Cashing in on Scrap Metal

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This one is just for fun, I started off needing to fix my DeWalt miter saw (a dumpster diva that stopped working). The saw was near new, and I figured it had a loose wire or something, so I took it apart to investigate. I’m far from being an expert on electric motors, but I’ve had some luck with bringing the dead back to life lately, so I thought I’d give it a try. The problem was pretty obvious once I got a look at the armature……..

The brushes were worn out and wallowed out the commutator on the armature pretty bad, so I decided to take a page out of the old South Bend Lathe book and turn down the commutator like the old timers did. Worth a try anyway. I located a set of brushes on Ebay for $6 and fired up the lathe……….

 

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Rebuilding A Johnson Model B Horizontal Band Saw

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This saw was purchased at the 2010 CAMS Yard Sale to replace my Chinese 4X6 band saw, which also found a new owner at the Yard Sale. The Clarke saw was a valuable tool around the shop, used almost every day, but was just a little too small for my needs. For the money, the saws sold at Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply are the best buys around. They all need work to get them working but will get the job done (with varying results) for a minimal amount of cash.
The saw I bought has a much larger cutting capacity, listed as 5X10, but will actually cut 5X13. This added capacity will really help me out, because most of the scrap I get exceeds the 4X6 range.
The saw was built in March of 1957, and by the looks of it was complete with all the parts it left the factory with (except the shut-off linkage). I’m partial to old American tools, as you can rebuild them, and parts are not special order from China.
When I got the saw home, I wanted to just power wash it, install a new blade, and maybe give it a quick spray can paint job. The power wash just drove home the fact that this treasure was just uglier than a bucket of scrotums. I lost control when I rolled in the shop, and about an hour later it was scattered across my bench. Heres a shot of it coming of the truck at the Yard Sale (thats me in the truck), and a

couple of shots of it before the cleanup.

 

 

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