Jim Erickson

I bought a Wen 6510T new off e-bay. Only paid $67 for it, but it hasn't been delivered yet. Don't know whether I'll really get the sander or not. At that price, I half way think the listing was a scam. The delivery date is supposed to be 6/15. We'll see if it actually is delivered or not. Thanks for all your comments. Jim

Do you all use spindle sanders? If you do, which one. I'm thinking it would be handy to use on inside curves. Bench or floor model? Spindle size? Thanks for your thoughts. Jim

I have to add comments about the set up as well. In prep for re-sawing some expensive (is there any other kind) hardwood a few days ago, I tested cuts on some softwood scraps. My saw wanted to drift a bit. I got out my machinists squares and started to check the blade, the fence, the table, and the guides. I discovered that the blade was not exactly parallel to the miter slot on the table. I have euro type guides on my saw (Mini-Max 16) which I don't particularly like, but they came with the saw and work OK. Anyway, I've noticed over the years that one of the guides spins more than the other. (right side/left side) I put the square on the guide bar, and discovered that the guides weren't exactly parallel to the blade. Fortunately, there are adjusters for the guide bar on the saw. I ended up slightly changing the adjustment. The adjustments involve 4 set screws. As I adjusted the screws, I made test cuts. After about three tries, the saw cut parallel to the fence, and I re-sawed the hardwood board. Don't remember if I ever adjusted the bar before, of if I even knew the adjusters were there. Long and short of it is: saw adjustment is really more important than the blade. Jim

I haven't done a lot of resawing, and I don't know what you have in mind, but I've done what I needed with my regular 1/2" 3 tpi skip tooth blade. I have several wider blades, but don't want to bother with the set up involved with blade changes. If you're going to do a lot of resawing, or only resawing then maybe a dedicated resaw blade would be better. Jim BTW, the 1/2" 3 tpi blade is the blade I use on my saw most of the time.

Regarding the fence, I'd make my own. Did that for my son in law's Rikon about 15 years ago, and it's worked well. I made it kind of like a little Beisemeyer. I welded mine, but you could build a bolt together unit without too much trouble. Jim

I agree with Ray. Following up with a description of the fix is really helpful to others who might encounter the same or similar problem. I guess some people are too fixated on the problem at hand to think about others. Pity. Jim

What size? Thanks. Jim

Table is aluminum. Digital protractor eh? Thanks. Jim

I think I want an inclinometer so I can accurately set the table tilt on my Hawk scroll saw. Do I need one, and if so which one should I buy. I'd appreciate comments and experiences. I could also use it for my table saw. Thanks for the help. Jim

Thanks Ray. I just checked, and sure enough the top clamp was not centered. I adjusted it, The anvil screw must have course threads because turning it just a little centered the blade. Bottom clamp looked centered. After that I checked the side to side plumb, and had to reset the table. Thanks for pointing this out. I probably never would have figured that out, and just written off any resulting cut error as simply operator error. Jim

My blade, even in the less aggressive position, is not vertical. It tilts slightly forward, at the top and of course moves up and down in a slight arch. I think that arch is smaller in the Hawk and Hegner machines than most others because of the design of the machines. My guess is that somewhere during the up/down stroke the blade is actually perfectly vertical. Haven't bothered to move the arm up and down and measure to see. Jim

Thanks Fred. I do have the saw set for aggressive cutting, so I don't think the back of the blade is square to the table. Thank you all for the advise. I'll check the tension of the blade, and practice moving the material more carefully. Jim

Frank: Have you considered an abrasive planer rather than a regular one? Years back I bought a Grizzly 12" abrasive planer to go along with my 12" DeWalt portable planer I already owned. The abrasive unit is much better for small stuff. Cuts a lot slower, and more precisely. I don't know whether Grizzly still sells the small one like I have. It's preformed pretty well for me. Typical Grizzly, crumby switch, and requiring adjustment out of the box, but a solid performer. One thing though, it makes a lot of dust, so you need to hook it up to a dust collector. BTW, you can flatten wood with a planer. It involves alternately planing both sides, taking off the high points and making the board flat. Jim

I've been doing some practice cuts on my Hawk, and I need to know if my results are typical, or whether there is something about my technique that is producing this result. In prep for my first project, which is a box, I have been cutting out small circles in some 1 3/4" pine. The cut outs end up being cones rather than cylinders. The first cut out caused me to check the table/blade setting, and I discovered a small discrepancy in the adjustment, which I corrected. The second was less cone shaped, but still larger on the top than the bottom. Similarly, the third is also cone shaped. Is this to be expected, or is there something I'm doing wrong? I'm cutting at 5.5 on the speed control, using a #9RG-9/6 TPI PGT DBL tooth blade. BTW, I don't completely understand the blade designation. They are blades that came with the saw, and are the previous owners labeling. Any helpful comments are appreciated. Thanks. Jim PS: the circles are about 1.25" in diameter.

Kevin: I did misunderstand. Went and bought myself a 1/8" roll pin punch so I'd be ready when I needed to knock out pins LOL. Thanks for the info. Jim PS if I ever decide the change out the nose assembly, I'll have the right tool.

Mine does have a roll pin holding the blade clamp in place. It also has some play while being fully clamped. With the blade removed, the arm "nose" can move .025" up and with the front clamp in the fully closed position, Will that cause a problem? Jim

Kevin: I see what you're talking about. My "nose" piece doesn't have the hole and set screw. There's just nothing there but bare aluminum. I'm not having a problem with the tension lever, so no need to replace the "nose" assembly now, unless the new "nose" provides some other benefit. Is the BM blade clamp different from the Ultra? (look pretty much the same to me) Thanks to you and Ray for your words of wisdom. Jim

Kevin: I looked at the kit. I don't understand how you can get to the adjustment screw without an access hole. My saw has the oil hole on the top of the arm, but no set screw that I can see. Did you have to drill an access hole on your 1993 220vs? Mine isn't worn to the point of malfunctioning. The lever has to be lifted to vertical before it will move on it's own. Jim

There is no hole under the cam leaver pivot , and of course no set screw. But for the milling cuts, no holes in the under side of the upper arm at all. There's the oil hole above the pivot, but no screw there either. Jim

Kevin: Got the wedge, and the front cam, but I don't have the adjustment hole and screw. under the small black lever Looks like the earlier Ultra models didn't have the cam adjustment mechanism, and there's no tension on the lever when you close it without a blade. The only bearing I can actually see is the pitman arm? (the arm that connects the motor to the lower saw arm) bearing. The face of it appears covered with some sort of membrane to keep lube in, or foreign material out. The wedge is nice and sharp on the blade tension mechanism. The arm bearings (I assume there's one on each side of both saw saw arms, 4 total) are covered with a metal shell and could pass as spacers if you didn't know there were bearings there. Is that how your Ultra looks? Thanks for your thoughts. Jim

Mine an Ultra. It does have the square clamps. Jim

I have another maintenance question. The manual I got with the saw was for 226vs Ultra, but printed by Bushton. It tells you to oil the pivot bearings on the saw for routine maintenance. I just watched an RBI instruction video dated 1994 on the 216, 220vs Ultra, and the 226vs Ultra in which they instructed the new owner to oil the 216 because it has bushings, but that the Ultras didn't require oil because they had sealed ball bearings on the pivots. Which is correct? In my experience, when a tool has sealed bearings, you're instructed NOT to oil them, but I see folks here on the forum talking about oiling them. Are those folks talking about maintaining bushed saws, or bearinged saws? Help me clear up this issue. Do I oil my bearings or not? Thanks again for all the help. Jim

Thanks Kevin. Now I know what's being refered to when "hollow" is mentioned. The new style looks like what they should have begun with. I beams are stiff but light. Jim

Kevin: Just for your info, I have a 1995 226vs, serial number 3756. It is an Ultra. Has the T shaped lower clamp, and the black front lever tensioner. It has a Leeson 1.3a, 90v DC motor. Buston's manual says it should be a 2.1a motor, but it isn't. The Pro series (at least some of them) look to have had the 1.3a DC motors. If I'm properly informed, the Fasco motors were AC, right? I also have a question, and I'm sure you know the answer. When a Hawk is said to have the "hollow" upper arm, what exactly does that mean? Were certain size machines the only ones with "hollow" arms? I've seen photos of different Hawks, and there appears to have been several different upper arm designs. Thanks for your wisdom. Jim

Thanks Rolf. I cleaned mine with mineral spirits. Used a bit of fine steel wool to take of the few minor stains, and then waxed it with Johnsons paste wax. Jim