Jet Table Saw tilt crank stuck

[Yonak Hawkins]

The tilt crank on my Jet JTAS-10XL saw has been getting increasingly harder to turn. If I hadn't turned it in awhile it is so frozen I have to use a stick for leverage, using a lot of force to turn it, then it is still so hard to turn I can't continue without a lever. I had to mark on the saw which way it turned because I couldn't remember when it's so stuck.

I spent part of the weekend trying to loosten it up and lubricating the gears, bearings and slide, getting it to the point where I could turn it by hand, with some difficulty, the entire span of tilt. At first I thought it may have been the locking buttons stuck but turned out that's not what it was. The blade elevation crank works fine.

Has anyone else had this problem ? I wonder if it's sawdust attaching to the lubricant and freezing the sliding surfaces or if a sliver of wood has gotten in the slide or what ? The gearworks are exposed to all the sawdust flying around inside the cabinet. I have used non-build-up / non-tacky bicycle gear lube, WD-40, and Slip-It sliding compound.

How can I solve this problem ? ..And what is a good lubricant to use that lasts, remains non-viscous and doesn't attract sawdust ?

[Larry Frank]

Clean the threads and nuts with a toothbrush with the wheel in different positions and inspect it closely. If that does not work after lubrication you may need to look at the exploded diagram and see if you need to take apart to clean. My tilt crank was always a little tough to turn

Good Luck

[Brad Cambell]

Woah!!! NEVER use something for leverage while turning your adjustment wheels!! Most likely something was stuck in your gear and worm gear. Now there may be permanent damage due to forcing the wheels. Take your time and find the source of the impediment.

For example, I installed a Biesemeyer fence system. A couple weeks later I needed to cut a 45 deg miter. Well, 40 deg was all it would go. It was stuck solid. So I looked around and saw that the motor hit the rail. A little grinding and problem solved.

Be in tune with your machines. They will tell you a lot if you take the time to listen.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Larry and Brad, thanks for your suggestions. I have taken to working the gears daily just to "keep the juices flowing" (as Satchel Paige said) until I get time to take the top off and access the gearworks. Apparently this is not a common problem with this table saw as I've not found anything on it on-line.

What do you use to lubricate the sliding surfaces in such a dust-filled area ?

[Jacob Reverb]

Spray-on graphite. Be sure to get all the affected surfaces de-gummed, de-greased, clean and dry before spraying it on, though.

[Larry Frank]

This made me stop and think...it would be nice if the gears and screws were more accessible for cleaning in all of the table saws. It is something that should be done periodically.

[phil harold]

Did you loosen the center lock knob?

I rarely ever use mine
but once someone tightened mine
made it quite difficult to move until i loosened it

[Yonak Hawkins]

Did you loosen the center lock knob?


Yes, I removed the lock knob and removed the wheel, as well. I made sure the buttons that lock the shaft weren't the problem and I squirted WD-40 in between the shaft and the guide.

I think the main problem is in the tongue and groove trunnions but they're so difficult to get to. The only parts that are accessible are the ends when I crank the wheel to the extremes both ways.

I must report that the past few days I have been lubricating and working and working and lubricating with a product called : ProLink Chain Lube which is a bicycle chain lubricant, recommended to me, and bills itself as a thin-bodied lubricant that does not build up or become tacky and sheds dirt (and, hopefully, sawdust). I can now crank the entire distance with one hand, which I have not been able to do in two years, so I count that as good progress. I'd like to switch to graphite but I'm not sure how to remove the existing lube since I can't get to the critical areas.

[Phil Thien]

Rub a stick of paraffin wax on the threads, or brush paste wax on the threads. The graphite works okay but the stuff goes everywhere.