Success! I cleaned the commutator, undercut the mica a bit, put the new brushes in, used some lithium beased grease, sparingly, on the worm and wheel, and also on the plunger and cam, reassembled. It works! It sparked a ~little~ bit for the first 10 seconds, but then I think the brushes bedded in a bit and there were hardly ~any~ sparks. And no popping noises or slowing down, which was happening before.
So I'm in the process of assembling the jigsaw and fret saw frame/table, but I decided to make a proper stand for it rather than just use the G-clamp. So that's taken me all afternoon.
Great exercise, thanks one and all for all the tips.
To be honest, unlike Harry I never seriously doubted it would work. The only thing to stop it IMO, would have been if it had been subject to long term damp and possible corrosion. That or pests of some kind chewing the cables.
As a matter of interest, were the new brushes that much longer than the ones they replaced ?
I cleaned the commutator, undercut the mica a bit, put the
That should work fine. As having just double- checked, fretsaws cut on the downstroke which keeps the work close to the table and gives the best finish on the top side, while most jigsaw blades are designed to cut on the upstroke - which when they're upside down becomes a downstroke. I think.
Not MUCH longer, but a newer design. The old brushes just had the springs, whereas these replacement brushes have a little metal U-section cap retaining the spring, with a thin, multi-strand (looks like) copper wire running inside the spring from the cap. I had to pinch the U-section together very slightly to fit inside the brush holder (for each brush), and then the spring and brush followed freely.
Before ordering, I checked with the supplier, who came back to me to say that he'd double-checked their source and that these definitely were the recommended replacement brushes for my model of jigsaw (and many others). I reckon this new style with the wire inside the spring and the end cap is designed to ensure a good contact throughout.
From tomorrow, after the wood glue has dried and I've gone over the wood support frame with my sander, I'll finally be in a position to try it! I'll post a link to some photos when it's fully finished.
Without the user guide I'm just going to have to play it by ear with regard to the guide tube adjustment, blade insertion etc. Safety goggles! Don't forget, this whole project is for cutting (sawing) max
6mm MDF for drawer inserts -- but I do have a lot of drawers! I actually made one insert some time ago with 3mm MDF and after it was all glued together and the compartment walls glued in, it's plenty strong enough, so I may move from 6mm to 3mm. Until now I've just used
3mm for the base, which is essential otherwise small items "wander" underneath the compartment walls. 3mm is more difficult to work with at the outside corners, though.
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