New Member – New Delta 14″ Radial Arm Saw
Howdy folks,
Being newly retired, I hope to engage in woodworking of all sorts, especially furniture making.
I just acquired a Delta 33-400 (14″) radial arm saw woo hoo! I was not able to test drive it or even see it run before I bought it. I have now fetched it home, and have set it up inside our tiny shop. When I bought the saw the entire arm and pivot post was dismounted from the vertical base. Before I unloaded the saw and remounted the cutting arm I stopped by our motor shop where my buddy quickly tested the motor (with the blade removed) without even unloading it from our van.
The motor runs!
Now that it’s unloaded and the cutter head remounted I can only see one problem: the saw is very difficult to move along the arm. Since I have not yet downloaded and studied a manual it may be that I’ve simply overlooked loosening this or that lock lever – although I don’t think that’s the issue.
The saw appears to be generally in good condition. The paint looks good. There’s no significant rust. At this point I’m wondering if there’s some kind of adjustment to the roller bearings that’s out of whack or that possibly the track and/or the bearings need lubrication. I would assume that the bearings are sealed. My only other experience with a radial arm saw is a much smaller and lighter weight Sears saw.
Should I proceed to remove the front cover and dismount the saw mechanism from the arm? Or is there something I should check before doing so?
Thanks for any light you can shed. While I’m waiting for advice I will proceed to install a 20 amp 220V circuit and wire up power to the saw.
Regards,
Vernon
Replies
Machine Refurn
Wow, a 14". Good score.
Sounds like it might need a thorough cleaning and relubrication.
Parts diagrams and owner's manual are available for this model on Delta's servicenet site:
http://servicenet.deltamachinery.com/
This saw has two types, so chech the machine labels to determint which one you have.
Two good sources of info on refubishing older machines are:
http://vintagemachinery.org/
http://forums.delphiforums.com/burl
Delta radial arm saws have 4 "V" shaped guide wheels horizontally opposed to each other which ride on tracks in the underside of the radial arm. The pair on the left, toward the blade, are fixed; and the pair on the right are mounted on eccentric shafts. Adjusting the position of the right hand bearings tightens and loosens the action. Set screws hold the final position. Ones I've worked on have shielded bearings, so you can get lubrication into them.
The starter circuit on the single phase saws draws a lot of amperage. Consider a bigger breaker or at least heavier 10 gauge wire if the wire run is long.
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