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First Post, it only took me 4+ years to think about it! :)
This is one of the BEST threads I've ever read. The information shared and creativity by the members here is a tribute to you all!
I'm going to look at a 40-601 this afternoon with a "speed problem"..........wonder what it could be??? LOL
He wants $60 for it including the stand, maybe I can get him down to $50. This will be my first scroll saw and I like repairing tools to make them functional again. (my 1956 Unisaw was a rust bucket when I got it) I'll post pictures if I buy it, and of it's repair.

Could someone please share the part # of the "quick change" blade holder upgrade. Sorry if the vernacular is incorrect.
Can this accept the non-pin blades? Again, just learning the scroll saw language, sorry I don't know the proper terms yet.
Great thread!
Ron
 
I don't know the part number or even if there is a quick change kit for this saw… When I purchased mine originally, the seller gave me what they said was one for it…

It turned out to be for a Dremel scroll saw instead :(
(OWWM Rule #1!!!)

The existing chuck isn't very difficult to use though, and once you get used to it, it becomes kind of second nature and you don't even think about it.

As for blades, it uses standard 5" pin-less ones. You can use pinned blades if you have them, but the pins need to be removed first.

Here is a link to the manual for the saw that gives the specifics for blades and such:
Delta 18-inch Scroll Saw No. 40-601 Instruction Manual

Cheers,
Brad
 
Thanks Brad,
I was most interested in which type of blade could be used.
Flying Dutchman blades have a good price and reputation.
I'll start with those and make lots of mistakes while learning what not to do.
Ron
 
Hey guys, wood shop teacher here. This past fall I took over teaching in a shop with one of these scroll saws. After reading this, you guys seem pretty knowledgeable about it. It had been working fine, and just today it REALLY started to squeal. When I went back and investigated, it also appeared that the speed was becoming really inconsistent. I am fearing that it is the motor. What do you guys think? Is it worth repairing or should I be looking into getting another saw?

Jon
 
I'm new here and I know this is an old thread but it seems to have a life of its own for good reason.

I am currently looking at buying a used 40-601 and found this thread to be most informative. With a mechanical engineering background, I wondered if anyone had tried using a flexible magnetic strip in lieu of the individual magnets. It seems that you should be able to turn a wooden hub similar to that described above and create a slight recess on its edge to accommodate the width of the magnetic strip. Epoxy the strip into the recess and then simply cut 28 notches around the perimeter to create the necessary pulse signal.

I don't know if the saw I'm looking at will require such a fix at this time but based on the interest here, it does appear there's a good chance it will at some point in the future. I thought I'd throw this out there if anyone wants to give it a try.

Terry
 
I finally got around to doing something with my saw!
I used a hole saw to make a new rotor and glued in the original hub.
I had all the pieces of the original rotor but only counted 24 magnet section, instead of the 28 that someone else had. So I went with 24 magnets. I Drilled holes and glued in rare earth magnets, then re-installed it.
Plugged it in to give it a try and it worked for about 10 seconds. Then suddenly…Nothing!
I can hear the motor hum slightly but it will not spin. I can give the gears a push and it will move, so I don't think anything is binding, and I am sure the counterweights are correctly aligned.
My magnets are not in perfect alignment around the hub, but are within 1/16".
Any ideas what happened here?
Did I burn out the control board? The motor itself?

Edit…Just had another thought
I just stuck the magnets in one after the other off a stack of them so I probably have the polarity of them alternating…North/south/north/south all around the circumference.
 
Brad,

Just bought a Delta scroll saw with busted rotor. This site has been great for how to fix it. Since it is my first scroll saw, I would really appreachiate it if you could share you disassembly / assembly instrunctions. I have begun making my own magnetic rotor, and would to get it replaced properly. Thank you.
 
Does anyone have ideas for repairing the bellows in an older Delta 40-601 scroll saw. I love making the old stuff work, so I purchased this saw with a busted rotor disc. This site has been great for getting that repaired, but while fixing that, I noticed my bellows has a couple cracks. I will try to glue it shut, but don't have much confidence that will be a long term fix. If anyone has other tricks to try, I'd love to hear them. Bellow isn't critical to me…just nice to have. Thanks.
 
Den01,
I think I would try to find the thinnest bicycle inner tube I could, and patch past the tear(s) rather than try to glue them back together. Overlap the tear using a pliable glue and give it plenty of time to dry.

Couple of questions on the saw.
If I run mine past 300 SPM it shakes violently and breaks the blade. I could have misaligned the teeth on the counter balance when I re assembled. Maybe I'm off a tooth or 2, Opinions?

When I move the tension lever rearward, it changes the angle of the blade holder, which puts a forward bow on the blade at the top causing the blade to align out of plumb. What am I doing wrong.

Thanks for the help.
Renron
 
Does anyone have ideas for repairing the bellows in an older Delta 40-601 scroll saw.
I fixed mine using rubber glue… the stuff used to repair waterbed bladders. Tears are glued together and then covered about a half inch on each side with a thin layer of glue as well. Abrade with some sandpaper to give the glue something to bite into, and clean with alcohol to remove any contaminants before gluing. If that ever gives out and I can't fix it, a small fish tank air pump will do the job.

When I move the tension lever rearward, it changes the angle of the blade holder, which puts a forward bow on the blade at the top causing the blade to align out of plumb. What am I doing wrong.
Are you using the locking pin when changing blades to make sure it is installed with the proper orientation? The tension lever simply pulls the clamp upward, and there should not be any forward/backward deflection (and I can't even imagine how it would cause it to do so).

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Den01 - Sent you the instructions via PM… let me know if you didn't get them.
 
I just checked and I do not have grommet #9 under the arm. How thick is this grommet? Could be why my angle changes….. hmmmm.
- Renron
I honestly didn't even know that grommet was there - I never took apart the clamp assembly. I guess it could have something to do with it, but I can't see what… it doesn't look to do much other than act as a little bumper to limit upward travel (instead of just hitting metal) and doesn't seem to be associated with tensioning at all; but I'm not 100% sure and don't really feel like tearing the thing apart just to find out ;)

As for size… after a little digging, it appears to be the exact same grommet as used on the stand (as tool holders in the corners, #152 on the diagram, P/N 961-03-010-2859). You can probably match one up at the hardware store for a few cents (or buy one online for a few bucks :)

Cheers,
Brad
 
Brad, A big Thank You for all your help. After wrestling with this machine for over a year, I can now claim victory!
I purchased it from a man on Craigslist who said the speed dial just suddenly stopped working one day. He also claimed the fix was a light dimmer. Right…............ I purchased it for $50 and cleaned it up when I got home. It would run at either ~ 100 SPM or ~300 SPM then shake like it wanted to explode. I fashioned a new Speed Sensor Rotor using the hub from the broken bits of the old rotor. The gears were marked on the back sides for weight balancing. I used what I had and made a rotor with 21 magnets. (First Mistake) Installed Rotor and with same ~100 SPM or ~300SPM, shook like a wet dog. I used the gear aligning markings from the previous owner (Second Mistake)
Bad Idea, shook like a wet dog. Almost a full year passed and I decided to either fix it or send it to the dumps. Moving this thing around in my small garage workshop is not fun. I decided to start from Zero and use the information in this thread as a starting point and not rely on what the previous owner had said and done. I removed the Secondary gear set from the spindle and found it's natural balance point hanging straight down to locate which tooth or notch was basically the Top Dead Center. It's a tooth, located at the center point of an Allen bolt (1 of 3). Now I could locate the corresponding notch easily on the motor gear, it's centered on the Allen bolt directly across from the majority of the cast Iron weight. These new balance points were about 5 teeth off from where the previous owner had marked the gears. Ding! One down one to go. I then rebuilt a new Speed Sensor Rotor with 24 magnets. A 2 1/4" hole saw will work but is VERY tight clearance on the sensor. The Circumference is 7" & 9/32" , which works out to a magnet every 9.3/32" , that's 9 point 3, thirty seconds of an inch. I wrapped masking tape around the circumference, overlapped it and cut it with a razor blade, removed the excess from the overlap and laid the tape on the workbench. Now I was able to mark each 9/32 plus a tiny bit on the tape. When finished I put the tape back on the wooden rotor and cut slots on my marks. Worked perfectly. Epoxied the entire thing overnight and installed it with my new marks on the timing gears. During this process I also tore a hole in the boot for the air production. I used some Shoe GOO to make repairs because it has worked well other times I have used it for repairs. I did try to add an innertube patch as I suggested, but that failed upon first use, it was too stiff. This is how we learn. ;)
As of today, it runs smooth all the way up to 2000 SPM. The readout seems to read correctly too. Another old tool saved from the scrap yards! Thanks to all who have participated in this thread. I hope what I learned can help someone else. Brad is the patron saint of Scroll Saws. Thanks for your continuing help with these old gals.
Ron
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I removed the Secondary gear set from the spindle and found it's natural balance point hanging straight down to locate which tooth or notch was basically the Top Dead Center. It's a tooth, located at the center point of an Allen bolt (1 of 3). Now I could locate the corresponding notch easily on the motor gear, it's centered on the Allen bolt directly across from the majority of the cast Iron weight. These new balance points were about 5 teeth off from where the previous owner had marked the gears. Ding!
-Renron
That was a pretty ingenious method of determining the gear alignment! You would think they would have had some kind of marking on the gears to assist in assembly. Your method above should be a big help for anyone who ventures into disassembly, and forgets about the gear positions! I'm kind of obsessive when taking stuff apart, marking locations, taking tons of pictures, bagging and labelling removed parts (and indicating the part number from the diagram so I know where they go), etc… I know it has saved my butt on many occasions when trying to put things back together, particularly on machines that spend a lot of time between disassembly and reassembly where my mind tends to forget the details.

Based on what others have written, it seems like just about any amount of magnets will work, as long as there is at least one to provide a signal to the sensor. Having the full 28 would be ideal, but not an absolute requirement as everyone has found out. It may throw off the speed display, but I personally never use or even look at it, and could care less what it says. No different than using one of the many other variable speed saws out there that lack a display, and just use the knob position to show relative speed. It doesn't take long to learn what speed you need for the task at hand, and seeing what that speed is doesn't make it any different :)

I have found these to be really nice saws, particularly since you can find them pretty cheap on the used market, and even cheaper if the rotor is missing :) I'd like to get one of those uber-expensive top of the line things, but just can't justify paying that kind of money when this one does everything I need and never leaves me wanting much more. Until I find a nice used Excalibur or similar, I'll just keep happily using my Delta:

Image

(one of my latest scroll saw portraits)

Cheers,
Brad
 

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Brad, A big Thank You for all your help. After wrestling with this machine for over a year, I can now claim victory!
I purchased it from a man on Craigslist who said the speed dial just suddenly stopped working one day. He also claimed the fix was a light dimmer. Right…............ I purchased it for $50 and cleaned it up when I got home. It would run at either ~ 100 SPM or ~300 SPM then shake like it wanted to explode. I fashioned a new Speed Sensor Rotor using the hub from the broken bits of the old rotor. The gears were marked on the back sides for weight balancing. I used what I had and made a rotor with 21 magnets. (First Mistake) Installed Rotor and with same ~100 SPM or ~300SPM, shook like a wet dog. I used the gear aligning markings from the previous owner (Second Mistake)
Bad Idea, shook like a wet dog. Almost a full year passed and I decided to either fix it or send it to the dumps. Moving this thing around in my small garage workshop is not fun. I decided to start from Zero and use the information in this thread as a starting point and not rely on what the previous owner had said and done. I removed the Secondary gear set from the spindle and found it s natural balance point hanging straight down to locate which tooth or notch was basically the Top Dead Center. It s a tooth, located at the center point of an Allen bolt (1 of 3). Now I could locate the corresponding notch easily on the motor gear, it s centered on the Allen bolt directly across from the majority of the cast Iron weight. These new balance points were about 5 teeth off from where the previous owner had marked the gears. Ding! One down one to go. I then rebuilt a new Speed Sensor Rotor with 24 magnets. A 2 1/4" hole saw will work but is VERY tight clearance on the sensor. The Circumference is 7" & 9/32" , which works out to a magnet every 9.3/32" , that s 9 point 3, thirty seconds of an inch. I wrapped masking tape around the circumference, overlapped it and cut it with a razor blade, removed the excess from the overlap and laid the tape on the workbench. Now I was able to mark each 9/32 plus a tiny bit on the tape. When finished I put the tape back on the wooden rotor and cut slots on my marks. Worked perfectly. Epoxied the entire thing overnight and installed it with my new marks on the timing gears. During this process I also tore a hole in the boot for the air production. I used some Shoe GOO to make repairs because it has worked well other times I have used it for repairs. I did try to add an innertube patch as I suggested, but that failed upon first use, it was too stiff. This is how we learn. ;)
As of today, it runs smooth all the way up to 2000 SPM. The readout seems to read correctly too. Another old tool saved from the scrap yards! Thanks to all who have participated in this thread. I hope what I learned can help someone else. Brad is the patron saint of Scroll Saws. Thanks for your continuing help with these old gals.
Ron
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- Renron
New user to this forum, attempting to post. Sorry if it gets messed up. I found Ron's post very helpful. I have the same model saw. It has been sitting for 15 years unable to work as I now realized due to the speed control wheel being shattered. The lack of a speed control apparently was also the reason for my saw blowing fuses. I JB Welded the plastic wheel pieces together.
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I discovered when I went to put it back together I should have marked the gear timing before taking it apart. Used Ron's directions to mark the gears. You will see that when you eyeball the center point of the allen screw with the gear tooth and look at the axle shaft in the background, its fairly easy to determine the tooth on one gear that is in the center, and the "v" between the teeth on the other gear that is in the center. I will attempt to post pictures here to illustrate this.
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Anyway when I put it all back together it worked perfectly, in balance, in control of the speed. It had never been able to run at slow speed the entire time I've owned it. Now it does, and I am so excited!

Tonight I am using shoe goo to repair the bellows. I use that stuff for fixing lots of things. It think it will be the perfect fix for this. I pulled the bellows out - required ripping the remaining piece of attached rubber - but that allowed me to clean it really well and roughen it up with sandpaper and apply shoe goo to both sides of it.
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Attachments

Tonight I am using shoe goo to repair the bellows. I use that stuff for fixing lots of things. It think it will be the perfect fix for this. I pulled the bellows out - required ripping the remaining piece of attached rubber - but that allowed me to clean it really well and roughen it up with sandpaper and apply shoe goo to both sides of it.
- havenocat
Yeah, Shoe Goo would be perfect. I used some waterbed repair glue, which based on smell and usage, is essentially the exact same stuff. Mine has held up for several years now of pretty hard use, and it doesn't look like it will fail anytime soon. I do have a tube of Shoe Goo handy though, just in case :)

Cheers,
Brad
 
I had the same problem with a broken speed sensor rotor on my 40-601. Could not find a replacement. Therefore it was a challenge to fix. Mine broke into 6 segments. I removed the hub, reassembled the broken pieces in the correct sequence then epoxied them together and to the hub simultaneously and used a hose clamp to secure everything. I mixed more epoxy and filled the hollows on both sides of the rotor, let it all harden up then wrapped the rim with a few turns of packaging tape. Reassembled and it runs like new with no speed changes and no vibration.
 
My Grandpa passed away 15 years ago and he had the exact same saw and it's still sitting in his shop. Grandma is close to relinquishing some of what she should have divested herself of upon his passing but now most of the equipment that sat unmaintained for a long time is in rough shape. I think it was a very good saw when new but I have no idea how it might compare to newer saw? I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a like new RBI Hawk for $75, oh well.
 
Discussion starter · #80 ·
Just wanted to follow up on the above post regarding Shoe-goo… I was working on cutting out some pieces for a wooden gear gizmo a few days ago, and my bellows stopped blowing air. I struggled through finishing up the cuts, and then pulled the bellows cover off to see what was going on… only to see that my previous fix with the waterbed rubber cement stuff had failed. It apparently is not the same, as it gets kind of opaque and stiff when cured. Anyway, I cleaned things up and went to town on it with some Shoe-goo, and things are back to working again. The Shoe-goo appears to be much more flexible, so hopefully it will last a lot longer than my previous fix. It can also be thinned with Naphtha, so I could put a thin 'skin' around the top portion inside and out. Time will tell, but for now, it sure seems like it's the answer to fixing those things.

Cheers,
Brad
 
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