oh dear, what have I done... [Triton MK3]

[Tweedle]

Hi folks,
just thought I'd share:
I came across this old Mk3 from a deceased estate and I picked it up for "not much"...
The PO said it's been doing nothing but collecting dust for at least 8 years that he knows of. Bit of a pig in a poke, I know.

IMG_20151003_163025.jpg

IMG_20151003_163205.jpg

IMG_20151003_163332.jpg


IMG_20151003_163337.jpg

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I'm note really sure exactly what I've got, or if there's going to be some crucial missing part...
I'll be on youtube watching some vids later tonight.
Anyone know of a link for the original owners manual?

Oh, and I brought home some skids from work to practice on:

IMG_20151003_163451.jpg

Let's see if I can turn them into some useful boxes.


ANY AND ALL HINTS AND TIPS [AND WARNINGS ] WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

[mark david]

Personally,I would't go near it,it's more of a case of what isn't missing.
Don't even think about using unless you have a riving knife and blade guard fitted and even then !
Am not personally a great fan of this Triton stuff if you haven't guessed.

[Lappa]

Triton Owners Club from Canberra has a library with manuals

http://www.tocact.org.au/?page_id=136

[snowyskiesau]

That table is an oldie! It pre-dates mine and mine is a tad over 25 years old.
If the pins that hold the top to the sides are missing, you may have a problem finding replacements.

I see you also have the original Superjaws so if the saw turns out to be useless, you'll still come out ahead.

[Walesey]

I am no expert. I have had a very basic Mk 3 set up for 20 years, but could never afford to upgrade it. Still, there are a few bits there that I recognise (and some that I wish I had!) and some bits that I do not recognise.

What size is the Makita saw? I like Makita stuff, personally, so, if I were you, I would probably be happy to have the Makita saw, it it came at the right price and was in OK nick. I think I would be looking for a better way to hold the trigger switch on the saw on, rather than a block of wood. Originally, they used a strip of velcro tape, wrapped around the switch. Something similar to what is sometimes used to tidy electrical cords, etc (hooks on one side of the tape and loops on the other, so that it catches on to itself)

I have often wanted a roller stand like yours. Very handy if you are ripping long lengths. Likewise, the "Super Jaws" (big vice thingy) can be useful in certain applications.

You really should NOT use the saw without the riving knife to keep the cut timber from closing together on itself and jamming against the blade. That could be nasty! You have the blade guard, but it attaches to the Riving knife, which I can not see. I can see that you have the fence, but I can not see the bolts and hand nuts to fasten it. You may be able to pick these up somewhere. (e-bay?)

As I said, I have had my Mk 3 for over 20 years and although I would LOVE to have a fully equipped work shop, with a full sheet table saw and a separate docking say, etc, etc, I could never justify it with the amount o use that I make of it. I am very happy with what I have been able to accomplish with my Mk 3 over the years. It is a good, reliable work horse, and as long as you keep it adjusted, it is as accurate as you need it for most things.

Get the manual. see if you can track down the missing bits (riving knife, various nuts, bolts, etc) and if should be a good beginners tool for you, until you find a project that it can not handle. (so far, mine has coped with most everything I have thrown at it!)

Cheers
Walesey

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Even if you the TS side of it all goes west, it also has the router table and biscuit joiner to suit.

In the "accessory" pic, the bottom-most piece is the biscuit joiner add-on. One of those mitre-guides (the black triangular thingies) will fit over it, to act as a fence. I don't see the actual router bit in that lot, though.

Nor do I see the fittings to actually mount a router.

Even so, something can be bought or made to do the job easily enough.

FWIW, although you do have the guard to go over the circ saw blade, I don't see the riving knife which is used to connect it to the table. It was probably removed to do some trenching and mislaid. Pity, as that's one thing that is particularly hard to find and even harder to make a replacement yourself.

[Tweedle]

Hi,

today I saw the same size Makita CS for $5.00 more than I paid for the whole table and everything, so one way or another I think I'll come out ok.

As far as the riving knife:
is that only for use when ripping lengthwise on a board or a sheet of ply, etc?
I watched [most of] the VHS video that's on youtube last night...
Just for cutting across the slats from off the pallet slats to square them off and cut them to consistent sizes, the riving knife is not used as far as I can see???

Or am I missing something?

[Walesey]

You have got it right there. The riving knife is for ripping lengths.

For cross cutting, the job stays still, and you move the saw over the job. Notice that you have a couple of pieces of angle (in the middle of your photo, on the LH side, 4th photo). there are 4 "T" shaped holes in the table. The pieces of angle slot into the "T" shaped holes and press firmly back into place to make a stop to press the job firmly against. The table goes down to the lower level, and the saw is inverted so that the blade points down, and can be moved freely, sliding in it's guides.

When the angle stops are installed, they will fit on either side of a saw slot. Make sure that the saw is above that slot, so that you do not accidentally cut through one of the angle stops (Don't ask me how I know!) Also, have the saw height adjusted so that the blade is JUST below the top of the table, (NOT at full depth!) or you run the risk of accidentally cutting one of the cross members under the table (don't ask me how I know that, either!)

I hope this helps.
Cheers
Walesey

[Chrism3]

Your best bet for spares is here;
http://stores.ebay.com.au/adamtools/...ub=14201663010
Looks like the riving knife will set you back $40 plus postage.

[Optimark]

Well, having an original and really tough Super Jaw unit is great, having the log holder set of jaws is better, having the expensive and original cast engineers jaw set is brilliant. Clean up that Super Jaw kit and you will wonder how you lived without it, they are that good.

You can lock in a standard door with 1,000kg of pressure, easy as. Reverse things, place the cast engineers jaw set in and you have a really strong, portable and very well designed vice with 1,000kg of force.

Mick.

[doug3030]

Well, having an original and really tough Super Jaw unit is great, having the log holder set of jaws is better, having the expensive and original cast engineers jaw set is brilliant. Clean up that Super Jaw kit and you will wonder how you lived without it, they are that good.

I have two of the original "superjaws". I put the "expensive and original" cast engineers jaws on one of them probably 10 years ago and they are still on.

I have the logjaws too but they alternate with the soft jaws and a set of custom jaws I made myself as required.

THe custom jawsare for changing inserts in my vicmarc chuck when I want to alternate which lathe to put them on. They have lugs to hold the holes in the inserts so that I can clamp a long board in the jaws and have sufficient leverage to unscrew the insert.

Superjaws are great, so are multistands.

Cheers

Doug

[Tweedle]

Hi,
I had to go out this morning but I had a bit of a closer look this afternoon.
The blade in the saw is stuffed - some of the little tips are missing.
Fortunately, I know where to get "mates rates" on such things...

OTOH, my head is getting confused a bit trying to sort out exactly how to change from overhead mode to table mode.
Information overload.
I think I have to go back to that video again, and try to find just the bit I want.

[Chris Parks]

Remove the top, slide the saw carriage full back to the operater and lift the carriage end nearest the operator up through the clearance slots in the top of the carriage rails, push the carriage fully to the other end of the top rail and drop it though the two clearance slots and the saw is now sitting on top with the blade down. The top now is slid onto the lower brackets and secured with the two removable pins. The height of these brackets is set at each end of the table to be at the correct height for the saw in use and perindicular to the saw blade. From memory and I haven't used mine for many many years there are two slots in the table but I can't recall how they are positioned. There should be two separate stop pieces which are then fitted to the far end of the table away from the operator and the material to be cut is placed against them for cutting. As I said I have not used mine for many many years but I think I have covered most of it. Set up properly the Triton is no less accurate than any other saw and I built a two story workshop, rumpus room and a heap of other stuff with mine. The problem a lot of people have is perception and not taking the time to set the saw and table up so all the measurement rules and angles on the blade are correct. It also needs to be level and the chassis not twisted to achieve good cuts. Best of luck with it.

[Tweedle]

Hi again folks!

Progress is slow...

Yesterday I picked up a new [cheap] blade for the saw, but got home too late to do anything.
Today I got home with about half an hour of daylight left, so I pulled the table off, flipped over the saw, changed the blade, then went to install the table. It didn't go to plan...

First, there seems to be almost 10mm of gap at the switch end:
IMG_20151007_180424.jpg IMG_20151007_180437.jpg

and then, at the other end, the pins will not go in and lock in:
IMG_20151007_175256.jpg IMG_20151007_175220.jpg

I went to the manual I downloaded:
Screenshot from 2015-10-07 20:44:20.png
but I don't have "C" holes, I have "D" holes...


I went back through the video @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5Sc42FA1U
at 11:21 it shows the pins going in at the switch end, not the other end like mine.
Could it be a different version I have, or are my rails in the wrong way around?


IMG_20151007_175157.jpg



One more question:
It really is pretty grotty, needs a decent clean up - what do you guys recommend?
It's just painted metal - treat it like a dirt bike, hit it with truck wash and then the Karcher, then air dry it with the compressor?
Lube the sliders with Lanotec or something similar?

IMG_20151007_174846.jpg

[Ratbag]

Quote "Lube the sliders with Lanotec or something similar?"


No! Absolutely no wet lubricant at all! It becomes a dust trap.

The only appropriate lube for sliders like that is powdered graphite. Just shave the end of your carpenters' pencil at 90 degrees with a Stanley knife for some if you need any.

Clean up the paintwork with some Orange Power or the like to shift any sticky residues and dry with an old nappy or worn out towel.

You'll be good to go for another 35 years or so.

My only concern is that the home-made legstand appears to lack any diagonal bracing, which will cause the whole assembly to rack when you put any pressure along the cutting axis.

Also it's been incorrectly assembled, as the top is locked into docking mode whereas the saw should be centred within the other slot. Docking mode uses the table rotated 180 degrees & fitted into the lower position. Rotate the top 180 degrees & use the other slot for ripping.