Thread: Table Saw raise / lower issues Woodman

I've been using silverglide on mine, works reasonably well, only downside is you need to reapply regularly, ie when it starts squealing. I find that it works really well, with next to no buildup with dust and once lubricated runs very smooth.

I probably reapply every few months, this also makes sure i stay on top of the dust build up inside the cabinet.

Graphite powder. Doesn't collect dust.

For one of my saws with a mechanism like that that needs lube now and then I just oil it with motor oil from a oil can with a long spout and pump it on where its needed. Yes the dust sticks to it but the better the dust extraction the less of a problem it is. When my extraction was pretty average in previous workshop it got messy but id just blow off the accumulation with air and oil again every six months. The issue for you may be if you can get in to lube it once its back together. Id say most saws designed like that left the factory with a dab of grease on the gears and bearings. Its possibly a white grease that is less of a dust collector. Think I read that somewhere.

Hi Auscab - thanks for the reply - i think you have / had a similar saw as mine. How hard is the raise / lower mechanism when its normal? ie is it a one hand operation nice and smooth? just trying to work out what the goal is.

Also have you ever had to remove the mechanics from the dovetail and was it very tight?

Thanks for the replys - i think i will try one of these whatever Bunnings have and see what its like once back together. Does anyone know if i should i be able to move the mechanism up and down by hand or does it need the mechanical gears to move?

Hi . It was just similar in that it was exposed gears. Not the same make. My one is an English Wadkin Bursgreen from the 1960s . It gets a bit hard to move without a clean and oil . No dovetail construction that I can remember. I looked through your pics but couldn’t figure out where your dovetail bit was .

Edit I just had another look . I see . They call that a Way a Dovetailed Way and the strip is the Gib I’m pretty sure .
That will all come out . After you clean and oil they go back together and the three screws are tightened back up then backed off a tiny amount ( 1/8 to 1/4 turn of screw roughly ) to let the thing move up and down but without sideways movement .

Yeah, the insert is a gib, common to dovetail ways in all kinds of machines. For lube I use a spray dry lube. CRC (Autobarn) and WD40 both make a teflon dry spray lube. Also any good modern bicycle chain spray lube will work. I use LPS-1, but I wouldn’t pay the local price for it.

As mentioned, if your dust collection and housekeeping are good, any lube will work if the mechanism is kept clean and lubed regularly.

UPDATE - managed to get everything off and cleaned and lubed up. Had everything moving freely off saw. Then when i put it all back together it was OK until i put the heavy motor onto the frame. I think the extra weight of the motor just makes the lift a little 'heavy'. I have removed the hand wheel and replaced with a couple of nuts and added loctite. I can now use my drill on slow speed and it moves the lift up perfectly. On a side note when i was cleaning the mechanism i found a build up of sawdust which was stopping me getting a true 45 degree cut - now ive cleaned it the saw goes to 45 drgrees with ease.

Managed to take apart and clean - came up very well.