Love it! I recently restored a mid 50's DeWalt MBF radial arm saw and am currently re-assembling a 1980's Rockwell model 9 contractor saw I restored. It's original motor was toast. I took the saw completely apart, cleaned up all the rust, installed new bearings in the arbor, replaced the motor with a 2hp Dayton, repainted each piece and should finish re-assembly this weekend, after having put it off for a month. Basically all that's left to re-assemble is putting the case back on and remounting it to its stand as I've already re-assembled the arbor and bolted it back to the table. One of the great things about these saws are that the Rockwell and Delta parts are almost all interchangeable through various models and sizes. Say you can't find a wavy spring washer for your Delta contractor saw, well, one from a 9" Rockwell or a Unisaw will work just as well.
I have the exact same saw you do. Bought it late 80s. Used it for many years. Let it sit for the last 10 years. Just cleaned it up and got it running a couple of months ago. I have an incra fence on mine. Also have one of those linked together motor belts that makes it run much quieter.
Love your craftsmanship, barn build and now your shop, keep up the great work! I bought one of those Delta Contractors saws back in the late 70s, mines more than paid for itself a 100 times over. Always wanted their cabinet saw but either didn’t have the space or the money for it, I’m sure you know how it is. I have no regrets it’s served me well from building cabinets, furniture, houses and even being the backup table saw in a sauna factory that used over 50,000 bf of cedar a month. It’s still going strong! I made some accessories when I first bought it, like a 3/4” thick plywood trapezoid box to fit perfectly inside the upper half of the metal stand to keep it rigid and catch most of the sawdust, it also deadened the sound down several decibels. Next I changed the belt to the link type and that increased power and decreased noise as well. I added cast iron wings and made a Formica topped 1 1/2” thick extension that was 27” x 36” that included a cutout for a router that utilized the saws fence and miter gauge. I bought a Delta sliding table extension for the left side that made it easy to handle some pretty big material alone. I used a piece of hollow anodized 2” x 6” x 48” aluminum that I mounted to the side of the fence to make a router table fence that also encased the router bit and acted as a dust collector that was written up by American Woodworker magazine. When reversed using keyhole slots it gave additional accuracy to ripping long stock. Never did get the cabinet saw, but then again I don’t think it would have been as flexible as the Contractors saw to all my modifications. Enjoy your saw, your a lucky man, the stuff they make today can’t hold a stick to it!
I had an owl in my back room in MI. 10 years ago it flew out toward the light of the moon with the 12 or so beers I had made it a night to remember!! Take time to appreciate the little things in life no matter how insignificit it all is.
A fine old saw, Jim! One of my cousins has had one for years with no problems. He blows every speck of sawdust off of everything after he uses it. And has a pegboard wall full of blades.
My hole wood shop is all delta, porter cable and dewalt. Back when they made things to last, I am not a fan of the modern stuff. Nice work on getting the old girl running again.
Great classic shop saw. I have a Delta/Rockwell contractor saw. Older than yours but basically the same. Upgrades I have done: Dual pulley drive sheaves, cast iron extension left, extruded metal extension with 4' wooden extension right, dust collection by closing off the top of the stand, after market biesemeyer type fence. With a good quality blade, this saw will rival a Unisaw for cut quality.
I just finished replacing the arbor bearings on my 1992 Delta Contractor's Saw. A middling difficult job as I had to make bearing pullers and a few other things. The bearing is a standard 6203 LS but an RS is fine as well and are readily available. The biggest problem with these saws is keeping the blade parallel to the miter slot and by association the fence. Unlike a cabinet saw, the trunnions are bolted to the table so you have to adjust the trunnions instead of the top. Several years ago I found the blade was 0.010" out of parallel so I set out to fix it. I eventually totally dismantled the saw and removed the trunnion and drilled out the trunnion bolt holes 1/32 oversize to gain some "slop" allowing me to adjust the parallelism. Now, I check it once a year and have it down to 0.002" of being parallel. I've built a lot of fine furniture as well as cutting decking and construction lumber. This saw was about $400 in 1992 and now all the saws in that price range use crappy universal motors and are direct drive; nothing but a circular saw bolted to a table. To get into a lower end belt drive is $1700-2000. A higher end cabinet saw will run $3K and up.
My Rockwell doesn't have the 2 allen screws on the top itself, it has an adjustable stop for the end of the worm gear that is bolted to the end of the tilt gear, but it is very easy to set when the saw is apart...not sure how easy it will be if I need to re-set it after final re-assembly though. It's a good idea though to make sure your blade is perfectly flat with no warp to it before you try squaring it up though...makes it a whole lot easier. Best way I've found is to use a standard kerf blade as those thin kerf blades are rubbish for staying flat and true. Also, if you find the saw to be slightly underpowered, go with a smaller blade diameter. Before I restored my Rockwell I was using an 8 1/4" blade as it seemed to give it a bit more power than using the full 9 inch blade. With the 2hp Dayton motor I added though (along with thew new arbor bearings), it should have plenty of power to take advantage of the full 9 inch blades.
I had one Delta 444(?) from the '80s until last month when I sold it to a young man starting out. I bought a new table saw as a retirement gift to myself. It was a good saw and was pretty accurate. The fence system was annoying though and the blade height adjustment was very stiff. Also, it wouldn't switch off sometimes. You had to switch it rapidly back and forth to get it to turn off. LOL I think you must have taken much better care of yours than I did mine.
i just bought a dewalt 10" portable table saw which couldnt hold a candle to your delta but it serves my purpose well. its easy to adjust the blade angle and it has many safety features. the best one is the riving knife for kickback prevention. i didnt see one on your delta. the dewalt also has a blade guard which is good but it will most likely get in the way from time to time. i bought 2 roller stands because it has the small bed. your delta has nice table extensions. sweet.
The delta I got is ok. I wish it had a little more power and wish the shaft was a bit longer for dado stacks. I cant put all of my chippers and shims on for when I want Max hogging of a tennon. And I had to take the dust collector shroud of of it. It was just always in the way.
check out the segmented belts for the table saw. Makes a big difference in how much it vibrates. It helps smooth out the pulses of the belt traveling over the pulley. It looks like yours has taken a set anyway (maybe just the cold?) and probably needs an update. I second the other guys telling you to get an upgraded fence. It will make you think you have a cabinet saw. Those old deltas are solid machines. PS, the last thing to check is the runout of the blade to the t-slot. If you don't have an indicator there are all kind of hacks using blocks and feeler gauges, etc. Don't need it really unless you are seeing burning or binding.
If you don't remove the belt when storing the belt gets a memory shape and vibrates badly. The link belt makes it butter smooth. I can stand a nickel up on my table now. I also installed a paddle safety switch and a 25 foot cord and a T2 fence. Enjoy !
I can't believe it I am a sorry wood worker in comparison to you but by cheapness I have been auction shopping for a table saw for two years son called me one day from a sale said there were 2 saws there bought both for 60 bucks one just like this one.Didnt know I did so good thought it worked pretty good.Thanks for the videos Nn
Hello Jim I used to use Delta in the fabrication area, there good tools for the money that one looks really nice, You have a good Friday and see next time take care
I use a Milwaukee grinder w/ 2 1/2" wire brush cup to clean my table saw and then put on car wax. I have a Sears contractors 10" saw with cast iron top, wings and arbor-heavy. Good times ahead.
These saws were $750 back in the day, they can be had for a couple hundred if you keep looking. We always had one on the job site, Great saw, put a 52" fence and you can build almost anything.
I'm just waiting to see what other old tools you drag out of the pit of despair! If you were 1500 miles northeast I would drop in to help you move stuff upstairs.
Your tale of the hydraulics reminds me of a Kubota I once had. When it snowed the hydraulics would not work. I would put it in the shop to check it out and it worked fine. Turns out it was water in the hydraulic fluid which would freeze when I was outside. I changed the fluid and found the place the water was getting in (the boot around the shifter) and I was back in business.
You can get rid of a lot of that vibration with a new belt, or even better a new link belt as they don't get the "memory" spots in them the way a regular V belt does when it sits for a while.
I used a nylon paint stripping wheel on my corded Milwaukee drill to clean the rust out of the miter slots on my saw's tabletop. It fit in the slot like it was made for it and shined it up as good as new. I was out of turtle wax to finish the top with and so just used plain old fashion Johnson wax. I'm wondering now though if that new ceramic stuff would offer longer protection than wax, like the ceramic they use on cars nowadays.
Morning Jim. Seems to me this shop is quickly becoming a shop of old Delta tools. I wouldn't spend too much Tim polishing that saw bed until the shop is dried in as far as the humidity swings go.
@@TheTradesmanChannel true, but thickness determines how many times you can sand it down before it rusts through. I'm doing alright. Spring break this week at the University of Louisville. I'll be spending the whole day all week in a public school 6th grade classroom. Gotta get my batteries recharged. Kids make me feel younger.
Thanks for this! My son is using it to help me out the motor back on me dad’s old delta table saw? I want to give it a try!What’s an easy first project for a beginning woodworker? Thanks!
Hard to find the time for that type of maintenance, but worth it in the end. I had on old heavy duty cast iron Beaver table saw that I regret giving away a few years ago. At least it went to a good home.
Dear Jim, What a great saw, sadly only the top end machines have steel &/ cast iron tables these days. All the modern fare have cast aluminium which looks dandy when new but seldom stays that way for very long. It looks quite hefty which is another plus point in my humble opinion ( more stable & absorb vibrations better too) but then again I don't have to cart it around like contractors do. I am just curious what kind of project you have in mind for this grand old lady??? I am sure it'll be exciting stuff. Well done for liberating the "Pit of Despair". Kind regards.
@@TheTradesmanChannel Dear Jim, Thank you very much for your courteous & hearted reply. Indeed without a table saw woodworking projects are severely limited. It's a good reliable & solid machine that should serve you well in your endeavours. I am sure it won't disappoint with a little bit of tender loving care & finally being housed in a warm & comfortable new barn. It will earn it's keep many folds that I am convinced. I hope she'll take pride of place in her new abode. Kind regards.
So mine is an old craftsman. It was in worse shape than yours. Had a bad vibration. It was the pulley shaft was worn on the saw blade. I switched the two pulleys and most of it went away. Maybe worth checking for you. Hope this helps. We seem to buy the same vintage stuff.
Nice job on the video. It sounds a little loud when you ran it. I just bought a Delta Contractor Saw 34-444. The threaded bearing keeper on the pulley side of the arbor unscrewed on mine and was slightly rubbing the inside of the belt pulley. That made a sound on mine. Do you check parallel of your miter slot to your sawblade and rip fence? A Linkbelt might get rid of some vibration and would disconnect belt while sitting so it doesn't form a shape like your v-belt.
hey checking in bought 6 x6 s for my shed project from a sawmill that was just closed it was a monster mill at one time , will be starting soon Delaware Lou
More Delta?....what a shill!! LOL I love seeing an old tool shined up. You should build a sled for using the dado to make tenons ....another great project.
Sorry, I'm three years late to the party. Just picked up a Rockwell 62 042 table saw built in October 1977 from a thrift store for $50. It a had a cut cord so I'm just hoping it spins! My issue is the safety aspect of not having a riving knife. You mentioned that you'd check out a solution to this issue. Any luck? I bought it because a USA built saw was machined to the hilt. Another project for me. Thanks!
Amsoil is the result of some local USAF jet pilots stealing military secret oil. The Germans invented synthetic oil went they could not get oil for their war machines. We took it before the Russian got it along with its science engineering people. It allowed our jets to fly higher in the upper levels of the sky where normal oil would not function. When cold weather here in Duluth was stopping cars from turning over and starting, they put the oil in their cars and drove home. The usaf inspection general came to investigate large amounts of missing oil. The usaf pilots quickly hired a superior wisconsin chemistry engineer to copy the oil. When I. G. arrived the pilots claimed they were using oil of their own making and selling it thru their own manufacturing company they owned. Al Anatozio bought out the others and had a Amway buddy set up s sales network. I was a friend of Al’s brother Dick at the time who was a waterfront marine business service man to the vessels from foreign trade. An Italian labor strong arm bunch. Their mother had a west Duluth bar called Silvia’s that bootlegged during the prohibition. They cement barrels under the basement floor leaving only two small barrel bungs to indicate the presents. Cops thought it was a plumbing clean out port. Dick said they were making bathtub gin and a bad batch was very slippery and that is how Amsoil was invented.
I just came up on a model 36-441 for $200 :) in great shap with all the OEM parts, I just want to replace the 30 inch measuring table for the top fence, anyone know where or how i can replace that??
Coca-Cola is an amazing cleaner. My father in law had his in a barn for years and I recently took it to my place. It was badly rusted. Was.... WD-40, Coca-Cola, sandpaper and elbow grease.
I have a 36-600, replaced the brushes and still lots of sparks in the open end, everything looked good inside, kind of sounds like there may also be a bearing squealing, any ideas? thanks
Do me a favor. Please. Pop the capacitor covers off and take a picture the wires (which color) and where they go... I have the exact saw, and the prior owner had it completely apart.
Hey my Brother awesome Delta Table Saw and good job putting it together,Here were a live in Florida you can buy this Delta Table Saw for $50 to $75 bucks on Craigslist,I buy almost all my woodworking tools on Craigslist, In RU-vid they call me (The Craigslist Hunter ) I always get great deals to,I will see you later take care Family :)
All that aggravation about the V-belt can be resolved by getting a Power-Twist belt (www.amazon.com/Fenner-Drives-PowerTwist-Plus-V-Belt/dp/B005GHLT70/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=link+v+belt&qid=1552017076&s=home-garden&sr=8-3). They've been raved about on the woodworking fora for 20+ years. I had one on my Craftsman saw, and I think I have one on my bandsaw. You won't be sorry. I've been wondering about your power since you mentioned it several videos ago. How are you bringing it out now? Long extension cord? The dimming of lights when you were turning the planer on was something of a clue. When you do get 240V out to the barn, may I suggest changing the jumpers on your saw motor to 240V. It doesn't make it run better--watts is watts--but it cuts the amp draw in half, which can be a help with your service feeds if they're smaller than, say, 2/0. Here's a nice replacement switch for the saw, good for 120 or 240V: www.grizzly.com/products/Shop-Fox-Single-Phase-On-Off-Switch-110-230V/D4157
I don't think the windings are affected. There are two windings, they're in series for 240V and parallel for 120V. Same voltage and current flow through each regardless of how they're wired. That's why I say "watts is watts."
Higher amp draw equals more work on the windings, more heat on the coating of the windings. I deal with motors close to daily including freq drives and mostly three phase stuff.
I will defer to your experience, however, I'm not unfamiliar with electrics, and I still believe the way the electrons are distributed, series versus parallel, yields a net zero difference. Yes, total amps in the supply line is different, but not so in the windings where they are distributed equally.
Lol, yes target practice on the tykes wont sit too well with some of the more humorless viewers, but it makes for giggling mental pictures for those who know its just figure of speach for a loving and caring dad
Oh, those blades you used to clean the saw, maybe look into the blade scraper for glass top stoves, its quite a nifty thingy around my house, i have one for my stove and 1 for anything but my stove lol. Clean crap from windows, like paint splatters when we repaint and Someone gets a bit carried away with talking witn her hand..., cleaning scale buildup in fishtanks etc, real handy as i said
....yeeesh... when are ya dam yankees gonna learn to wax yer table saw tops ?.. OH !!... mornin' Jim, shoulda known it was ewe. ; )... 80 here yesterday, & it's still in the high 60's this mornin... 1st nite without heat for a while... yep, i'm lovin' it.... just got back from a few days @ South Padre Island... did i think about you ? uuummmm nope ; ) But i am now, so Thanks for the video & will see ya on the next one ; )
