After 235 miles round trip, gas, tolls, time, and one fried shrimp lunch along the coastal highway, I own an older Delta contractors saw. K88-xx serial number is 1988?

 

The 120V motor had power and noise issues but it fully disassembled, it wasn't bearings nor bushings. It was the drive belt. Plus ribbons of HDPE wedged within the motor. Someone was cutting cutting boards 

 

As much as the motor guy motor-mouthed the motor, fully-assembled, noise was not banshee-unbearable. No one complained about my front porch resaw clinic. I ripped until I could not find my flip rule. Took a break, drank water, realized I'd been running the Delta four hours. Ripped another 30 minutes. Near'filled a bucket with sawdust.  Did not have compressed air like Steve Newman, but with the mini-vac reversed, a blew everything out, eased the 110 pound saw back into the living room, and my new friend doubles as an off-entrance table. Quietly awaiting more fun. 

 

 

At max height, it is a slow push resawing heartwood. Started with full thickness machine-oil impregnated heartpine. With care got nice slats with no blade marks. Thinner stock, easier push.  This wood, I'm unsure what I'll do with it; be more careful in what I buy  I've more but it'll be venting cutting oils for my lifetime.  Maybe decking for sturdy basement platform step. 

 

 

 

Noticed early that the thin blade cuts easier than the thick blade.  With care, I got slats of heartpine as thin as the thin blade. Shut off the saw and adjusted the fence to 16th" before every resaw cut. Maximizing the good piece - a 3x4x22 remainder from a 4x8x22 joist, still not enough for a 60" headboard. Maybe a panel nonetheless?  A shutter panel to set in a window frame when more darkness is wanted.  Wall hanger by all other times. Left nothing to chance - even cleaned the flip rule. 

 

 

An old drawer front of fine-grained, white, buttery wood? Buttery wood, butter-smooth cut.

 

Very rewarding - opening up a single 1x3 - 55" piece of c.1910 flooring dumpster-rescued a few miles west, outside a refurbishment. Ya cut it open, the wood is as fresh as the day those carpenters laid the floor, scraped it smooth, before floor finishers did their thing.

 

 

Before my next session, this Lufkin will get more respectful cleaning. 

 

I'd say you did pretty well on the deal Jim

Thanks, Cal. Today I'll [try to] make a zero insert. I've an ebony fingerboard which wants rabbeting, as it hops into its new roll as a sliding lid for a unique box. JIT, yesterday's Home Depot visit included a multi-pack of decent 5" scroll saw blades.

Ya got some fine looking boards out of that saw. Be careful using that thin kerf blade for heavy cuts in thick timbers. The blade may warp in the cut. Might consider a band saw and, a good resaw blade. Although. Those thinner boards look darned good.

Happy to hear (well read) and see it's working well for you Jim. FWIW, if you haven't already, keep a good coat of wax on the saw table too. Nothing with silicone in it though. Johnson's Paste Wax (or similar) works well. 

Edited May 6, 20223 yr by Grandpadave52

Glad to hear you got that saw running to suit yourself. Since I don't know the model numbers of machines I couldn't figure out for a while if you got a table saw or a band saw? 

 

 

But my curiousness is to the scroll saw blades. Did HD finally start selling good blades? I always have to order mine from folks that want to charge freight!! So, what brand might these be?

The last time I was in HD the only plain end blades were carded Ryoba ones labeled "regular Scroll Saw Blades" .

What brand and sizes do you recommend?

In June, I'll have a like new DeWalt scroll saw. Can't wait to get to using it.

Ahh, a trip on US Route 1. Pretty drive. Looks like it was work it. +1 for what @Gene Howe said about a bandsaw. I find it indispensable for resawing even though mine can only handle just south of 6". 

2 hours ago, Smallpatch said:

Glad to hear you got that saw running to suit yourself. Since I don't know the model numbers of machines I couldn't figure out for a while if you got a table saw or a band saw? 

 

 

But my curiousness is to the scroll saw blades. Did HD finally start selling good blades? I always have to order mine from folks that want to charge freight!! So, what brand might these be?

Ryobi. Marked as "regular" scroll saw blades.

3 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

thick timbers. The blade may warp in the cut. Might consider a band saw

Definitely want a band saw. I am losing 1/8" with every cut. I used my thicker blade to strip away the bad, saving the patina'd exterior for artsy box trays. My auntie in Williamsburg loves that stuff. I've got one tray rough-cut out, all the parts on the high sill. aNOther rainy day project. Or should I sell on Etsy?   So can buy the band saw I definitely want?

 

Warping - My thicker blade is a solid 1/8". Oshlun says it is 0.094" - and the thinner is maybe 5/64" (3/64ths thinner).  When there is warping, the cuts go wonky? Vibration?  Grabbing six of the thinner planks, they measure just under 1/2" and will want only minor scraping. And look consistant in thickness, but I have experienced great variables, with my last saw, a 3HP Craftsman.

 

I did use the thick blade for practicing with the oil-soaked wood and some other trashy hardwoods. And squaring up my nice post (lost more than I wanted to lose).  Then went to the thin blade. I'd shut the saw off after every cut, eyeball the thickness, then set the fence straight. Gear up for a continuous push / pull. Recalled Steve Newman, leaving nothing to chance, as I checked the fence for parallel EVERY time.

 

I've got a bit more from the same 22" piece of 4"x8" joist in thicker plank, and think I can get what I need for a 64" wall-mount head board.

 

4 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Those thinner boards look darned good.

Thank you! I did not tackle the "quality" remainder 3x4 post until I was a couple of hours familiar with the saw. These six slats together measure under 0.5" but more of the others are a little thicker. There are a few dark blade marks on the undersides - book-matching would involve extra scraping - maybe. There are general light blade marks seen from an angle in the sunlight.

 

I never thought about it before but if the markings are dark, that means the blade was hot, the marks are burnt in, (duh on me) and I did not keep the wood moving?

 

 

3 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

keep a good coat of wax on the saw table

Thank you! I'd been planning to ask about that. And I clean my saw blades?  Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I blew out all of the sawdust. While reattaching the motor, I cleaned and WD-40's both the height arbor crank things. But no silicone, figuring it would attract dirt.

 

Never thought about it, figured I was anal. But I've used the same plumbing tools for almost 30 years, the snap tool getting dangled in the basement, sprayed with WD-40 until it dripped clean, then spray-lubed. And after 28 years it still snaps cast iron like a new $700 tool. So I guess there is something in this maintenance thing after all. 

3 hours ago, Smallpatch said:

table saw or a band saw

Ah yes, sorry. A contractor-grade Delta table saw. 110 pounds, 10" blade, lower cabinet, Taiwan built, direct belt drive 15 amp 5000 RMP motor. Delta thinks it is 1988 production but there are no archives before 2011.

 

 

3 hours ago, Smallpatch said:

scroll saw blades

It is interesting you chime in. I only began using a gifted scroll saw for its intended use after seeing your butterflies. My saw arrived with one blade; I initially made a mess, splintering wood, but later unhooked the blade and cut an ellipse at slow speed. The Egg Shelf project did not crack apart and I was happy. But wanted more blades. So yes, I got Ryobi in three TPI configs.

 

 

3 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

What brand and sizes do you recommend?

Gene, that was the first time I've ever bought scroll saw blades. But running a Milwaukee Super Sawzall for years, cutting literally everything imaginable, I've done my share at considering TPI and stroke speed. ATB includes an article on my beloved Sawzall 

 

ARCHIMEDES famously said, “Give me a large enough saw and a perch on which to stand.  Into halves I shall divide the earth”. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, lew said:

a trip on US Route 1. Pretty drive. Looks like it was work it.

Toll road south, jumped over to SR-9 below Dover, up to Odessa. Would have gone all the way up but was bushed.

 

That's where this picture came from. Before fried shrimp. God's country. Winter wheat to the west, fields being plowed to the east.

 

Alright, I'm exhausted. Gotta eat. Thanks again for your help, knowledge, and interest.

 

archimedes with lever.tiff

7 minutes ago, Woodman said:

jumped over to SR-9 below Dover, up to Odessa

Was just south of there a couple of weeks ago. Go down thru there to OC MD

Gene, sorry to change the subject but https://woodenteddy.com is where I order from. The blades I use mostly for regular scroll sawing is the Flying dutchman brand and its their SR series blades, FDSR5 is about the best for curved work. 3.30 for a dozen blades but if you order 12 dozen or 144 blades lowers the cost to less than 23 cents each.

  If it is mostly long straight type sawing I like the Olsen blades , reverse tooth precision ground blades but for thin curvey sawing they are too aggressive and they don't like to follow the lines unless the lines are mostly straight....  This is a scroll sawing site.  

The flyingdutchman.com site use to have the cheapest prices but the guy sold out to theteddybear and stayed gone for a while but now I noticed he is back with his site but don't know how his prices are, higher or lower or free freight or what so someone needing blades and things you might want to check first.

  I usually change blades when I start smelling wood burning and this makes it harder to stay on the line for the teeth are starting to wear too much and not because of too much smoke to see the line????

On 5/6/2022 at 2:49 PM, Smallpatch said:

this makes it harder to stay on the line

My WEN scroll saw was gifted to me, along with the bench sander. In general, I find it darn hard to stay on the line. Maybe adjusting blade tension? 

 

Two+ months report on the c.1988 Delta C.I.-topped table saw:

 

The weight of the top, lift / tilt mechanisms, and better fence definitely make a difference. When dry-fitting slat components to No. 4 Cylindrical Vessel, I'm surprised, amazed, and grateful.

 

Since acquiring this 110-pound ∆ Delta ∆, a 10" 3HP aluminum deck Craftsman TS came and went. Packed with features including separate tilt arbor and a fairly decent fence, it still could not compete with the Delta. A guy bought the Craftsman to upgrade to a better fence. As in Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (Robert Barry 1963), what one casts off is perfect for another.

 

Guess I’m pushing the old guy pert’ hard. Stripped the belt on some ancient yellow pine. 
 

New belt came today. No side access. Dropped the motor from above thru the insert opening and a shoelace. 30 minutes, done.  Is swapping belts common among TS owner / users?

 

 

43 minutes ago, Woodman said:

Guess I’m pushing the old guy pert’ hard. Stripped the belt on some ancient yellow pine. 
 

New belt came today. No side access. Dropped the motor from above thru the insert opening and a shoelace. 30 minutes, done.  Is swapping belts common among TS owner / users?

 

 

Can't speak for others but I don't recall if/when I replaced mine on my old 113.xxxx Series Craftsman. Have a link belt to upgrade but  plan to install steel pulleys instead of the cast aluminum OEM's

Edited September 22, 20223 yr by Grandpadave52

This belt is a splined rubber belt behind a housing on the motor. It runs from the motor to the arbor. I think the saw is still considered a direct-drive?

 

31 minutes ago, Woodman said:

s swapping belts common among TS owner / users?

Never replace mine, either.

10 hours ago, Woodman said:

This belt is a splined rubber belt behind a housing on the motor. It runs from the motor to the arbor. I think the saw is still considered a direct-drive?

To me, direct drive saws are the ones with the motor directly connected to the arbor...with some reduction gears in between. No belt required. Anyway, I did replace the belt on my Delta contractor saw (34-445) with a link belt to get rid of a thump it had with the OEM belt. Then later I replaced the ones my Unisaw for the same reason, they had a set in the OEM belts but i didn't use Link Belts on it. Even so, I don't think it's all that common to have to repalce them...in hobbyist use thee belts last a really long time.

3 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

direct drive saws are the ones with the motor directly connected to the arbor.

I had a saw with the motor behind it, belt-drive. I always considered them to be quieter but an online query says not. Hmmm.

 

Within my motor, opposite the arbor, is the drive belt for the arbor. The belt was shot when I got it; lots of noise. Like a Silly Sam, I took the motor to a "pro" thinking it was something bad. Nope, and the guy made money on a $4 belt - some folks sell the same belt for $25.

 

The drive offset from the motor spindle increases cut height a little.

 

A pic way back from an April Curb Shopping thread ...

Looking at that photo, I would guess it is considered a direct drive saw.