Weve all been in one of those grooves where everything is going along gangbusters and you have it all under control. That wonderful feeling comes just before the bottom drops out. Thats exactly what happened with the 1944 Delta Unisaw Rebuild.
As we began to film episode five, the storyboard for the video was writing itself. Steve Shanesy (Magazines publisher) walked us through the changes made to the saw over the past segment. He also showed us the shop-made zero clearance insert, the new fence board, and the motor cover. It is constructed from Baltic Birch plywood and pine strips. It looks great attached to our saw cabinet. The only thing left was to turn the Unisaw on and do a few quick rip cuts.
The saw was running when we heard it earlier in the day. However, the motor started wobbling as we tried to film the scene. We were left wondering what the problem was. The saw was immediately turned off. What could be the problem?
The motor was leaking a lot of black soot-like powder as we compressed air inside. It appears that the motor and saw both needed to be rebuilt.
Over the next few days, with helpful information from the folks at Old Woodworking Machines (owwm.com) and from the sites message board (owwm.org/index.php), Steve worked on the motor and found an issue with a spring locked behind a cover near the commutator. The motor was reworked. We filmed the disassembled motor to get a firsthand look at the motor guts for the video. The rip was made after everything was back on track.
The episode V shows the motors and their additions. It also features the rebuild Unisaw making its first pass through wood.
If you have not seen the previous episodes, click here
Delta Unisaw Restoration (click here)
Delta Unisaw Restoration Part II (click here)
Delta Unisaw Rebuild Part III (click Here)
Part IV of the Delta Unisaw Rebuild (click here).
Delta Unisaw Rebuild Part V Video (click here)
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