[TheForge] BANDSAWS?

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

I have an old Sears Industrial band saw that I love. Pretty  heavily 
built with a quick clamping vise.   The motor hangs underneath, and 
drives a bevel gear that runs on a shaft that is also the pivot point 
for the saw.   I replaced the motor with a standard half horsepower unit 
years ago.  You can get new tires from Sears for the wheels. They  will 
come off over time when they age.   Mine will  work as a vertical saw 
already.  There is a hydraulic cylinder that controls the feed rate that 
limits it to 45 degrees verticle, but I can loosen the bottom mount for 
that with a large knurled hand nut, and then it goes all the way 
vertical.  Not sure what version you have, but someone may have replaced 
the knurled hand nut with something else over time.  The table is very 
small.    I need to rebuild the hydraulic feed cylinder since the 
adjustment knob on it only has about 15 degrees of turn that seem to 
make any difference in the feed.  I do prefer my band saw to a chop saw. 
 Very quiet and does its thing more or less un-attended, shuts off when 
its done.

I have drawn up some plans for a shop built chop saw using a standard 
electric motor that I will build eventually, but since band saw performs 
as I need, other things take precedence.   I periodically borrow my 
neighbor's  fifteen plus year old Ohio Forge chop saw if I have a lot of 
thinwall square tubing to do.   Round tubing I tend to just use a pipe 
cutter on, or cut with a hole saw setup.  I will probably build an air 
hammer or english wheel next, before I ever get around to building the 
chop saw. It would be interesting, though,  to adapt a hydraulic feed to 
it, slow the speed down and try the design out as a cold saw.   Then 
again, I have a 1890's horizontal mill that is mre or less built for that..

Charles  


Walter L. Mullett wrote:

>Speaking of bandsaws....
>
>I've got an old Sears unit that throws the rubber off the drive wheel.  Do
>any of you know why?
>
>I think I have it adjusted right and it worked ok until recently.  Is the
>rubber just worn out or is there something I can do to keep it on?  -
>silicone?  It seems to be very oily.
>
>Also -
>
>Have any of you tried to adapt one of these to make it a verticle saw.  This
>one will not open past 45 degrees.
>
>Walt
>  
>