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Helping fixing an old table saw.

9K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  matt0852 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello everyone. Just recently I was over my grandmother's and in the basement is an old table saw. It was my grandfather's. It has No guard and the plate that "wraps" around the blade. (don't know the proper name) There is however a rip fence and miter guage. At least I think the miter guage I found goes with it. The rip fence however doesn't seem to work too well and the screws for it are bent and hard to turn. The top is rusted in spots and the slots seem a little rusty also. The base is rotted and falling apart, but I am guessing that you can just build a new one. Now I used it once and was scared to death due to lack of guards, and the motor just stopped. I am guessing this is due to a dull blade since I didn't get a new one if I didn't think this was worth fixing up. If this is fixable it would be great since I don't own a table saw. Any suggestions? Is this even worth fixing? Thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Well…#1 - Be careful with this whole thing.

First thing I would do is try and find an experienced woodworker to have a look at the thing. The 'plate' you're talking about is called a throat plate by some. You can buy them or make them yourself…if you have the right equipment.

Unless the top is completely rusted out…it should be an easy fix.

There are tons of after market fences if the original fence is well and truly dead.

As far as the saw just stopping during a cut….that's probably more motor than blade….but who knows.

What are the details of the saw? Make? Model? Serial#? Single phase?

Again….I HIGHLY suggest you have someone very experienced look over the thing before you venture another go at it. Scary stuff my friend. But….very worth it for you if you can restore it to it's original greatness.
 
#6 ·
Theres nothing worse than a dodgy tablesaw maybe you should get hands on expert advice before getting down to parting with money ,this could be dangerous if not done properly.Withoput seeing it's impossible to say.Also new-ish saws are relatively inexpensive to buy sometimes on ebay. craigslist etc.Alistair
 
#7 ·
Scotsman and the others have some good suggestions. I would consider keeping the saw for sentimental reasons, but in the meantime, get a usable saw to work with. Then as you become more experienced with the saw, you will learn more about the older saw and be able to diagnose/restore it yourself. You may need the outside help of another woodworker and/or machinist, but getting familiar with a table saw on a working machine will be invaluable. I would definitely keep the saw.

Another comment, always respect any tool you work with, and use every safety measure available to you, but you need to get beyond being scared of a machine. Fear in itself can be dangerous.
 
#8 ·
Matt,
Go to OWWM.com and see if there are any rebuild for this machine.

If it was a popular model like a Delta homecraft they may even have a manual for down loading.

It would surprise you how many manuals they have for machines.

Good luck and follow owwm for suggestions on how to get this tool back in the game. I agree(like my opinion matters) with what others have said.
 
#9 ·
Seems to me a lot of people here are more interested in scaring you out of this project!

If this is a table saw from your grandfather's era then odds are that it is built better than most reasonably priced table saws today. Not all old iron is worth restoring but quite a bit of it is. OWWM is a prime resource and has a bunch of tips about what to look for in an old table saw and what potential "restore-killers" are. Truth is, there is just not that much that can go wrong with a table saw, even an ancient one. Barring obvious things like broken trunnions or a bent arbor, there is just not that much that will make a table saw any more dangerous than it inherently is.

As far as guards go, there are many examples right here on LJ's that show guards that people fabricated themselves. One thing you probably won't find on an old saw that is the biggest safety must is a splitter. You can take care of both the throat plate and splitter by copying some of the "zero-clearance" designs that incorporate splitters here on LJ's. Parts, even for relatively obscure table saws, are readily available on the bay. If the motor is shot, as several here have suggested, odds are you can find an original replacement there. If not, I am sure you can find one that's close enough. If the fence is unrestorable, an original fence or an even better replacement fence can be found there. Don't forget Craigslist.

If you know an old woody that can help, by all means ask him. If not, there are plenty of resources on the Web, starting with OWWM. No need to panic because you've never done this before; everyone had to start somewhere and not one of us was born knowing it all. Pay particualr attention to adjusting the restored saw; many safety issues with table saws are due to poor alignment. Do your research and you'll be fine.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the input guys. Also a special thanks to EEngineer. I'm glad you are so positive on the subject. I have been doing A LOT of research in the past few days. I found quite a few places on how to adjust table saws to be accurate within 1,000th of an inch. It also so how to adjust trunnions and arbor. I got a nice bit of information just from a 15 minute video. I can't get started just yet though a sI still didn't get a chance to take a look at the saw again. Hopefully once I find out I'll be able to get a manual and get started on the project. I would feel 100000 times better restoring one than just buying one. And let's not forget the feeling of using a table saw belonging to my grandfather. One mor ehting, I do agree with the "built better" thing. I've foudn that a lot of tools from decades ago work very well and last longer than modern equiptment.
 
#11 ·
Seems to me a lot of people here are more interested in scaring you out of this project!

I'm not one of them if there are any…

matt
i wasn't trying be negative but I guess it came across that way. Restoring a tool is actually one of the best ways to learn about it and how to use it. GO FOR IT. Don't worry about not knowing what you may be doing - - you will learn. Based on what you described, my first concern is more towards the motor and why it is stopping, but you'll figure that out. I have a 1938 Craftsman table saw that I restored and I had to have a machinist's help. EE has some good suggestions. What I was trying to say applies to everyone of us on this site. I have learned through my years that if you are afraid of something you have a greater chance of getting hurt. I'm an electrical engineer myself and regardless how much I know (or think I know) about something I ALWAYS exercise RESPECT instead of fear. Don't be afraid of the saw because it doesn't have its guard. AS EE pointed out, if you go on ebay, etc., sooner or later you'll find what you are looking for.
 
#12 ·
Good luck and fixing grandpa's stuff is a worthy pursuit. I've actually got into blacksmithing simply because I have grandpa's old forge and blower as well as anvil and a couple of hammers. I'm certain you'll get the job done right. BTKS
 
#13 ·
Sam, it's alright. I understand now. I also know what you mean about that fear thing too. I remember when I first started using a circular saw, I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. I feel very comfortable with the tool and I do make some really great cuts.
BTKS, Thanks. I hope I do.
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
Neodogg brought up a good point indirectly - lotsa pictures! I love watching old arn get restored!

I really regret not having any "before" pictures for my restore. My old saw wasn't as bad as Neodogg's but the table was very rusty and she cleaned up nice (here). Again, most of the tips for derusting the table came from OWWM.
 
#16 ·
Well guys, here is some info I got about the saw:
Rockwell 9" table saw
120v 60Hz 12.6 Amps
Series No. 34-570
Powertool Division
Pittsburgh, PA USA

I looked on that OWWM but had no luck finding anything on it. I took a look underneath and it looked alright. It was kinda dark though I shoulda looked for a flashlight. I was talking to my father about it and he told me I should just get a blade to start and see if it stops the motor before I go sticking a lot of time and money into it. What do you guys think about it? I thought it sounded pretty reasonable.
 
#19 ·
I'm assuming that because of its age it is more than likely a belt-driven saw as opposed to a direct-drive. If it is a belt driven saw, and it locks up the motor, it may be a combination of either the belt is too tight and/or the motor is weak or failing. Does the motor hum and just sit there when you first turn it on? If it is a capacitor-start motor, the capacitor may need replaced. Also check the motor to see if it is filled up with sawdust. If it is, the motor may be too tired to continue (from overheaing) and will probably need to be replaced.
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, that's not such good news.

Rockwell was the precursor to Delta (since taken over by DeWalt?). If you go to deltamachinery.com and search the parts data base for 34-570, you'll find an exploded parts drawing that gives you a good idea of what this saw is: here

It looks like a circa 1985 direct drive saw. Now I would believe that there are problems with the motor. Direct drive saws tended to use universal motors, specific to each machine, light duty and expensive to replace. The motor is still listed as available (many of the other parts in the parts list are marked unavailable now) but I'll bet they make you pay through the nose for it. Universal motors used brushes, it may be as simple as replacing the brushes.

In short, maybe not such a good candidate for restoration. Your father is right; I'd resolve the motor issues before going any further on this.
 
#22 ·
Is this the saw?

http://alaskaslist.com/adpics/49de4d7278a8d4d4844b65da1.jpg

If so, I really wouldn't bother with it. It's not a very good saw and no amount of tweaking is going to help it. Saws of that era from Rockwell (with the "peace sign" logo) were the start of value engineering and the machinery is bad.

Poke around the basement some more and see if you can find some nice hand tools or something else worthy of restoration. (I'm as sentimental as the next guy - lots of my dad's and granddad's tools but some stuff you just have to admit is crap and move on)
 
#23 ·
WibblyPig, Yes that's the saw. I also found a nice pocket knife in the basement. It was rusted as is mos tof the things, but I am in the process of fixing that up. All I have left is to make new scales, assemble, and sharpen the blades. I took pictures too if anyone is interested.
EEngineer, thanks for the diagram. I couldn't find anything myself.
Well I think for now all I will get is a blade. Then if the motor slows up or stops completely with the new blade I will consider this a junker. Well not completely maybe. I'll keep it around and maybe one day fix it up. But if these replacement motors are as expensive as you say then I see no advantage.
 
#24 ·
I started the work today. One thing I must say though, rust and other materials over 20 years can really tighten the blade. WOW! I can't even get the thing off. I am going to try a method I saw today where you jam it with a piece of wood. Anyway, I took a look underneath and discovered that the wires to the motor and switch are split in spot exposing some wires. Could this be why the motor isn't performing well? Perhaps it's shorting or something. Also there is a lot of caked on sawdust underneath so I guess that won't help either. I didn't have my camera. I regret it, but I didn't do any major changing yet, just disassembling. What should i do for the wires? Should I just wrap them with some electrical tape or should I replace them, if it is even possible.
 
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