Ask the Expert
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Michael Van Pelt is the founder of American Sycamore Woodworker’s Retreat. He has a reputation as the tool guru. Mike has been in woodworking for over thirty years. His knowledge of tools comes from his many years of intertwining experience in the woodworking industry. Mike’s experiences include being active as an Industrial Arts Teacher, professional instructor of power machinery and tool techniques, tool sales, management and owner of woodworking tool retail store, Delta Machinery representative and technical advisory.
If you have a question for Michael, choose the Submit Question button to the right by November 30th. We will send you a reply with Mike's response in mid-December and then post it to this page for other members to view. You never know...someone else may have the same question
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Listed below are questions and answers that have already been submitted.
Questions
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9/24/2009
Drill Press Maintenance
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
Do you have a reference that you prefer to use when you tune-up your drill press? |
| A. |
I highly recommend Mark Duginske “Mastering Woodworking Machines” by Fine Woodworking Taunton Press. Take a look at chapter 5 on the drill press. I believe you will find this information very helpful. |
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9/20/2009
Saw Maintenance and Exotic Wood
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I've been making a jewelry box for my daughter out of seppele wood. It seems to eat up the saw blades. Does it have an effect on the saw as well? Do I need to blow it out more often, brush out trunion etc? |
| A. |
I worked in a cabinet shop for years and we cut tons of the most awful stuff in the world, Particle Board. I can not imagine a material worse for equipment than particle board and this had no long term effect on our inner saw works. Although you are working with a very hard material, other than normal care, you should be fine. |
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9/9/2009
Cleaning & Maintaining Cast-Iron Table Saw Tops
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
What's the best product for cleaning and maintaining cast iron table saw tops? |
| A. |
For me it's a to fold process. First I treat the table top with a product called Boeshield T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection. The product was developed by the Boeing Co. for lubricating and protection of aircraft components. Then when the T-9 is dry I apply a coat of paste wax which helps keep moisture off and makes it a smooth surface so the wood glides across the surface without friction. Try it. I think you will be happy. |
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4/16/2009
Hollow Chisel Mortiser Tune Up
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
Can you suggest ways of ensuring that the sides of the mortise are smooth and parallel with the edge of the work piece? How to get the best results? |
| A. |
A simple tune up is all it takes. Insert the hollow chisel mortiser and bit. Move the fence up and square the back of the chisel to the fence. Lock the chisel and bit in place. Now the walls have to be perfect. |
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4/14/2009
Table Saw Maintenance
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I inherited my Delta 10 inch Unisaw from my Dad when he finally closed his shop. The saw is old but still runs fine. My Dad changed out the motor to single phase 220V so we could use it in my garage.Before that it was three phase. If I want to give it a service job, like after major mileage on a car, what do you suggest I look at to keep it in fine running shape? I am only a hobby wood worker. Are there any manuals that could help me? Are there any after market plans for dust control for the saw? |
| A. |
Congratulations on a great saw and a nice gift from your father. Not much to be
maintained other than keeping the top free of rust with a good waxing and
checking proper belt tension. You will need to call Delta with your model or
serial number to find out what or any accessories made will fit your particular
model. |
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4/14/2009
Table Saw Tune Up
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I have a 10 inch 1.5 horse power contractor table saw from delta. I bought it new in 2002. It is still is really good shape and cuts real well but ... When I am ripping a board it cuts one end 1/16 to 1/8 wider at one end then the other other end depending on the length od the board. The longer the cut the more it is out on the other end (Closer to 1/8 then 1/16). All the reading I have done says I have to adjust the "trunnions" What is a trunnion? Where are they located on the table saw? Is this a one man or two man job? |
| A. |
In order
for your saw to rip straight and cut straight three things must be aligned:
your blade, your fence, and your miter gauge slots all must be parallel. Slide
your fence over to the slots and look and feel to see if the fence is straight
with the slots. If not adjust your fence to be straight. Now the next part is
a little trickier. You want your blade to be square and parallel to the fence.
Your trunnion is the mechanics that are under the table and is bolted to the
underneath of the saw table. One must loosen the bolts enough to slide the
trunnion into the square possession and then retighten the bolts. You will need
a helper to do this. Perhaps someone with more woodworking experience can guide
you. There are several good books on this subject. |
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6/27/2008
Table Saw Top Care
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
How should a person care for a steel table saw top? |
| A. |
Use spray on Top Coat twice a year to stop all rust and your reduce cutting friction too. Find it at Woodcraft. |
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6/27/2008
Tool Sharpening
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
I enjoy doing lathe work however I can never keep my tool sharp any good suggestion except reading a book that does not work for me. |
| A. |
Use a sixty grit strip sander to keep all bevels flat and shiny to the cutting edge. Leave the wire burr on the edge of the cutting tool for best shavings. This works better than anything else. A red diamond stone can hone the burr off of the skew after the bevels are perfect. Otherwise leave the burr on all other lathe chisels.
|
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6/20/2008
Table Saw Cleaning
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
What's the best way to clean and protect a cast iron table saw top. I have the Delta 34-444. |
| A. |
For me it's a two fold process. First I treat the table top with a product called Boeshield T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection. The product was developed by the Boeing Co. for lubricating and protection of aircraft components. Then when the T-9 is dry I apply a coat of paste wax which helps keep moisture off and makes it a smooth surface so the wood glides across the surface without friction. Try it. I think you wil;l be happy. Mike |
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2/25/2008
Tools in Storage
Answer provided by Marc Adams
| Q. |
I have 4 Delta tools that have been in storage for 4
years. Rusty tables and sure movements inside also. What should I do to get
them in top shape again? Oil run and
dryout, etc. |
| A. |
Lets get those elbows greased first, ok! First I’m not
sure which tools you are talking about specifically but as a rule the first
thing I would do is spray all the rusted surfaces down with a good coating of
wd40.Let it sit for a day and then come back with some 0000 steal wool and get
back down to the metal. Spray more wd40 and clean off with paper towels. Now I
doubt that we are back to shiny castings yet but now I would consider using one
off the commercial tool rust removers {some kind of acid I believe] .Spray a
good coating in a small area and scrub with a maroon 3m pad .Work one section
at a time . For the insides of the machine you might be surprised. Before
starting up make sure you give it a good inspection. Look for rodent damage
turn everything over by hand to make sure it moves freely. If so plug it in and
give it a try. You will probably still need to grease and oil all the moving
parts just like when performing normal maintenance and you might need new
blades or at least sharpened. |
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8/6/2007
Delta Planer Maintenance Question
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q: |
I
have a Delta 22-580 planer through which I ran a recycled piece of redwood containing
an unseen broken off deck screw (I have since bought a metal detector to ensure
that I do not repeat the mistake). I replaced the blades on the planer, and
it seems to cut okay, though perhaps not as well as it once did – I often get
wavy cuts in the boards that need to be sanded out. Since the screw
incident, however, the planer does not feed boards through very well.
They often need to be pushed or pulled through the tool. I have inspected
the feed gears and rollers, and they appear to be in good condition. Do I
need to realign the rollers in relation to the knives, or could something else
be going on?
|
| A: |
First thing I would do is to clean the rollers
of any residue. I then would paste wax
the planer beds and outfeed tables. If
this did not correct the feed problem I would check the knife setting and the
roller settings. You will find your
owners manual very helpful in explaining this procedure. |
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8/6/2007
Palm Sander Maintenance
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q: |
What type of glue should be used when replacing
pad on palm sanders? |
| A: |
Most replacement pads that I am familiar with
are screwed onto the bottom of the sander and have a hard backing applied at
the factory. If the pad is coming loose from the backing I suggest that you
simply just replace the complete pad.
In a pinch I used some hot glue and glued the pad on till I could find a
replacement. |
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8/6/2007
Tool Maintenance Question
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q: |
For those of us who are lucky enough to own
several large tools (unisaws, drill presses, shapers, bandsaws, etc) is there a
good tool maintaince reference book? One that describes what to look for , how
to setup and resquare tools, how to replace and sharpen planer nad jointer
blades, etc? |
| A: |
I highly
recommend Mark Duginski’s book:
MASTERING WOODWORKING MACHINES. I
believe you will find many great tips and this book is very well illustrated.
|
