Friday, February 15, 2008

Rockwell Table Saw

If you happen to run across a Rockwell table saw for what seems to be a great price, do not be surprised and snatch it up. This brand has been out of manufacture for many years, but was amongst the top of the line table saws in its day. Rockwell table saws are the precursors to today's Delta brand table saws and if in good shape will do anything a Delta can. If it needs a little rebuilding to bring it back to perfect running shape, I believe you would find it worth the effort.

Rebuilding a Rockwell table saw is not for the casual hobbyist. It would be a challenge for a serious enthusiast, but can be accomplished. The satisfaction of bringing such a venerable table saw back to perfect working order might just be worth the effort involved. The first step towards rebuilding a Rockwell table saw would be to contact the manufacturer, Delta Machinery with the model and serial number to find the history and parts plan for your newly acquired Rockwell table saw. With these plans in hand, the rest of the job will be easier accomplished. It will not be easy in any case.

You may have to have some parts specially manufactured at a custom machine shop as they will not be available anywhere else. With the machine plans that you can get from the manufacturer, this is not as daunting of a task as it would have been even thirty years ago. With the correct measurements, any metal part can be machined on a computer numerically controlled milling machine. A few minutes to an hour on a CAD program can make a program for the CNC machine to mill your needed part. This will cost a bit, but will give the Rockwell table saw new life for many years. If it happens to be a part that wears out often, have the machine shop make you a few extras. The major cost of the part will be in setting up the program, not the actual milling.

The effort needed to rebuild a Rockwell table saw might seem more than you want to spend, but after you are done and using this great table saw for your other projects, a feeling of satisfaction will come over you every time you use it.

Johnathon is a professional carpenter for over 20 years and has experience in helping customers renovate their homes. Johnathon is woodwork enthusiast who works with jigsaws, table saws, circular saws and many other varieties of saws. Visit his specialty site on delta table saws at http://www.szaws.com.

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