Sam,
The great thing about VFD's is they're about 98-99% efficient (supposedly). Phase converters are not, and power loss can be great. A rotary converter is basically a static phase converter with a motor implemented to regain some of the loss. This means powering another motor to make up for lost power. . . doesn't make sense at all when a VFD, which is comparable in price, can convert with little/no power loss and do a whole lot of other great stuff.
I'm going with some relative of black (onyx or something) for paint and considering red accents to match the Comet placard. The paint will be a self-priming satin enamel formulated for painting metal from Benjamin Moore. This paint will paint over existing finishes, so I don't need to strip, but I want a pretty flat finish and so need to strip to remove the texture of the old paint. I'll be stripping with purple degreaser (from the home centers) as recommended by Dan - the "poor man's stripper." It works well but is pretty toxic stuff. It needs to stay wet until it is eventually rinsed of the surface. Small parts will soak. I'll spray the frame with a bottle every 5 mins or so. After the cleaning/stripping I'll hit it with sand paper to smooth everything.
Still debating on the fence setup. Like the motor, this may just depend on what I can find for a good price. I'll keep you informed.
See the pictures I just posted for some info on pulling the wheels/bearings. I'm happy to answer any questions. I was nervous about this operation, but it was much easier than I thought it would be. You just have to have the right puller and jaws. I will be replacing all the bearings on the saw, and Dan will seat them for me.
I'm also going to be welding up a mobile base next week and ordered casters from needcasters.com. Here's the info from my receipt:
FOOTMASTER 550 lb Capacity Leveling Caster
Product Code: GD-60F
[Choose Wheel Type: Standard Nylon Wheel]
[Choose Color: BLK - Black]
[Choose Leveling Pad: Standard Rubber Pad]
Qty: 4 @ $30.00 = $120.00
Steve,
I'm confused as to why removing part of the fence is necessary for changing blades. It looks like the rail stands off quite a bit from the table and/or can be mounted just to the left of the blade access slot. Can you elaborate?
The table on the saw is a little thin compared to some others. I imagine the bolts for the Laguna fence can't be more than 1/2" though, and hope it will mount securely. I'll have to look into that - good looking out!
Thanks for your thoughts, guys! Stay tuned!
Last edited by Jeff Carmi; 04-13-2013 at 12:26 AM.
When a dog runs at you, whistle for him. - Thoreau