Need info about JD Wallace No. 1 Radial Arm Saw, Oil for Motor Drive Unit

[KIdsmakingitJimmy]

Hello Friends,

I have an old JD Wallace radial arm saw which I really like. It's an old cast iron workhorse that clocks in at over 200 lbs. I'm not sure how old it is; these have been made since at least the 30's, but as far as I know the company is no longer in business, I bought it used and have no manual,. There is a flip cap on the motor drive assembly which I've discovered from some old literature needs to be kept filled with oil, but can find no information anywhere regarding what kind of oil I should use. Any suggestions or thoughts anyone? Many thanks, Jimmy

[LCHIEN]

Here is a description of the saw from VintageMachinery.org. JD Wallace no 1 Radial Arm Saw.pdf

Have you tried googling the saw?
There are numerous website references besides Vintagemachinery.org. - you could make contact with the saw owners through the websites and find out what they use. Or posting your question on VIntagemachinery.org, a better place for really old stuff than here.

Failing finding the info there, I take it the saw has a geared blade drive and so the gearbox needs oil. Is there a drain to change it?
You should find out from gear oil makers what weight oil is recommended to be used for a small 1-3 HP gearbox.

https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/926/gear-oils#:~:text=Choosing%20an%20appropriate%20viscosi ty%20grade,the%20OEM's%20recommendations%20were%20 made.

[LCHIEN]

I presume you need some kind of gear box oil.
Here's an article on choosing gear box oil properties.

https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/926/gear-oils#:~:text=Choosing%20an%20appropriate%20viscosi ty%20grade,the%20OEM's%20recommendations%20were%20 made.

This table:




So dp (diameter of the biggest gear)would be in meters and ω in RPM.
I doubt you 'll be running really hot or hard and long so T or 35-40C (a hot summer day) would make sense.

guessing wildly (use better info it you have it) the drive motor will be 3600 RPM and a slowest gear at this rate of 10 cm (0.1 m) diameter (about 4 inches) would be on the right order.
So PLV would be roughly 3 x 0.1 x 3600/60 or about 18 m/s.

It falls right in the middle of the chart so that's good news.


So my starting thinking is an ISO Viscosity Grade (VG) 32-46, the choices aren't all that fine and one step off probably won't hurt. So I'd try a gear box oil with ISO VG 32 or 46 viscosity. If its warm in your shop, use the 46. If you'll be using it in cold conditions, lean toward the 32 which is thinner.

However, looking about on the internet, gear oils are generally starting around ISO VG 150-220 minimum and hydraulic oils at VG32. But there are clear warnings that hydraulic oil is not for gears and vice versa.


Mosil has some from 68, 100, 150 https://www.mosil.com/product/11/gearboxlubrication

So maybe a ISO VG 150 or 220 As old as your tool is, mineral based, not synthetic is probably OK.

Mind you, I'm just a retired electrical engineer/jack of all trades and that would be my recommendation. I'm not a mechanical engineer by training but it sort of makes sense. So take my advice for what it cost. It was an interesting thought/internet research problem.