Wolf 'Locomotive' BS3 Belt Sander

[Rhyolith]

Finally got my hands on one of these beasts and a must admit it exceeds expectations so far! The build quality is superb and its quietest belt sander I have heard to date. I believe this type of belt sander is named "Locomotive" because it looks like a railway engine

Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr
Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

No obvious initial issues other than the bad fitting belt, dirt and a crack in the front handle.

I decided to clean it anyway and check all the mechanical bits, as I think I'd like it to be my main working belt sander. Here I would like some advise:

First the gearbox (it has no belt), its greased but the grease looks to me on the dry side. Should I clean and replace or leave alone?

Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

There is also what I am pretty sure is a lubrication hole next to this, it leads to the driving pulley I think. The name plate says to use light oil (3 in 1 i assume) on all bearings, but maybe this one needs grease?

Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Then there is the seals. It has a few components that are sealed with thin rubber, these disintegrated when i dismantled, I was wondering how to replace them? One is for the gearbox (can see half of it in the picture above) and the other for the dust outlet (broken seal is there):

Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Lastly for tonight the switch. Its a tiny bit stiff, feels like it could do with a but of lubrication. Should I lubricated it and what with if so?

Wolf 3" 'Locomotive' Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

 

[NazNomad]

I'd use Electrolube for the switch, don't be tempted to spray WD40 in it.

Flush all that old grease out of there and repack the gearbox with new grease. Wear & tear over the years will guarantee it's full of metal filings.

How thin is that rubber? Could you cut new components from butyl pond liner?

That oiler would, I think, have had a cap on it. Does it unscrew? you could fit a new oiler.

 

[Mike Jordan]

That could be very elderly machine, I can remember them from the first joiners shop I worked at in 1959. It certainly looks as if it was built to last.

 

[Rorschach]

I agree with Naz

3 in 1 or a lightweight motor oil will be fine on the bearings, i use 5W30 for almost everything except my sewing machines. Fresh grease is definitely needed and should be replaced every few years as it will build up gunk and chips.
You can buy sheet gasket material but I would imagine in a low stress situation like this anything would work even cardstock.

 

[NazNomad]

... I would imagine in a low stress situation like this anything would work even cardstock.

Agreed, it's only to keep the sawdust out.

 

[Rorschach]

... I would imagine in a low stress situation like this anything would work even cardstock.

Agreed, it's only to keep the sawdust out.

And I would guess to stop warm grease seeping out onto your work. More of a problem on older grease, modern greases don't tend to get so runny.

 

[Mark A]

Oooh gorgeous machine, I'm incredibly jealous!

I go through old tool phases myself, though I haven't searched for a while now. Don't tell me it was an eBay purchase...

Regarding the damaged seal - I've used silicone gasket sealer on my restorations with no issues. Smear oil on one surface and sealer on the other and it *should* come apart again on the future.

 

[Rhyolith]

I only have “CV Lith-Moly” grease that I used to use for RC car gearboxes, would that be suitable?

 

[Rorschach]

I am sure that will be far better than the original grease.

 

[NazNomad]

I am sure that will be far better than the original grease.

Yep, anything will be better than the grinding paste that's in there now.

 

[Racers]

Cornflake packet and a ball pein hammer.

Place a piece of the packet over the hole and tap all round the edges the the ball pien this will cut the cardboard leaving a perfect gasket.

Pete

 

[NazNomad]

You can see Pete has worked on old engines before. :-D

I did the same thing recently.

 

[Rhyolith]

I cannot work out how to get the motor casing off. I turns around freely so I assume something on the shaft is still holding it on, but its not obvious what or how to release it. Any ideas?

R0026025 by Rhyolith, on Flickr
R0026025 by Rhyolith, on Flickr
R0026026 by Rhyolith, on Flickr
R0026028 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I want to get it off to clean inside (lots of dust came out through the brush holes) and shine up the commutator with wire wool. One of the brushes also won't come out and a cannot figure out why, so getting the casing off would be helpful.

The brush I have got out looks worn. How do I find out what to search for to find spares?

R0026028 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

 

[Mark A]

It's the bearings on the shaft holding the sections of housing closed. Usually it takes a combination of tapping and prying to dismantle, but it looks like there was a plastic cap on the front of the sander which you've removed. Take a look through the hole and that should be the end of the shaft, which you should be able to tap out. The bearing may come off with it, or may remain in the housing.

 

[Rhyolith]

Thanks Mark, that worked!

 

[Rhyolith]

Right the motor casing is off

Motor & Bearings by Rhyolith, on Flickr

What I am now confused about is how to get at the gearbox behind it (i want to change the grease). There are some slot screws visible through the vents and I assumed once the motor casing was off there would be a way to get at them... but I cannot see one.

Motor & Bearings by Rhyolith, on Flickr
Motor & Bearings by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Any ideas?

I am also unsure whether to clean the commutator and other parts of the motor... is it best to leave them as they are?

The bearings on this thing are seriously impressive! No wonder its lasted so long.

Motor & Bearings by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I am wondering what to do with that one in the gearbox, it seemed to just be full fo grease when i cleaned it and i suspect thats what going to happen when i re-grease the gearbox anyway. Should I oil it as well?

 

[NazNomad]

The ring around the bearing has two small holes in it...

You'd use something that I've always called a 'pin spanner' (there's probably a proper/different name for it).

I reckon it unscrews and releases the bearing.

 

[NazNomad]

Update: Nope, pin-spanner / pin-wrench does seem to be the correct name for it, I thought I'd just made that up. :-D

 

[Noel]

Nice find, looks like the old Porter Cable 503 models.

The brushes just look like the standard type, still used today, good selection on eBay, just measure the block and spring length. For example-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARBON-BRUSH ... jmZSCHQN1A

 

[Rhyolith]

Update: Nope, pin-spanner / pin-wrench does seem to be the correct name for it, I thought I'd just made that up. :-D

So far I can't find one with narrow enough pins... nails in pliers don't work either, the force requires is too great.

I could not find a way to access the angle gearbox, it seems like it might me intentionally unaccessible so I have decided to leave it for now.

The whole thing is back together after a generous amounts of grease and oil to the various moving parts. I was laughing how ludicrously over engineered it is relative to modern belt sanders (least the ones I have seen inside of), the bearings are just so big!

Something I noticed while running it:
Wolf 3" "Locomotive" Belt Sander by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Is that a healthy amount of sparks?

I still have not found any adverts or catalogs to get a more accurate date, anyone seen this listed anywhere? Some kind of manual (internal diagram particularly) would be gold dust too