My wife is an artist/craftsperson.
She makes all sorts decorative things out of old wood and sells them to city ladies who have more money than good sense. The sort who threw out all the family antiques and now decorate their houses with furniture that I think should be used for kindling.
This is not a statement critical of my wife's artistic endeavors. Sometimes I help. I make any metal parts that need to be heated, pounded with a hammer, bent, drilled, or otherwise abused. She makes neat looking stuff, but somehow the old barn wood on the wall just reminds me of the old barn wood outside my window that is still attached to an old barn and I find it depressing. Perhaps not as depressing as when that said barn collapses on all the irrigation fittings and my hammer mill, but depressing just the same.
But, i digress.
Her table saw failed.
Some years ago we bought a top-of-the-line Craftsman table saw. This was before craigslist... Anyway, the motor failed. I pulled the covers off the capacitors and water ran out. I'm not sure when we had the leak but it did fry the caps.
I went to the craftsman website and you cannot buy them. I looked on ebay, nope! I went to a couple electric motor shops. Of course in the 15 years since I have been to an electric motor shop all the old pluggers who knew about electric motors are dead. The intelligence and common sense level of the average shop owner has not increased in the past decade.
I tried the Granger catalogue and got confused. There are no manufacturer's marks on the capacitors, just the specs, but I can't find anything the right dimensions and with the correct terminals and then I get confused again.
This doesn't really matter as it looks like there is nothing under $40 on Granger. Sears wants to sell me a new motor for $200. I could buy a used motor on ebay for $150...
OR, I can go to craigslist and buy a whole saw for $150. I think I will check the Jimmy Carter store Tuesday. The problem is that the motor is 3600 rpm and 1 hp but it is pretty light duty. I think I'll just buy a saw, remove the motor and toss the rest of it on the scrap pile. That way I don't have to lift the sucker twice.
I've got a spare Briggs. Perhaps she could use a gas powered table saw. I wonder if I could hook it up to the flat belt on the Z. She could saw and I could grind feed. I'm sure that would bring us closer together!
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Craftsman was a solid name, you could use it in the same sentence with Cooper Tools wrenches and Boyt harness. Stopped buying their stuff when the local store went dark and Sears started peddling power tools at K-Mart.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered steam? It would supply heat as well.
ReplyDeleteFailing that, she can borrow my saw for as long as she wants.
When you get to be an old geezer like me, everything someone says reminds you of something else. Using the Briggs reminded me of being in a machine shop here in my home town many years ago. The entrance was in an alley, and when you walked in you heard the muffled sound of a 1920's something Packard engine or some such thing, idling peacefully away on natural gas. Then you noticed the slight fanning sound of belts and jack-shafts overhead and realized that every machine in the shop was powered one or two at a time by switching belts on and off pulleys (sheaves, technically). It would have been a neat place to work or even just to spend some time.
ReplyDeleteI worked a summer job on a drill press & welder in a machine shop in Tampa Fl back in the 60's. It defined the phrase "sweat shop". Very little air movement. I remember ringing out my leather belt and seeing a stream of sweat pour out. The smell and taste of machine oil permeated my body & my sweat smelled like it. We were making beer & soda can conveyors.
ReplyDeleteNever again!
Its all part of our brave new world. Cheaper to buy a whole new machine made in China than fix a minor part on the old. And tools we have lost the affordable medium quality tools like the old Crafstman, SK, Diamond, etc. Now there's the Harbor Freight Chinese junk and the more expensive Chinese junk sold as Stanley or some other former US brand or the expensive tools off the Snap On truck.
ReplyDeleteIt was not that long ago that our shop late was run by a line shaft and a flatbelt pulley. I'd like to set up a shot like that but I suppose it would not be insurance approved.
ReplyDeleteIt is depressing that we are loosing everything of quality.
Check out air conditioner motors, washing/dryers or air compressor motors. If the motors don't fit, see if the caps will swap.
ReplyDeleteAn AC supply house also might be an avenue to try.
At this point I don't care about the physical size I just don't want to spend $250 for a made in china electric motor.
ReplyDeletewon't any capacitor for a one horse motor work? The terminal end on your wires can be changed easily enough & duct tape will take care of any size difference. This is something I know little about, but would probably try. At worst, it will explode, which might give some satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteI found a capacitor. I went into the local autoparts store and started talking to the Studebaker collector fellow who runs the counter for the shop section. He looked at it for a while and said he thought he could find me one. He made a few calls and said he found one that would work.
ReplyDeleteBeing a good parts man is an honorable profession.