Greetings and Salutations...

On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 02:15:34 GMT, "John Moorhead"
wrote:

Folks -

I've been getting quite a bit done out in the shop the last week or so, and
it feels GREAT to have some room to move around... But I got to thinking as
I've been swapping between Dado blades, combos and ply blades.... Why don't
TS mfrs put an arbor lock on tablesaws? Chop saws have them, circ saws have
them... It would once and for all eliminate wrasslin' with either jamming
the blade, or in my case, wishing I had a second wrench - the previous owner
lost it.

Probably because there is no convenient way to access it. In
a tablesaw, the mechanism is buried under the table with only a small
slot for access. My hands are big enough (and I am NOT bragging) that
it is hard to get both of them through the opening for the table
insert...which would make a lock a challenge. However, since my
unisaw DOES have flats on the arbor, the wrench holds it JUST fine.

Another thought I had, is why don't they make the end of the arbor shaft
unthreaded for just a short length? That way you could easily get the nut
in place on the arbor so it wouldn't fall off, THEN tighten it. Maybe the
end of the shaft would hit the clearance plate at 45 degrees, but even a
small "landing zone" would help. Obviously it would make mounting dado
stacks, stabilizers, wire wheels (just seeing if'n you're paying attention)
and arbor washers much easier.

John Moorhead
Happily covered with tree powder


There is a small trick to getting the nut to line up quickly
and easily. Let's see if I can describe it!
Hold the nut to the end of the arbor with your thumb and
SECOND finger. Put your first finger through the hole, to kind of
press the nut onto the end of the arbor and give it an axle to spin
on. with your thumb and second finger, turn the nut backwards (as
if removing it) until you feel/hear a small click. Immediately turn
it the OTHER way to tighten it (and yes I DO recall that TS arbors
have left hand threads). It should thread right on with no further
problems.
When I was shown this trick, which works for ALL nuts, it
took a few tries to get comfortable with moving the nut...but, now,
it is second nature and I don't even have to think about it.
Oh yea...also make sure there are no burrs on the end of
the arbor threads...I have, in the past, taken a couple of LIGHT
cuts at about a 45 degree angle with a file, to taper the end
threads a tad...which also helps get things lined up and keep from
dropping the nut.
Regards
Dave Mundt