Hi all,
Yesterday afternoon I was running a board through my direct drive table saw, an older 10" Delta model. Half way through the board (I was probably trying to run it through a *little* too fast), the blade stopped and the reset switch popped. Stupid me reset it, tried again (everything powered up normally) and after a bit more cutting it happened again. Now every time I start the saw the blade begins spinning, but it doesn't sound (or look) like it's running at full power. She feels like she's revving up to get up to speed, but once it nears that point the reset switch always pops. I've tried leaving it for 15 minutes, an hour, etc, before trying it again, always with the same result.
I opened up the power box connected to the switch and reset button and gave it a good clean out - very dirty. I also tool the air compressor to the motor and gave it a good blow out (didn't disassemble it, though). I've tried connecting it directly to the outlet (to eliminate the extension cord), no luck (I am on 220 service).
I'm a little lost and wondering if there's something I might be missing in trying to get this sorted. Is it possibly a capacitor problem? The saw is old, but was running perfectly well until I took it to stupid village yesterday. I personally don't think it's the motor, but then what the hell do I know. The inside of the electrical connection box gave off what I considered to be a slightly funny smell when the second reset happened, so that leads me to believe it may be the source of the problem. The connections in there are pretty grubby, but I haven't tested it all yet (any advice for the electronically impaired here so that I can do it right?).
Please, Obi-wans of woodworking, you're my only hope.
Any advice or insight appreciated, including those laced with sarcasm and a general disdain for a classic dumbass-kills-saw types.
Thanks, Dan