Help, Forrest WWII too tight to get on new saw

[Kenny King]

I purchased a new contractor saw, GI 50-185 and a new Forrest WW II blade. Both are exactly .625" as close as I can tell with my calipers. I haven't been able to fit the new blade on the new arbor.

Any ideas? I could send these back and get some freud blades.

- Kenny King

[Harry Goodwin]

Years ago I bought a saw with wrong hole size and they replaced it no questions asked. Contact them and explain your problem. Harry

[Lee DeRaud]

It probably fits ok, but if it's even a tiny bit tilted when you try to slide it on, it will bind on the arbor threads. Heat up the blade in a warm oven (150 or so)...probably only need a few thousandths extra clearance.

And make sure there's no gunk left on the arbor from manufacturing/shipping.

[scott spencer]

I had the some saw with the same blade with no problems fitting it on. Do you have another blade available to narrow down where the problem is? ...or has the WWII been on another saw?

You might find a very gentle filing on the edge of the blade bore will help.

[Michael Gabbay]

I had that issue with a dado blade. I took 220 grit paper and sanded the hole a little to remove any burrs from milling. Just do it a little at a time.

my 2 cents....

[tod evans]

please don`t file on arbor holes! if it really does need to be larger a reamer will be less likely to go eccentric on you. or the hillbilly method on a new arbor is crocus cloth used lightly to debur.....02 tod

[Keith Hooks]

I would call their customer service number and see what they think. I would probably try easing the edges of the arbor hole with some sandpaper. I'd be very careful about moving the hole itself.

If you did heat the blade up to get it on, you might not be able to get it off once it cooled.

[Kenny King]

I called Forrest CS, they suggested a burr on the arbor.... but I thought arbors are hardened steel. Also, it's not having trouble getting over the threads, just the last 1/4" just past the threads.

Forrest suggested sandpaper as did a rep from Rigid at the woodworking show last weekend.

I'm concerned about heating also, 'cause I'm afraid i'll never get it off.

All in all, it seems like the WWII tolerance is so close that I can't get the blade on a brand new arbor. I'll try some crocus cloth on the blade edge... or maybe send 'em back and get some freud blades that I don't have to mess with.

- Ken

[Ken Garlock]

Well Kenny, if the arbor and blade are exactly the same, they will never fit. One of them has to be slightly larger(blade) of slightly smaller(arbor.)

I would get some medium emery cloth, cut a strip two inches wide and 4 inches long. Glue that to a scrap of wood a couple feet long. Remove all moveable parts from the arbor, and turn on the saw motor. Use the emery cloth stick to polish the arbor with the motor running. With a long scrap you should have good control of the sanding operation, IMO. Of course pay attention to what you are doing, and proceed slowly. Your screw up is your problem, not mine.;) :)

Given that the sanding operation does not fix the problem, get back on the horn with the saw mfgr and ask for a new saw.

I just checked my Forest WW2, and my Bridgewood cabinet saw. The saw arbor is .624, and the blade hole is .626. These measurements are made using an inexpensive caliper and micrometer.

[tod evans]

kenny, i think ken has the right idea, have the saw replaced or fix the arbor don`t modify the blade. i just took calipers to 7 different blades and they where all really close to 5/8 and knowing a little about the quality of blades forrest manufactures i would venture to guess the problem lies with the box store saw and not the blade...02 tod

[Charles McCracken]

I would avoid doing anything to the arbor until you determine that it is the culprit. If you sand it and then find that the blade was at fault you will not be able to make it larger and other blades/dadoes will fit sloppily. I can't speak for Forrest but the tolerance on our bores is 0.6250" +0.0007"/-0.0000". If their tolerance is similar it may be that 0.6250" is okay. If you had a Freud blade that measured 0.6250" and your arbor measured 0.6250" it would be an intereference fit and I would recommend a very light rub on the bore of the blade with fine emery cloth. You should only need to remove 0.0005" to make it slide on easily. If you only remove this amount concentricity won't be an issue but clarify that this is necessary and that it is okay with Forrest before you proceed.

Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

[Jim Becker]

Forrest blades are always somewhat "snug" and it sounds like yours is a bit tighter than it should be. Since changing the arbor isn't very "convenient", talk to Forrest (or the dealer you bought from) and see about a remedy.

[Scott Whiting]

I shapen many blades and I already know my bushings are fine on my machines. When I encounter a too tight fit I hit the bore with a chainsaw file. I've been doing this for a while so I would suggest 220 sandpaper as a better alternative for most folks. It shouldn't take much. I am assuming you have already tried at least one other blade on this arbor.

[Charlie Plesums]

I had a terrible time getting my 12 inch Forrest blade on the arbor the first time, even though the 10 inch Forrest blades were fine (same arbor size). The third time I put the 12 inch on, it was no problem. Maybe the wear of putting it on/off a couple times was all that was needed, or a microscopic burr got knocked off.

I often find that I need to use the arbor plate and nut to get blades on ... just pushing with your hand may skew the blade enough to jam it. The arbor nut keeps it moving straight.

[Bill Fields]

Kenny--Ken is very probably right--a simple burr on the spindle. Emery cloth on a flat stick as a wise contributor suggested is the right way to go.

I've had to use bottled gas (freon or some such) in a spray can to persuade things to go together-It works when done carefully.

BILL FIELDS

[Dev Emch]

First of all, the arbor on the saw should be set to a determined diameter that is compatible with off the shelf blades. If you use paper on this arbor, you may get this blade to fit but new ones from other sources or the same source may be sloppy. So I would caution you on working the arbor.

But stuff happens. So its always a good idea to take a micrometer reading on two axis of the arbor to see what it was turned down to. Just in case.

Next, with numbers in hand, call up Forrest Blade and ask Tony. See what his olde timer viewpoint is. It may be that you need to send the blade back for a tad of rework. In that case, you should have no worries.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Which would be more expensive to replace, the arbor or the blade?

I'd try modding the cheaper one first.

Do other blades fit? If so it is this new blade that is a problem.

My dado set is a very tight fit, I have to spin it on to the arbor, if that makes sense, and it is a lot easier to do now then when it was new.

Good luck!