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Thread: Started my next Unisaw rebuild *pic's*

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    London, Ontario
    Posts
    302

    Started my next Unisaw rebuild *pic's*

    I started the tear down on one of my Unisaws today. This one came from a prision. I looked, but I didn't find any carved soap guns or knives in it . To just look at it, it looks pretty sad,



    I cleaned up the top with Top Saver.



    Wow, does this stuff work well and it doesn't smell like puke like the Walter product I used to use did.

    I checked the arbor for runout,



    and while it wasn't too bad, I am going to replace it anyway (I already have a new one). One of the problems I have found with institutional Unisaws is that the threads the blade sit on near the flange are usually worn and the blade/arbor fit has some slop. This one is no exception, the ACME threads are worn. The arbour is very hard to turn by hand, the bearings are totally shot.

    I took the saw totally apart,



    The guts of the saw are really in very good shape, nothing broken and very little wear on the gears. You can see the new Baldor 3hp motor beside the old 575v 2hp one. This Baldor is a *big* motor. I also have a new Danfoss mag starter for the saw. You can see a DeWALT sliding table and a Biesemeyer splitter as well. The new General T-Square (Biesemeyer) fence is in the basement still, as is the Delta mobile base.

    Check out the serial tag,



    I have to figure out a way to preserve and re-use the prison tag.

    I will take a piece of the saw with me to the paint store in the next few days and have them mix me up some Delta Gray. I have not spoken to him yet, (yoohoo, Mike!) but I hope a friend of mine will be able to paint the saw for me this week. Otherwise, I will borrow a Turbinair HVLP from work and try my hand at painting. I will also get new bearings and have the arbors swapped this week at a local machine shop I do business with all the time.

    Note that this saw has a cast iron base on it, it is fairly old.

    I hope to have it up and running in just a week or so, I have wanted a sliding table for a long time!

    David.

  2. #2
    Well, it looks like you might end up with a rare successful prison rehabilitation experience. Hopefully it didn't pick up any bad behaviors or attitudes while it did it's time. I'm sure that all your support (new motor, slider and arbor) will go a long way in ensuring that recidivism will not be on the horizon. Do you know what it was in for?

    ...Bob

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    2,296
    thats a nice saw you have there!!! Can't wait to see pictures of the completed project!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, WA
    Posts
    2,550
    Hey that looks great. Just about like my saw did when I got it.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=15000
    I usually find it much easier to be wrong once in while than to try to be perfect.

    My web page has a pop up. It is a free site, just close the pop up on the right side of the screen

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Anywhere it snows....
    Posts
    1,458
    You Lucky Dog or Dawg! Forget which is correct useage here. What is it that they call knives in a prison? Shives or something like that

    So you have a canadian made unisaw with a cast iron base getting a new baldor motor with a danfoss mag starter and a general fence with a dewalt sliding table. Talk about an indentity crises Actually I think its very cool.

    Just for the record, unisaws with cast iron bases are highly desirable! The only one more desireable is the one with four separate feet in the base.

    Do you have a motor cover? There is a guy on the owwm forum who got a foundary in PA to make a number of cast iron gooseegg covers and he has been selling these. If you need a goosdegg motor cover, this may be the ticket. I am not sure if your saw was shipped with the gooseegg cover or not.

    You do need to try to salvage that prison tag! How is unclear but you need to try to keep it. It just too cool not to.

    So what is the deal on the sliding table? Was this made to fit the unisaw or are you modifying one for the hybrid saw? Tell us more about it and how you eventually get the thing installed. Give us pictures please.

    Thanks.
    Had the dog not stopped to go to the bathroom, he would have caught the rabbit.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    London, Ontario
    Posts
    302
    Quote Originally Posted by Dev Emch
    So you have a canadian made unisaw with a cast iron base getting a new baldor motor with a danfoss mag starter and a general fence with a dewalt sliding table. Talk about an indentity crises Actually I think its very cool.

    Do you have a motor cover? There is a guy on the owwm forum who got a foundary in PA to make a number of cast iron gooseegg covers and he has been selling these. If you need a goosdegg motor cover, this may be the ticket. I am not sure if your saw was shipped with the gooseegg cover or not.

    So what is the deal on the sliding table? Was this made to fit the unisaw or are you modifying one for the hybrid saw? Tell us more about it and how you eventually get the thing installed. Give us pictures please.
    This really will be a United Nations piece of equipment with all the brands I am using .

    This saw has the cast iron base, but it does not have the oval motor cut out that takes the cast iron goose egg motor cover. It came with the bolt on box type dust door.

    I am going to try and fit the DeWALT 746 sliding table to the Unisaw. I am not quite sure how to do it as I have not opened the box and read the instructions, but how hard can it be? (famous last words...) I am sure I will have to make some brackets and use a little duct tape, but I get 'er on.

    David.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Riverside CA
    Posts
    225

    restore

    [QUOTE=David Eisan]I started the tear down on one of my Unisaws today. This one came from a prision. I looked, but I didn't find any carved soap guns or knives in it . To just look at it, it looks pretty sad,

    hi dave
    i've done a lot of Delta and PM restores and found that the "critter" spray gun ($40) is perfect for the job. I get HD to mix up some oil based paint (and they are real good at matching the old delta colors).
    good luck, have fun
    mike

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Imlay City, Mich
    Posts
    807
    It looks like a project I would tackle if I wanted to cuss alot and pull out what little hair I have left. Did you replace the 3ph motor with a 1 ph?

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