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Unisaw Died

Last week sometime I went to turn on my newly restored Delta Uni and found nothing but the strange and unsatisfying click of the switch.

"Click."
"What the hell?"
"Click, click click."

Where was my warm soothing hum and the sound of wind whipping through the gullets of my newly purchased saw blade? I love that sound. This unnerving click that had replaced it, was quite upsetting.

I checked the power outlet by plugging in a palm sander. The hope was a bad electrical outlet. That I could manage. I could not manage having spent 10 months and $400 on a saw that, while pretty, would not turn on! To my utter dissatisfaction, the sander worked fine. Crap.

I then did the grown up thing. I cursed. After I got that out of my system I wept. Clearly I wasn't in a good state of mind for further troubleshooting. I walked away. I was pissed but knew I wasn't going to fix it that night.

The a few days later I decided to try again. Now that I was in a much calmer state. If it was the motor, I would expect some strain or grind or at least the overloading pull of amps.

I dissembled the front switch plate of the Unisaw. Upon doing so, I began thinking, that I hadn't done this since April or so of last year. Once inside I found, to my elation, two loose connections. I had never tighten them. I had just used my fingers to secure the wires and put the switch assembly to the side as I began my original restore. After the restore I was concerned with the motor, but never looked at the switch. Once the wires were secured properly and the cover reassembled, all worked as before.

It's amazing how easy it is to panic and not follow a problem logically. A reminder to everyone during times of frustration. Take a step back, give your self a break and come at it with a clear head.

Because, blood sweat and tears cause rust and who needs that kind of aggravation!

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