Somebody said a well cared for quality machine would be a good investment; What's the worst machine you ever got? Mine was a garage sale unisaw, about a 79, which had been left outside for several years. I already had a uni but believed (mistakenly) you can never have too many tablesaws. I realized this saw, even free would be a money losing proposition; consequently, I couldn't resist it. And it certainly wasn't free. Everything not rusted solid was broke. The table took a gallon of muriatic acid to see daylight. The cabinet took 2 days of wirebrushing and a quart of rust-mort. Sandblasting was out of the question: I was already over budget. I can fix everything I break; that came in handy when I busted the casting holding the arbor; I got a deal (about time) on some special ABEC-5 bearings for the arbor and motor. Only parts I bought were a rubber bushing in the fence lock and the safety decal for a buck. I couldn't very well spend $70 on a matched set of belts, could I? All painted and wired, I plugged in and fired her up. Not. A buzz like an alarm bell. Hooked the motor direct to 220. No buzz! A hum! Pulled out the sawdust packed capacitor to find it hanging by a thread--one thread. The rivet for the terminal had corroded off. Disassembled the condenser, got an aluminum screw and fixed it. What about the deafening buzz? Rust strategically placed on the mag starter core, quickly wirebrushed off. Finally fired up and: unbelievably quiet and smooth. Strongly recommend those fancy bearings. I think when you bring them back from the dead they appreciate it and really take care of you from then on. I really like this saw and run her European style with the CMT General blade or Freud Dado. Howe
- posted
20 years ago