Cleaning up an old table saw

[ryan sikes]

I just received an old Delta/Rockwell 34-500(?) 8" table saw that my grandfather bought new. Not sure how old it is but I think it was made in the 50's and 60's. Looks like a neat old saw in pretty good condition. So I have several questions on how to clean up and get the most out of it. I started by removing all of the caked on saw dust now I am wondering what should I use to lubricate all of the gears and bearings? The saw came with a 3/4 hp dayton (I think it still runs ok). Is it worth getting a bigger more powerful motor? What can a 3/4 hp 8" saw handle? ie-will I be able to rip 6/4 white oak? The top is quite rusty but doesn't seem to be pitted. Is there a compound to use with a scotchbrite pad to remove the rust? I think I can handle the adjusting. What are some recommendations for blades? Should I have a good all purpose blade or separate rip and cross cuts blades? Also, I will replace the belt, what is recommended?

I really appreciate and value everyones input on this forum-thank you,

ryan

[Mark Rios]

Hi Ryan, welcome to the creek.


Regarding blades, you have mentioned an age old controversy. Some like a combo blade, the Forrest WWII being the combo blade of choice for a lot of (most?) folks around here. Some others, myself included, like a blade dedicated to the particular task. For some reason, I haven't had a good experience with the WWII and a couple others have expressed the same. For me, I tend to think that the trouble is more with my saw than the blade because of ALL the good press it gets from ALL the very well versed and experienced craftsmen (and craftswomen) who do use it. I have a larger investment in blades but I get the exact cut that I want, repeatably, every time using different dedicated blades. JMO That's probably going to be an opinion you will have to develope on your own. However, do a search for "Which blade" and you will get your fill :D of blade discussion from some very knowledgable folks.



As far as a choice of belts, link belts seem to be the favorite replacement belt of choice. Woodcraft, Rockler, Amazon, Grizzly, and others sell them in usually a 4' or 5' length. Depending on the state of your pulleys, you may want to look into a pair of machined pulleys (coupled with a link belt) to just about remove all of whatever vibration you may have.


There are a nmuber of folks here that have done extensivve rehabs on many old machines and they are some of the best to talk to about that sort of thing. I'm sure that they'll chime in with their bit also.

Looking forward to seeing pics of your progress and finished saw. They DID tell you that pics are just about mandatory here, right? :D

[Wes Bischel]

Ryan,
Check out Old Woodworking Machines site and their Yahoo discussion group for specifics on your saw. (OWWM.com)
Concerning the rusty top, start with single sided razor blades if the rust is thick. If not, many have used an orbital sander to take the rust off. A Scotchbrite will work as well with a bit more elbow grease. Then wax it with a good paste wax like Johnson's or Butcher's (not auto wax).
I would think the saw is a bit small for 8/4 oak, but I've been wrong before.

Good luck with the restoration - oh, post a few pics - before and after!

Wes

[Frank Fusco]

Initially, the bearings, threads, etc. can be loosened with WD-40. For regular maintenance, I like the Teflon based lubes like Tri-Flo and Break-Free. They leave a (desirable) coating of teflon. This type of lube is the lube of choice for guns. As suggested, the rusty top will yield to hard work and Scotchbrite, lots of WD-40 on that also. Be cautious on the commercial rust removers as they can 'blue' cast iron and steel.

[Alan DuBoff]

I just received an old Delta/Rockwell 34-500(?) 8" table saw that my grandfather bought new. Not sure how old it is but I think it was made in the 50's and 60's. Looks like a neat old saw in pretty good condition. So I have several questions on how to clean up and get the most out of it. I started by removing all of the caked on saw dust now I am wondering what should I use to lubricate all of the gears and bearings? The saw came with a 3/4 hp dayton (I think it still runs ok). Is it worth getting a bigger more powerful motor? What can a 3/4 hp 8" saw handle? ie-will I be able to rip 6/4 white oak? The top is quite rusty but doesn't seem to be pitted. Is there a compound to use with a scotchbrite pad to remove the rust? I think I can handle the adjusting. What are some recommendations for blades? Should I have a good all purpose blade or separate rip and cross cuts blades? Also, I will replace the belt, what is recommended?

I really appreciate and value everyones input on this forum-thank you,

ryanRyan,

Congrats on the saw, from your father is even that much more special, IMO.

You can razor plane the surface if it's really rusted, or just use scotch pads. If you have a ROS, putting the scotch pad on it and using mineral spirits works well. I have used Top Saver which works well by hand also (they include a type of scotch pad), as I had some I bought on closeout at $4.95 bottle, so bought 2 bottles. Now I wish I had picked up more as it sells for $20 at most woodworking shops who carry the kit.

You can also consider electrolysis if you really want to clean and paint all the parts.

As to power, hard to comment for all situations, it depends on the hardness of the wood, how patient you are, etc...You can certainly cut some 6/4 oak, even if you burn it going slow. You can always run a hand planer along the edge to get rid of the burn.

A lot of folks use saws with that power, so it is possible and really depends on what type of wood you cut, and even the same species varies in hardness greatly, since there is always some exceptionally hard/soft piece of wood.

Check on owwm.com and see what motors were supplied in your table saw, there should be a bunch of info on that. Check what motors were sold in the machine and get a similar size one for it. I would just keep it for small stuff, since the saw is fairly small in size, it can be stored out of the way easily.

For the table top if you use a ROS with a scotch pad on it, mineral spirits to lube, you'll be a happy camper. It would make a Dad proud! :) You can do this by hand, but it takes a lot longer.

Depending on how rusted it is, you might want to clean it up in either electrolysis, or I used kool-aid with my daughter on a Parks planer base (welded plate steel) this past weekend. We just used scotch pads and kool-aid. Then I stipped it with Jasco paint/epoxy remover, and did some light sanding w/mineral spirits, and painted it with a brush. I used Rustoleum "hammered" paint, you can get it darn near anywhere and it's dries in a orange-peel kinda finish so it covers metals and steel well. It's not smooth like a spray finish though. It's a really durable finish though, easy to put on and/or touch up. $8/qt at your local big mart type store.

All depends on how well you want to restore it, on what you want to do. Since it was your Dad's, why not fix it up and keep it as-is (i.e., keep current motor). Use it for small cuts and leave it in the corner of your shop. You'll always think about him when you look at it. And you could pass it along to your kids, or some other family member at some time.

If you really want to keep it around, and it's bad, strip and prep it all and paint it like new. It's small so it's easier to work with the pieces on a tool that size. DAMHIKT

[scott spencer]

This will be a great project Ryan...having your grandfather's saw is very cool. I've used the Boeshield rust remover but it's kind of harsh (proprionic acid) ...I'm more comfortable with WD-40 and a scotch brite or sandpaper heavy rust. It's a messy task so have some rags around. I lube the gears with white lithium grease.

A link belt is a good choice IMO. Freud still makes some pretty good 8" blades. To get through 6/4 oak you'll probably want a low tooth count aggressive thin kerf blade. A decent general purpose blade should handle most other cuts, or if you prefer, a crosscut blade in conjuction with your ripper. Amazon has the Freud LU83R008 8" 40-Tooth Thin Kerf Combination Blade for ~ $34 delivered after their 10% promotion. A decent 7-1/4" ripper might be a good inexpensive and effective choice for heavy ripping.

Get it aligned well and see how it'll do. You may eventually want to consider a fence upgrade, but I have no idea what's involved with doing that to a smaller saw like yours.

Have fun and please take some before and after pics for us!