SawSmith woes

[windy]

To anyone out there who might have Magna SawSmith parts available, I'm looking for a replacement for a Magna SS with a 1 1/8 HP AO Smith 115 Volt motor. I believe that the older Yuba saws used a 1 HP.

Thanks!

[SDSSmith]

You might try the Sawsmith group over on yahoo. Here is a link.

[windy]

Thanks - I belong to that group and find it pretty sparsely attended. I own a couple of ShopSmiths and a SawSmith and have a lot of good interchangeable components so I would like to keep the radial arm. I made the error of buying a "good running" motor from a group member on the SawSmith forum, which turned out to be not that great. I also paid him too much.

[billmayo]

Could you be a little more specific as to what the problem you are having and what parts are effected? If the motor, what are the problems you are having. Since I have never saw a SawSmith, a couple pictures of the problem area would be helpful. Feel free to contact me off line with pictures as I have rebuild various Shopsmith motors and was curious if this motor was unique only to the SawSmith. Thanks.

[SDSSmith]

Thanks - I belong to that group and find it pretty sparsely attended. I own a couple of ShopSmiths and a SawSmith and have a lot of good interchangeable components so I would like to keep the radial arm. I made the error of buying a "good running" motor from a group member on the SawSmith forum, which turned out to be not that great. I also paid him too much.

Here is a 'motor' in Houston for $75.

[windy]

Could you be a little more specific as to what the problem you are having and what parts are effected? If the motor, what are the problems you are having. Since I have never saw a SawSmith, a couple pictures of the problem area would be helpful. Feel free to contact me off line with pictures as I have rebuild various Shopsmith motors and was curious if this motor was unique only to the SawSmith. Thanks.

Bill,

The original coiled motor wire leading from the switch at the front of the arm developed a break in one of the conductors- unbeknownst to me at the time - Believing that the problem was in the relay, which is located under a cover on top of the motor with the capacitor, I touched one probe of my meter to one input conductor and the other to another and POOF! After the smoke cleared, all the motor did was hum, but not start, so I guess that the problem is in the starting windings. Theoretically it should be impossible for a meter to allow enough conductance to actually short a winding, but that's how it appears.

These motors ARE different than those used in the ShopSmith, unfortunately, since I was hoping to use one from my greenie, which I don't use anymore. The SawSmith motors are longer, more powerful @ 1 1/8 HP for the A.O.Smith version, and 1 HP for the GE version. The windings appear to be fixed to a holder that is permanently attached to the motor case, so it looks impossible to pull them without some process that I'm not familiar with.

I'll take a photo of the motor if you wish, but I don't know how to attach things to these messages.

[windy]

Here is a 'motor' in Houston for $75.

Pretty neat! Unfortunately, that's a Yuba not a Magna, so the motor will be a small frame 1 HP. I already bought one of them (motors) from a guy on the SawSmith group, claimed to be in good condition - not), but the AO Smith motors are much better built - except that the wires tend to shed their insulation!

[SDSSmith]

Pretty neat! Unfortunately, that's a Yuba not a Magna, so the motor will be a small frame 1 HP. I already bought one of them (motors) from a guy on the SawSmith group, claimed to be in good condition - not), but the AO Smith motors are much better built - except that the wires tend to shed their insulation!

For the record, my Yuba Gold SawSmith has an A.O. Smith 1.125 hp motor. So I would not assume anything regarding motor manufacturer or hp rating just because it is a Yuba.

[windy]

For the record, my Yuba Gold SawSmith has an A.O. Smith 1.125 hp motor. So I would not assume anything regarding motor manufacturer or hp rating just because it is a Yuba.

I stand corrected then! The SawSmith people sure used a plethora of motors and HP ratings. Wonder why??

[SDSSmith]

I stand corrected then! The SawSmith people sure used a plethora of motors and HP ratings. Wonder why??

I suspect that my saw might have been an early Yuba, before they 'downgraded' to the 1 hp motor. I just wanted to make sure that you did not limit yourself in your quest for the 1-1/8 hp motor by ignoring the Yuba saws. Good luck in your quest!