Well, here we go again. The split dogs are wobbled out and not driving the vise, again. I see that my feed screw shaft has worn at the rear end as has the bushing, so it wobbles. Front bushing not much better. The feed dog split nuts are always the first thing to wear out. As usual, the only place that stocks these parts is HP Lapidary. The good news is they actually have the parts for 18 inch Frantom saws, in stock. Was not cheap until you compare it to the cost of a used saw that actually runs good. Yep, try and find one of those. Screw shaft, 2 bushings, two sets of feed dog split nuts was about $275, free delivery.
I called Cigar Box just to be safe. They are great to work with when you are in a pickle. They are glad to help those that need it but they do not stock many parts, so I went to HP Lapidary. AND, I ordered a second set of split nuts to put on the shelf as those are frequently not in stock.
WARNING: I have always been told that the HP 18 inch saw is almost identical to the Frantom and uses the same parts. So many of these old saws have been modified that there are no guarantees parts are the same. I have no idea how many people owned my Frantom over the years. It has been modified and I am hoping the bushings and shaft will fit.
**** I watched numerous YouTube videos on rebuilding lapidary saws. Fun to watch other people make mistakes I have made. Should have watched them years ago. The one thing I do that I have not seen in the videos, " I take the top off my saw". Four little screws hold on the hinges and one screw on the lid arm. 5 minutes of work and now I can get to every part so easy. Just a thought. More later after the parts arrive.
PS: HP Lapidary just got a new shipment of parts in and are unpacking them to see what showed up. If you are in need you may want to check with them. SOON.
Author
Topic: Rebuilding Frantom 18 inch power feed (Read 1779 times)