Band Saw Resurrection
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:04 pm
I have been getting along with a 14" vertical clone band saw with an added 4: reduction as most of the work I do is sawing metal. Something nicer has always been on the list; last year the local, 200 miles away, craigs list had a 16" Doall and I decided it might be the item. Given shipping distances for the next nearest and more expensive saw, the price was realistic, but not great.
I bought it and hauled it home shortly to find that the seller's definitions of condition and mine were at odds; it was obvious that a major disassembly and rebuild were required; that much red dirt and rust do not accumulate in a few months in NM. I tore it completely apart, sent the frame out for sand blasting, put in new bearings, freed up the vari-drive that was frozen solid, rewired, repaired, and painted. Fortunately, no major parts were missing or beyond repair. Doall wanted $46 each for the carbon vanes in the air pump but I was able to find suitable graphite sheets on Ebay for $5 each; only a bit of fitting and sanding needed.
The saw is now operational except for the blade welder which is still on the bench waiting for cleaning and checkout. Very much smoother, faster cutting, and quieter that its predecessor.
The first real test; the neighbor needed to make mounting brackets so he could tow a jeep behind the motor home. We sketched out a design and I had some 3/8" thick plate handy so we used that. The saw had an Lennox bimetal blade with 6/10 pitch and it was going through the plate almost as fast as the old 14" went through wood - well, not quite that fast but fast enough for me to take notice. Pretty good for a machine manufactured in 1953.
Fun
I bought it and hauled it home shortly to find that the seller's definitions of condition and mine were at odds; it was obvious that a major disassembly and rebuild were required; that much red dirt and rust do not accumulate in a few months in NM. I tore it completely apart, sent the frame out for sand blasting, put in new bearings, freed up the vari-drive that was frozen solid, rewired, repaired, and painted. Fortunately, no major parts were missing or beyond repair. Doall wanted $46 each for the carbon vanes in the air pump but I was able to find suitable graphite sheets on Ebay for $5 each; only a bit of fitting and sanding needed.
The saw is now operational except for the blade welder which is still on the bench waiting for cleaning and checkout. Very much smoother, faster cutting, and quieter that its predecessor.
The first real test; the neighbor needed to make mounting brackets so he could tow a jeep behind the motor home. We sketched out a design and I had some 3/8" thick plate handy so we used that. The saw had an Lennox bimetal blade with 6/10 pitch and it was going through the plate almost as fast as the old 14" went through wood - well, not quite that fast but fast enough for me to take notice. Pretty good for a machine manufactured in 1953.
Fun