Craftsman Hybrid Table Saw (351.221160) Tune up Questions (w/ pics)

So I have finally gotten around to a real "deep clean" and tune up of my granite-topped craftsman table saw. A few questions have arisen, though:


1) The saw uses mostly black-oxide coated steel screws, a number of which have begun to show rust spots. What to treat these with...oil, paste wax, doesn't matter?


2) Reading through multiple old threads I gathered that a dry wax or PTFE (silicone free!) are probably the best options for lubing the worm gears and racks for the tilting and raising mechanisms, but what about the elevation pin in the arbor support bracket in the picture below? Right now (well, before I scooped it out as you see in the pic below) it's filled with a really thick substance that is only slightly tacky.

Attachment 409383

The gunk in question, I cant tell if it's grease or wax:

Attachment 409384



3) I have no idea what these tapped holes (green dots) on the main trunnion are for, any ideas? These are at the rear of the saw, maybe motor mounts...maybe another version of the saw?

4) I have no idea how to do so, but could these holes be used for a home-grown blade shroud for improved dust collection?

Attachment 409385

Nothing in the manual (I bought this at deep discount directly off the floor from SEARS, so technically it might have been assembled _almost_ completely):

Attachment 409386


5) The worm gear to rack tooth engagement is very small, is this something that can be adjusted? There is room to at least double the depth of the tooth engagement without bottoming out in the thread troughs, but I can't figure out how to make the adjustment.

Attachment 409387


Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate any guidance or ideas!

Justin

Hi Justin,
Please tell me more about the granite top. I assume that this was added by a previous owner. I have never heard of a Sears table saw with a granite top. I can see where this would add some weight to the saw, and possibly make for a smoother top surface. What year is the saw? I have an older Craftsman table saw that I purchased brand new around 35 years ago that may have some features similar to your saw.
Thanks,
David

David,

The granite top was original (I bought it right off the showroom floor at Sears):
Attachment 409445

A review over at Wood Magazine.


And over at lumberjocks while looking for a pic, I found a thread which answers my question (#3) about the tapped holes. They appear to be an alternate _internal_ motor mount location...this alternate location would take the weight of the motor off the blade height adjustment, which would be really nice...I wonder if there are any disadvantages to the Craftsman way?

Edit 2: After looking more closely at the bracket(s), it would appear using the rear tapped holes to hang the motor would 1) allow the motor weight to do all the belt tensioning and be "dynamic", 2) only take some fraction of the weight off, maybe in the range of 30-60%, 3) require the motor to be swing on the hinge point so the arbor could be raised and lowered, and 4) shift the motor weight 3-6 inches toward the rear of the cabinet, depending on some details as well as blade height, of course.

Attachment 409446

Clearly there is some crossover with SteelCity and Ridgid models. Also from user knotscott over at LJ: "The saw was originally made by Steel City/Orion. The guts are identical to the former SC 35925/35930 and former Ridgid R4511. It’s always worth doing your due diligence when researching a new tool, but the generalizations of brands don’t really apply, since so many things change so quickly. The only thing I know of that was unique to the Sears version of this saw is the color, name plate, and fence, and the fence is definitely an upgrade from the Ridgid."

Justin

I think I have to make my headlines more attention-grabbing. Can't decide if I should go "sexy" or controversial... :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Justin Meyer

5) The worm gear to rack tooth engagement is very small, is this something that can be adjusted? There is room to at least double the depth of the tooth engagement without bottoming out in the thread troughs, but I can't figure out how to make the adjustment.

Attachment 409387


Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate any guidance or ideas!

Justin

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I had a 22124 and the worm gear rode in an eccentric bushing for adjusting lash out of the mechanism. Yours looks similar.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Justin Meyer

Reading through multiple old threads I gathered that a dry wax or PTFE (silicone free!) are probably the best options for lubing the worm gears and racks for the tilting and raising mechanisms, but what about the elevation pin in the arbor support bracket in the picture below?

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FWIW, I talked to a SawStop tech about what to use to lube the gears & screws, etc & they recommended wheel bearing grease. They specifically said not to use dry lubricants or waxes. The reason was, he said, that while they help the parts to move easily, they do not do a good job of keeping the metal parts from wearing out. My saw is now 4 years old & there is very little sawdust/grease build up. I cleaned up my last saw after about 10 years, but even then things had not gotten to the point of being stiff & difficult to operate.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glenn bradley

I had a 22124 and the worm gear rode in an eccentric bushing for adjusting lash out of the mechanism. Yours looks similar.

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Thanks, Glenn, I'll take a closer look...it appears the part on mine where this could apply is the "elevation sleeve" which houses the "elevating shaft assembly" (the worm gear).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank Pratt

FWIW, I talked to a SawStop tech about what to use to lube the gears & screws, etc & they recommended wheel bearing grease. They specifically said not to use dry lubricants or waxes. The reason was, he said, that while they help the parts to move easily, they do not do a good job of keeping the metal parts from wearing out. My saw is now 4 years old & there is very little sawdust/grease build up. I cleaned up my last saw after about 10 years, but even then things had not gotten to the point of being stiff & difficult to operate.

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Excellent point, Frank, and one we probably gloss over in our field...except or maybe the guys and gals working in pro shops where tune ups an annual affair. I'm just hoping to do better than this, which is after paste wax a few years ago (and its only been a few months since I used the blade tilt for a project)...

Attachment 409478

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Justin Meyer

5) The worm gear to rack tooth engagement is very small, is this something that can be adjusted? There is room to at least double the depth of the tooth engagement without bottoming out in the thread troughs, but I can't figure out how to make the adjustment.

Attachment 409387


Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate any guidance or ideas!

Justin

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Attachment 409492
If you look at the parts diagram Item #26 is an eccentric according to the parts list, which likely will adjust the location of the worm to the gear. Item 26 should be the hex headed part in your photo above. It is locked in place with a jam nut (item 12) that you can't see in your photo on the other side of the casting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee Schierer

If you look at the parts diagram Item #26 is an eccentric according to the parts list, which likely will adjust the location of the worm to the gear. Item 26 should be the hex headed part in your photo above. It is locked in place with a jam nut (item 12) that you can't see in your photo on the other side of the casting.

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Good eye, thank you. I'm hoping part #36 is also an eccentric, as it (the lift worm gear) is much less engaged than the tilt worm gear. They are both getting some attention.

I have a version of the Craftsman Hybrid TS (351.221161), received in Feb. 2012. I do a cleaning about once a year, and it's probably been about a year. I use dry lube on all the gears and this is what it looks like today. I'm a hobbyist but I probably use at least once a week.

Jim,

What's your dust collection/ usage like on this saw? ...the elevation pin cavity seems the worst of any, and it's barely coated! I had all that buildup you see above, even with a Grizzly G1030Z (~ 2300 CFM) on a 6" run to a restricted port...guess I have to work on it.

Justin

Hi Justin,

I use a Craftsman (351.213371), 1200CFM dust collector. At first it was pretty lousy, but then I duct taped all around the inside of the cabinet where air leaks are, covered the tilt pointer slot with a magnetic sheet and use a zero clearance insert most of the time.

It still doesn't collect all the saw dust, leaves piles in the corners opposite the dust port and on the motor cover, but it seems to keep the gears in pretty good shape.

Jim,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jim Allen

covered the tilt pointer slot with a magnetic sheet

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heard about this in a video on-line last week, definitely on my list

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jim Allen

and use a zero clearance insert most of the time.

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Doesn't this result in more dust on/above the table in the air with no downward suction around the blade... or do you have an over-table dust collection part to your setup?

Justin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glenn bradley

I had a 22124 and the worm gear rode in an eccentric bushing for adjusting lash out of the mechanism. Yours looks similar.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee Schierer

If you look at the parts diagram Item #26 is an eccentric according to the parts list, which likely will adjust the location of the worm to the gear. Item 26 should be the hex headed part in your photo above. It is locked in place with a jam nut (item 12) that you can't see in your photo on the other side of the casting.

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Alright, so it turns out that part #26, even though _not_ listed as such, is an eccentric sleeve/ bushing for the lift worm gear and shaft.

Before (at the point of least possible engagement, it turns out):
Attachment 409560

After (about 60degrees of rotation):
Attachment 409561

About a doubling of worm gear to rack teeth engagement...and just enough rotation to a little noticeable binding at a couple points during the first few blade height cycles. The trunnion tilt worm gear was tougher to get to, but doesn't deal with nearly as much stress.

Thank you, Glenn, and thank you, Lee. Greatly appreciated!

I really don't think I've created a vacuum inside the cabinet, there's plenty of air coming in around the motor cover. Attached another pic to show the tape and pile of sawdust.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jim Allen

I really don't think I've created a vacuum inside the cabinet, there's plenty of air coming in around the motor cover. Attached another pic to show the tape and pile of sawdust.

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I covered the openings in the front of my saw with magnetic vent covers. The DC still pulls in plenty of air through the back of the saw, but I get none out the front. I also use a zero clearance insert and yes there is some sawdust on the table, but the majority goes out the bottom of the cut. You can't close all the openings or you will not remove any sawdust. You have to leave an opening at least the same size as the exhaust port.

I have a table mounted router and if I forget to turn on the DC when running the router the air in the enclosure gets warm very quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jim Allen

Attached another pic to show the tape and pile of sawdust.

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My current "setup" leaves a pile along the length of the motor cover/ door side, as well as in each of the two other (far, in your photo) corners. I was going to caulk the edges of the black sawdust panel or whatever its called, but it appears the tape has held up well for you, so maybe I'll go that route.

Thanks!