Rockwell/Porter Cable 314 trim saw question

Hi all, I've been lurking on these forums for quite some time, however this is my first post. I bought a Rockwell 314 trim saw about 2 years ago and have put it through a good amount of projects. Today, I was using the saw and wasn't able to push a good condition Diablo blade through 1/4" luaun! I knew something was terribly wrong so I started by checking the motor brushes, with both have at least 3/8" left on them. I usually vacuum all dust and debris off of the saw after heavy use, even use a toothbrush to clean the recesses around where it meets with the shoe. Anyhow, without thinking about what I might encounter, I disassembled the saw by removing the main body from the base plate, and removed the front half from the worm/motor portion. Sure enough it had a good amount of sheetrock dust around the armature and windings. I used a blow gun and a lot of air to thoroughly remove all dust and debris. At that time, I removed the guard assembly from the motor assembly and continued cleaning. Upon trying to piece it back together, I encountered the big UH OH! I can't seem to get the worm and gear to fully mesh. I can turn the worm by moving the fan blade and it will spin the arbor, but I can't seat the guard assembly far enough to replace the 3 screws that attach the assembly to the housing. Is this a press fit application or is there a procedure to mate the worm and gear fully so I can tighten the guard/arbor/worm gear assembly to the body? Thanks for reading, Darius

Darius, I have a 314 but have never had to disassemble it. Only advice I can give is to take it apart again, and retrace your steps in putting the mechanism back together. You may be overlooking something that will only fit together one way only. Something may be interfering with the fit. Trial and error is a tedious process, but about all we can do when putting back together what we've taken apart.

Porter-Cable has excellent exploded parts diagrams online if you don't have the printed manual. It will show the orientation of all parts, but not necessisarily give instructions on taking apart/putting back together. Best of luck!

Thanks for the reply Chip, I guess I neglected to say that I had googled for about 6 hours or so before posting. The only diagrams that I found were very grainy I guess due to age the original Rockwell saws. I bought mine because I had used a friends from the early eighties I believe. As far as retracing my steps, I only removed about 10 or so screws and separated the saw from the base, and the motor assembly and the guard assembly were held together with the worm and gear engagement as well as a few of those screws. The diagrams that I have been able to find are so low resolution, you can't make out teeth on the gear or worm. The only way I could tell what I was looking at was by reading the part description! Here is basically the same diagram I could find from a few sources : http://www.toolpartsdirect.com/cgi-b...ortercable/314 Once again thanks for the info. Darius

Darius,
To re-assemble the saw, you must "screw" the gear train back together. This is accomplished by bringing the gears together and carefully turning both gears in the direction of operation. As you turn them the gears will pull the mechanism together.
Hope this helps,
Mickey

Thanks Mickey, I have been giving that a try. It sounds a bit easier than what I've found so far. I will continue to try for as long as it takes I guess. I need this saw in a pinch, and won another on ebay that is actually a PC, for $137. I can hopefully get the one in question back together today, because I have a bathroom subfloor that needs the attention of a good trim saw. I have a couple sawzalls as well as roto-zip and trim router, but I need a fairly straight line in a tight spot, that I know my trusted 314 will do the job right. If I get everything back together and operating properly, I will probably sell the Porter Cable one as I have engraved and marked my current one so it doesn't walk away :) Once again, Thanks, Darius

Tried a few different approaches to turning those gears counter clockwise as well as clockwise. No luck yet getting them fully engaged. Any hints?

If you end up stuck with more trouble to repair than it is worth, I have an extra one that I am going to sell. I bought one when I thought mine had grown legs. I used it for a project, then found the one I thought was lost. It is 4-5 years old but has only a couple hours use and pretty much looks new.

I actually got one on eBay for a Buy it Now earlier today. These saws are pretty awesome and in fairly high demand so you should have no problem selling that saw fast! Thanks for the offer, though! I am just stuck and it is frustrating being able to remove a few screws and disassemble, however the reverse is not nearly as simple and not exactly the reverse!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mickey cassiba

Darius,
To re-assemble the saw, you must "screw" the gear train back together. This is accomplished by bringing the gears together and carefully turning both gears in the direction of operation. As you turn them the gears will pull the mechanism together.
Hope this helps,
Mickey

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Mickey that description seems clear enough to me, however I haven't been able to get it right yet. I have tried to turn the gears as best as I can independent of each other, but it seems one is turning the other the best I can tell. Can you elaborate any?
Thanks ,
Darius

The Delta/Porter Cable site has a listing of Service Centers, maybe they could help you over the phone? Worth a try.

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. I just got it back together. Mickey's description was the key. My problem was that I had to have both parts of the gear train apart. The worm was held to the armature shaft by a 9/16" hex nut. After removing the nut and turning the worm out of the saw, I had to carefully tap the guard assembly back into the saw body and then engage the worm and brass gear by turning in the direction of operation. After tightening the guard screws fully, the gears engaged better and I was able to reassemble the rest of the saw.

Darius, glad you got it together...the worm drives can be a bear. Been a long time since I messed with one.
Mick