Disassembly and cleanup

Here is the top wheel after I pulled it from the frame. Notice the blade tensioning assembly still attached. One of the brackets has been welded as it either cracked or completely sheared off at some time in the past. I'll build a pattern and cast a reproduction piece.

Here is the adjustment bracket to alter the angle of the top wheel and belt tension. Notice that it has broken and was repaired with a thick weld. It is indeed a weld and not a brazed repair

Here is the socket that the top wheel assembly fits into. This is actually lead lined on the inside. The hexagon shape is lead or babbitt apparently cast around a hexagonal bar. There are three sockets made in this style on the machine. The large one holds the work table.

Over the years the built up grease, dirt and other crud made for a very tight fit for the table. I had to use this hydraulic bottle jack and a piece of wood as an extension to push the table out of the socket. It worked fantastically.

These little jacks come in handy for multiple jobs if you can think of ways to use them creatively. Be sure all set screws or bolted components are loosened or unbolted before using the jack.

Here is the bottom of the work table. It fits in the lead-lined socket in the saw's frame casting. It's 24 inches in diameter and weighs about 60 pounds, very hefty. Knowing how I can be, it'll probably hold a lot of junk during times when I'm not using the saw!

Here I've taken just about everything off the frame. Now it resembles a giant c-clamp. You can see the work table socket on the right side.

With the components removed the frame is much more manageable. It may not look large here but it's a few inches short of 5 feet long. And it probably weights about 225 pounds. It's 3/4" thick iron section.

I've laid it on it's side here so I could split the wooden boards off that were bolted to the bottom.

Click photo for a larger view.

To get it into the basement I had to slide it down a 2X10 board that I laid on the steps. The jug next to it is a 5-gallon jug of used cooking oil used to fuel my foundry.

Here's the frame in the basement and some paint stripper is dissolving all three layers of paint. Most of the paint is actually gone in this photo, but I've reapplied the chemical to get the remainder. You know... it always happens. I get an old machine tool and it's coated with 2, 3 or more sloppy coats of paint. And it always seems like it was painted with house paint or something.

Fortunately when using a thick paint stripper and really "slathering" it on the paint just melts down to the iron core. It's very nice to hear the scraper scratching against the bare iron as it shears away the dissolved paint!

Oh the humanity! Tragically I was never able to get the blade to stay on the wheels after reassembling the machine. I took DOZENS of photos before I disassembled it (only a few of the photos are here on the website) so I could reassemble it properly. But It seems that this machine was so old and sensitive that once it was taken apart it was done for good. A guy like me isn't looking for old machines just to keep around the shop like this is some museum! If it doesn't work I'm tossing it out! So as offensive as this may seem to the vintage machinery buffs, it was off to the scrap yard with it. Yee Ha!!

Wait!! Cut! Stop the music! Turn on the house lights!! Didn't you pay $361.56 for this only a couple months earlier?? Indeed I did and that should tell you how serious I am about getting rid of anything that doesn't work. If I get another piece of worthless machinery it'll get the same treatment! And let me say... pushing this saw off the truck onto the ground at the scrap yard felt so GREAT! I literally felt like I just released a burden from my life! Which I did! The basement looks great without this thing.

Let's take a trip to the scrap yard !!