the panel in the bottom, are going to be quilted maple. I got a truly spectacular showpiece slab on ebay. A full 1” thick, 14” wide, 24” long, and flat as a sheet of marble. Accent wood is wenge. All of the trays are going to be wenge, lined with black suede (again, ebay is my lifeline! You can get an entire hide for $20 or less….)

I’m still struggling with the design a little bit. Part of me wants to do a non-traditional chest, which would be square, about 13×13, with a lift-off top. But part of me thinks I should go ahead and make a normal rectangular box with a hinged lid. I’ve begun dressing out the lumber, so it’s time to make some decisions, I guess.