I was working in the shop yesterday and I was resawing some aromatic cedar into 1/4″ strips with my Ridgid 14″ band saw. I made about 24 of these strips about 6′ long for a wine cellar I’m building.
Anyway, this all went pretty well and after I planed everything down to final thickness I was going to cut some notches in the cedar to fit around some of the cellar frame.
I turn the switch and the motor just hums but the blade just won’t turn. I tried turning the blade manualy and it turned just fine. All the internal parts of the motor that I can see are rotating when I manually turn the wheels but when I flip the switch, just that humming sound.
Has anyone had this sort of experience with a peice of equipment’s motor? Is there a way to fix the things or does this sound like I need a new moto? How can I prevent whatever happened from happening again.
I remember when my old cheap $99 table saw motor burned out while cutting some 8/4 maple it just died right in the middle of the cut and there were no sounds or anything. I wasn’t resawing anything too hard (cedar) and the stock was only about 4-5 inches and (remarkably) I wasn’t rushing and trying to feed too hard. I just don’t get it.
Any suggestions / advice / admonishment would be appreciated. The good news is that I was able to finish the wine cellar and it turned out pretty good. Now I just need a BUNCH of wine to go with it.
Replies
Here's a couple of easy things to try before 'major surgery'.
1... be sure ALL electric connections are tight. Check the plug, at the switch and at the mototor.
2... Take your air hose and BLOW *ALL* the sawdust out of the motor and switch.
3... Use a piece of insulated wire and 'jump' the two terminals on the switch OR replace the switch if it is a 'standard' type of switch.
now for **Major surgery**
4... Have a motor shop check for a bad 'starter capacitor'.
5... If the saw is fairly new, return it for a new one.
SawdustSteve
aak,
Sounds like either a stuck starter switch (this is a cintrifigal switch inside the motor that clicks open after the motor reaches a certian speed) or a bad capacitor. I bet it is the switch, they get fouled with sawdust (unless it is a TEFC motor) and stick in "high gear". Blowing it out with air and wapping it with a wooden mallet usually fixes it. If you have an analog multimeter it is pretty easy to check the capacitors.
Mike
Thanks for the advice. As luck would have it I just got my first compressor so I'll be able to try the air thing. I hope that works.
This saw, when it was made in Taiwan, had a ventilated motor so a stuck centrifugal switch is by far the most likely cause of the problem. A failed condenser is a long shot second possibility.
If blowing out the motor doesn't solve the problem then the end cap will need to be removed to get at the switch, a fairly easy job. The switch mechanism could be gummed up from sawdust or the switch's contacts could be burned, but they can usually be cleaned up. Blowing out the motor regularly will usually keep the problem from occurring again but the best solution would be to use a totally enclosed motor for such a dusty application.
The on/off switch is definitely not the problem, the motor is humming because it is getting power.
John W.
Unplug it and open the box that the switch is mounted in. Look for loose connections, specifically the ground. How old is the saw? Is the humming really loud, like when a motor tries to spin with too much resistance?
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 11/29/2004 5:29 pm ET by highfigh
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled