Iguanadon Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 So, my original DW788 started making noise last December and I was in the heat of holiday cutting season and couldn't have any down time so I simply bought another one so I could keep on cutting. Well, now my new one is starting to cry for attention a little bit so I am getting worried it may require maintenance soon, so.... I bit the bullet and I'm taking apart my original one to see what may need some grease or replacing. So far, nothing is jumping out at me. The bushings look OK, the bearings aren't missing any needles, but need grease. I'm re-watching the videos by Gwinnett Woodworkers to see what else I need to look for and check. I have a full set of spare bearings and bushings if needed, but I can't tell that any actually need replacing. I'll tinker with it the rest of today and tomorrow and then the tough part... re-assembly... That actually concerns me as I'm not really all that mechanically inclined, but I'll work my way through it, cursing all the way I'm sure. LOL Wish me luck. Iggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 My current jumble of parts. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatknobtony Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Good luck Iggy, my heart goes out to you for I also excel at taking things apart but Jeeez do I ever suck at putting things back together. Iguanadon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Good luck Scott ! Iguanadon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl S Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 I hate to say this, but you would be better off by not tearing it completely down as you show. Just remove parts, inspect and or repair as needed, and then move on to the next section while leaving the frame of the saw together as the Gwinnett video shows. I'm not trying to be mean just helpful since you say you're not great at putting things back together. You will be fine, just take your time and look everything over really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Best of luck Scott. Keep at it, you'll get there. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Scott just take your time and go slow. When you get tired walk away from it. A bearing may look okay but be bad. Also don't save the new bearings go ahead and put them in. You have already taken it apart. Be sure and put both the needle part of the bearing and the sleeve in at the same time. When you get it fixed you will be so proud of your self. GrampaJim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 OK, well, I greased a few bearings, replaced a couple of bushings and then started to freak out with all the parts laying around so I put it all back together while I somewhat remembered where stuff went. Good news - No leftover parts or screws! LOL When I turn it on, it sounds better but I haven't tried cutting anything yet. Bad news - My tensioner is way off and barely tensioning so I must have messed with something somehow. That'll give me something to look at tomorrow. I figure the more I take it apart and put it together, the better I'll get at it. I've gone thru the exercise of adjusting the tensioner before, but this is WAY off... something is whacky. I'll figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 1 hour ago, Karl S said: I hate to say this, but you would be better off by not tearing it completely down as you show. Just remove parts, inspect and or repair as needed, and then move on to the next section while leaving the frame of the saw together as the Gwinnett video shows. I'm not trying to be mean just helpful since you say you're not great at putting things back together. You will be fine, just take your time and look everything over really well. In order to remove the entire jogger arm assembly, you have to do that. I've watched the videos and depending on what you're trying to do sometimes you can keep it partially assembled. Part 3 is the best one for seeing the total teardown. GrampaJim and poupster2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry1939 Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Iggy, Do yourself a favor. There is a connecting rod bolted onto the motor. On the other end of that piece is an undersized bolt that carries the full load of the saw. It broke on my Delta and a few other Dewalt & Delta owners on this site had that happen also. Take that bolt to your hardware store and buy one like it, but stainless steel. Stainless is a harder metal. jerry Iguanadon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrampaJim Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Keep at it - You can do this. When I did mine, nothing looked bad either, but I when ahead and all the bearings and bushings anyway. I did have to readjust the tensioner after reassembly too. The good news is taking it all apart again is not so scary after you do it once. Iguanadon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 We got Faith in ya Iggy.But this has me concerned.I have read here in the Village several times about Fellow Scroller.s having trouble with their DW 788,It has given me 2nd thoughts about it being my next saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 58 minutes ago, lawson56 said: We got Faith in ya Iggy.But this has me concerned.I have read here in the Village several times about Fellow Scroller.s having trouble with their DW 788,It has given me 2nd thoughts about it being my next saw. I've been very happy with the Dewalt overall. It cuts well, it's smooth, replacing blades is easy, however, the fact that I'm "wearing them out" in about 9 months has me mildly concerned. But then I hear that out of the factory Dewalt simply oil the bearings and bushings rather than using grease and what I'm hopeful of is that if I can perform maintenance on them myself (and not screw other things up in the process), I'll get longer use out of them between tear downs. I now have 3 Dewalts and my long term plan is to get comfortable, efficient and proficient doing this and I'll be set rotating the 3 saws over the next couple of decades. If I'd known from day 1 that I'd become a puzzle junkie, cutting over1,000 puzzles in my first full year, I'd have likely bought an Excalibar or Hegner right off the bat. lawson56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 1,000 puzzles in 9 months. @$25 a pop= $25,000! Sell your machine for a couple hundred $ and buy a new one might be a better option. But after 9 months it is under warranty so let DeWalt fix it. Look at how many puzzles you could have cut while fixing the saw. Was it worth the down time. I have a Hegner and it has some limitations. I cut some stamp puzzles (stamp glued on 1/4" Baltic Birch) using a jewelers blade. It's almost impossible to adjust the tension and fit the blade into Hegner's blade holder. Same with FD puzzle blades. I don't know if the Ex has the same problem. Would like to know if the new Seyco saw could accommodate jewelers and puzzle blades. Hope someone will chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 20 minutes ago, orangeman said: 1,000 puzzles in 9 months. @$25 a pop= $25,000! Sell your machine for a couple hundred $ and buy a new one might be a better option. But after 9 months it is under warranty so let DeWalt fix it. Look at how many puzzles you could have cut while fixing the saw. Was it worth the down time. I have a Hegner and it has some limitations. I cut some stamp puzzles (stamp glued on 1/4" Baltic Birch) using a jewelers blade. It's almost impossible to adjust the tension and fit the blade into Hegner's blade holder. Same with FD puzzle blades. I don't know if the Ex has the same problem. Would like to know if the new Seyco saw could accommodate jewelers and puzzle blades. Hope someone will chime in. Funny you say that... I'm almost of the thinking that if I can get 500 puzzles out of each saw and the saw costs me $500, then it's "only" a buck a puzzle... which is pretty much what I pay for booth/event space... it's just another cost of doing business. If I knew someone that would want to buy a used Dewalt saw for $200 every 6-9 months that needs maintenance, then I'd be down to only $300 expense for every 500 puzzles. However, 1/2 a day or a day of downtime to perform maintenance every year really isn't that bad (assuming that once greased properly the saw lasts longer than 6-9 between maintenance cycles), especially if I take a day to do it in the winter when I don't have any events going on. FYI - I swapped out my saws this morning and used the one I worked on yesterday to cut the outline of 3 puzzles and so far, so good. We'll see if the entire saw flies apart into 812 pieces in a few days. daveww1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharleyL Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 Taking one of these saws entirely apart IS NOT a good way for an inexperienced person to go about rebuilding one of these saws, but I'm glad to see that it seems to have worked out OK for you. I have always recommended only taking one sub-assembly apart at a time, checking and/or replacing the bearings and re-lubricating them, before moving on to the next sub-assembly. Doing it this way keeps the removed parts together better and your memory clearer about where everything came from, so you get it back together correctly. Charley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 3 hours ago, Iguanadon said: I've been very happy with the Dewalt overall. It cuts well, it's smooth, replacing blades is easy, however, the fact that I'm "wearing them out" in about 9 months has me mildly concerned. But then I hear that out of the factory Dewalt simply oil the bearings and bushings rather than using grease and what I'm hopeful of is that if I can perform maintenance on them myself (and not screw other things up in the process), I'll get longer use out of them between tear downs. I now have 3 Dewalts and my long term plan is to get comfortable, efficient and proficient doing this and I'll be set rotating the 3 saws over the next couple of decades. If I'd known from day 1 that I'd become a puzzle junkie, cutting over1,000 puzzles in my first full year, I'd have likely bought an Excalibar or Hegner right off the bat. Scott your taking advice from Dewalt who put those crappy bearings in the saw. I have some experience with bearings and oil being better than grease is hog wash. That is my story and I am sticking to it. You should contact "CharleyL" who is on this form. He has a wealth of knowledge about this kind of things. He also is very happy to help with problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 Well I know a Hegner will easily cut the puzzles you make. And it will do it forever. Watch Craigslist for a good used variable speed 21 inch one. You can get them for a price of a new DeWalt. Or a used Hawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 25 minutes ago, CharleyL said: Taking one of these saws entirely apart IS NOT a good way for an inexperienced person to go about rebuilding one of these saws, but I'm glad to see that it seems to have worked out OK for you. I have always recommended only taking one sub-assembly apart at a time, checking and/or replacing the bearings and re-lubricating them, before moving on to the next sub-assembly. Doing it this way keeps the removed parts together better and your memory clearer about where everything came from, so you get it back together correctly. Charley Hey Charley, great to hear from you. Once I got the overall assembly disconnected, I only took one screw out at a time to check the sleeve and grease the bearing. I know my limited ability and memory. :-D Hoping nothing flies off the saw over the next couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poupster2 Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) 20 hours ago, Iguanadon said: I have a full set of spare bearings and bushings if needed, but I can't tell that any actually need replacing. I'll tinker with it the rest of today and tomorrow and then the tough part... re-assembly... That actually concerns me as I'm not really all that mechanically inclined, but I'll work my way through it, cursing all the way I'm sure. LOL Wish me luck. Iggy Hi Iggy, where did you get a full set of bearings and bushings? I'm in the process of biting the bullet also but I'd like to be ready will all the right parts before I take mine apart. Edited June 8, 2017 by poupster2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 40 minutes ago, poupster2 said: Hi Iggy, where did you get a full set of bearings and bushings? I'm in the process of biting the bullet also but I'd like to be ready will all the right parts before I take mine apart. Hi Christian, Take a look at this thread that I started and then provided my findings and what I ordered. I hope this helps. Iggy poupster2 and NC Scroller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonylumps Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) Iggy I know you have a game plan with the Dewalt saws But keep what Scrapple said about the Hegner in mind.Since you got me hooked on puzzles I have done about 25 in 3/4 oak.I will not do this with my EX I only use the EX for 1/2" and under where I have to keep feeding the blade like doing word art.But doing puzzles i only have to feed the blade 2 or 3 times per puzzle.Like the Dewalt the EX has too many moving parts.The hegner just keeps on going with a few drops of 3 in 1 oil.A good used one will cost a few dollars more than a New dewalt. Edited June 8, 2017 by tonylumps Iguanadon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) 29 minutes ago, tonylumps said: Iggy I know you have a game plan with the Dewalt saws But keep what Scrapple said about the Hegner in mind.Since you got me hooked on puzzles I have done about 25 in 3/4 oak.I will not do this with my EX I only use the EX for 1/2" and under where I have to keep feeding the blade like doing word art.But doing puzzles i only have to feed the blade 2 or 3 times per puzzle.Like the Dewalt the EX has too many moving parts.The hegner just keeps on going with a few drops of 3 ii 1 oil.A good used one will cost a few dollars more than a New dewalt. Thanks Tony, you have all started me thinking about a Hegner... DARN YOU ALL!!!! :-D The saw I worked on yesterday is doing better, but it's far from being back to 100% and honestly I don't know if I have the skills and desire to try to maintain them myself. For sale 2 Dewalt 788 scroll saws. Heavily used, need some minor maintenance... Make offer. LOL (That will still leave me 1 as a backup saw) Edited June 8, 2017 by Iguanadon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhwoodwerks Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 13 minutes ago, Iguanadon said: Thanks Tony, you have all started me thinking about a Hegner... DARN YOU ALL!!!! :-D The one I worked on is doing better, but it's far from being back to 100% and honestly I don't know if I have the skills and desire to try to maintain them myself. For sale 2 Dewalt 788 scroll saws. Heavily used, need some minor maintenance... Make offer. LOL I would definitely buy one, but I bet shipping would cost as much as it would the saw. I'm in Kansas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonylumps Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 Just now, djhwoodwerks said: I would definitely buy one, but I bet shipping would cost as much as it would the saw. I'm in Kansas! I think for your kind of work .The Hegner would be perfect I do a little of everything.Thats why I have 2 Saws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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