36" bandsaw restoration (WIP), more PICTURES!

[Sully]

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[Bill Clemmons]

Re: Restoring a 36" bandsaw

As w/ all your projects Jay, I'll enjoy seeing the process, as well as the finished project. :icon_thum

Bill

 

[Mike Camp]

Re: Restoring a 36" bandsaw

I've been looking forward to this restore. What process do you think you are going to use to clean up the top?

 

[Bas]

Re: Restoring a 36" bandsaw

Getting out the popcorn....looks like this is going to be a great restoration!

 

[Hardcharger14]

Re: Restoring a 36" bandsaw

Glad to see you are making progress and finding no surprises. Steve Mc

 

[Sully]

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[Sully]

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[meredj]

Jay, I really enjoy seeing and reading the restoration progress of these machines. Is the avatar that you have a similar machine as the one you are restoring now?

 

[jhreed]

I will bet that saw will run a month after you disconnect the power.
James

 

[CDPeters]

Wow Jay - very impressive. The work on the bearings alone - I learn so much from watching you work! Thanks for all the detailed photos and descriptions. :eusa_clap:eusa_clap

C.

 

[Sully]

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[scsmith42]

Jay, great post and restoration; I really enjoyed reading it.

I've always wanted to try my hand at pouring some babbit bearings; reading your post made me feel like I had been there when you did it!

Thanks for sharing.

Scott

 

[AlexSwansboro]

Yep. It's the same machine:

I have seen this machine ini person when I went to Jay's farm to get some wood. It is massive and looks really neat. Restoration work is very impressive.

 

[Hardcharger14]

Jay, Looking Good, The wheels cleaned up well. Steve Mc

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Have you decided on the type of wheel enclosure you will make- sold or screen? Did you consider a different motor/pulley/belt setup?

Are you going to keep it :wsmile:

 

[ErnieM]

I saw this monster the last time I was at the farm picking up some wood. The pictures don't (can't) convey the size of this beast. It is HUGE! There is nothing that Jay isn't willing to tackle - and do it successfully. Knowing his dad, I can say the nut doesn't fall far from the tree (no pun intended):wsmile:.

Ernie

 

[Sully]

I had briefly contemplated converting the machine to pillow blocks but could not bring myself to butcher the character of this saw in that way. With regards to the motor/pulley setup you need a big driven pulley to get the RPMs down. It was either a giant multi-sheave pulley or some type of countershaft, neither of which I found attractive. The motor for this saw is a 7.5 HP three phase motor already configured with a flat-belt pulley.
J

Have you decided on the type of wheel enclosure you will make- sold or screen? Did you consider a different motor/pulley/belt setup?

Are you going to keep it :wsmile:

 

[Sully]

Forgot to answer the rest of your query. As to the wheel enclosure I have not decided yet. I may go with the minimalist approach for guards as it would have originally been configured with only a guard on the left hand side and the right hand side. Obviously mine has aftermarket wheels but the jist is the same.

If I go with enclosures I'm leaning towards something along the lines of the snowflake pattern like on the old Yates American machines.

Will I keep it? :wsmile: Good question! I've already sold off the other 36"er so this one has been whispering to me that it would like to take up permanent residence.

Have you decided on the type of wheel enclosure you will make- sold or screen? Did you consider a different motor/pulley/belt setup?

Are you going to keep it :wsmile:

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

What is it going to take to put decent guides on it?

I think you need to find two, large, flat, smooth, 15" X 36" slabs of CI or steel so I can use it and a Shelix head to make a monster jointer, like Mathias Wandel did with the journal from a 12 1/2 lunch box planer!

 

[Sully]

It has Wright guides that came on it. I just finished cleaning them up and servicing the bearings. These are supposed to be very good guides although I have never used Wrights before. They are quite beefy and most likely original to the machine per the literature brochure for the machine. Mine came with Wright size Number 1.

Production of Wright style guides was started up again by Woodworkers Tool Works and now by another company out of Oregon. They run about $300 per guide.

Wright Band Saw Guides


The above picture is from the website. Mine are identical just don't have any pictures of them.

J

PS: Finding the steel or the CI is not a problem. Grinding it flat is gonna be $$$$$

What is it going to take to put decent guides on it?

I think you need to find two, large, flat, smooth, 15" X 36" slabs of CI or steel so I can use it and a Shelix head to make a monster jointer, like Mathias Wandel did with the journal from a 12 1/2 lunch box planer!