Thanks for the thread. I recently acquired a used C3-31 combo machine. 5 year old machine, great condition but required two hands to raise the saw blade.
I found the reference to denatured alcohol, but was unable to find any retail. The local Felder rep sold me some Metallglanz a few months back and told me that would work to cleanup the saw so I used that. I applied with a toothbrush and scrubbed the threads, wiped, then cranked to opposite position and repeated this several times. That alone made it possible to raise the saw blade with one hand.
Getting access was the key - I removed the main electrical box panel cover and flopped the box outwards and rested it on a stool. Then I had clear access to the back side of the saw armatures.
I also cleaned up the lateral guide for the raise/lower mechanism. It is accessible by removing the dust collection shroud and the belt cover (same components that need to be removed for a belt change). There are two bolts that hold a brass friction plate on the vertical guide. They go into threaded holes in the armature and have a nut on the back side. I removed these with the saw in a vertical position and cleaned up the whole assembly as there was a lot of sawdust packed in there. This made the raising/lowering operation even easier. I was careful to check how tight/loose the brass plate was before removing it. I didn't follow a spec, just by observation.
Anyways, not much info out there on this type of thing, wanted to contribute.
Rgs,
Mike
