Need help fixing up a old table saw

[AceofSpad3s]

Hello, friday I got a old craftsman 103.23831 table saw for free of craigslist, the guy was nice enough to even bring it to me. Came with the miter gauge too.It is in pretty rough shape, so far manage to get the blade run true since it was pretty sketchy at first. It takes 8" blades but I got 2 diablo 7 1/4 blades from hd since they are on sale and it cuts well.

Now to what I need help with,the table is rusted pretty good, what can I do to remove the rust without causing further damage to the table?
Second, the saw was mounted to a wooden table and has been wired to it, motor is connected to the table with wires going into the table leading to a light switch mounted in the saw. I would like to replace the cord on the motor and upgrade to a safety one. The cord has electrical tape up near the motor all the way up to the case so I don't know what to do since there are a handful of wires running from the table to the switch. Here are some http://imgur.com/a/n5EDQpictures I took friday, I'll gets some pictures of the cord and wiring on the table tomorrow, had not time to do so today.

 

[rsanter]

Evaporust stalked paper towels on the top

Rollock scotch brite type pad

Flat scotchbrite with WD40

Bob

 

[pfred1]

Hello, friday I got a old craftsman 103.23831 table saw for free of craigslist, the guy was nice enough to even bring it to me. Came with the miter gauge too.It is in pretty rough shape, so far manage to get the blade run true since it was pretty sketchy at first. It takes 8" blades but I got 2 diablo 7 1/4 blades from hd since they are on sale and it cuts well.

Now to what I need help with,the table is rusted pretty good, what can I do to remove the rust without causing further damage to the table?
Second, the saw was mounted to a wooden table and has been wired to it, motor is connected to the table with wires going into the table leading to a light switch mounted in the saw. I would like to replace the cord on the motor and upgrade to a safety one. The cord has electrical tape up near the motor all the way up to the case so I don't know what to do since there are a handful of wires running from the table to the switch. Here are some http://imgur.com/a/n5EDQpictures I took friday, I'll gets some pictures of the cord and wiring on the table tomorrow, had not time to do so today.

This is something I've done. Though I had to pay $20 for my fixer upper. Anyways, I was faced with the dilemma of what method to use to clean the table top. So I looked on the net, and saw some wing nuts using power sanders, and what have you. I knew that would ruin the surface. The metal you abrade away is gone forever

I settled on steel wool (fairly fine maybe 000) and a slurry of mineral spirits, oil (chainsaw bar lube), and some rust penetrant (PB Blaster). Once the slurry gets loaded like sludge (gets black, and it is hard to scrub, you'll know), wipe it off with a rag, and start fresh. All told it took me less than an hour of scrubbing to get the top as good as I wanted it. Then I cleaned it off with a solvent (acetone, or lacquer thinner I forget), and waxed it with some Johnson's paste wax.

You can see the mill marks in the top today like it just came out of the factory. If I had it to do all over again I'd do it the exact same way too.

Here's my trick custom magnetic motor starter I made for that saw
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homebrew-Magnetic-Motor-Starter/

Gives you those neat push start and stop buttons like the big machines got.
The picture of the top is kind of funny. The camera made the top look rusty, but it is clean. Something weird about my digital camera.

Here's an earlier picture where it doesn't look like it has rust on it
http://i.imgur.com/VannV.jpg

Because it doesn't.

Anyhow, don't be a dufus and ruin your top with a power sander.

While we're on the subject of Craftsman table saws I might as well put up the link to the fence I made. The stock fence kind of *****
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Table-Saw-Rip-Fence-Build/

It is sort of a Biesemeyer design rip off. If I had a big piece of round stock it would have been no weld too.

Finally here's the saw as found
http://i.imgur.com/jjOer.jpg

Just so you can see what I started out with. Pretty rusty top there. Here's a shot I took about halfway through cleaning
http://i.imgur.com/HTJWC.jpg
Getting there.

 

[softailgarage]

I've restored several of these saws. I use a fine grit roloc pad on an angle die grinder and then some 1000 grit sand paper. A heavy coat of Rustoleum Rust Preventer to soak and then wipe off excess. That setup is a pretty standard setup for the Craftsman saws and pfred has a good idea, just make sure everything is grounded. Here is the last one...

 

[zkling]

Shoot it with a penetrating oil and let it sit a while, then go over it with a brand new razor blade at a shallow angle. Will get the surface very smooth.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Thanks for the help so far, I took some pictures of the electrical side of things. http://imgur.com/a/xo6vh I managed to find out where most of the wires are going, the cord on the motor most likely has alot of insulation removed because of the electrical tape all wraped around it, three wires from that wire lead to the plastic thingamabobber, no clue about the purpose of that, then wires go up into the saw through a hole and to the switch, the come out through the same hole to the plug. Suggestions on what to do?

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used a roloc on mine when I first got it. Once it was clean enough to my standard, I rubbed it with WD40. Once it was rubbed it, I basically tried to rub it with a clean cloth til I got no residual WD off of it. I tested it with a clean sheet of white paper.

 

[pfred1]

Thanks for the help so far, I took some pictures of the electrical side of things. http://imgur.com/a/xo6vh I managed to find out where most of the wires are going, the cord on the motor most likely has alot of insulation removed because of the electrical tape all wraped around it, three wires from that wire lead to the plastic thingamabobber, no clue about the purpose of that, then wires go up into the saw through a hole and to the switch, the come out through the same hole to the plug. Suggestions on what to do?

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer but that motor looks like it is a blower motor, or something to me. So performance might not be great with it. What does the motor name plate say? It is a 1740 (1725), or 3450 RPM? That plastic can is a motor start capacitor.

You'll have to see but that motor looks kind of shifty to me for a table saw. I picked up a nice Rockwell 1.5HP TEFC motor cheap at a flea market and put it in my saw. It's great. I think I might have paid $20 for it? Like a $300 motor new.

http://i.imgur.com/8bjDS.jpg

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer but that motor looks like it is a blower motor, or something to me. So performance might not be great with it. What does the motor name plate say? It is a 1740 (1725), or 3450 RPM? That plastic can is a motor start capacitor.

You'll have to see but that motor looks kind of shifty to me for a table saw. I picked up a nice Rockwell 1.5HP TEFC motor cheap at a flea market and put it in my saw. It's great. I think I might have paid $20 for it? Like a $300 motor new.

http://i.imgur.com/8bjDS.jpg

Both the motors I got are 1725's, I got a motor from a dunlap drill press that ended up being a pos. I was planning to make a 12in disc sander with it, but it is a westinghouse like the one on the saw and is exactly the same size, but has a capacitor built into the side and has a good cord on it. The idea is to take a tap to 2 holes on the bottom and top like what it looks like was done on the original motor and then find a pulley puller and swap the pulleys and Ill put a switch in.

 

[PugetDude]

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer but that motor looks like it is a blower motor, or something to me. So performance might not be great with it. What does the motor name plate say? It is a 1740 (1725), or 3450 RPM? That plastic can is a motor start capacitor.

You'll have to see but that motor looks kind of shifty to me for a table saw. I picked up a nice Rockwell 1.5HP TEFC motor cheap at a flea market and put it in my saw. It's great. I think I might have paid $20 for it? Like a $300 motor new.

http://i.imgur.com/8bjDS.jpg

The angle iron motor mount is definitely homemade. Someone has swapped out the motor sometime during the life of the saw. (but it should cut just fine when you get it all cleaned up and sorted out.) Nice find!

 

[AceofSpad3s]

The angle iron motor mount is definitely homemade. Someone has swapped out the motor sometime during the life of the saw. (but it should cut just fine when you get it all cleaned up and sorted out.) Nice find!

Thanks, I am looking forward to getting the new motor installed. Hopefully a auto parts store near me has a pulley puller/installer for loan to get the pulleys switched out, finding a single tap should be interesting. But that's half the fun, might paint it as well once I get the rest of the issues worked out.

 

[pfred1]

Both the motors I got are 1725's, I got a motor from a dunlap drill press that ended up being a pos. I was planning to make a 12in disc sander with it, but it is a westinghouse like the one on the saw and is exactly the same size, but has a capacitor built into the side and has a good cord on it. The idea is to take a tap to 2 holes on the bottom and top like what it looks like was done on the original motor and then find a pulley puller and swap the pulleys and Ill put a switch in.

Long story short, what you have there is commonly called a blower motor. They're good for some shop applications, but ah, less than ideal for a table saw.

If I were you I'd try to get a 3450 tool motor to run that saw. Something in the 1-2HP range would be nice. The motor I have is a 1.5HP Rockwell, and it is OK. On some rips I wish it was a 2HP though. Big cabinet saws can sport 3HP motors in them. Just to give you an idea of the power range of saws. They can have multiple sheave pulleys too.

So that is clearly beyond the scope of a contractor's saw.

Anyhow, unless you're planning on only doing the lightest of work with your table saw I'd recommend you get yourself a more adequate motor for it. That blower motor you have is going to choke on a lot of stuff.