Craftsman Power Hacksaw Rebuild

[VSAncona]

I picked up this Craftsman-branded power hacksaw a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd start a thread on rebuilding it. It was built by the Covel Manufacturing Co. for Sears. (Atlas later bought Covel and continued turning out the same saw under the Atlas and Craftsman labels.) It's pretty complete, but has seen a fair amount of use in its lifetime. It should be ideal for my small hobby shop. Here it is as I received it:



I started by taking it all apart. Here are all the parts on my bench, minus the lifting arm and frame which were in the electrolysis tank when I took the photo.



Aside from some wear, the only damage I've uncovered so far is a hairline crack in the base casting. I knew about this before I bought it, but after cleaning up the base I debated if I should just leave it alone or do something about it. I don't have any brazing experience, so I decided to drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it from spreading and hope that it will hold up.



I don't know how long it will take me to complete this project, but I'll try to update this thread as I go along. If anyone has worked on one of these before, I'd be happy to hear your experiences on what to look out for as I go along. Thanks.

 

[wrat]

Tuned-in and watching!

Wrat

 

[ndnchf]

Me too! Keep it coming. I have a Marvel #2 that needs full restoration too.

 

[wa5cab]

If the bottom of the web that the crack runs up though is wide enough, I would suggest bridging the crack with steel flat bar and flat head screws.

 

[VSAncona]

Not a bad idea, Robert. Actually, if I made the repair from the back, it wouldn't even be visible.

 

[wa5cab]

OK.

 

[pollardd]

Looks like a great project and certainly a handy machine to have in your home shop.
The best projects are the ones likely to succeed and this one looks doable
I look forward to seeing your progress.
David

 

[westsailpat]

Nice score , I love this vintage stuff . It would be really cool if you could find some cast iron legs for this machine . Welding cast iron is not that difficult , I have done it . Grind a groove in the crack , pre heat with a flame torch and then arc weld with cast iron rod .

 

[VSAncona]

Spiral Chips -- Does your Excel hacksaw have the auto shut-off? I want to try and duplicate the setup on mine when I'm done restoring it.

 

[VSAncona]

I had a little free time this evening, so I decided to try Robert's suggestion for reinforcing the crack in the base. I made a little mending plate from a short piece of strap steel and drilled a couple of clearance holes in it:



Then I transferred the hole locations to the base of the hacksaw, drilled them out with a No. 36 drill, and tapped them for some #6 machine screws:



I installed the plate on the back of the casting, where it will be hidden:



After filing down the ends of the screws flush with the surface, you can barely see them. After painting, they should disappear. The relief hole at the top will get filled with some JB Weld before painting:



Hopefully that will stabilize the crack. If it doesn't, the repair will be easy enough to undo so the base can be welded/brazed.