Is this quill broken?

[guava64]

Hi, I'm a relatively new SS owner. I purchased a used SS from Craigslist. So far, I have mostly used the tablesaw function, and I've been very disappointed with the results. But I think I have found the cause of my trouble - the quill is either faulty, or it was just assembled improperly.

The knurled silver collar on the end of the quill was not pushed all the way back against the quill bearing, and the quill shaft was moving back and forth slightly - even thought the quill handle was locked down. I took apart the quill and measured how far the shaft can move when the silver collar is loose. It moves about 1.225 - 1.165 = 0.060 (60 thousandths) without the collar installed. This is shown in the photos. Is this normal? Is my quill broken? Can anyone else measure the shaft travel on their quill? Or was the position of the collar causing my problems? I have re-installed the quill with the collar pushed all the way against the quill body, but I haven't had a chance to try sawing again.

This is a double bearing quill from a 1989 SS 510. It seems to run smoothly - I don't think there are any problems with the bearings, just the shaft moving as I have described.

As a side question, does anyone have some tips or tricks for measuring/setting the rip fence accurately?

Thanks!

[jimthej]

Have you tried mounting a blade or sanding disk and checking the movement with the quill lock tightened? When I got my goldie, I could move the blade in and out about 1/8" with the quill locked. Replacing the quill was one of the first things I did. If I had known what I know now, I probably would rebuild the quill.
On your side question - Since upgrading to a 520 with with the magnetic scales, I use a set-up block to set the scale and then use the scale to set the fence. Before the upgrade, my favorite was a 12" square, like a framing square. I could lay it on the table with the one blade against the fence and the other in a gullet of the blade. It allowed me to touch the appropriate tooth to the square and get a very accurate measurement. As an old slide rule user, interpolation is not difficult even with 1/8" marks on the square.

Hi, I'm a relatively new SS owner. I purchased a used SS from Craigslist. So far, I have mostly used the tablesaw function, and I've been very disappointed with the results. But I think I have found the cause of my trouble - the quill is either faulty, or it was just assembled improperly.

The knurled silver collar on the end of the quill was not pushed all the way back against the quill bearing, and the quill shaft was moving back and forth slightly - even thought the quill handle was locked down. I took apart the quill and measured how far the shaft can move when the silver collar is loose. It moves about 1.225 - 1.165 = 0.060 (60 thousandths) without the collar installed. This is shown in the photos. Is this normal? Is my quill broken? Can anyone else measure the shaft travel on their quill? Or was the position of the collar causing my problems? I have re-installed the quill with the collar pushed all the way against the quill body, but I haven't had a chance to try sawing again.

This is a double bearing quill from a 1989 SS 510. It seems to run smoothly - I don't think there are any problems with the bearings, just the shaft moving as I have described.

As a side question, does anyone have some tips or tricks for measuring/setting the rip fence accurately?

Thanks!

[billmayo]

With the silver collar removed from the quill shaft, Does the quill shaft show any wear when placing the splined end on the wood surface and pressing the quill housing down to fully seat the quill shaft in the front bearing. If the shaft is still tight in the front bearing, I use a LocTite bearing compound made for keeping bearings tight on shafts. I press down on the quill housing with the splined shaft on a wood surface and install the silver collar. The silver collar goes tightly againest the bearing.

I have found only one of the 2 piece double bearing quill shafts where the 2 piece join together to become worn and have a similar problem that you described. I would reset the silver collar and see if it helps.

Hi, I'm a relatively new SS owner. I purchased a used SS from Craigslist. So far, I have mostly used the tablesaw function, and I've been very disappointed with the results. But I think I have found the cause of my trouble - the quill is either faulty, or it was just assembled improperly.

The knurled silver collar on the end of the quill was not pushed all the way back against the quill bearing, and the quill shaft was moving back and forth slightly - even thought the quill handle was locked down. I took apart the quill and measured how far the shaft can move when the silver collar is loose. It moves about 1.225 - 1.165 = 0.060 (60 thousandths) without the collar installed. This is shown in the photos. Is this normal? Is my quill broken? Can anyone else measure the shaft travel on their quill? Or was the position of the collar causing my problems? I have re-installed the quill with the collar pushed all the way against the quill body, but I haven't had a chance to try sawing again.

This is a double bearing quill from a 1989 SS 510. It seems to run smoothly - I don't think there are any problems with the bearings, just the shaft moving as I have described.

As a side question, does anyone have some tips or tricks for measuring/setting the rip fence accurately?

Thanks!