Thread: Woodfast Junior

Hi Tim,

I just got one of these on ebay - I paid more for it and it is in worse shape than yours. I have to make a new drive shaft for mine. The pulleys have been played with. The motor one was running well out of true. The bottom tyre is flogged from the shaft being had it and the blade has been scuffing across it.

The blade guide has been bodged and I may well make up a new one to take cool blocks. In the interim, the bearing that takes the blade thrust on the guide on mine looks too big. The shaft it sits on has been replaced. Can you measure up the bearing on yours or see the part number on its seal/shield?


This is an old thread so I will send a message directly to you as well. If nothing else, if anyone else gets one of these saws then there is another name on the list that has one.

Regards and Thanks,
Greg

Greg,

Cannot see number on the bearings, but my measurements without taking it apart:
Rear bearing - 25.9mm OD, 7.9mm wide
Front - 12.7 OD, 4.8 wide.
Shaft - 5.6 dai at the front.

Photos here.

Hope this helps.

Tim

Thanks Tim,

I am missing something here
I was talking about the thrust bearing only - the one just above and behind the guide blocks so I don't understand 2 sets of measurements.

Your picture shows a thrust bearing that looks right. Mine doesn't. From memory 12 mm bore - a 6001 bearing 12x28x8 but I will check tonight.

The blade guide has been modified (aka brutalized) and much metal on the top side of the guide pins has been ground away very crudely.

Possible solutions:
See if I can get a second hand blade guide, preferably that takes full size square section cool blocks and fashion the guide support connection.

or

Remove the home made thrust bearing shaft and bearing and fashion a step in the shaft to take a smaller bearing.

I'm going to Gregory machinery on Friday and I might just see if they have any spare guides that would be suitable to connect to the guide support shaft.

I have tyres coming from SGTool - Rick is extremely helpful. I have to fashion a crown - either layers of double sided tape or 2 narrower thin tyres made from old bicycle tubes and stretched - time will tell.

Your picture shows the motor mounted the way I am used to seeing them - on hinges with springs if required. I will look to change where my motor is mounted as it was full of sawdust being on top of the table and uncared for.

Getting this one going is looking like folly but if you don't try ...

Bearings are ordered but I need to find someone to make up a new shaft for the lower wheel.

The area of the table around the blade penetration on yours looks perfect. On mine it is badly damaged there - Mine will get a 3mm or maybe thicker MDF table added on top to get better support around the cut.

Regards and Thanks,
Greg

Hi Greg,

Sorry for the confusion. I think that the link I provided does not give access to all the photos. This one shows better detail I hope.

What I did not make clear is that there are 2 bearings, a larger one at the back and the smaller one at the front, both sitting on a stepped shaft.

In haste,

Tim

Thanks Tim,

The lack of clarity was on my part as I had no reference that I trusted from my saw. All I have is one bearing on a bodged shaft.

This is a very curious arrangement as it means that the left guide block and the small bearing are both trying to compensate for inward blade deflection. I'm struggling to understand the advantage unless the bearing runs very close to the blade and the guide block is set a little further out in which case load on the blade from an inward deflection is most likely taken up by the bearing and the heat generated in the blade will be less than would occur with the steel guide blocks. Yours look like brass.

What it means for me is that I might take a little longer to get it going.

I'll get the new shaft and bearings in the lower wheel. Install tyres in a crowned manner, put a blade in and measure the distance from the centre of the thrust bearing shaft centre to the LHS of the blade to size a bearing.

I'll measure the bearing and its carrier shaft tonight to verify what is in mine as the earlier post was from memory.

Regards and Thanks,
Greg

Yep my bodgee thrust bearing is a 6201 - 12x31x10

From your measurements the best I can figure is - your thrust bearing is a 6000 - 10x26x8

but the small guide roller the best I can find is R188 - 1/4 x 1/2 x 3/16
your centre measured 7/32 but that may have been on the inner taper at the end of the bearing.

I'm thinking to make a stepped 12 mm shaft
First step 10 mm - use 10x26x8 - 6000 bearing
Second Step 1/4" - use 1/4x1/2x3/16 - R188
compared to your measurement 7/32x 1/2x3/16 - I can find no imperial bearing this size
and no metric bearing to suit

Like I said - my plan is to replace the lower wheel shaft and bearings. Install new tyres and blade. Relocate, remount and get a new belt for the motor.

Then I will see where the blade runs through the guides before determining the guide roller bearing size if I use one. I may just make a single stepped shaft with a 6000 bearing.

Thanks Tim. I have a good picture of your guide assembly now. Someone bodged mine severely and cut away a lot of the support for the guide rods to get this large bearing in. On the inside they are nearly wafer thin!. But the blade would have scuffed both the inner and the outer of the thrust bearing. Mega dumb.

Regards,
Greg