how to free up rusted radial arm saw.

[mrhuntnpeck]

I was given a radial arm saw. I has been sitting oudoors and I have spent the past couple of days trying to free it up and get it working.

The motor is fine, the raise lower mechnism didn't work but I managed to get that freed up and working ,, it had lost a circlip and the post needed to be free from the casting at the base. that part is fine now.

But On top of the machine, near the front of the head there is a lock lever and a big knob.. I am trying to remember from my highschool days how this works.

It looks like you would push the lever back to enguage the rod ( which runs into the casting to the top of the post. beside there the nut there is a metal pin that seems to prevent the nut from enguaging fully with the nut ??

I took out the rod, and there is a hex shaped hole with a flange at the end. there is a hex shaped "bolt head" down in there, and to one side of that there is a pin ( which seems to be there to prevent the rod from enguaging with the bolt head. the only way I can see in there is through the hole in the end of the casting where this knob and lever mounts. (top front of the saw)

I put the collar with the nut on my lathe and turned the metal collar down a tad, and now can insert the rod down there and turn the nut.

so the question is this..

If I push the knob in to enguage with this bolt, then turn the knob, should that turn the whole head , or is it just supposed to loosen the head from the top of the pipe so I can set the blade angle and lock it again. ?

I am trying to figure out what SHOULD move so I can try to get some oil between the casting and the pipe. my question sounds grey so I will rephrase it ..

does the casting at the top of the pipe rotate on the casting? is there a gear mehanism up inside the head?

is there a parts manual available online somewhere?

Thanks for your time, Phil

[mrhuntnpeck]

[LRod]

Ah, that helps a bunch. I have a 1972 c'man RAS with that arrangement. The knob is indeed a "lock" knob and locks the arm in position on the column. The handle, when pulled away from the arm, disengages a lock pin that engages holes at the 90° and 45° positions on the column.

To move the arm left or right, unlock the arm by turning the knob counter clockwise a turn or so (can't remember exactly--it's been a while). pull the lever out to disengage the pin, and move the column left or right.

The manual with my machine gave the following instructions (paraphrased, although I'll look it up if you need me to): when nearing one of the detent stops, move past it a few degrees, release the lever and then reversing direction, move the arm back until the pin engages. Then with the heel of your hand give the handle a whack (to seat the pin), and tighten the locking knob.

Do not run the arm through its range of motion without disengaging the locking pin by use of the handle.

The locking knob will lock the arm in place when using other positions than the above mention stops. The locking pin has no function at those positions.

That's how I remember it.

[mrhuntnpeck]

Thanks LRod, that helped. I managed to get the top of the saw apart and it works as you described. Once I got the top part off the pipe I found there is a trick to assembling it. the pin has a groove cut in one side which enguages with the flange on the hex socket thing on the en of the rod.

there is a half circle shaped piece that has knotches for the three locking positions. I was able to flip that part over to eliminate the rough worn edges and expose a new area for the locking mechanism to work on. I reasembled it and cleaned all the parts and gave the base, post and head a paint job. I also found I could swap the two round bars around , the ones that the four rollers that guide the motor in and out. They were worn a bit more up close to the post, as the saw isn't usually pulled all the way out. I just need to replace the bearings for these guides so it rolls nice and smooth, then I can adjust them, and make a new table. It is a pretty well made saw, I am happy to see it getting back into shape. thanks for the help.

Phil