Equipment/Donkey Saw

CURRENT STATUS: Out of action until it can be properly fixed to the floor and levelled. UPDATE: Shock absorber fixed.

Donkey saw
Sub-category	Metalworking
Status	Out of order
Last updated	21 January 2022 12:56:11
Consumables	Blades, Oil
ACnode	no
Origin	Pledge:_Donkey_Saw
Location	Basement, Dirty Metal Shop
Maintainers	yetifiasco Property "Location" (as page type) with input value "Basement, [[Dirty Metal Shop" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.

A nice clean Donkey saw, please keep it that way.

Oil holes on top, fill before use.

Oil holes on the left side, fill before use.

Oil holes on the back arm, fill before use.

NEVER LEAVE THE VICE BAR IN THIS POSITION! The saw will hit it and break.

Clean the swarf away after use.

Types of Materials it can Cut

• All iron/steel tube/box section
• All iron/steel rod/bar
• Larger aluminium tube/box section
• Larger aluminium rod/bar
• Non-ferrous rod/bar (NOT copper piping)

Types of Materials it CANNOT Cut

• ANY plate material, only a few teeth catch during the cut and there is a high chance of snapping the blade
• Small aluminium rod/bar/tube/box section, the saw is too heavy duty and will mangle the piece
• Copper piping for the above reasons
• Wood
• Plastic

Before Use

• Check the machine is stable and doesn't wobble
• Brush swarf from the clamping area
• Add oil to all oil holes with oil can
• Put a few drips of oil on the runners

Clamping

• Lift the saw arm up and prop it using the connected metal bar
• Set the vice to the correct angle using a 21mm spanner and a set square/angle gauge against the saws blade
• Clamp the job firmly, make sure it is level against the vice bed and any excess is supported
• GENTLY lower the saw arm back down until it is resting on the job, making sure the metal prop bar has fallen back in its slot - Shock absorber now fixed, arm will lower slowly by itself when dropped
• IMPORTANT: Make sure the vice handle is out of the way of the saw and will not fall in front of the saw whilst in use, this is the only way to machine can really be damaged

During Cutting

• Keep the cutting area well lubricated with oil throughout
• DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE SAW ARM, this will not make it cut faster, it will only stress the blade and strain the motor, potentially breaking both
• Once the cut is complete, the saw should automatically turn off, if it doesn't, turn off the saw using the stop button and contact either YetiFiasco or paddyd on IRC

After Cutting

• Clean any metal swarf from the vice beds, vice head and screw thread
• Brush any metal swarf from beneath the blade to the trays at the side
• If the trays are full, scoop them out using a scraper
• Apply a light coat of oil to the vice bed if it is dry
• Make sure you leave the saw lowered