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DeWalt 788


chippygeoff

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Hi Everyone.

 

I rang a friend a few days ago who I knew had a DeWalt 788 and i asked him if he wanted to sell it. He rang me earlier and said he would bring it over and I gave him the equivalent of $100 for it. It has stood in his shed for nearly two years without being used, it looks a bit grubby but it is all surface dirt and with some TLC it will come up like new but I am not sure on the best way to clean up the cast iron table, there is surface rust on it and if i could restore the surface to its former glory I know the wood i use on it will slide easier, so any tips on how to restore the table would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

 

Geoff.

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Geoff, fine steel wool with a small amount of mineral spirits or a random orbit sander. Start with about 100 grit, work your way up to 320 or 400 grit paper. Then a good coat of Johnson's paste wax. Don't use car wax as it contains silicone which will contaminate your wood for finishing. I rewax the tables on all my tools every couple months depending on how much I use them. The wax will also keep the rust away.

You stole the saw if it is in good working order.

Mick

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Hi Mick. many thanks for the info. I rang a friend who has been sort of my mentor from when I first started, he lives the other end of the country and he advised spraying the table with WD40 and then using wet and dry with a sanding block. What I did first though was to strip the machine down as much as i could and removed the table and put that to one side. I got my vacuum cleaner going and with a stiff brush i cleaned what I could. I then got some anti-bacterial wipes i happened to have under the sink and used those. It was hard work Mick but when I had finished you would think I had just taken the saw out of the box from the supplier. I then got several newspapers on my kitchen table and got the table from the scroll saw up onto it. I sprayed it with WD40 and attacked it with a scouring pad and then cleaned it up with white spirit. I then got a small sanding black and using some wet and dry with WD40 I went to work. I suppose I spent an hour on it and kept cleaning it off with white spirit so i could see my progress. Now I feel I have got the table as good as i am going to get it, there are a few blemishes here and there but the table is as smooth as a babies bottom. I may have another go at it due course.

 

Mick. I was wondering if you could help me further. The DeWalt 788 scroll saw is not available in the UK and I do not have a manual. I want to get the saw in tip top condition before i use it and I was wondering if I should lubricate anything on the saw. I have cleaned the blade clamps and the threads. I am not sure if I should lubricate the arms or if they are sealed units. If you could throw some light on this Mick I would be really grateful. Many thanks again.

 

Geoff.

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Hi Geoff, I don't have a Dewalt saw but belong to several scrolling forums. From what I have read the 788 requires no lubrication, all the moving parts have sealed bearings. Go to http://www.scrollsaws.com Rick has a lot of great information on the 788 plus many other saws.

I fogot to mention that elbow grease works great when cleaning rusty tools. :roll:

Have fun with your new saw.

 

Mick

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Hi Mick.

 

Once again, many thanks for your help. I went to the scrollsaws site and it was a wealth of very useful information and I have added it to my favourites. I went to the DeWalt site and found a section where I could download the manual and that is what I did only to find it was all written in Spanish. I found another site and found one in English and you are right, they are sealed bearings so I don't have to touch them. The only thing I have to do is keep an eye on the motor brushes. Yes Mick, elbow grease certainly works, it was hard work but well worth it. apart from a couple of small blemishes on the table it has come up like brand new and at about $100 a real bargain. I was thinking of getting another scroll saw purely as back up as I had doubts about our electricity supply but an electrician friend told me it would be perfectly okay when i read him the ratings on the motor. I am already to go now Mick and once again, many thanks for your help. Take care and have a great day.

 

Geoff.

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