Wadkin AGS disassembly

Fitzroy · 7 Feb 2019

I’m off to pick up a 1960 Wadkin AGS 10 tomorrow, very excited. I’ll need to take it apart so it’s moveable by me and the wife.

Can anyone confirm what tools I’ll need to:
- take the table off (it has no extension wings, grr can’t have everything I guess). Is this an imperial Allen key bolt?
-split the main body from the stand. Are they socket wrench accessible?

I’m guessing all bolts etc are imperial sized.

Plan is to take off table, motor, and split saw body from stand. Hopefully all pieces can then be moved by two people. Should that be ok?

Piece I’m most worried will be too heavy is the body with tilt and raise mechanism in it.

Thanks

Fitz

Farmer Giles · 7 Feb 2019

Hi Fitz

this manual says that to adjust the table slots to be parallel with the blade you loosen the four 3/8" Whitworth nuts. https://www.daltonswadkin.com/wp-conten ... s-List.pdf

No date on the manual but it feels 60's, but then it mentions M10 bolts for the feet and attaching the base to the stand so maybe not. I would take both. No idea if they are accessible though, I haven't got around to looking at my AGS 10 in depth yet.

Good luck for tomorrow.

Cheers
Andy

memzey · 8 Feb 2019

An imperial socket set will do most of it. You will also need an imperial hex key (can’t remember the size) to remove the fence.

MusicMan · 8 Feb 2019

The table is studs with nuts. I'd take a set of open ended Imperial spanners too. The table nuts are difficult to access but it IS possible to insert your hand inside to reach the corner ones. However I don't think a ring spanner or socket would fit between the nut and the edge of the casting so you will need the o/e Imperials. If you have very big hands, it's a job for the wife

. Blade off, of course and don't forget that that is a left hand thread. You'll need a tommy bar about 6 - 8 mm to hold the spindle still.

Yes they shifted to metric at some point but I don't know when, so better take both.

I moved mine by taking only the table off, then two guys could lift and tilt the body into my estate car so it sat sideways. BUT the car has a completely flat platform with no entry lip. If you have to actually lift it over a lip, yes, take the motor off and if necessary split the cabinet midway.

I also used a home-made dolly to wheel the bits separately from the drive to the back end of the garden.

To assemble and move it (and other tools) in the workshop I have a small hydraulic hoist originally designed for moving a disabled person around a house. Lifts 300 lb and much smaller than an engine hoist. Cost £80 on eBay.

Good luck and remember the pics!

Fitzroy · 8 Feb 2019

It’s mine! Only thing I couldn’t separate was the fence rails from the top but it was movable as one lump.

Looks in good condition. Bearings have some movement so will replace. Fence doesn’t lock at far end so need to investigate that. Motor has been replaced with single phase but only two belt pully, so will need to decide if want to change to three like originally. Only thing that is definitely missing is part 16, motor bracket retaining strip, that traps in the far side of the rise and fall mechanism, obviously runs without it but need to assess how it impacts accuracy.

Chap also threw in the mobile base that’ll save me buying one.

Overall happy with the £260 and 60mile drive to collect.

Fitz

Farmer Giles · 8 Feb 2019

Nice one!

I believe later AGS 10 had twin not triple pulleys and toothed belts.

Mine has the original 3ph motor with twin pulleys and toothed belts.

Cheers
Andy

Fitzroy · 8 Feb 2019

Mine is a 1960 saw, so an older model, saw spindle has a triple pully, but motor only a double.

F.

deema · 8 Feb 2019

I think looking at the manual that part 16 is the grib strip. It’s essential that it’s replaced before it’s used. It keeps the blade laterally straight. Without it kick backs are highly likely as well as poor finish / inaccurate.

Luckily, it’s just a strip of steel with three drilled recesses for the studs to sit in. A quick measure and it’s just a piece of steel bar that’s easy to replace. I’d flatten the side that’s against item 27.

I’m about to do up one of these saws, if it helps I can measure / photograph the part for you.

Fitzroy · 8 Feb 2019

That would be great thanks!

deema · 8 Feb 2019

Ok, give me a few days

MusicMan · 9 Feb 2019

deema":2srd0w2b said:
I think looking at the manual that part 16 is the grib strip. It’s essential that it’s replaced before it’s used. It keeps the blade laterally straight. Without it kick backs are highly likely as well as poor finish / inaccurate.

Luckily, it’s just a strip of steel with three drilled recesses for the studs to sit in. A quick measure and it’s just a piece of steel bar that’s easy to replace. I’d flatten the side that’s against item 27.

I’m about to do up one of these saws, if it helps I can measure / photograph the part for you.

Yes, I think deema is quite right. The screws 19 and locknuts 20 adjust this gib for smooth sliding without locking or rocking.

Looking forward to seeing your progress (and deema's)

Keith

SammyQ · 9 Feb 2019

Good stuff. When I did mine up, the pulley on the saw arbour was a bear to get off. It too was three slots, and I wrecked it, but I managed to install a two slot one and a matching one on a new single phase motor.
The gib strip referred to earlier benefits from three wee neodymium magnets to hold it in place, as it can slip and is therefore a contortionists workout to get it back in place...DAMHIKT....

Sam

Fitzroy · 9 Feb 2019

Life is really busy at the mo and told myself the saw would just have to sit for a while, yer right!

Fence taken apart and figured how to adjust, all needs cleaning up but it works and no parts needed which is the main thing.

Although all manuals show the spindle housing as a separate casting mine is integral with the trunnion housing. Had to take the whole thing out to access the bearings.

The spindle/bearing arrangement is an odd one. Once you get the tripple pully off the spindle (wasn’t too bad to remove) you loosen a bolt in the housing and the whole spindle and bearing bit can be drifted out. However you then have two bearings separated by a sleeve that means you can’t access the edge of the outer bearing with a puller, I resorted to brute force, pulled of the dust seal drilled out the cage and removed the outer race. After that I could remove the sleeve and use a puller to remove the inner race.

Annoyingly it seems that the arbour front flange has been buckled by I expect over tightening over the years. Gonna have to see if I can unbuckle it as it won’t grip the blade too well in its current shape.

Bearings are odd 6203FF with inner race wider than outer so will follow the advice of a previous member and go for standard 12mm 6203 bearings with 2mm + 0.3mm shim washers on each side to take to 16.6mm inner width.

Lots more to do and that gib to try and make, which will be interesting as my metal working skill/tools are even more limited than my woodworking ones.

Fitz.

SammyQ · 10 Feb 2019

"Keep 'er lit" Fitz. Job's lookin' good. That spindle housing arrangement is strange; mine is a bolt on.
Sam

MusicMan · 10 Feb 2019

Safest thing you can do with the arbor flange is to skim out the middle on a metal lathe. Or make another one. I could do it for you in March but not till then I'm afraid, as I am away. Get in touch at the end of Feb if you haven't found a solution by then. I would not try to distort it back, it won't run true. That wouldn't affect the precision but would cause vibration.

Fitzroy · 11 Mar 2019

Not up to Wallace’s standards but I’m happy with how it came out. What was done:

Disassembled pretty much everything except a few pins.
Spindle removed and bearings replaced (original bearings are odd with inner race wider than outer, but can be replaced with standard 17mm id x 40mm od x 12mm width and 2.3mm of shim washers)
All rusty bits cleaned up on a wire wheel.
Made new gib to replace missing part (made from piece of hardwood soaked in oil, works great for now)
Fence bars cleaned up with wet and dry to 400grit
Motor and switch rewired with new flex.
Straightened arbor flange by bolting it to a piece of wood back to front and over tightening.

Positives. All worm gears etc are in great nick with little wear. Spindle runs nice and true with <0.1mm of runout front to back. Rise and fall and tilt mechanisms are buttery smooth. Fence is straight to the table/slots.

Minor niggles:
A little vibration when running, new belts helped but may take a look at the motor bearings.
Fence is not square to table, will need to shim the sacrificial fence or something.
Trapped the flex winding the blade up as I’d wrapped the flex around the motor, small nick out of it so will have to replace.
Having not used a machine with a guard before I’m struggling to work out how to push some cuts through, I’ll persevere as I want the guard to remain.

Overall very happy with the saw, now to sell the old one, SWMBO says I don’t need two!

Fitz

The pics
Refitting the bearings,