Thread: Arbor Removal on ST-12D

ST-12D what brand is that?

Originally Posted by Tonyz

ST-12D what brand is that?

Sorry - Hafco Woodmaster ST-12D / MachineryHouse W454 - badged in other places as (I believe) as a Grizzly G5959 or Mikway clone.

Mine came from Auckland's MachineryHouse.

Well - this was a candidate for silliest question of the month...

I looked more closely at the large ring spanner (for the blade nut) and thought about the two large pins on on the back side of it.
They lock into the two holes in the arbor flange - to allow you to lock the arbor while unscrewing the threaded portion (using the hex key).
The threaded portion is either the standard 30mm shaft (for a Euro / Oceania saw blade) or the Dado (5/8") shaft (an option from Hafco) or likely a 1" shaft (for use in North America - ie; Grizzly).

So, answered my own dumb question, but thought I'd detail it here for anyone equally challenged.

It's not a dumb question mate.
Glad you figured it out. I have the same saw—it's good, by the way!—and it does take a minute to get used to the arbors. Of course, the arbor is threaded the opposite way to normal, because if it was threaded the regular way, the rotation of the blade would potentially loosen the arbor nut. It took me a year to get the hang of this. Every time I changed blades I got confused!

Small tip—so yourself a favour and don't over tighten the arbor when change it over. I can't tell you a torque setting, but you'll get a feel for it. It needs to be more than 'snug', but less than 'really, really tight'! I figured out after a while that I didn't need to tighten it as much as I was. If you go too tight, it can be very difficult to get the arbor off again.

Also, I just had an accident using that saw. Accident on the table saw
The stock blade guard is not amazing, but please carefully consider using it, or follow the other thread that I'm about to start, on how to attach an after market blade guard to that saw!

Originally Posted by rogerwilco

Also, I just had an accident using that saw.
...follow the other thread that I'm about to start, on how to attach an after market blade guard to that saw!

Thanks Roger - I would love to see any ideas on a better guard or even a riving knife that doesn't have to be removed for any blind cuts.
I should have taken the time to create one - but I'm trying to get a house finished.

I'm 72 and 50 years ago established mental rules for loud sharp things - while using a chainsaw all one summer (only union card I've held).
The only guards for a chainsaw are worn on the body - and in the mind.

All power tools are dangerous. Seriously. Some can and should be guarded.

I've watched bandsaws (in our NZ meat industry) whistle through bull rib cages. As fast as the operator can slide it.
Bandsaws have low apparent risk - but the capability to do great damage is still there.

I remember (really obscene) grinder fatalities from big unguarded grinder discs coming apart.
While I was a tooling specialist at Atlas Copco, we were trying to improve Canada's attitude to tool safety.

I helped design idiot-proof (yeah, right) guards on powered conveyor systems - to prevent loss of thumbs and arms and worse.

Unfortunately, the human mind isn't good at assessing risk.
You add guard rails to race tracks and the death rate stays the same - drivers push harder.
You add anti-skid braking to cars and the accident rate falls minimally, people feel safer.

But having good physical guards helps when you let the mental ones slip.

Originally Posted by Paul2500

I would love to see any ideas on a better guard or even a riving knife that doesn't have to be removed for any blind cuts.

Hafco do sell a standard riving knife for this saw. It’s not as tall (because it doesn’t have the housing for the standard blade guard). That’s what I use. It’s good, and works well for non-through cuts. It’s about $35 from memory