Gloat: $127 Cast Iron Top or more ...

[Poobah]

I just scored a Grizzly 3hp 220v 1-phase table saw (looks like G1023 model, but it's a few years old) for $127.

The reason I say it's a $127 cast iron top is because that's the worst case scenario (which is my book is still a steal). The blade won't turn, the motor just hums. He thinks it might be a bearing, but again worst case I can buy a replacement from Grizzly for $300.

Dang, I just ordered my shark guard a couple months ago. Haven't looked to see if Lee makes them for this saw!

Will post some pics when I get it home. Sure hope I can get it in the Suburban.

[LCHIEN]

humming motor, not turning:think starter capacitor.
Being careful not to get caught in the belt, try and give the pulley or belt a shove and see if it starts going... if so its the starter capacitor.
Starter capacitors are easy to fix, its either a bad capacitor in the bump on the side of the motor or its a bad centrifugal switch designed to disconnect the start capacitor after it starts turning.

[chopnhack]

Gran Poobah sucketh! Great score!! Let us know the fix and post some pics

[Poobah]

Got the beast home in my suburban and just have to wait a week for the 220v to be installed in my garage. While we're at it I'm getting a sub panel installed inside the garage.

I took some shots after doing and initial vacuuming and then a couple more of the top after using the Boeshield products on the table top. Probably still needs more work. The left side has a lot of marks from when somebody was using a staple gun on a project. It's a little rough to the touch. It's probably quite functional, but I was wondering whether I should try to machine the top at all and how I would do it.

Finally I've got a picture of the label on the motor. There is no other discernible identifier on the saw unfortunately. I think it is likely a G1023, but don't really know.

The rails and fence as well as a nice throat plate are sitting in the other corner of the garage temporarily. I didn't get a splitter/riving knife or blade guard. Sure hope Lee makes them for this saw. I saw he had a left tilt Grizzly application, but haven't really looked too closely yet.

[Poobah]

The previous owner suggested the motor might need to be rewound. I don't really even know what that means ... lol.

He said he had it done once before and that if you get it done right you can also improve on the motor (especially on foreign motors). Sounds good to me, but again he might as well have been talking about cultivating orchids.

[Daryl]

Re-winding is to replace the wire coils in the motor, might cost as much as a new one.
I think I would take my ros to the table top, use a light oil with it.

[Poobah]

Do you use regular sandpaper? What grit would you start with?

I've got some wet/dry stuff in the 800+ grit category too if that's more along the lines I should be thinking.

[mpc]

Check the top for flatness/straightness before you go too far with any sanding or other attempts to repair the damage. Check front-to-back and side-to-side and along the diagonals.

It looks like most of the damage is on one of the wings. How easy is it to remove - and can it be re-mounted a tad higher than it currently is? If so, you could probably take it to an automotive machine shop and have them surface plane it. That'll make it dead flat for not much money. The thickness will decrease by whatever the max depth is of the damage so you'll need to be able to re-mount raised up that much.

Otherwise, just make sure the damaged areas don't have raised lips - that's what will catch on your work pieces.. If there are raised edges/lips, a little sanding with a ROS or hand-sanding with a sanding block will knock those down. Then use paste wax to make the whole top slick; that'll also fill in small holes. Use WD-40 or some other lubricant while sanding and use "wet-dry" rated sand paper - either from a Home Center or any auto parts store - look in the isle with Bondo & paints. I'd use a fairly fine grit to start with and take my time.

Rewinding a motor is basically the big/expensive part of rebuilding the whole motor. Add in new bearings and it becomes a full rebuild. Use your yellow pages to look up electric motor repair shops, starter/alternator rebuild shops, etc. and call around. A motor that needs re-winding implies a motor that was overloaded/overheated, causing the enamel wire insulation to smoke away.

mpc

[Stytooner]

I would use just a flat file on the top just to knock any burrs down. Then clean the top well and perhaps seal the pits several times with your choice stuff, so that they do not start rusting.
Show an image of the splitter mounting point behind the blade and I should be able to tell you if I can make splitters for this one. Great score, BTW.
I would simply opt for a new motor if it needs one. That is an import motor after all.

Here is a 3 HP WEG motor reversible for less than $400.
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...tname=electric

You could do some searching and probably come up a little cheaper as well.
This would be my choice if it does need a motor rather than a Capacitor, especially since he had it worked on before.

[Poobah]

Lee, sent you an email before I saw this. Will send some pictures your way.

Thanks

[LCHIEN]

rewinding involves taking the motor completely apart, the rotor out of the frame. Then the coils of wire that are wound around the rotor and stator have to be cut off. New wire equivalent length and gauge and turns need to be threaded and wound onto the assemblies. Since the labor has been done to take it apart, the bearings are all replaced.

This is done if the wiring is shorted out, usually by overheating and melting the enamel insulation on the wire.

Because the work involved disassembly and removal (which is beyond what is involved in a new motor) and its locally done by local labor and its done one at a time instead of a mass produced setting, this is usually much more expensive than buying a replacement import motor. Most induction motors are standard sizes so usually replacements are available. I would venture to say that Rewinding is only practical if the motor case is impossible to get because its a unique or unusual size, or has unusual voltage or winding design, or if the voltage needs to be changed to some odd voltage.

I still think Poobah's problem is a starter capacitor or centrifugal starter switch.

[atgcpaul]

I'd leave the top alone after you get rid of the rust and file away any burrs that
are above the surface of the table.

When my Griz saw got rained on (after a fallen tree punched a hole in my shop
roof), I dowsed the top with WD40 and sanded it with a green Scotchbright
pad. I did try the ROS with WD40 but it was a mess. The paper gets soggy
from the liquid and the holes in the ROS to allow dust to pass through get
gunky. I did it for about 10 seconds before I thought better of it. It didn't
take long with the pad to get rid of the rust. I followed it up with an application
of Boeshield.

I do miss my pristine top and there are rust watermarks or something but the
top still feels smooth and it doesn't affect how woods slides over it.

Paul

[RangerRick]

If you decide to get the top machined look for a shop that has a Blanchard grinder. I have run a Blanchard for about 35 yrs. and have done hundreds of woodworking machine tables. It should get rid of dings and come out nice and flat. I would guess about $75 would do it. Good Luck

[Poobah]

Great news. Fixed my electrician's screwup (gave me two 120v leads that were in phase). My 220v plug had 0v until I figured it out. Thank god for the Internet.

The saw started right up and seems to work just fine. Sweet!

Spent a week wiring and rewiring the switch on the saw and inspecting the capacitor and contact points. In the end I think the little springs that keep the plastic Doohickey touching the spring washer (can you tell I know nothing about motors?) was off and that why the previous owner thought it was dead.

I owe a huge thank you to Grizzly tech support too. The actually talked me out of ordering the new motor and started me on the path of figuring out how to get a working 220v circuit.

Now I just have to modify the lee valley ZCTP. The stupid set leveling are in the wrong place. This will give me a chance to learn how to use my HF tap a die set. Then I can also finally give my micro jig splitter a try until Lee can ship the new splitters and I can use the Sharkguard.