Removing a stuck table saw arbor nut can be done, although be forewarned that patience and composure are key. Before starting, be sure to clean out the area surrounding the blade so there’s a dust-free workplace. You’ll be using oil, wax, fire, and other materials that will get 'goopy' with any leftover sawdust.
IMPORTANT
FIRST - Double check you are turning the nut in the correct direction. The threads are often reversed and you will need to hold the arbor in place while turning the nut. There should be two indentations on the arbor on the opposite side of the blade.
The arbor wrench on the left is holding the blade still while the arbor wrench on the right is turning the nut towards the front of the table saw.
If you’ve already been working for several hours and/or are in conditions that are adding stress and frustration, take a break from the shop, head inside and read through this article.
Here are 6 ways to remove a stuck table saw arbor nut, that are listed in the order we recommend trying because of their simplicity or time/effort requirements.
Here’s a high-level overview of what the steps will look like:
- Give the nut some firm taps with a hammer, try to use a socket and breaker bar to remove.
- Coat the nut and arbor in penetrating oil and allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a larger and larger breaker bar with a socket.
- Heat the nut and the arbor to where it’s almost glowing. Allow it to cool.
- Try again with the breaker bar and socket
- Heat the nut and arbor again, apply paraffin wax to the threads and nut while still hot. Allow it to cool.
- Try again with the breaker bar and socket
- If no success, there are two options from here - use a nut splitter, or disassemble the saw and use an impact wrench.
Safely removing the nut
Be aware that removing a stuck nut may be a 15 minute project, or it could take several hours and go into the next day. A few recommendations for doing this safely since most workplace injuries take place when the user is tired, fatigued, frustrated, or all of the above.
- STOP if you’re tired or frustrated. Seriously, a trip to the ER will take up more time and money than waiting another day to get the job done.
- Have another hand nearby to help. Someone will need to hold the arbor wrench to prevent the arbor from spinning and the other will use the breaker bar.
- Penetrating oil is flammable, as is sawdust. Sawdust coated in penetrating oil is very flammable. Keep the area free of sawdust or any oil runoff when using heat.
- Always wear safety glasses - things may break and fragments can go flying. Don’t lose your vision because of a stuck nut. Do you really want to say you lost some of your vision because you got a nut in the eye?
- Lastly, watch out for the blade. You may be using a lot of force near a sharp blade. Keep your leverage position out of the way of the blade. You don’t want to slip and run your hand into the blade. If you have a large piece of wood available (ex. 4x4 scrap), cut into it and cover the blade with this piece of wood.
How to remove a stuck arbor nut on a table saw
Tap the nut with a hammer
Start by firmly tapping the nut with a hammer. You may need to use a chisel, pipe, or other piece of metal to reach the nut. Make sure you alternative to different sides of the arbor nut with each tap. The idea here is that the taps may help loosen the corrosion or rust that have built up.
After you’ve tapped one side, immediately rotate the nut to hit the other side. You shouldn’t be hitting it so hard that you may risk bending the arbor, but you’re not tickling it either. Give it a firm tap.
Use a socket and breaker bar
The socket and breaker bar are going to be your best friends for the however long this takes. After tapping the nut, use a, preferably half inch, socket and breaker bar to start trying to turn the nut. If you do not have an actual breaker bar, you can use a piece of conduit or square metal tubing on the end of your socket wrench to get additional leverage.
This is a great excuse to buy a new tool as I promise this will not be the last time you use it. Additionally, low-profile sockets may work better here due to the limited space.
The longer the breaker bar is, the greater the leverage you have on the nut. If your first breaker bar doesn’t do anything, try working with a longer breaker bar.
Break out the penetrating oil
A good penetrating oil like PB Blaster, FreeAll, or really anything that’s advertised as ‘penetrating oil’ will do the trick. Take your penetrating oil and coat the nut and neighboring threads in the oil and allow it to soak in for 15 to 20 minutes.
After it has finished soaking, wipe off the remaining excess oil and use your breaker bar again to free the stuck nut.
If you have the time, allow the oil to soak in for several hours or even overnight. This is a situation where one of the best things you can do is to wait and allow the oil to work its way through the threads.
If you work through the soak-breaker-bar-soak-breaker-bar routine a couple times and there’s no movement, it’s time to turn up the heat.
Heat the nut up
Wipe up any excess penetrating oil and double check that there is no sawdust, penetrating oil, or other flammable material around the work area.
Using either a blow torch or nut heater, apply direct heat to the nut and arbor for 30 seconds or just before it’s glowing. Allow the nut to cool back down to room temperature. Again, try the breaker bar and socket. If you still are unsuccessful in loosening the nut, heat it up and let it cool for several rounds.
During the second round or later, try adding some paraffin (candle) wax to the threads and nut. The paraffin wax will act like the penetrating oil in that it will work its way into the threads of the nut and arbor and help to provide some lubrication.
The thermal expansion and contraction of the metals should help loosen up any internal rust or corrosion. After the nut and arbor have cooled, you may revert back to tapping the nut with a hammer.
Two last resort options - impact wrench or break the nut
At this point, there are not too many options left. You can either:
- Use a nut breaker
- Use an impact wrench
The arbor nut on the DeWalt DWE7491 measures 0.8980 inches or 22.81mm.
Breaking the nut is not preferred as then you’ll need to wait for a replacement to come in and it’s not 100% guaranteed to work. Depending on the hardness of the nut will dictate what kind of splitter you will need. The lower end nut splitters are a simple twist to split mechanism and are less than $40.
Universal Nut Splitter | K Tool International
Splits rusted or frozen nuts 1/8" to 15/16" across flats. Use a hand wrench and tighten until the frozen or locked nut is split
Compound angle design with 360 degree rotating cutter allows use in difficult to reach locations
Other nut splitters that are required for hardened nuts require a pneumatic system and run as high as $200 for a low end model.
If you don’t want to split the nut, the other alternative is to use an impact wrench. Depending on your saw, you may or may not be able to fit a right angle impact driver on the arbor nut. Given that it’s a fairly tight space, the odds of a fitting an impact driver and the socket or slim to none.
1/2" Cordless Right Angle Impact wrench | Seesii
The Seesii right angle impact wrench features a 2.3'' head, 14.7'' reach. The slim, lightweight design and compact yet powerful brushless motor allow you to efforts tighten and remove bolts in any tiny, confined and narrow workspaces.
Instead, if you want to reach the stuck nut with a impact driver, you’ll need to take the saw apart. This means a nearly full disassembly for some saws as the top may need to be removed for you to access the nut.
Future Prevention Methods
You don’t want to go through this experience again, right? We recommend applying a bit of anti-seize to the threads of the nut and arbor. This is especially useful if you live in a high-humidity environment, like near a coast. The anti-seize will help to prevent the nut from rusting or seizing up on the arbor.