moving pulley on delta motor

[Paul Macias]

I have a delta contractors saw and I need to shift the motor pulley, but it's super stubborn (yes, I've loosened the set screw). With a little liquid wrench and some tapping I've gotten it to move some and I'm wondering if this is okay. Is it okay to give the pulley a few smart raps (toward motor) to move it maybe a half-inch? Will this damage the motor?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Paul,

You should probably remove the set screw and then check for a 2nd set screw. Some pulleys will have 2 set screws...one on top of the other to prevent the 1st one from backing out....

[Paul Macias]

Thank you, Ken. I have checked for this and there's just the one set screw. I removed it and put liquid wrench down into the hole and it drains out agains the shaft.

[Mike Schuch]

Paul,

You should probably remove the set screw and then check for a 2nd set screw. Some pulleys will have 2 set screws...one on top of the other to prevent the 1st one from backing out....

That was going to be my suggestion!

Time to use a puller... before you mushroom the shaft in frustration (Not that I would ever do anything like that!)

[Joe Kieve]

Paul...if you don't have a gear puller, you might try slipping a piece of pipe over the shaft so it's on the inner rim of the pulley and give it several light raps with a soft hammer. Shouldn't hurt the motor if you don't flail the daylights out of it. Will only work if you need to move pulley toward the motor. If other direction, get a puller.
Just my 2 cents.

joe

[keith ouellette]

Can you heat the pulley without damaging anything? I have done this before to remove many different things off of shafts, including pulley's. A little heat at the center, enough to sizzle spit, usually does a lot of good. I Took a pulley off a condenser fan that would not budge a milli meter until I heated it up and then it slipped off by hand.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Check to see if mounting holes in bracket on the saw are slotted. If so,you could move the motor instead. Otherwise, use a socket or a piece of pipe to tap socket towaqrds motor.

[Charles Lent]

Double check the set screw holes. It is an old machinist trick to put 2 set screws, one behind the other, in positions where one set screw keeps loosening up. If hammering is really necessary, you have to concentrate the blows very close to the shaft. Use a piece of pipe slightly larger than the shaft over the end of the shaft and strike it to push on the hub of the pulley rather than the outer edge. The other end of the motor shaft should be up against something very stationary so the force of the blow is absorbed by this rather than the motor bearings. If you have to use a puller, you will likely need a new pulley afterward, as it is likely to damage the original.

Charley

[Paul Macias]

Thank you all very much for the advice. The pulley, in its problematic position, was flush with the end of the shaft. I moved it a half-inch inward using liquid wrench and curt little raps around the inner-rim of the pulley (wish I would have used a socket but I got impatient and took my own measures before checking back on this thread). It has fixed my belt-allignment problem and the shaft seems to turn just as smooth as before--no new noises--so I don't think I damaged the motor. If I damaged the motor doing this would it be imediately evident?