Blade angle problem on Delta Contractor's saw

"Larry Spitz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have an old Delta Contractor's Saw, Model 34-444. This saw does not have
> the 45 and 90 degree angle stops that are adjustable with an Allen wrench
> through the table, but a single stop at 90 degrees that must be adjusted
> by someone sitting on the floor with a long thin arm, considerable manual
> dexterity and lots of patience.
>
> I adjust the angle stop rarely because it doesn't need it, but when I do,
> I take great care to tighten the jam nut well because it is such a pain
> to do it again.
>
> I noticed that one cut I made today did not make a 90 degree angle
> as I wanted, though I hadn't (intentionally) changed the blade angle
> recently. When I went to adjust the angle, the handwheel just spun and
> did not change the blade angle.
>
> I dropped the motor and vacuumed out the sawdust from inside the housing
> and could not see or feel anything wrong. I fiddled around trying to shake
> or rotate everything I could reach. I did not detect any looseness in any
> connections. When I tried the handwheel again, it worked.
>
> This bothers me. I don't know what had gone wrong. I don't know what
> "fixed" it. My only guess is that it had something to do with the fact
that
> I had been cutting MDF and somehow that disengaged the handwheel which
then
> re-engaged when I vacuumed out the saw. This is a real stretch. I have had
> the saw for almost 15 years. Periodically I saw MDF with it. I have never
> had a problem.
>
> I will be more attentive to the blade angle in the future. In the meantime
> can any one offer me advice as to what went wrong?
>
Look on the floor for the lock on the tilt handwheel. Could be you've lost
or loosened it to the point where the handwheel did not engage the toothed
shaft.

If not, look to the eccentric where you adjust for backlash.

Was saw dust on the trunions keeping it from seating where it was
suposed to?

All you really did was clean up under there, right?

Hmmm...


-Dan V.


On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 07:38:32 GMT, Larry Spitz
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have an old Delta Contractor's Saw, Model 34-444. This saw does not have
>the 45 and 90 degree angle stops that are adjustable with an Allen wrench
>through the table, but a single stop at 90 degrees that must be adjusted
>by someone sitting on the floor with a long thin arm, considerable manual
>dexterity and lots of patience.
>
>I adjust the angle stop rarely because it doesn't need it, but when I do,
>I take great care to tighten the jam nut well because it is such a pain
>to do it again.
>
>I noticed that one cut I made today did not make a 90 degree angle
>as I wanted, though I hadn't (intentionally) changed the blade angle
>recently. When I went to adjust the angle, the handwheel just spun and
>did not change the blade angle.
>
>I dropped the motor and vacuumed out the sawdust from inside the housing
>and could not see or feel anything wrong. I fiddled around trying to shake
>or rotate everything I could reach. I did not detect any looseness in any
>connections. When I tried the handwheel again, it worked.
>
>This bothers me. I don't know what had gone wrong. I don't know what
>"fixed" it. My only guess is that it had something to do with the fact that
>I had been cutting MDF and somehow that disengaged the handwheel which then
>re-engaged when I vacuumed out the saw. This is a real stretch. I have had
>the saw for almost 15 years. Periodically I saw MDF with it. I have never
>had a problem.
>
>I will be more attentive to the blade angle in the future. In the meantime
>can any one offer me advice as to what went wrong?
>
>Cheers,
>
>Larry

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 07:38:32 GMT, Larry Spitz
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I noticed that one cut I made today did not make a 90 degree angle
>as I wanted, though I hadn't (intentionally) changed the blade angle
>recently. When I went to adjust the angle, the handwheel just spun and
>did not change the blade angle.

This may be a little vague but it's been a while since I had this
model.
If this is the saw I think it is, you might check the part where you
adjust the stop. If I remember, the set screw and jam nut is on a
little piece that hangs down. The piece I'm talking about is about
3/4" long and has the set screw and lock nut on the bottom and an
allen screw on the top that attaches it to the trunion. If the
piece that hangs down comes loose it can actually turn to one side of
the shaft and the shaft will miss the stop all together. You can
check it by simply tilting the blade so it's not against the stop and
reach in there and see if you can move that piece with your finger.
If so just tighten the allen screw so that the piece is in position in
front of the shaft.
The other place to check is side of the box where the shaft passes
through the side. Sometimes the side of the box can be bowed out a
little and push the crank off of the pin where it engages. The crank
will still be on the shaft but not far enough to engage the pin. If
this is the case, check inside the saw where the shaft passes through
the side. Inside the saw there will be a little collar that attaches
to the shaft with a set screw. You may have to move that collar in
(a small amount) so that when you tighten the locking knob, the crank
will be able to slide on a little farther to engage the pin.

If none of this makes sense and you don't recognize any of the parts I
have so poorly described ..............never mind. :-)

Mike O.

In article <[email protected]>, Dan Valleskey wrote:
> Was saw dust on the trunions keeping it from seating where it was
> suposed to?

I don't know. Maybe.

> All you really did was clean up under there, right?

Right!