Left-tilt Delta Unisaw, motor spins but does not drive belts. Thoughts?

[dwminnich]

While I was cutting some box joints today on the tablesaw, I heard a "clunk" and the blade spun down although the motor kept running. My first thought was a broken drive belt but I took the cover off the motor and they look OK to me. I noticed a small key (think for a shaft, not a door) roughly 1/8" square by an inch or so long on the floor behind the saw, but I don't know if that's the culprit or not. Any thoughts/pointers on how to go about tackling this?

Also, anyone know where the ID plate is on this saw? I've looked for a model number but don't see a plate, other than that on the motor itself. It's a left-tilt model from 2002-2003.

Thanks,

--dave

 

[Mike Davis]

That 1/8" square key goes in-between the pulley and the drive shaft of the motor, it keeps the pulley from spinning on the shaft which is what your saw is doing now.

 

[dwminnich]

Thanks, Mike. Yeah, that's what I would have guessed. Do you happen to know if the key can be replaced with the motor in-place, or will I need to pull the motor to do it? Will pulling the motor affect anything about the arbor's current alignment? I wouldn't think so, but ???

--dave

 

[Mike Davis]

You should be able to carefully tap it back into place then tighten the set screw(s) that hold it in place. May have to tilt one way or the other to get room to work. Be sure the set screws are there, they may have vibrated out causing the key to start moving.

I check all my motors every 3 - 6 months for loose pulleys, set screws, and worn belts to keep this sorta thing from happening.

 

[dwminnich]

Yep, Mike's thought was right on the money. With that hint I was able to take a picture and confirm that the pulley key was missing (on this saw the shaft of the motor points into the cavity of the cabinet, so there's no getting a head in there to look at it. I was able to rotate the pulley to align its key slot with that of the shaft and tap in the key. I haven't found the set screw location yet... I assume it's in one of the three belt grooves on the pulley but that's a bit harder to see.

Thanks, again, Mike! I'm currently working under a time crunch to finish a jewelry box for my niece's HS graduation, and this could have really messed that up. Back on schedule!

--dave

 

[zdorsch]

Glad it was a simple fix!

 

[Willemjm]

Yep, Mike's thought was right on the money. With that hint I was able to take a picture and confirm that the pulley key was missing (on this saw the shaft of the motor points into the cavity of the cabinet, so there's no getting a head in there to look at it. I was able to rotate the pulley to align its key slot with that of the shaft and tap in the key. I haven't found the set screw location yet... I assume it's in one of the three belt grooves on the pulley but that's a bit harder to see.

Thanks, again, Mike! I'm currently working under a time crunch to finish a jewelry box for my niece's HS graduation, and this could have really messed that up. Back on schedule!

--dave

Really important to tighten those set screws properly. The pulley and shaft will wear out and need replacement pretty fast if they remain loose. One can normally hear when they start working loose.