Headstock Is Hot

[cincinnati10]

Sams Club sells EZ-Up tents (10x10) for $100. Sounds like an ideal application. They are truly EZ to puty up and take down.

[dusty]

I don't want too simple of a solution. If I play the cards right, I could end with a fully covered carport with a concrete driveway.

[Nick]

"I am surprised to see nobody even mentioning the belt tension..."

Actually, Rob, I'm surprised that almost no one is mentioning maintenance of any kind. The number one problem we see when headstocks come in the be rebuilt is that they are full of sawdust. In some cases, owners even admit that they have never cleaned out the headstock. Excessive sawdust interferes with the circulation or air and the temp goes up.

The number two problem is lack of lubication. This, too, can cause a temperature rise, although not as dramatically as a headstock full of sawdust.

I've been using this simple procedure to clean the headstocks in the Academy, and it seems to work well:
1. Remove the reaer cover and suck out all the fine sawdust you can reach.
2. Turn the motor on and blow out the remaining sawdust with compressed air. By keeping the motor running, you prevent the sawdust from ending up inside the motor. This creates two hazards, however, and you have to be careful. Because the pulleys and belts are exposed you must be especially vigilent to keep your fingers clear of moving parts. Second, if you have a small, enclosed shop the air will quickly fill with a cloud of sawdust. Keep the shop vac running and place the nozzle near the motor to capture as much sawdust at the source as possible.
3. While you're in the maintenance mode, lubricate the sheaves.

With all good wishes,

[dusty]

The recommendations that Nick has given are, as usual, very good and should be adhered too by everyone.

However, I am very conscientious about cleaning and lubrication. In fact, because I knew that I was going to be working the SS hard, I cleaned and lubed it before I started. I even waxed it.

Now belt tension is another point. Tensioning is subjective and while I believe it is correct, it might not be.

But that puppy got hot; hotter than I believe it has ever gotten before. The temperatures here are triple digit (105 to 115 while I was working last week).
I have since touch tested the headstock through the course of the day and it does get unusually warm from the sun, even without operating it.

In the future, I will attempt to keep it out of the direct sun, especially whiling working it hard and I will use a floor fan to keep air moving across the headstock. However, blowing 110 degree air across it may not do much in the way of cooling.

Let it be known that artificial flooring is extremely hard on the blades. As soon as I saw tiny sparks coming from the blade when it contacted the flooring I knew I was taking out a blade. Disconnected the dust collector immediately. Made for nightly sweeping and vacuuming until the flooring was all done.

Once I put a sharp blade back on it, I believe we are ready for another big build or another year of casual wear and tear. As usual, I am very pleased with how it performed. Can't say enough about the crosscut sled; it was a life saver.