Startrite 275 problems...

[mike2017]

Hello. First post so be patient.

We've just got a (what I believe to be) is a startrite 275. I say this as the minimum blade size it suggests it is 182mm (which is the 275 isn't it?)

It is single phase. It runs but not great. It seems to run slow and has little torque when putting material through it - grinding to a halt with just 11mm osb - not good!

I don't think its a belt slipping so presuming my motor has shot it - what are my options? Do I get rid and put it down to a bad experience or is there a chance I can get a replacement motor which will bolt straight in with very little fuss....im sure its not that easy

Any help much appreciated. Thanks, Mike

 

[mike2017]

Actually, having looked in to it it's a 165.

 

[Hornbeam]

First thing is to check what motor is actually fitted. There should be a plate on teh motor which will tell you all the details. It isnt possible to say whether the motor is shot, but replacements can be had on e bay for about £80. You will need to know the motor frame size for this.
Alternative to single phase, you could fit a 3 phase motor with an inverter. I have done this on my Casadei panel saw so I now have no problems with high start up currents and also have motor braking on stop. total cost was about £170 after a bit of searching for both motor and drive

 

[SkinnyB]

It sounds similar to the problems I had with a similar saw. The issue was the belts that connect the motor to the arbour were shredded and worn, check this if it uses belts and check that they are tensioned enough.

 

[Ttrees]

A piccy of your saw would be helpful Mike.
I have a 275 and it uses two belts, which are fairly badly worn.
In the little I have used it, I have not had an issue with the belts slipping.
Is your blade parallel to the fence ?
Does your saw have a riving knife ?
Motors would be easy to swap on the 275 as there is a big mounting plate to bolt one to.
I am using an inverter with mine
Tom

 

[mike2017]

Thanks for the replies. After a proper look it is indeed the ta165 (not the 275 I previously thought). It might also be the belts (contrary to what I originally thought).

Im nipping back to the workshop in the morning for a proper look. Ive found the belts online for around a tenner so it could be an easy win....fingers crossed. Just wondering, is the vee belt easy enough to get at?

 

[gmgmgm]

Presumably you can tell if it's a belt slipping- is the motor still whizzing around, while the blade has stopped/slowed? They need to be super-tight.

 

[Ttrees]

On the 275 the belts are accessible by the dust chute.
If I remember correctly, there was some confusion on a previous thread on this model before.
I don't understand how though, the 275 is a much wider machine.
Check your blade to miter slots and then slots to blade when you look at it again.
I used an adjustable square to do this.
I had to shim the rail brackets to true the fence up.
Check your riving knife then

 

[mike2017]

Yeh, I think its the belts.
Going to have an hour or two swearing at it in the morning and give a good once over (been in and out all day today).

It is definitely the ta165. Its quite small but has the bed extended (which is why we got it - it seemed a bargain at the time) - I'm sure it'll all get sorted.

Will have a butchers at a manual online and see how to get at it. The right hand side comes off but the belts are the opposite side of the motor (on the left) so not easily accessible (as far as I remember).......fun and games

 

[mike2017]

Right, The bed is off, the belts have quite a bit of play in them so I'm presuming this is the culprit. Does anyone know how to tension them up?

 

[deema]

Firstly I would recommend replacing both belts. Belts lose their elasticity become brittle and take a 'set shape' rather than being round when not under tension. This makes the machine run 'lumpy' with additional vibration causing excessive wear. Always a good starting point, I always replace the belts in any secondhand machine I buy....along with the spindle bearings. The belts are tensioned by adjusting the position of the motor. A bit fiddly.

Unlike a previous suggestion, v belts should not be very tight. This will destroy the bearings / belts / pulleys. The belts should have some give in them when tensioned, the manual will normally give a recommendation of the amount they should move when pressed in the middle of the space between the two pulley with a finger. It's normally something like 1/2 to 1".

 

[Ttrees]

So its a dual belt machine ...V belts I presume
I honestly have not found my loose belts to be problematic, and I have sawed 5 foot iroko close
to max depth of my machines cut.
Obviously you could put a plate underneath the motor....not that I'm suggesting that.

You did not mention if your table slots and your fence were parallel with your blade.
Nor did you mention anything about a riving knife ...
I somehow get a feeling your trying to avoid answering that one ....
Also you did not mention what kind of blade you have or what condition it was in.

The fence on my saw was not parallel with the blade and it was closer at the back of the blade !
Just asking for a kickback.
If you dont know how strong a kickback can be look at this video ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5F9TiHF2tc
There's lots of folks that have lost digits because they did not use a riving knife, and they will tell you this.
It only takes a small amount of time to make one.
Tom

 

[mike2017]

Hello all. Thanks for the replies. The blade has seen better days, my other saw is 10inch but thats quite tight on the 165 so going to pick up a new 9inch on Monday. I did measure the blade to mitre slots and all seems perfectly square. So I decided to have a look at the belts, I took the bed off (6 bolts underneath at the front and two at the back) and lifted it off. The belts were very loose - I could easily pinch them across in the middle - the lefthand one could be removed. Also I noticed that the pulleys top and bottom did not line up - the one on the motor was further over to the left. Also, the lefthand belt was a lot looser than the other as it had been stretched (presumably because of the misalignment). The top pulley can not move along the spindle as there is a hole on the spindle that lines up with a hole on the bed (to insert a screwdriver or equivalent to lock the spindle when changing the blade) so it had to be the pulley on the motor. So I've took the motor out to discover the grub screw that holds the pulley and key tight against the motor spindle is completely missing so it has moved.

So, I've ordered too new belts and a grub screw from machinespares.net - hopefully at some point this week it should be up and running. It wasn't the morning I had planned but was a great opportunity to get it all cleaned up.

Some photos from this morning

 

[Ttrees]

Glad to see a riving knife on your machine.
You mentioned that a 10" blade is tight on your machine.
I thought these could handle that ...I'm guessing that's with the riving knife taken off.
One of my belts is looser than the other also.
Hope that's all that's needed for you Mike
Good luck with your machine
Tom

 

[deema]

May I recommend you buy two blades, a spare for when the one in the saw starts to dull. A dull blade encourages you to push the stuff into the blade rather than letting it cut. This is very dangerous and a dull blade is I believe the other main coarse of accidents.