WoodNet Forums: Re: Anybody want to build a UniSaw?

We've got to secure that bearing so it doesn't come out . . .

so we turn to the bearing retaining nut that you've seen a couple times already.

A drop of the BLUE or MEDIUM strength Loc-Tite

Thread the nut in and set it with a punch just like we removed it. Remember you need to use a punch. NO SCREWDRIVERS ALLOWED.

With that bearing secured we need to get the pulley and one of the spacers in place.

You have to do this now, because there won't be room to slide that spacer in later. Don't worry about lining anything up yet. Just find a position so that the weight of the pulley pins the spacer against the bracket.

With that done, I usually take the spring washer (it's resting on the arbor we set aside) and place in in the bearing seat closest to the blade.

We are cupping the pulley with our left hand to hold that spacer in place.

Go ahead and slide the arbor in until it just starts to penetrate the pulley. Bend down and take a peek. Spin the arbor until the keyway on the arbor and the keyway on the pulley are lined up.

Slide the keystock into position now.

Many times the this little piece of metal will fight you. I took the time earlier to slide the keystock in the arbor keyway and in the pulley keyway and dressed one edge with a file to make sure this step was going to go easily.

Don't worry if you didn't, most likely one of these steps is going to hiccup and cause at least one restart.

Most likely that springwasher is going to have fallen out by now. Try tucking it back in again.

You should be able to slide the arbor in, by hand, until about this position.

If you make it this far you should be ready to go back to the shop press.

Support the bracket making sure that the arbor isn't going to hit anything on the way out.

But wait. . .

Look close . . .

See the gap between that bearing and the arbor bracket.

That pesky spring washer has gotten loose again and got caught between the bearing and the bracket. Pressing this full force in the press would very likely done something bad. At best it would have ruined the washer and scored the bracket.

What happened was as we flipped the bracket over to check our progress pushing the arbor we skipped a step.

We should have done this. . .

Right after slipping the keystock in and tucking the springwasher in, we pushed in the arbor.

Take the time now to gently tap the arbor just once with a mallet. This tap gently starts the bearing on it's way into the seat. With gravity holding the spring washer out of the way, it is now safely captured.

Go back and finish pressing the arbor into the bracket assembly. Press it until the bearing closest to the blade is fully seated.

With the press procedure completed, we can drop the Belleville (thanks MT-2(SS)

) Washer in place.

When you do that, place a fine, small, straight blade screwdriver under the lip of the washer. Start the nut and thread it as far on as you can with the screwdriver still under the washer.

Gently bend the washer edge up, so that with the nut screwed all the way on, you will still be able to get a screwdriver under the edge of the washer.

Tighten the nut snugly by hand, with a 7/8" ratchet and a strap washer. You could also use the vice with wood pads to hold the pulley, just like when we dissassembled the arbor assembly.

With the nut tight, insert a larger, flat screwdriver and bend one edge of the washer up against one flat face of the nut.

Be careful that you don't damage the side of the bearings. This washer is very soft and will bend easily. Basically you are bending the washer up so that the nut, even if it loosens up, cannot turn and come off.

In earlier saws this step wasn't used, so in earlier saws I use a drop of Loc-Tite. In later saws this is what was done, so that's how I do it as well.

With all this done, you might notice some side to side movement of the pulley. This should be very slight. Approximately a 'heavy' 1/16" of an inch. Or about the thickness of that spring washer.

There should be some resistance to the side to side movement, about equal to the tension of the spring washer.

So we are ready to set the arbor pulley set screw. Making sure that the pulley isn't rubbing the arbor bracket, (if it is something is wrong, but it will be awful close on the one side), we put a drop of blue Loc-Tite on the pulley set screw and tighten it down.

With the bracket assembled I slide it onto a UniSaw carcass that I used to check arbor brackets.

The runout I measure is .0015 on the guage and as I said we are going to dress it one more time later on the end product.

Well as I type, the kids have invited several other children over for a 'sleepover' and the volume is hitting maximum here.

Talk to you all soon.

Chris

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I may be wierd now, but I'm saving to be eccentric.

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