Since this winter I have been buying old tools from a women who has been liquidating her deceased husband's shop. When I first laid eyes on this Delta 24" Scroll Saw, I knew I had to have it. It had been in her husband's family since it was purchased new, and obviously cared for since it still has it's original decals and paint job, and no rust. And since I don't own a SS scroll saw, and the price was $100, I brought it home two weeks ago and finished my refurbishing job today.
The dear lady I bought this from had the original instruction booklet. At the bottom it's dated 12-31. Now there is a YouTube video for a 1936 model which is interesting to watch and was my first help in identifying what I had (when she first showed it to me she hadn't found the booklet).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmYxw4HpBeA
However, the table on his 700 model (mine isn't numbered anywhere) is smaller. The one I have is 16"x16" and steel. The one on YouTube looks to be aluminum and smaller. Thus I am guessing, since table sizes (except in SS's case) tend to get smaller rather than larger over time, and aluminum became the rage in the mid-1930s,that the saw I have was new around 1931. If anyone out there is familiar with this Delta scroll saw please let me know.
Here is a picture in the garage after I got it home.
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Now the stand is original to the saw too. It has it's decal on the side. There is also a really cool light that Delta may have sold with it. I can't tell. It's looks professionally made, perhaps off of some other machinery.
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The motor was made by Menomonee Electric Company in Michigan. I am guess again but I believe it's older than the saw, perhaps 1920s or earlier. If anyone knows, let me know. It's 1/4 hp with an odd ball 1750 rpm on the brass plate.
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It was loaded with dust and dirt so my first job was cracking it open and seeing what I had. An AF NCO who worked in the electric shop of my old Unit told me to just clean the magnet with Simple Green and wash it out, which I did. I then set it aside and let it air dry.
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While checking out the armature I found that one of the starting pads (there are 3) was missing a brass pin that held it up. Consequently one pad rode on the Commutator rather than lifting off with centrifugal force. I turned a new pin on the lathe and pressed it in. Cleaned the armature by spinning it on my lathe.
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The motor has brass sleeve bearings with an oil cup and wick that sucks-up oil. The wick rides on the shaft.
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I buttoned it up and tested it out. I think it might be good for another 100 years. More to come in part 2.
