Scroll saw restoration update

When last we left our heroic scroll saw it was comfortably sitting in the electrolysis tank having the rust removed. Here are two photos of the main casting just after being taken out. In one picture I am pointing at a small area that was not submerged. Notice the difference between this area and the newly cleaned surface.

 

Then after a little bit of touch up cleaning via sandblasting it was time to spray primer. Here are the main castings all primered.

After primer comes the colors. Originally the entire saw was that sort of hunter green color you saw in the first pictures. I decided that the lines of this machine need some classic colors that will make everything pop AND something that will make it look even more retro than it already is. SOOOOOO….

Antique white on the lower edges and charcoal gray for all raised parts. It kinda makes it look like an old washing machine or similar appliance!

Here’s the main casting.

These pics are a little dated. Right now the saw is almost done. I have one of the legs attached and I decided to add some chrome accents to the lateral edges. Check this out!

NOW we’re lookin’ REALLY swanky! This will get done on the front edges as well. Also the speed control lever has been painted with this chrome as well. You’ll see that in the final pics.

Pictured above is the crankcase. This is where the main mechanical action takes place. The shaft rides on open bearings that will receive some oil from the crank case. You can see on the end of the shaft is an eccentrically mounted cam with another eccentric sub shaft attached.

Below you can see the piece that attaches to this. The housing is riveted stamped steel. There is a phenolic block with a brass sleeve bearing inside. The brass sleeve slips over the sub shaft pictured above. The phenolic block slides back and forth to match the location of the eccentric drive shaft. As the shaft spins the stamped assembly will move up and down. It is attached to the lower plunger.

Here is a side shot of the crank case. Mounted on the rear end of the shaft is the variable speed pulley. There are two halves of the pulley that fit together with machined grooves. The spring pushes them together. When the belt tension is changed with the control lever, the belt pulls down and pushes the pulleys apart thus changing the outside diameter of this pulley and making it smaller. Making that pulley smaller in relation to the non changing drive pulley will cause the plunger to move slower. It is a brilliant design, simply constructed, and very functional!

Below is the upper head plunger assembly. This is one of the most amazing parts of this machine! The head is cast iron and it is attached to the upper arm of the saw with, and rides on, precisely machined dovetail ways! There is no slop in the fit on this either. It fits snug! You don’t get that kind of precision and quality construction anymore! The shaft/upper plunger is tensioned with a very beefy spring!

Then I reattached the rack gear. Another well made, heavy steel part. (No cheap parts or pot metal on this machine!) There is a pinion gear that mounts in the arm of the saw and a lock knob. You can adjust the height of the head assembly to use different length blades, or you can use it to ensure proper blade tensioning.

Well at this point I am only waiting to get the motor back from getting new bearings installed. Then I can reinstall the motor, wire everything, and finish assembling the last few pieces! Soon you will see a totally restored machine that will be pressed into service in building some mighty fine instruments!