As we talked about last issue, we’re trying to help those folks who need to get their machines running again…but not just ‘get them running’ but KEEP them running, with minimal damage.
If you have someone whose machines have been submerged in the flood water, please let them know about this week’s column and if they need to see Part 1 (last week’s column) send me an email and I will forward them a copy. Also, about a month ago, I answered a question about rusty table tops - anyone who is interested in checking that column out, drop me an email and I will send it out.
Alright, back to business. We were discussing motors and had stopped before we stepped off the cliff and brought up those small brush motors, also known as ‘Universal’ motors. These are your miter saw motors, benchtop planer motors and even your battery tool motors. The design as been time-tested and proven to be a good choice in small tools, but when those tools find themselves under flood water, there is a real choice to make.
Given what we talked about last week- the extremely abrasive nature of flood water- the choices are limited to spending a good amount of time taking the motor apart and cleaning/drying it out, or just replacing the motor. Only you can make that choice, but if you decide to clean/dry it, here are a few things you need to consider. Your motor bearings and all associated bearings need replacing. The commutator/brush mating surface needs to be cleaned with a commutator stone. All of the internal gear grease associated with the motor will need changing. At this point, depending on the size of the affected motor, it might cost less to replace the motor. Obviously, all of them CAN be cleaned, but on the smaller motors/tools…I’d opt for getting a new one.
OK, let’s talk about bearings. A good rule of thumb is: if the bearings are sealed and they were only under water for less than 15 minutes, and they were immediately washed and dried, they might be OK…ALL other bearings need to be replaced. Remember our discussion about the microscopic grit that permeates flood water? I can’t think of anything that will eat up your bearings faster. Just be safe, rather than sorry, and replace all of them.
Hopefully, these two columns have been useful to some of you. If you have any questions or comments please send me an email at:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper. Neither the author, nor this newspaper, accepts any liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
#16 - What to do with flood-drenched machines - Part 1
We’ve had many areas under water from the flooding last weekend and I was thinking that there might be some folks who had their machines get drowned. So, I decided to pull in some resources to help me put out some practical information that some might find useful in this situation. My main resource for this column is my friend Bob Vaughan from Roanoke, VA. Bob and I go way back to my days at Delta Tech Service and he has been on the frontlines ‘fighting the good fight’ of keeping machines alive for longer than he’d care to admit, I’m sure.
If you have someone whose machines have been submerged in the flood water, please let them know about the next two columns- maybe they could use the advice.
First off, what we do NOT want to do is wash the machines off and just let them dry. Here’s why: Flood water carries silt which is fine, microscopic rock. These little rocks are very abrasive. In fact, it would not surprise me if sandpaper was made from silt rock. Point being, anything exposed to the water will have a fine coating of this abrasive on it. The flood water abrasive needs to be cleaned off of ALL working surfaces and shafts that are prone to friction. For instance, table saw trunnions, driven and drive gears, dovetail ways, ANY mating surfaces that move on each other must all be cleaned - not just dried.
The machine’s motor starter would need to be disassembled, wiped out and have its internal contact tips cleaned. If you only have a toggle style switch, I would suggest replacing it, unless it happens to be the kind of toggle switch that you can take apart and thoroughly clean.
The motor itself needs particular attention. The easiest motor to revive would be a 3-phase motor because it has no brushes or centrifugal switch to be concerned about. If you have a 3-phase motor, take it apart, wash it completely, change the bearings and let it dry a few days - preferably in a dehumidified environment. Reassemble it and it should be fine.
For a standard 1 phase motor, take it apart (including the capacitor housings if it has them), wash it completely, replace the bearings, clean the centrifugal switch and its contact tips and let it dry a few days (again, in the dehumidified environment). Once it is dry, put it back together and it should be good to go.
Next week we’ll talk about those little universal (brush) motors and your bearings.
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper. Neither the author, nor this newspaper, accepts any liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
If you have someone whose machines have been submerged in the flood water, please let them know about the next two columns- maybe they could use the advice.
First off, what we do NOT want to do is wash the machines off and just let them dry. Here’s why: Flood water carries silt which is fine, microscopic rock. These little rocks are very abrasive. In fact, it would not surprise me if sandpaper was made from silt rock. Point being, anything exposed to the water will have a fine coating of this abrasive on it. The flood water abrasive needs to be cleaned off of ALL working surfaces and shafts that are prone to friction. For instance, table saw trunnions, driven and drive gears, dovetail ways, ANY mating surfaces that move on each other must all be cleaned - not just dried.
The machine’s motor starter would need to be disassembled, wiped out and have its internal contact tips cleaned. If you only have a toggle style switch, I would suggest replacing it, unless it happens to be the kind of toggle switch that you can take apart and thoroughly clean.
The motor itself needs particular attention. The easiest motor to revive would be a 3-phase motor because it has no brushes or centrifugal switch to be concerned about. If you have a 3-phase motor, take it apart, wash it completely, change the bearings and let it dry a few days - preferably in a dehumidified environment. Reassemble it and it should be fine.
For a standard 1 phase motor, take it apart (including the capacitor housings if it has them), wash it completely, replace the bearings, clean the centrifugal switch and its contact tips and let it dry a few days (again, in the dehumidified environment). Once it is dry, put it back together and it should be good to go.
Next week we’ll talk about those little universal (brush) motors and your bearings.
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper. Neither the author, nor this newspaper, accepts any liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
Friday, May 7, 2010
#15 - Proper Saw Blade Alignment is a must.
Ok, let’s see if, after a couple of trips to never-never land, we can get back on track this week.
Let’s talk table saws.
One of the most common adjustments on table saws is that of making sure the blade is properly aligned within the saw. There are several indicators that let one know that the blade is not in proper alignment. The operator could see some burning on the side of the stock. There could be some excessive roughness on the sides of the cut. There might be a tendency for the stock to lift at the back of the cut or even kickback at the operator. This isn’t a complete list, just those that are the most common.
When those conditions are showing up in your work, it’s time to do a bit of blade alignment checking. It’s not difficult when done the right way.
First, choose an accurate ruler with which to measure. Personally, for this task, I use a combination square because it can be locked to a length and you can hang it inside the miter slot. Raise the blade to maximum height and pick one blade tooth and mark it. Rotate the blade so as to put the chosen tooth at the front of the saw. Measure the distance from that tooth to the miter slot in the table and write it down. (This is where the combination square comes in handy- it can be locked into that distance and you know it stays accurate) Then rotate the blade backwards which puts the chosen tooth at the rear of the saw. Measure the distance from that tooth to the miter slot. These two measurements must be the same.
The reason for using one particular tooth is to eliminate any possibility of the blade being warped and that causing your measurement to be inaccurate.
Once it has been determined that the measurements are not the same, it’s time to get the blade properly aligned. In my experience all table saws, no matter their size, have the means to align the blade to the miter slot. What needs to be done is to determine exactly how this is accomplished on the particular saw that is being checked. Start by looking at the undercarriage of the saw and see how the saw arbor is hanging from the table. That should tell you where you need to loosen to be able to shift the saw arbor to properly align the blade. Most Contractor-style saws have 4 bolts that hang the undercarriage to the bottom of the table. Most larger saws have an independent table and the undercarriage hangs from the cabinet. On those saws, simply loosening the table to cabinet bolts allow for the alignment adjustment.
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper. Neither the author, nor this newspaper, accepts any liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
Let’s talk table saws.
One of the most common adjustments on table saws is that of making sure the blade is properly aligned within the saw. There are several indicators that let one know that the blade is not in proper alignment. The operator could see some burning on the side of the stock. There could be some excessive roughness on the sides of the cut. There might be a tendency for the stock to lift at the back of the cut or even kickback at the operator. This isn’t a complete list, just those that are the most common.
When those conditions are showing up in your work, it’s time to do a bit of blade alignment checking. It’s not difficult when done the right way.
First, choose an accurate ruler with which to measure. Personally, for this task, I use a combination square because it can be locked to a length and you can hang it inside the miter slot. Raise the blade to maximum height and pick one blade tooth and mark it. Rotate the blade so as to put the chosen tooth at the front of the saw. Measure the distance from that tooth to the miter slot in the table and write it down. (This is where the combination square comes in handy- it can be locked into that distance and you know it stays accurate) Then rotate the blade backwards which puts the chosen tooth at the rear of the saw. Measure the distance from that tooth to the miter slot. These two measurements must be the same.
The reason for using one particular tooth is to eliminate any possibility of the blade being warped and that causing your measurement to be inaccurate.
Once it has been determined that the measurements are not the same, it’s time to get the blade properly aligned. In my experience all table saws, no matter their size, have the means to align the blade to the miter slot. What needs to be done is to determine exactly how this is accomplished on the particular saw that is being checked. Start by looking at the undercarriage of the saw and see how the saw arbor is hanging from the table. That should tell you where you need to loosen to be able to shift the saw arbor to properly align the blade. Most Contractor-style saws have 4 bolts that hang the undercarriage to the bottom of the table. Most larger saws have an independent table and the undercarriage hangs from the cabinet. On those saws, simply loosening the table to cabinet bolts allow for the alignment adjustment.
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper. Neither the author, nor this newspaper, accepts any liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
#14 - The Story of Thunder Road
Well, due to a ‘special request’, we taking another ‘detour’ this week. This a story about my first car, and yes, I do still have it.
We lived in Memphis, TN and my dad was a truck driver. One Friday night in 1972, he came home and told my mom that they had to make a road trip the next day. He wouldn’t tell me why. They got up early on Saturday and late that afternoon, they came back, with my mom driving our ‘normal’ car and dad was driving…well...what was that? It turned out to be a 1950 Ford Crestliner that he found in Gordo, AL. His first words about it were- “You need to fix the brakes”.
The drivetrain had been replaced with 1964 Falcon Sprint components – a 260ci V8, a four speed trans and an 8 inch rear. The vinyl top had been sprayed on and the original Coronation Red metallic had some funky green painted over it…but it was MINE!
Over the next few months I learned to arc weld because I had to constantly change out the exhaust system. I’d go thru city inspection with a normal muffler and get home and swap it out for a Thrush glasspack.
The speedometer didn’t work, so there is no telling how many miles I racked up on that car over the next 6-7 years. I joined the Navy in ’73 and took the car to Virginia and back, several times. Then we transferred to Florida and drove it down there…breaking the rearend gear when we hit the state line.
We went thru 5 different paint jobs over the next 33 years, one engine overhaul, a fresh rearend and many, many gallons of gas. In 1980, I swapped in a 1965, 396ci Chevy motor with a powerglide. While the ‘Ford guy’ in me wanted to keep it all Ford, that 396 dropped in so sweetly that it would have been a crime not to put it in.
When I remarried in 2003, I still had my Crestliner- still in primer, didn’t run, no interior…a true ‘project car’. My new, lovely wife, decided she had seen enough of the primer and she wanted to go cruising, so we had the car done right by The Hot Rod Shop in Corinth, MS. The 50’s parts list reads like a who’s who of automotive goodies: 1965 Chevy 396, 700r4 trans, Fatman spindles, power windows, killer stereo system, front disc brakes, 2003 Mustang Laser Red and ’73 GMC Sliver paint, 2003 Chrysler Sebring convertible front seats and whitewall radials.
This is our cruiser and there is no telling where we might show up…not too bad for a 60 year old car that I have owned for 38 years…
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
We lived in Memphis, TN and my dad was a truck driver. One Friday night in 1972, he came home and told my mom that they had to make a road trip the next day. He wouldn’t tell me why. They got up early on Saturday and late that afternoon, they came back, with my mom driving our ‘normal’ car and dad was driving…well...what was that? It turned out to be a 1950 Ford Crestliner that he found in Gordo, AL. His first words about it were- “You need to fix the brakes”.
The drivetrain had been replaced with 1964 Falcon Sprint components – a 260ci V8, a four speed trans and an 8 inch rear. The vinyl top had been sprayed on and the original Coronation Red metallic had some funky green painted over it…but it was MINE!
Over the next few months I learned to arc weld because I had to constantly change out the exhaust system. I’d go thru city inspection with a normal muffler and get home and swap it out for a Thrush glasspack.
The speedometer didn’t work, so there is no telling how many miles I racked up on that car over the next 6-7 years. I joined the Navy in ’73 and took the car to Virginia and back, several times. Then we transferred to Florida and drove it down there…breaking the rearend gear when we hit the state line.
We went thru 5 different paint jobs over the next 33 years, one engine overhaul, a fresh rearend and many, many gallons of gas. In 1980, I swapped in a 1965, 396ci Chevy motor with a powerglide. While the ‘Ford guy’ in me wanted to keep it all Ford, that 396 dropped in so sweetly that it would have been a crime not to put it in.
When I remarried in 2003, I still had my Crestliner- still in primer, didn’t run, no interior…a true ‘project car’. My new, lovely wife, decided she had seen enough of the primer and she wanted to go cruising, so we had the car done right by The Hot Rod Shop in Corinth, MS. The 50’s parts list reads like a who’s who of automotive goodies: 1965 Chevy 396, 700r4 trans, Fatman spindles, power windows, killer stereo system, front disc brakes, 2003 Mustang Laser Red and ’73 GMC Sliver paint, 2003 Chrysler Sebring convertible front seats and whitewall radials.
This is our cruiser and there is no telling where we might show up…not too bad for a 60 year old car that I have owned for 38 years…
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
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