Smoking Startrite table saw

[BorisTheBlade]

You can also buy a new riving knife from there as well. Not cheap, but at least you know it will fit perfectly and save you faffing about making one.

No response to my email or anyone picking up all week so I bought some 2mm gauge plate. Money is tight anyways.

Gave it a thorough cleaning and scrubbed the pulleys before tightening the motor the other way so it doesn't rub on the adjustment boss anymore. I ran it the saw for a few minutes and heard less noise but still a little. I lined up the belt logos perfectly parallel and after running a few minutes you can see in the picture that the top one has slipped 4-7cm. Is this something to look into more depth?


I'm not sure how to tell if the bearings are shot, what am I looking out for when I turn the pulleys by hand?

Have been putting in a lot of blood, sweat and elbow grease scrubbing the top and rails with wd40 before brake cleaner and multiple passes with rust remover. It's already looking do much better but the rust was so thick in spits I have left a few puddles of remover to soak overnight.

 

[Distinterior]

I wouldn't worry too much about the belts,....They may just need to be tensioned a bit more.

As I suggested in an earlier post, ..remove the 2 belts and spin the blade spindle by hand. You should be able to hear and/or feel if the bearings are worn out.
If it doesn't feel really smooth when you rotate it or if its noisy, then the bearings need to be replaced.
They're not expensive to buy, there are 2 of them and they are identical to each other.

To be honest, I haven't ordered anything from Altsaws for some time now, so I cant say why he isn't picking up his calls...??

 

[BorisTheBlade]

I wouldn't worry too much about the belts,....They may just need to be tensioned a bit more.

As I suggested in an earlier post, ..remove the 2 belts and spin the blade spindle by hand. You should be able to hear and/or feel if the bearings are worn out.
If it doesn't feel really smooth when you rotate it or if its noisy, then the bearings need to be replaced.
They're not expensive to buy, there are 2 of them and they are identical to each other.

To be honest, I haven't ordered anything from Altsaws for some time now, so I cant say why he isn't picking up his calls...??

I did spin the spindle by hand without the blade and it didn't exactly feel that smooth so I'll order some more. It's a pain taking the top on and off so worth doing regardless. Still haven't tested the motor under load with a new blade yet so may do that and then take off the top again when the bearings come through.

The guy from the spares may be on holiday or something. The gauge plate was £22 for 2 X 125. X 500mm so a drastic saving anyhow.

 

[Doug71]

This place looks reasonable for a riving knife.

https://www.machinespares.net/produ.../startrite-ta-145/saw-guard-and-riving-knife/

 

[BorisTheBlade]

This place looks reasonable for a riving knife.

https://www.machinespares.net/produ.../startrite-ta-145/saw-guard-and-riving-knife/

Already said twice I got some gauge plate but thanks for the link.

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

Just made a replacement riving knife for my old Elektra Beckum flip saw. Works well. Please see my recent post in 'Post a Photo of the Last Thing You Made'. Just make sure the plate you use is thicker than the saw blade plate but thinner than the saw kerf.
Martin

 

[BorisTheBlade]

Just made a replacement riving knife for my old Elektra Beckum flip saw. Works well. Please see my recent post in 'Post a Photo of the Last Thing You Made'. Just make sure the plate you use is thicker than the saw blade plate but thinner than the saw kerf.
Martin

Thanks Martin, yes 2mm will be good for all my blade needs. Will take a look at your post.

 

[baldkev]

I made a spare riving knife for my multico ( before i sold it ) out if an old 12" blade. It cut ok with a grinder but was a pig to drill out.

I wanted a spare for my dewalt so i can cut it down, got one on ebay ( full knife and crown guard assembly ) new for £16!

 

[BorisTheBlade]

I made a spare riving knife for my multico ( before i sold it ) out if an old 12" blade. It cut ok with a grinder but was a pig to drill out.

I wanted a spare for my dewalt so i can cut it down, got one on ebay ( full knife and crown guard assembly ) new for £16!

People keep sending me links to these Startrite spares sites that charge £20 for a tiny spring, £100 for a riving knife, £165 for a blade guard - it's beyond ridiculous.

 

[baldkev]

They arent in production now so its a sellers market. Some people wouldnt go down the diy route, so the 100 quid would be the answer. Theres always a tradeoff, for materials and time etc.... but either way, any suggestions are coming from the right place, trying to help

 

[Alasdair]

Was looking for parts for my old saw and found this. SAW GUARD AND RIVING KNIFE - Machine Spares Riving knife for £31.00 Dont know what the quality would be but seems a fair price.

 

[BorisTheBlade]

Was looking for parts for my old saw and found this. SAW GUARD AND RIVING KNIFE - Machine Spares Riving knife for £31.00 Dont know what the quality would be but seems a fair price.

I must have read the info wrong, I bought the gauge plate prior to machine spares idea. I stand corrected on that front.

Yes totally a sellers market. I'm hoping bearing boys can do the bearings at a better price as they're £18 each on machine spares and I need two of them.

 

[Alasdair]

I have been using wych bearings and simply bearings. Their prices and service are pretty good and their very helpful. Should be markings on the old bearings to identify them. Only cost me £20 to replace all the bearings in my brush cutter. A lot cheaper than buying a new head and shaft. I used SKF sealed bearings and so far their good. It gets a lot of use.

 

[BorisTheBlade]

I have been using wych bearings and simply bearings. Their prices and service are pretty good and their very helpful. Should be markings on the old bearings to identify them. Only cost me £20 to replace all the bearings in my brush cutter. A lot cheaper than buying a new head and shaft. I used SKF sealed bearings and so far their good. It gets a lot of use.

Thanks dude! Very helpful info

 

[Alasdair]

Hopefully you will get some numbers and codes off the old bearings. If they are unmarked then you have to measure them. So far any that I have had to replace without numbers are pretty standard sizes. I assume they will be imperial?

 

[Spectric]

The belts were hot (

Any transmission belt will run hot, they are designed to and if you ever go into a plant room that has motors driving something using belts you will recognise the hot rubber belt smell.

 

[Freddyjersey2016]

I hope you didn't pay much for that saw, 'cos it looks like a heap of trouble to me - No riving knife, no crown guard; does it have any extract capability?

 

[BorisTheBlade]

I hope you didn't pay much for that saw, 'cos it looks like a heap of trouble to me - No riving knife, no crown guard; does it have any extract capability?

People pay more for a fair quality fence OR crown guard than I bought this working 240v saw for. Seems you should be in an online shopping forum or catalogue not a DIY forum; Riving guard - couple of hours. Crown, already built a free standing one, overhead, adjustable one. Dust extraction? How ever will I manage this?! My lord, get a grip man!

 

[Spectric]

like a heap of trouble to me - No riving knife, no crown guard; does it have any extract capability

You missed the most important aspect and that is can it cut wood, riving knife important but easily sorted, crown guard debatable and extraction easy enough unless you want a clinical enviroment, otherwise just wear a mask!

If you have ever seen the saws farmers attach to a tractor powered by the PTO then you have cause for concern but this can all be sorted relatively cheap.

 

[BorisTheBlade]

*UPDATE*
I didn't get much time with weekend solo parenting a toddler aka the brown bomber/sleep stealer. However, here's where I'm at.

- Kept finding MDF (hate the stuff, should be banned IMO) clogged and caked everywhere it shouldn't be. Whilst sorting the belt setup I noticed it was caked in between the motor spindle and the pulleys so took off the motor to clear it out thoroughly - I have a suspicion this could be the cause of the smoking and would have caused excessive wear

- Re attached the motor and belts and then a new blade to test. A short, non definitive test was positive with no smoke and virtually no noise.

- The top had been so neglected that the rust is extremely stubborn. Rust remover is working wonders but has taken 3 runs. Much preferred to mechanically removing it as I would also remove good iron in the process

- Ball bearings. So the saw will work without new ball bearings but it will obviously cause more wear and less performance so will have to take it apart. Can it be removed without one of those special pulley remover tools?