Taking apart on old table saw

[springwater]

I have an old table saw identified by the name Kavanagh Melbourne, how old it is I don't know and I can't find any info on the net so I'm asking for some assistance here if you don't mind.

Today the blade raising mechanism seized. To get to where I needed to look for the fault I've had to all but dismantle the entire machine except for when I finally got to a point where I could separate the two part cast iron casing. The pulley had to be removed from its shaft for one half of the casing to be removed.

I undid the grub screw (?) which secures the pulley to the shaft and thought a gentle tap would see to it coming off, wrong, a bit more persuasion, noop, ok a decent wack, bugger me its not gunna budge. Now I'm not sure what to do as I don't want to hit the pulley too hard as it's made from some alloy and the only place I can give it a good wack is on the lip, what should I do?

The pulley shaft that runs through what I suppose is a bearing case (?) with a grease nipple sitting on top of it, what grease would you recommend?

Also seeing that I've got most of the machine in bits, what grease would you recommend for worm drives like this:



Lastly, what's a good lubricant to use for nuts bolts and screws?

[springwater]

Here's a pic of the offending pulley:
Attachment 99999

[springwater]

I gave things a spray of WD40, let is sit for awhile then found a mash hammer and a cold chisel. A few taps with increasing force and the pulley let go, rippa. I can now get casing off and expect the initial problem.

Ahhh I see the problem ...it's STUCK. Noooooo, I haven't got a spanner to fit the nuts holding the screw in place so I'm STUCK. I think I'll just spray it with the magic spray and let it sit for awhile. Need to work on other things anyway

Here's a pic of Sunday's nemesis:
Attachment 100000

[DJ’s Timber]

Going by the amount off sawdust build-up, I'd say it has binded up from sawdust jamming the thread.

So once you do get it moving, give it a real good clean and wind the thing up and down to try and get all the muck out.

[Andy Mac]

Because the assembly is in a dusty environment, I'd avoid greases and oils after you've fixed it. That will only increase the build-up, so maybe something dry like graphite powder would be better. There is also Teflon spray which seems to dry into a film.
BTW, is the clearance to access the nut a problem. Maybe sacrifice a spanner by grinding it thinner so it'll fit in there.

Good luck!

[springwater]

Thanks DJ and AndyMac your comments have reinforced what I was thinking. My shed is only a tin variety, unlined with a cement floor. I cover all my machinery with blankets to protect them from moisture and occasionally spray the workings of the table saw with WD40 to keep out moisture. Upon taking the machine apart I noticed that WD40 + saw dust produces a substance commonly called crud, sticky, binding crud. I bought the saw second hand about 12 years ago, it was old then but in very good nic. Now it's in bits and pieces it gives me a good opportunity to give it some much needed TLC. I'm impressed and relieved with its uncomplicated and solid construction because I'm not that confident with machinery as I've never had much to do with them, on second thoughts maybe I should've waited to commend it until after I put back together again

Ok, getting closer to the problem now I've been able to remove the screw from its mounting, amazing what a cup of tea, a sit down and a closer examination of the impasse can do. So I got the screw out with its stuck block mate, now what? I tried putting the block in a vise and using a pair of stilsons attempted to turn the screw through the block by griping on to a metal disk as indicated. I concluded that the block is very stuck as any more ompha would have lifted my workbench off the floor. So any suggestions? Should I drown it in kero for a while? Drown it in WD40? Heat it up? The trouble is that it's hard to grip and don't really think the good old stilsons are the correct tool because of their gnarly teeth but on the other hand any damage done by the teeth wouldn't effect the workings but just be cosmetic eyesore. I've since lightly filed said eyesore off from the first attempt .
Attachment 100026

[DJ’s Timber]

A good soak for 24hrs in an immersed bath of kero or WD40 sounds like a plan and if that fails, heat would be my next bet.

[Lister]

Something you might try before heating things up is a Loctite product called freeze and release, its worked well for me on a couple of occasions, Repco sell the stuff.
I use a bicycle chain lubricant called White Lightning on my saw, its applied as a liquid so it penetrates the parts, but dries to a wax which doesn't attact sawdust.
Good luck with the repairs
Peter

[springwater]

A good soak for 24hrs in an immersed bath of kero or WD40 sounds like a plan and if that fails, heat would be my next bet.

Something you might try before heating things up is a Loctite product called freeze and release, its worked well for me on a couple of occasions, Repco sell the stuff.
I use a bicycle chain lubricant called White Lightning on my saw, its applied as a liquid so it penetrates the parts, but dries to a wax which doesn't attact sawdust.
Good luck with the repairs
Peter

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions , the baine maree of my weekend will be lying in a bath of kero for the week waiting for round two .

[old pete]

Hi Springwater,

Taking off frozen pulleys from shafts is a breeze if you get hold of a three or four leg gear puller. Take Mohammet to the mountain and get your tackle up to the nearest machine shop or auto repair shop or motor re-wind shop. They will have it off in seconds and they wont bend or damage the shaft or the pulleys in the process.

Cheers Old Pete

[springwater]

Thanks old pete , I didn't know about gear pullers, I had to resort to a few taps with a mash hammer and cold chisel persuasion, didn't take much effort in the end.

Now for getting the block off the thread

[chippy 71]

Thanks old pete , I didn't know about gear pullers, I had to resort to a few taps with a mash hammer and cold chisel persuasion, didn't take much effort in the end.

Now for getting the block off the thread

I am a great fan of INOX and so far I have not found anything it will not loosen.

Colin.

[Jerryj]

Hi Springwater I have been trying to see in the photo if the thread is torn caused by the other part biting into it. If you soak for a while and you can't move it I would try heat next.

Cheers Jerry

[Andy Mac]

Hi Springwater,
What's the block made of, cast iron, or cast crap alloy? Be careful if you decide to heat it! It does work in a lot of cases, but could damage the block or warp the shaft.

I'm surprised its that locked up, unless the actual thread is damaged. You may make a bit of progress by mounting the shaft vertically in a vice and knocking the block gently with a hammer, via a "punch" of timber, in line with the shaft. Much the same way as you'd loosen a rusty nut and bolt. If you get any rotational movement, start tweaking it back and forwards, not movement in one direction only, and slowly increase the rotation.
My only other suggestion would be to drill a small hole into the thread section of the block, to squirt in Inox or similar, and maybe compressed air to remove the crud.

Good luck with it!

[old pete]

Thanks old pete , I didn't know about gear pullers, I had to resort to a few taps with a mash hammer and cold chisel persuasion, didn't take much effort in the end.

Now for getting the block off the thread

I've now had a look at your block jammed on the thread problem. Probably the best way to fix that is to mount the right hand side of the threaded rod in a metal turning lathe protecting it from damage by the jaws with a sleeve of shim brass or whatever. Hold the other end in the tail stock by its original centre if its still there or if not cut a new centre. Now prepare a long lever say 1000mm that will fit over the block with a welded up saddle. Lock the headstock and get to work on the lever. If you don't get some movement that way you may have to let the lever rest on the lathe bed and give the headstock a miniscule little powered turn at the slowest speed. A local machine shop freed a 200 mm faceplate from the spindle of my woodturning lathe this way.It had been stuck fast for 25 years and took about 10 secs to get off. Heat is great too if you understand the physics. Remember you arent trying to heat the whole caboodle up. You just want to heat the block so it expands more than the screw. The best tool is propbably an LPG torch with a fine nozzle so you can accurately direct the flame where its needed. Good luck its a great feeling when something comes free. And Oh could you throw away those Stillsons!. Old Pete