Thread: suggestions for removing saw blade

Originally Posted by daninjt

Hi,

I have an Elektra Bekham table saw and last weekend tried to remove the sawbalde for the first time.

Problem is the nut holding it on won't budge. The manual says it has a left hand thread which I assume means it needs to go clockwise to come off. Is that right?

Any suggestions on how to loosen this thing?

The blade has about a 1.5 mm wobble when its spinning, but thats the next problem to solve, once I get it off the machine to see if its warped. I just built a sled for the table, which was a bit tricky and the tabletop has no track runners. Now the sled has a slot 4.5 mm wide for a 3mm kerf blade.

All and any help gratefully appreciated.


Cheers,

Dan

Normally it is "Righty tighty, lefty loosey". In this case you reverse it.

Turn to the right to release it. Sometimes it helps to put a bunch of rags between the blade and tabletop so they 'jam', then turn the arbor nut to loosen it.

As you and Groggy said clockwise, hold it with the rag like groggy said, but if it won't release give it a gentle or not so gentle tap with a hammer. If you cant hold it place a G or F clamp on the blade to stop it turning and try again.

www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au

Never tried a rag, have to give that a shot.

I've always used a piece of wood jammed into the teeth to keep the blade still.

Rag sounds like a better idea.

Tex

There should be a small hole in the shaft that takes a thin screw driver from the top. The rule with undoing nuts on sawblades is to follow the direction of the blade. Its easier to think of it as turning the nut faster than the blade as the only way to undo it - only possible when it's stationary.

A classic example of the left-handed thread is the screw holding in a keyless chuck. In this case it's true when turning left to loosen a bit or take out a screw. Without the screw, the right thread from the shaft into the chuck will undo when in reverse.

As for your problem, I try to avoid the classic 'sharp rap' approach. If the shaft doesn't have a hole for stalling the blade, use the methods above, but try putting a piece of pipe over the shaft of the spanner to increase leverage.

Good luck!
Damien

As Damien said but in colors....well, black & white....
Attachment 69209

niki

Thanks gents for all your replies.

I've been away and only had a go at it on the weekend.

I ended up jamming the blade with a piece if 18mm ply. I couldnt get a rag to jam it tight enough and the space is too confined to put anything to lock the shaft. It took a few solid whacks with a hammer and all was good.

Like I said earlier there is a 1.5mm wobble when the blade is turning, but now having the blade off I cant really see that its warped. Should a warp of that size be easily seen by eye?

I ran the machine without the blade and it appears the place where the blade is bolted on is running without a wobble.

Will I only be able to tell by getting a new blade and seeing whether it wobbles too?

Now, finding a quality blade in Jakarta that fits is the next challenge. There is the ubiquitous Krisbow, but everything of theirs I have had is crap and lasts about 5 minutes.

Cheers,

Dan

I have replaced the blade with another Elektra Bekum blade, but the wobble is still there.

Can anyone please give me an idea of what to check next? It a bit hard to do an accurate cut and the slot for the blade in my crosscut sled is 5mm wide.

Just for clarity, the motor runs smoothly, there is no discernable vibration of the table or blade. Its just that if you turn the blade by hand the teeth of blade move closer to the fence by about 1.5mm, then out again as you complete the full rotation.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers,

Dan

sounds like your sled guides are out of alignment

Thanks Canetoad, but the sled's fine.

It is the blade wobbling that chews out a larger kerf than it should. And i have no idea what to do next to fix it.

Anyone :got any ideas?

Bent arbor??

Bent washer??

Crud underneath the washer, making a wobble saw??

Cheers,

eddie

Check the flange that the blade sits against. Is it removable, is it sitting evenly against the shoulder on the shaft? Check for rust or saw dust buildup in any area where the blade contacts the flange or shaft.
If everything seems fine the next stage is putting a dial indicator on the shaft itself. Maybe borrow one from a local engineering works, with a magnetic base. It sounds like you might have some runout, or bent shaft...here's hoping its not.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

Check the flange that the blade sits against. Is it removable, is it sitting evenly against the shoulder on the shaft? Check for rust or saw dust buildup in any area where the blade contacts the flange or shaft.
If everything seems fine the next stage is putting a dial indicator on the shaft itself. Maybe borrow one from a local engineering works, with a magnetic base. It sounds like you might have some runout, or bent shaft...here's hoping its not.

Good luck!

As Andy said there may be some runout -asking pythagorus for some help gives only 3.78 thou runout at the arbor to give 1.5 mm runout at the teeth of the blade.

woodcutta

Thanks Gents, I will check it out.

It seems our mate Pythagorus is saying it will be a very small irregularity I am looking for.

Cheers,

Dan