Cleaning a Unisaw

[Ken Krawford]

I've had my Unisaw for about 10 years and have never given it a good cleaning. From my research, it appears that you need to take the top off to do this properly. As I look at my saw, I realized that I will have to take off the fence rail, the right hand table extension and the outfeed table that I built. This is beginning to seem like the $1,200 auto repair bill to replace a $1.75 part.
In my heart, I know the answer but .... is it possible to do a credible job cleaning and lubing a Unisaw without removing the top?

[Charles Lent]

It's certainly not easy, but I always do it through the blade hole with the blade removed, and through the sawdust door. I've never taken the top off my present mid 1980's Unisaw. It takes too much time and trouble to align them afterwards. I remove as much sawdust as possible by hand, then use a shop vac.. I use a wood stove ash shovel, because it fits in there well, and a bench brush, and then finally a shop vac.

Once the inside sawdust has been removed, put on your dust proof safety goggles and begin lubrication. If it's been 10 years since you cleaned the inside of your saw it very much needs a good lubrication and this is the best time to do it. I always lubricate after a major cleaning, because I only do this level of cleaning about every two or three years. I do most of this lubrication using Johnsons Paste Wax brushed onto the rack gears and ways with a tooth brush. Never use silicone lubricants in a wood shop, because they get onto your projects and cause major finishing problems and once there silicone seems impossible to completely remove. I use the paste wax because it develops a dry coating that does not attract and hold much sawdust like other lubricants do. The only oil that I use goes onto the shaft rub points, etc. and I use a very minimum of it.

Charley

[John Piwaron]

Ditto Mr. Lent. use the sawdust door and the blade opening. Without a blade installed. If there are other access doors available, use them too.

I have a new design Unisaw (both hand wheels on the front) which has a big door that swings open on one side. It helps a lot. I also use compressed air through a wand to blow dust out of hard to reach nooks and crannies. I use a general purpose grease to lube the trunnions and any other places that need it. Delta was very kind to include grease fittings in various places. Like the trunnions. It's super easy to just hook up the grease gun and pump it in. And then work the mechanism to get it everywhere it's needed. Overall not a difficult task at all.

FWIW, I don't think taking the top off and subsequent realignment is especially difficult at all. Just a little time consuming. For a hobbiest, not a problem. For a professional where time is money, that most likely is. 'Cause then it's more than aligning the top to the blade, then there's the issue of realigning the fence.

I find the care and maintenance of my tools to be an enjoyable experience. It's like bonding with my kids. My biological children are grown and have places of their own now. Now my kids are my dachshund and the tools I use. Take care of your tools, treat them well and with respect and they'll take care of you and perform as designed. And be safer too.

[Bryan Rocker]

As my wife would put it, it sounds like a 30 minute radio installation that takes all day and more...btw, the radio did install but it is not something I would tackle now days......PS what's the model number of your saw?

[Mike Monroe]

This is a task I continually put off and I purchased my Unisaw back in the late 90's. One of these days...

[Andrew Hughes]

Don't forget about the shims between the top and the cabinet base.
I made the mistake of not keeping track of their placement.
it took me a good part of the day to get back to cutting perfect 45s.

[Ken Krawford]

Thanks for all the comments. What a pleasant surprise - I'll remove the blade and give it a go. I REALLY didn't want to take that top off!

[Matt Meiser]

If you've got good cabinet dust collection, turn that on and use an air hose.

For lube, I like the Teflon lube Lowes carries--nothing sticks. Repeat about once a year.

[Charles Lent]

Most of the time I just shovel out the bulk of the sawdust and then go back to work. I only really clean the inside of my Unisaw when I want to lubricate it and the real reason for this cleaning is to keep the sawdust from getting in my face and eyes while I'm doing the lubrication that is the real reason for this cleaning. My sawdust remover of choice for this is a small coal and ash shovel because it has a flat blade and is small enough to fit in the cabinet well. I don't have a dust collector hooked to my Unisaw. If I did I would never have to clean out the saw cabinet and would probably forget to lubricate the saw until something didn't move well or squeaked.

Charley

[Don Huffer]

I have had my Unisaw for over 25 years and have never taken the top off or heard of anyone doing so.

After a good vacuum job. Blow it out and do what ever you feel needed to lube and get cutting again.

[johnny means]

I have never seen nor heard of anyone going to this extreme to clean their saw. What exactly would be in their that requires that thorough a cleaning? I won't ever be going there unless some repair that requires that much work needs to be done. I've seen Unisaws that have been in service for decades and never been cleaned that thoroughly.

[shane lyall]

It really isn't that big a deal. I take the top off both of mine about once a year to clean and do maintained BUT ours are in service 5-6 days a week and 8-10 hours a day in a pro cabinet shop. I just take an off Saturday, clean, lube (Johnsons paste wax and the dry graphite spray PB Blaster product from Big Orange) and change the belts. It takes about 2-3 hours for each saw IF you mark the shims. I just snug down the top lightly and a couple taps with a big rubber mallet will bring it in line. I have the long Bies rails so aligning them can take a few mins too. I do the top first, lock it down, and then line the fence up with the miter slots. If I were just cleaning in a home shop I don't know that I would pull the top every time but it does make it much easier to change belts and do a thorough inspection of saws that are worked hard every day.

[wayne booker]

I use my air compressor spray gun and attack it through the blade guard, dust door, and the motor cover of my '83 Unisaw. I can always get a through cleaning without disassembling the top. I use spray on dry chain lube for the gears, it's a wax base made for dirt bikes to keep the dirt from drying up and clogging up the chain. It works the same for sawdust.