Old Band Saw - Need Help/Advice

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BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
A friend of mine traded to me an old resaw band saw. Right now, it has a 2.5" blade on it and I would like to set it up for nothing but resawing. It is a Makita 16" model.

The problem is, I don't know too much about motors and electrical stuff and I'm not sure where to start in "restoring" it. I can remove rust but it's the internal workings that I am concerned about messing up.

I was surprised it was 110 only and has a little motor (at least it looks little).

I have not plugged it in nor turned it on because I didn't want to ruin something by trying to turn it on before it was unfrozen, unstuck, or whatever else might be wrong with it.

Does anyone have any ideas as to where I should start? I am going to have to build a new base for it since the wooden base it was on cracked when he used a tractor to get it off the truck. I think I can handle that part of it.

Click on the thumbnail below to see a larger image.





(I don't know what all those knobs do, yet.)

 

nelsone

New User
Ed
Wow, that looks like an awesome saw! I'd love to have something like that. Is the motor frozen? Can you turn the blade without power?
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
Yes. I just went out and tried it. It turns freely.

Frankly, a blade that size makes me a little nervous about turning it on when I don't know the condition of the saw. I think I'd like to stand back about 25 feet when I do turn it on:saw:.
 

Woodman2k

Greg Bender
Corporate Member
Susan,
that looks to be a score and a half.What you might want to do is get the blade off and mess with the mechanicals.That way you can turn it on if your curiousity gets the best of you.The way that motor is setup you could put just about anything on it with a little bracketry.Wish I was closer,I love to get involved in that restoration.What is the model number? Pm me if you have any questions?
Greg
 

Woodman2k

Greg Bender
Corporate Member
Susan,
google or bing makita 16" resaw and the info is there.Seems to be a stout resaw with some interesting features.It does not use standard replaceable tires so do your homework and you should end up with a great resaw.It is not designed to run smaller / normal blades.
Greg
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
Then I wish you lived closer, too! We do have a spare bedroom if you don't mind sleeping with one of the cats. :rotflm:

The Model is a 2116. It is 115 V, 19 A, 1460 W but the RPM has been rubbed off.

I read on another site that the tires are part of the wheel and are not made to be replaced. This person also said that because of the way they were made, for industrial use, a woodworker wouldn't need to replace them in his or her lifetime. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the upper cover open, yet. I'm going to have to pry it open unless there is a hidden lock somewhere that I can't find.

They also said that, even though the blade was rusty, there was no reason to replace it. Not sure about that one, though.
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
Yeah, I've been all over the Internet. Unfortunately, there isn't an operating manual and I know nothing about restoring old power tools. I guess I could clean the rust as best as I can and then give it a try. I was basically looking for some advice on where to start when one restores a power tool.

If the blade turns freely, does that mean I can power up the motor without worrying about ruining something? I didn't know if I needed to disconnect the motor first and run it separately, check the brushes, etc. Just looking for a starting point.
 

scsmith42

New User
Scott Smith
Susan, that looks like one great saw! Re opening the upper cover, it appears to me that it is hinged in the back and to open it you would lift it up and over, as opposed to swinging it open.

Before turning it on, I would suggest that you visually inspect the wheels and make sure that there are not any debris or other material present that could cause the blade to jump off. You should also put some type of minor tension on the blade before starting it, and (with it unplugged) manually turn the wheels to make sure that the blade tracks correctly. After that, plug it in and turn it on, whatching the blade closely to make sure that it does not walk out of the guides.

Overall, it looks like an incredible score! Yes, a rusty band is not the end of the world, but after you make a few passes with it to clean up the surface rust, you may want to remove the blade and send it out for resharpening.

I'm impressed -that really looks to be a fantastic resaw saw.
 

Mark Gottesman

New User
Mark
To echo the others, good score!!!!

If you can get dressed and make breakfast, you can refurb this saw.

First thing Monday, call Makita and see if you can't get a manual. It will make it a lot easier and they may send you one for free or a small copy charge.

You might also want to join up at the OWWM (old Wood Working Machinery ) site
http://owwm.org
It is geared towards domestic machine manuf., but the principles are the same.
Looking around that site and the stickies will give you a basic guidelines for how to rebuild , sources for parts like bearings, rust removal, motors and painting.

If you take your time and understand what you need to do, you will end up with a valuable tool.
If you don't understand something, ASK!!!, help is gladly given. Getting a well made machine back on task is a great feeling.

So:

Clear a workspace:
Get a bunch of ziploks and boxes.
Get a notebook and chain a pencil to it. Tie a brick to the notebook or a long pole.
Charge up your digital camera, We LOVE photos of projects as I'm sure you know. If you have to lay down a project those photos will be invaluable.

The main danger to machine rebuilding is "THE SLIPPERY SLOPE". :rotflm:
That just means that one day you will run across a big piece of woodworking machinery in a barn covered by G-d knows what and you will say to yourself. Hey that's not too bad, I could fix that. Cut to next scene and you have three Unisaws stacked one on the other to be refurbed and no room to work.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
The motor does look small, I think because it is a geared motor. The small motor turns fast with little power, but is geared down to slow the speed which also gives it more pulling power.

You have a real workhorse there. I look forward to seeing it refurbished.

Be sure to make a guard for that pulley belt, you don't want to get something caught in there.
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
Great advice, Mark. Thanks. I'll check out that website.

And Mike, thanks for explaining the motor, even though I'm not exactly sure what you mean. :dontknow: (My ignorance, not your explanation.) Would it be beneficial to put a larger motor on it even if the original still works? I don't know what horsepower that motor is because there is no plate on it. An online calculator said I needed (voltage x amperage x efficiency) divided by 746. I don't know what the efficiency of the motor is.

I would imagine, if it's truly an industrial machine, Makita put an appropriately-sized motor on it unless, back 30 years ago, they put on a throw-away motor expecting their customers to install one appropriate to their specific application.

And Scott, I'm going to feel real silly if you could tell how to open it from looking at a picture and I've been pulling and banging for ten minutes. :embarrassed: I'll try "thinking outside the left-right swing" when I get back and can look at it again.
 

Sully

New User
jay
I would loosen the bolt on the motor bracket and take all the belts off. It's probably an enclosed motor, but visually check there is nothing in the fan blade on the end of the motor (probably on the operators side, i.e. facing the machine). Dirt dobbers and mice love to nest up in any little nook. Then you can test the motor without any danger.

I agree with Scott that it looks like the top cover would swing up and to the left when facing the machine. The motor that is on there is plenty sufficient for that machine; I would not consider replacing it unless there is something wrong with the motor.

Before you start any serious restoration work, take LOTS of pictures of every part, nut, bolt, etc. from several angles.

Nice score!
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
OK. I'll remove the belts. Then I'll plug in the motor and get a long wooden stick, stand back (next to the circuit breaker panel) and turn the motor on with the stick. :rolf:

I hope to get started on the bandsaw later on this week and will definitely take pictures. However, I have made myself a promise that I will not go back into the shop until I do a thorough house cleaning first. :tinysmile_cry_t: The shop is the carrot and the house cleaning is the stick. Hmmm, somehow I'll have to work my two part-time jobs and three college courses in there, too. :BangHead: Maybe I'll have it up and running by fall when I plan to move into my shop!
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
And once I get it up and running, I'll hold a resaw party! Bring me your thick boards, your crooked boards, your veneer yearning to be free!
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Don't change the motor!

If it won't run you will need to find another one like it which will be expensive. That motor has a gear inside that slows it down. See the pulley shaft is not in the center of the motor? The gear slows it down and makes it pull a heavier load.

If you put a regular motor on the saw it will run too fast, probably overheat, maybe wear the bearings and or burn up the blade guides.
 

Woodman2k

Greg Bender
Corporate Member
Susan,
I read on the FWW forums earlier today that the motor is a spinoff of there router motor design so it runs very loudly, think about a 3.25 hp router and say WHAT! On the same forums there was a few posts about repowering it with a 1.5 tefc motor and you can always play with your pulley arrangement to get any speed you want.Or go with a 3 phase motor and a VFD.Firstly,you have to get to the point that you determine you have a problem and you may not even get there.Do the things that were mentioned here today and we all can deal with problems when they manifest themselves.Keep us up to date.
Greg
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
That is the resaw that Norm used on NYW for many years. Pulling 19 amps at 110 tells me it's a 2.0 HP motor. I have a table saw motor that uses same amperage. Congrats on the find!
 

BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
Thanks, Bruce. It is a little motor. I would think 2HP would be enough to resaw. I was surprised that it was 110 only, though.

Thanks for the warning, Greg. I have read a couple of other sites where people said it ran smoothly but sometimes loudly. I hope I don't have to mess with the "bearings" because I don't really know what those are, I've just read they can be noisy. I had to pack some bearings during my auto mechanic's class, but all I remember is that I did it and it was messy. I don't even remember what they looked like.
 

Sully

New User
jay
If it does need new bearings they would most likely be of the sealed, or shielded type. Just replace them; no need to try to repack them.
 
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