Hawk Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 Well, needless to say the saw came home with me. But here's the rest of the story...... When I got there the guy selling it (late 30's I guess) met me at his parents house, where the saw was. They had it out in the driveway. It looked like it was brand new, no marks on the saw top at all The guy selling it told me he bought it to do craft shows, but couldn't get the saw to "cut right" so he put it in the garage and bought a new Dewalt 788. He got the saw from an older lady who told him her husband bought it new, used it for about a month then passed, it had been setting in the shop since then. First thing I checked was the triangle piece (pic) to ensure the corners were still sharp, not rounded, thanks @OCtoolguy for that. As you can see it's looks new to me. All plugged in, took me a bit to get the blade in the lower mount, got it in there, applied the tension lever, turned it on. The thing took off about a gazillion miles an hour, things were slapping and making noise like it was flying apart. I'm glad I spent last night watching videos on this saw as I knew immediately it was way out of adjustment. So I released the front tension, adjusted the rear tension, it was way off!. Speed was full on fast, turned that down to just up from the slowest setting. Rear tension set, front tension set, turned it on.... Like a different saw, turned the speed up to about 1000 ram's and what a real pleasure. Extremely quiet, the "mom" commented it was quiter than her sewing machine. The guy selling it said "wow" it never ran like that. So, I turned it off, paid the guy and loaded it up! Smiling all the way home. jollyred, JackJones, barb.j.enders and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 Congrats, I think you got an awesome saw. The poor guy is probably regretting selling it now. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 That's great. More folks should do what you did and watch a video or two. It's nice to know what to look for and what to check when things don't go as they should. You have now got a saw that will outlive you. Put a few drops of oil on that V notch. Also, there is some stuff to know about the front tension lever. Kevin can weigh in on that as he has the experience. I don't think there are any other points to oil. If I'm not mistaken the bearings in both the arms are sealed so no oil needed there. Maybe check the drive link arm from the motor up to the lower arm. There might be a bearing there to oil. Then get to cutting. You'll love that saw. Congrats an a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 Congrats on the new saw.. Unfortunately and sadly almost every story on these saws getting sold is because the person that bought it new had passed or health issues come up and no longer can use.. That's how I got my 226VS Ultra still in sealed in the box. Old guy that ordered it had a stroke and thankfully was still alive but he couldn't use the new saw he had bought. Best $400 I spent, LOL There is a small hole on top of the upper arm at the front.. right above where the tension lever goes through the arm.. put a drop or two of oil in that hole ( preferably at the end of the day so it has time to run down into the cam and not sling all over when you turn on the saw LOL Don't ask about that one, ) You should oil the wedge and that cam I believe the manual says every 10 hours or so of use. Other than that the rest is all sealed bearings. Also on the bottom side of the upper arm just about directly below where that hole is on the top side there will be a very small allen set screw.. that is to adjust the tension cam to "lock" down. Proper adjustment is it should have some resistance when no blade in in the saw move the lever with light pressure like you're tensioning a blade.. you should feel some resistance when that lever is about 1/8 - 1/4 inch above the top of the arm If not then you need to turn the set screw in until it has a slight resistance. There isn't much info out there on adjusting these Hawks.. even Hawk's manuals don't really go in depth about these adjustments. One of these day I would like to make a video of how to tune these for the best experience.. There is also adjustments at the back of the saw so that the upper arm will bottom out at the correct height to clamp the blade.. I see so many people fiddling with getting that upper arm in the right position to clamp the blade all the time.. though for some reason Pegas blades are not consistent in length so you still have to adjust for a new blade but once it's in right your good until you change to a different blade. Hawk and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted May 6 Author Report Share Posted May 6 Thanks all for the info, definitely welcomed. I'm still in the cleaning and adjusting stage. I have done a couple of test runs and the set screw knob on the top blade holder disintegrated in my hand, so I'll be contacting Bushton tomorrow for a replacement. Think I'll replace all the screws with knobs. One question, after 2 good cleanings of the table my rag, and the bottom of the wood is still turning black. I'm guessing it's because it sat so long unused. I've scrubbed it twice and while the amount of black has diminished, it's still there. What can I use to clean the table better? OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 read my last post here. But the full thread gives some good ideas also. Hawk and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 this post is a good reminder to go wax my hawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 That is a very nice unit you got there. There are holes in the legs and I put a shelf on using those holes. I had to check that the blade is straight left to right the same as the bottom clamp. There is Alan screws on the opposite side of the thump knobs clamps. You might have a newer version that has Alan screw in the of the top arm to adjust front to back. Looking directly at the end ,inside the clamp arm. Mine only has 2 positions of bottom clamp to adjust agressive (front to back) cutting. OCtoolguy and Hawk 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 I also order another spare bottom clamp. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 (edited) ok other stupid mods I did. Added a small 12v to magnifier arm. Added sandpaper held on with magnets (2) on a stick. I sand the edges of the blades for better clamping. Added accessory box with magnet in the bottom. Spare bottom clamp is in the box. And here is 2 pics of the funnel and container for large dust. Black tube is drip system tubing that extends funnel. last pic is the dust mound in the can. Edited May 6 by preprius Hawk and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted May 6 Author Report Share Posted May 6 @preprius I like the dust collection you have there. I'll be adding that to mine! Thanks OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 1 hour ago, preprius said: That is a very nice unit you got there. There are holes in the legs and I put a shelf on using those holes. I had to check that the blade is straight left to right the same as the bottom clamp. There is Alan screws on the opposite side of the thump knobs clamps. You might have a newer version that has Alan screw in the of the top arm to adjust front to back. Looking directly at the end ,inside the clamp arm. Mine only has 2 positions of bottom clamp to adjust agressive (front to back) cutting. They didn't make the front to back blade adjustment in the "Ultra" version other than the two positions for the blade chuck to fit in on the lower arm. The ones with the allen screw in the end of the lower arm for adjusting front to back blade movement is the G4 or newer saws.. My BM26 is that way.. also those have the lower arm protrude through the angle mechanism and the blade sits out in front of the angle mechanism so you get the pleasure of wearing the sawdust you make on your lap instead of on top of the saws stand or in your case in the funnel.. BTW, those two positions for the blade chuck to set in on the lower arm.. one closest to the front of the saw is for less aggressive of a cut typically for cutting thin stock and the next position back is for a more aggressive cut for thicker stock.. I mostly only use the front most position because this is a more straighter up / down blade angle for a more square cut.. For me the slot for the thicker wood or the rearmost position if you're cutting thicker stock sometimes the corners don't cut square.. If you make those 3/4" thick dog puzzles the pieces won't slide together correctly if you use that rearmost position. At least that is what I've experienced Hawk, preprius and OCtoolguy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjweb Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 Hawk, congrads on the new saw, now Hawk has a hawk, RJ Hawk, barb.j.enders and OCtoolguy 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry walters Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 Chris, some people have all the luck. Nice find. Jerry Hawk and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted May 7 Author Report Share Posted May 7 1 hour ago, jerry walters said: Chris, some people have all the luck. Nice find. Jerry I've actually been wanting one of these since 2000. I never had the funds to afford a new one so I was always on the lookout for a used one. With cell phones, Facebook and marketplace, the search got easier but never in my area. When this popped up on my feed you could have knocked me over with a feather. Kept checking it thru the day to see if it was a fluke. Finally messaged the guy. When I went to get it he told me I was the first to respond and it had been listed for 7 days. Truly my lucky day!!! Liz Weir, OCtoolguy and barb.j.enders 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 What is the saying "patience is virtue" OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Weir Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 (edited) I picked up a "new in the box" 226VS in Dec. It was manufactured in 2000; had been in the original shipping box for 23 years! The foam packing ate some pits into the aluminum table, but that doesn't affect the sawing. I waxed the table good. There is some minor rust on a few parts (the guy who bought it & never even opened it lived on lakefront property, so it was pretty damp). Same sad story, though; he bought it to use after he retired along with a bunch of other woodworking equipment and never made it to retirement. Edited May 8 by Liz Weir math Hawk, preprius and OCtoolguy 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted May 9 Author Report Share Posted May 9 @Liz Weir, at least now the saw has a good home and will get used! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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