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Thread: 4 hours to remove a blade?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548

    4 hours to remove a blade?

    My latest novella.

    I realize I am getting older, but this is ridiculous. I am going through that Mini Max SC3 I recently bought, and finding that it has been used very little. Anyway, time to remove the Forrest melamine blade, and put an all purpose blade on it. This model saw has very little space to get your hands into, and I don't have the original locking pin or wrench, so I used a drift pin in the locking hole on the arbor lock, and tried to find a wrench to fit the nut. Turned out to be 15/16, and my flat wrench from a unisaw will fit between the table and the slider. Great!

    Doesn't work. Can't get the nut to budge, check to make sure it is left handed, and try again, with similar results. I get out my box wrenches and go to work through the small space in the side (this table does not slide out of the way like newer ones). I spray penetrant on it, and go through a series of wrenches, then move up to a socket. Still won't budge. Double check to make sure it is a left handed thread.

    I then used some adaptors to run a 15/16 socket on my impact driver. Won't budge. Tools are all over the shop by now. They are not smoking hot, but I am. I really do not want to damage that nice Forrest blade, but I get out my automotive impact wrench, and a 15/16 impact socket. I find enough extensions to reach the outside of the saw base, and 30 seconds later the nut is off. Success...birds are chirping, and my whole household can now exhale.

    Wait for it......the blade still won't move, the arbor washer is stuck. I tap it with a plastic hammer, several times, and finally after a good rap with the hammer the blade gets a bit of movement. I work a half hour on it, and finally get a putty knife between the blade and washer, but it won't budge, no bird chirping anymore. This goes on for another hour or more, with a variety of putty knives, scrappers, screwdrivers, and small pry tools. I now have a quarter inch of space between the thick washer and the blade. The saw arbor face is about three inches across and will allow me to do all this prying, thank goodness.

    Finally, I cut two wedges out of hardwood, and tap them in above and below the shaft, going back and forth using that plastic hammer. I needed to do this several times, as the wedges would go crooked, and fall out occasionally, just to keep my spirits up. Remember, I am doing this semi blind, in a tight spot. Anyway I got to where the thick washer was to the end of the threads, and I had run out of wedge.

    In case, by this point, you may be wondering why I don't use a gear puller now, since I now have a place to put the arms. Simple, I never thought of it. What I did was get my small framers hammer and got the claw under the washer. Then rocked it back and forth, going around the shaft, and it came off.

    The arbor shaft was not damaged, threads are fine. The blade is undamaged, and came right off. The aluminum washer will not go back on the arbor without persuasion. I believe some idiot waay over tightened the blade, to the point where the 5/16 thick aluminum washer mushroomed, deforming it a bit into the threads. It is a standard 5/8 arbor, and I have other washers for it.


    Moral of the story...........Do not over tighten your saw blade.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    A suburb of Los Angeles California
    Posts
    644
    No, no, no. This sort of thing only happens in MY shop.
    AKA - "The human termite"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Central WI
    Posts
    5,666
    Some blades are bored a few thou off so it doesn't take much to jam them. I have some 16-18" blades and 1.25" arbors. Even if I only finger tighten, they are really hard to remove after use. Nuts tighten a surprising amount under speed. Dave

  4. #4
    Wow. I do think you missed an important step after you applied the penetrating oil - Beer!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Libertyville, IL (Chicago - North)
    Posts
    360
    Way to carry on and get it done Rick!
    Success.
    I can hear the birds chirping again.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,694
    I know my Forrest blades and stabilizer are "snug" on my S315WS's arbor, but I've never had issue getting them on and off...there really is no play on the precisely sized arbor it seems. The singular thing I have to use "elbow grease" for is when I go to tilt the blade, which I don't do frequently. Getting it started requires substantial effort.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    The "never seize" stuff works well for both problems.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Putney, Vermont
    Posts
    1,042
    Precisely flat surfaces need not be overtightened. Some people are not aware of this. Too bad for the rest of us sometimes.

  9. #9
    Agree with Michael. But some forget to tighten ,seen a lot of wasted time trying to fix a moulder with spun tightened nut.
    Firm believer in dedicated wrenches of correct form and length for each machine. Walking away from a machine to fetch a wrench is a dangerous time waster.

  10. #10
    It's aluminum stabilizer on a steel arbor?

    I wonder if galvanic corrosion was more a factor than over tightening? It's really hard to get a blade too tight, they usually tighten themselves to a small degree even after being cranked down.

    Or, not tightened enough, something slipped and galled and the nut REALLY slammed home.

    People do really stupid things.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    mid-coast Maine and deep space
    Posts
    2,656
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Wasner View Post
    It's aluminum stabilizer on a steel arbor?

    I wonder if galvanic corrosion was more a factor than over tightening? It's really hard to get a blade too tight, they usually tighten themselves to a small degree even after being cranked down.

    Or, not tightened enough, something slipped and galled and the nut REALLY slammed home.

    People do really stupid things.
    This was my thought too. Aluminum just galls up after a while and becomes unyielding. I had to toss out a small (cheap) jointer once because the knife head was aluminum and it simply would not release the gib screws. Not my first or last battle with aluminum and fastenings or nuts.

    Glad you succeeded. You are a man of rare and admirable perseverance.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Martin,

    You are right.

    It was very late, I was tired, and I just tossed the thing on a bench. I went back and checked it again today, and the washer is steel, not aluminum. I screwed it down tightly with three screws around the outside, to a good sized board. Then clamped it down on my drill press, with a 5/8" drill bit. I wanted to be sure it would not move. Then I turned it by hand and made it most of the way before I had to turn on the drill press to finish. It now fits very nicely, after cleaning up all the marks around the edge from the tools.

    Never had any problem with the blade. It fits fine. Sorry for the misinformation.

    By the way, I put on a new combo blade, put back the cleaned up washer, snugged the nut with my Unisaw wrench, and fired it up. You can put a nickel on it and start it up, run it, and stop it without dropping the nickel. I used the old washer because the spares I have really are aluminum stabilizers. I think they were from Sears.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  13. #13
    Rick,
    What a miserable adventure. Things like that happen to me too. Glad you got it done and can now enjoy your new saw!
    Fred

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Well..........Ah..........I may have mentioned a dozen times I was trying to decide whether to keep it or get a Grizzly 623. My 10% coupon at Griz ran out today, and late yesterday I pulled the trigger on a new one. I really like the Mini Max, but the deciding thing was that I really want dado capacity, and the Griz takes a standard dado set. After watching some videos by Chris Wong, I decided that if it is good enough for his beautiful work, it's good enough for me.

    After taking care of some minor issues, I finished cleaning up the SC3, and was satisfied it was a great saw. I have a problem of not feeling comfortable selling anything that is not in good condition, so after finishing cleaning it up and inspecting everything, I listed it last nite on Craig List. It sold this morning. I believe in everyone being happy with a deal, and I sold it at a reasonable price to a buyer who brought an expert with him to help inspect. I made a little, he got a good deal, my new saw is ordered, the nickel is still standing up, and the birds are still chirping.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    3,739
    Good for you Rick. I saw your listing on Cl friday night. I was going to wish you luck but since I didn't need a pic I wasn't 100% sure it was you.
    Aj

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