think this is worth $100?

[toolguy1000]

OK, curious now: what is the importance of the goose egg dust cover?

i would suppose it's a the rarity. it seems that finding a unisaw with it's OEM motor cover, especially really old ones, is kind of rare.

well i saw the unisaw yesterday. top was dirty and had a coating of rust, but showed no evidence of pitting. it would take a little effort to clean up, but i believe it would look acceptable and be perfectly serviceable. the raise and bevel wheels worked fine, although the gears and ways needed to be cleaned and lubricated. the trunions appeared to b esolid with no cracks or damage of any kind. there was no discernible play in the arbor, and it turned freely, even though it was still belted to the motor. and that was a 3hp, 220v 1ph rockwell motor that could be spun by hand but not powered up. seems the seller found the saw in the house he just purchased and there are no outlets compatible with the 220v plug on the motor, so the motor couldn't be tested. do i drag my generator up there to try it or just take my chances?

assuming (and yes, that's a significant assumption) that the motor powers up, it looks like a nice little project. part of me just wanted to see what all the fuss about "old arn" unisaws was about and, if this was the vintage of those saws that are spoken of like they are the "second coming", i have to say i was unimpressed. the base and motor weren't all that heavy nor was the top. the combination probably comes in between 350 and 400 lbs. i could pick it up this weekend from a relative who is house sitting for the seller for $100 or wait till next week and try to get it for less. the RAS that's included is recall eligible, so even at $100, my only costs are time and transportation. what would you do?

[cabinetman]

i would suppose it's a the rarity. it seems that finding a unisaw with it's OEM motor cover, especially really old ones, is kind of rare.

Makes you wonder what the heck happened to the original cover. How does it get missing? You take it off...clean...service...put it back on.

.

[tommyt654]

Like the guys at Woodnet said if your gonna pass let others who recognize the tru value in on it so they can get the deal rather than gloating about it here and there. Those covers btw get damaged really easy as they do tend to stick out like a sore thumb, my Dads was damaged in a move across the carolinas by a freight company, wish I could have gotten my hands on that saw now, sweeeet

[tommyt654]

If you do go down this addictive rd. you best start here. I'd advise you do as this weill give you a better saw than what you have been using too appreciate , http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/How...%20Unisaw.ashx

[Pappy]

well i saw the unisaw yesterday. top was dirty and had a coating of rust, but showed no evidence of pitting. it would take a little effort to clean up, but i believe it would look acceptable and be perfectly serviceable. the raise and bevel wheels worked fine, although the gears and ways needed to be cleaned and lubricated. the trunions appeared to b esolid with no cracks or damage of any kind. there was no discernible play in the arbor, and it turned freely, even though it was still belted to the motor. and that was a 3hp, 220v 1ph rockwell motor that could be spun by hand but not powered up. seems the seller found the saw in the house he just purchased and there are no outlets compatible with the 220v plug on the motor, so the motor couldn't be tested. do i drag my generator up there to try it or just take my chances?

i could pick it up this weekend from a relative who is house sitting for the seller for $100 or wait till next week and try to get it for less. the RAS that's included is recall eligible, so even at $100, my only costs are time and transportation. what would you do?

I would have loaded the RAS and the top right then and there. paid for it and gone back with some help to load the base.

[kramer katt]

Just to clarify my attempt at inside humor, the cast iron motor covers on the vintage
Delta Unisaws are pretty rare. They actually were an optional item back in the day
when dust collection was limited to letting it pile up on the floor. I would venture that
less than half the saws were sold with one. Being cast iron, some could have been
lost to damage but not easily removed and replaced just for cleaning, I would guess more were just left off and misplaced.

Now finding a Delta 12-16" older vintage saw with the original motor cover would be another gloat all together. Although I found a pretty stripped down one for $50 at a location 500 miles from me and just could not make the drive fast enough.

If the OP gets this saw, there is a great 5 part video series over at Woodworking Magazine on the basics of restoring one of these saws.

And just one more tidbit, that louvered hatch door on the front could be ebayed for more than enough to cover your time, gas money and the $100 to boot.

[toolguy1000]

took a drive this morning and picked up the RAS and the unisaw. turns out the motor is a dual voltage 3 hp 220v 1ph baldor. spoke to my electician regarding the possible rain exposure and he advised leaving it in my shop till next weekend, then try to fire it up. any water or dampness should have dried/evaporated by then.

apart from an above average amount of rust on the table, rails and lower half of the saw cabinet, the saw is pretty clean. motor and arbor both spin with no grinding noises and the arbor bearing feels solid. i threw a digital gauge on it and got a max reading of 0.002" as i rotated the arbor flange. sprayed some liquid wrench in the raise/lower and bevel gears and ways and things are starting to loosen up.

first surprise was that the arbor nut is a left hand thread. the fence is going to need a considerable amount of work to get it to move freely. as i'm not yet sure if i'm keeping the saw, i don't want to start pumpimg money into it, especially not until i'm sure the motor runs. this will be my first real resoration porject and i'm looking forward to working on it as time allows. hopefully, once once it starts (fingers crossed), it wil perform so wonderfully i won't want to part with it. now if only it were a left tilt......

[LCHIEN]

I think you got a nice deal. Keep it and restore it, or resell it. I don't think you'll restore it and then resell; once you try it out you probably won't want to give it up!

[toolguy1000]

i’ve see the steve shanesy (?) set of youtubes on unisaw restoration. anyone found anything better and more specific, like not skipping motor belt removal when discussing changing the arbor bearing?

[toolguy1000]

well, i lost the "wai till next weekend to see if the motor works" battle. that's the bad news. the good news is the motor works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgt_KiYwyuk

with the saw on a 4 wheel movers dolly with no table top, it aallmoooooost made it to the end of a nickel test. lots to do to get it serviceable. BTW, the saw has a magnetic starter switch that hums as soon as the plug is put into an outlet (220v). anyone here with a magnetic starter know if this is normal?

[toolguy1000]

i got an email reply yesterday morning from the tech(ies) @ the sawcenter to the video links i sent them of the recently acquired uisaw. they thought 1) there was pulley runout on the motor that needed to be investigated and 2) the arbor bearings needed replacing. so i pulled the motor and got it to the local baldor authorized repair shop to see what they say. since any motor maladies are likely to be the most significant problem this saw will face, it's future may depend on what they find.

well, the dreaded call came a liitle while ago informing me that the motor shaft is bent and they tell me it would cost less to get a new motor than to rebuild the original. anyone got any ideas about what to do at this point ? i've looked on ebay and all the "unisaw motors" that pop up have a different frame designation than what is printed on the data plate of my unisaw motor. i know the arbor bearings need to be replaced, but that's not a major expense, and the top will clean up well and i got the original fence to work like new. kinda be a shame to remove this unit from service. remember, i'm only into it for $40 right now so parting out the saw is also a potentially profitable option. constructive suggestions welcomed.

[BigguyZ]

Bummer. I'd still like to see this resored, but you know the worst case scenario is that you part it to make some $$ off of it. Seems like it'd be a fun project though- to get a new motor, refurbish the cabinet and other parts to get it all cleaned up. Kinda like your own American Restoration project...

[toolguy1000]

looks like this would be one of the more reasonable replacement units (shipped spprox. $400):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-HP-Leeson-...item519fc1159a

a replacement from delta is $665 and the comparable 3hp sawcenter motor is $579. none of the new motors are dual voltage and reversible like the OEM motor on the saw. pity someone abused it previously.

another alternative suggested was to have a machine shop straighten the motor shaft once the motor was disassembled for bearing replacement. but, as the seller of the 3hp leeson motor noted, even if that works, you still have a 40 y/o motor with 40 y/o windings. anyone ever do something like that and care to comment on the outcome of such an undertaking?

[woodturner]

looks like this would be one of the more reasonable replacement units (shipped spprox. $400)

Have you checked Grainger? They have a lot of motors with less common mounting arrangements.

Another option may be to buy or make an adapter for it, so that a standard motor could be used. I recall some prior discussion about that on one of the boards, but haven't tried it myself.

[toolguy1000]

thanks for the suggestions. grainger does have the same 3hp leeson as i linked, but it's $145 more at grainger than the other retailer's website price. and, unfortunately for the purist in me, i've dismissed the idea of an "adapted" replacement motor. something about it just says "this isn't right". anyone out there had a motor's shaft straightened and what was the outcome of the effort?