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.

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

"John Moorhead" wrote in message
or in my case, wishing I had a second wrench - the previous owner lost
it.

Why not call the manufacturer of the saw and buy one. Or just buy a thin
open end wrench of the proper size.

Agree with your other points. It would be nice to have that throat opening
an inch or so wider.
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

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

Plywood blade? Buy a better combo.

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.

So get a wrench. If the wrench is too fat, grind it down. Hey- check
bike shops- bikes use skinny wrenches sometimes.

I don't need an arbor lock on my table saw (Delta Contractor).


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.

Not sure I'd want that on my saw. I'd have to tip the blade a bunch
to clear the insert slot. And if the blade is tipped, it might not
slide on anyway. My good blade won't stand for any angle, it is
almost a perfect slide fit between the hole in the blade, and the O.D.
of the arbor.

Threads are cut the way they are for a reason. Don't re-invent the
wheel; don't try to re-engineer Acme threads. It might actually be
harder to start the nut on such a shaft as you describe.

Just my .02. hey, glad you got to make some saw dust
anyway! I've been productive too the past two weeks, the pressure of
the 12/25 deadline does wonders for my productivity.

-Dan V.

On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 03:51:12 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"John Moorhead" wrote in message
or in my case, wishing I had a second wrench - the previous owner lost
it.

Why not call the manufacturer of the saw and buy one. Or just buy a thin
open end wrench of the proper size.

Agree with your other points. It would be nice to have that throat opening
an inch or so wider.

How about a hinged top that you could just lift up to 90 degrees to
get to the whole schmeer?

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

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

Plywood blade? Buy a better combo.



I tried a plywood blade once, but it kept splintering. Had to switch to maple
or cherry. The hardwood blades are more durable than plywood, but I've heard
that they even make them out of steel now. I'm thinkin' of trying one. ;-)

Curt Blood

(CBlood59) wrote in
:

I tried a plywood blade once, but it kept splintering. Had to switch
to maple or cherry. The hardwood blades are more durable than
plywood, but I've heard that they even make them out of steel now.
I'm thinkin' of trying one. ;-)

Curt Blood


Yeah, I know whatcha mean... made the mistake of goin' with the MDF blade
my last project. Heavy bugger, and the durn thing kept changing sizes every
time some sweat dripped on it!

-R Boggs

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.

Not sure I'd want that on my saw. I'd have to tip the blade a bunch
to clear the insert slot. And if the blade is tipped, it might not
slide on anyway. My good blade won't stand for any angle, it is
almost a perfect slide fit between the hole in the blade, and the O.D.
of the arbor.

I would agree that it would be nice to have a small 'landing' at the end of
the acme thread. I am constantly having to open the door on my cabinet saw
and sift through the debris to find that stupid nut - Yeah, I'm clumsy.
With my previous contractor's saw I had to chase it around the shop floor.
A small unthreated area would help get it started.

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Moorhead"
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 9:15 PM
Subject: TS: "Why don't they" query


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? snip

Oh, using the two wrench thing is great isn't it. How many times has one
slipped off the nut and then you bury the side of your hand into the blade.
Man, those carbide teeth are sharp!
I was considering buying one of these "blade locks" from Lee Valley.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,24 0,45884
That may make swapping blades easier.

Tony

Tony Mo wrote:

Oh, using the two wrench thing is great isn't it. How many times has one
slipped off the nut and then you bury the side of your hand into the
blade. Man, those carbide teeth are sharp!
I was considering buying one of these "blade locks" from Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,24 0,45884
That may make swapping blades easier.

Not easier than two wrenches IME. The flats on the arbor for a second
wrench are about the only thing I miss about the ol' POS TS. My new one
just has a turned metal bit you couldn't get a wrench on if your life
depended on it, so I bought a Blade-Loc.

It doesn't really work very well, and the blade chews it up something awful.
It does work better than stuffing a piece of wood in the hole. Barely.

I guess when I mangle it beyond use, I'll probably try something like
holding the blade with a Quik-Grip or a gloved hand. I can't really
recommend the Blade-Loc. Plenty of other things at LV to buy instead.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

In article ,
"John Moorhead" wrote:

Why don't
TS mfrs put an arbor lock on tablesaws? Chop saws have them, circ saws have
them...

On a similar note, why not a spindle lock on bench grinders? These
things have nothing to stop the spindle from turning when you snug the
nut. What ends up happening if you hold onto the opposite side is *that*
side will loosen as you tighten. The real struggle often occurs when you
try to get the damn nut off to change out a wheel.

--
Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company
____

"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised
as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long

"Silvan" wrote in message
...
Tony Mo wrote:

Oh, using the two wrench thing is great isn't it. How many times has
one
slipped off the nut and then you bury the side of your hand into the
blade. Man, those carbide teeth are sharp!
I was considering buying one of these "blade locks" from Lee Valley.


http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,24 0,45884
That may make swapping blades easier.

Not easier than two wrenches IME. The flats on the arbor for a second
wrench are about the only thing I miss about the ol' POS TS. My new one
just has a turned metal bit you couldn't get a wrench on if your life
depended on it, so I bought a Blade-Loc.

It doesn't really work very well, and the blade chews it up something
awful.
It does work better than stuffing a piece of wood in the hole. Barely.

I guess when I mangle it beyond use, I'll probably try something like
holding the blade with a Quik-Grip or a gloved hand. I can't really
recommend the Blade-Loc. Plenty of other things at LV to buy instead.

I remember when they gave those blade locks away when you bought a blade
(even a cheap one). That's how I got mine and now I can't believe what they
want to charge for them.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

TBone wrote:

I remember when they gave those blade locks away when you bought a blade
(even a cheap one). That's how I got mine and now I can't believe what
they want to charge for them.

Thinking back on my not recommending these, I should throw out some
disclaimer stuff. The blurb in the catalog talks about how the thing has
little ridges (or whatever term they actually used) inside that lock the
blade down. Mine probably doesn't work very well because I sawed through
those immediately. The factory blade on my saw was on so tight I
ultimately had to hook a piece of 1/4" steel rod under a tooth, and I used
so much force getting the nut off that I bent the rod and ruined the blade.
That thing was on TIGHT. The Blade-Loc might have fared better overall if
my first use for it hadn't been trying to remove *that* thing.

I still prefer the two wrench approach though.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

"Silvan" wrote in message
...
TBone wrote:

I remember when they gave those blade locks away when you bought a blade
(even a cheap one). That's how I got mine and now I can't believe what
they want to charge for them.

Thinking back on my not recommending these, I should throw out some
disclaimer stuff. The blurb in the catalog talks about how the thing has
little ridges (or whatever term they actually used) inside that lock the
blade down. Mine probably doesn't work very well because I sawed through
those immediately. The factory blade on my saw was on so tight I
ultimately had to hook a piece of 1/4" steel rod under a tooth, and I used
so much force getting the nut off that I bent the rod and ruined the
blade.
That thing was on TIGHT. The Blade-Loc might have fared better overall if
my first use for it hadn't been trying to remove *that* thing.

I still prefer the two wrench approach though.


I agree but many saws don't give you that ability.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving