Delta 36-725 blade lift issues

[jpe15]

I recently made the mistake of purchasing a Delta 36-725 from a gentleman on FB Marketplace. He conveniently omitted a number of the saw's issues, but chief among the problems is the blade lifting mechanism. When I got the saw, he had already removed the raise/lower crank wheel. I replaced the metal pin that had broken, reinstalled the crank, and promptly sheared the pin right off again trying to turn it. The gears inside are making contact, and while the blade will go up and down about half an inch, it seems that something is bound up somewhere. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. YouTube only has videos about the pin.

 

[riggsp]

Sounds like the wedge inside the elevation shaft that locks it is stuck…I would try spraying PB Blaster into the hole in the shaft, and tapping on the shaft with a brass hammer (brass, so you don’t collapse the hollow shaft) while trying to turn the handwheel back and forth.
Otherwise it would be disassembly of the elevation mechanism….being a contractor’s saw, it would involve turning the saw upside down to make things easier (really).

 

[Wilsoncb]

Seems like a great opportunity to learn more about how the whole lift mechanism works. I would take the whole thing apart, clean it up and see what you find. Sometimes things just get gunked up from sawdust and grease. It’s got to be either the guide mechanism or the screw. The guide is not likely to see enough movement over the years to create a wear problem. The screw threads both male and female are more likely to wear. Hopefully you can find an old manual with an exploded view of the parts. Otherwise, take pictures before you take it apart and you should be able to reference them when you put it back together.

 

[jpe15]

Happy update. I managed to upend the saw to disassemble. As soon as I removed the tilt screw, the whole assembly was able to move up and down like butter! It appears that instead of screwing into the tilt screw nut, it was just threading itself through the lifting shaft somehow. I don’t know if that even makes sense, but after putting the tilt screw where it belongs, everything seems to function as intended. Thanks for the suggestions.