Anyone Familiar With Baileigh Cold Saws?

[projectnut]

Well, almost 3 months later the saw is up and running. As mentioned in another thread I tore it down manageable size pieces for cleanup and repairs. It certainly was a nasty looking beast when it first arrived. It took a few days to chip enough crud off to find the bolts to disassemble things, then another few days to get things into pieces small enough to wrestle into the truck and off to the car wash. It seemed like every bolt was not only rusty but sealed in place with a generous coating of dried and half dried water-based coolant.

The car wash removed the major crud, then came a major application of dish soap, and healthy massaging with a brush to be able to find the original colors or lack thereof. When a sufficient amount of crud was removed it was obvious that the most prominent color was rust brown. It seems the coolant had eroded the paint on every surface it touched.

While I hate painting it seemed the only way to keep the machine from turning to a pile of dust and rust. I didn't follow the original color scheme, but rather used what I had on hand. The cabinet remained the original blue, the main saw castings other than the transmission are now a smoke grey, with the transmission and locking handle now cream colored, and the splash guards are once again semi-gloss black.

The reassembly process was considerably easier than the disassembly. Rather than having to wrestle all the castings by brute force I was able to use my end loader as a hoist to easily and accurately position them for installation of the bolts. I finished the major assembly yesterday and gave it a few functional tests. All the control console switches, the speed control, coolant pump run fine. The current blade on/off switch is a temporary momentary push button. The original switch was missing, and I didn't want to order one until I was sure the machine would be functional. The saw rotated through the 24-124 rpm range with no abnormal noises and stops instantly when the E stop is pushed.

The only remaining items to be completed before actually cutting material are to purchase and install the coolant pump output and return hoses, install the labeling on the transmission and in the electrical cabinet, and order the new blade on/off switch. Once these items have been addressed, I'll cut a few pieces to assess the alignment of the blade and adjust it as necessary. Attached are a few pictures of the machine when I purchased it, some as it progresses through the cleanup, and a few in its current state:

 

[mksj]

Impressive restoration, you would never know that the saw started out in such bad condition. I wish I had your kind of patience for a long project like this.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Made my bones with a Brobo 350, it had a full-size flat table and 2 air vises. Cold saws are a great precision machine, they really shine cutting flat stock and extrusions to finished length. With a good blade I could hold +/-.002. The hard part is finding someone who can sharpen them properly. They are also excellent for cutting miters, but learning the technique can be expensive. I broke 3 blades, and they were only $120 at the time.

 

[matthewsx]

Nice, you're gonna love it....

John

 

[projectnut]

Made a few test cuts today and I believe everything went well. I decided to cut some 1 1/8 solid rod to see if the blade tracking was adjusted properly. On the first couple cuts the slug was .006" wider on the bottom that the top. Following the procedure in the manual I adjusted the eccentric. I'm now down to .001" or less between the top and bottom widths.

For those of you more familiar with this type of saw is it reasonable to expect less difference. I can certainly adjust the eccentric some more, but I'm wondering if at this point, I might just be chasing my tail.

I must admit this saw is messier than any of the others. With the flood coolant the swarf is scattered all over the base plate and vise.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Made a few test cuts today and I believe everything went well. I decided to cut some 1 1/8 solid rod to see if the blade tracking was adjusted properly. On the first couple cuts the slug was .006" wider on the bottom that the top. Following the procedure in the manual I adjusted the eccentric. I'm now down to .001" or less between the top and bottom widths.

For those of you more familiar with this type of saw is it reasonable to expect less difference. I can certainly adjust the eccentric some more, but I'm wondering if at this point, I might just be chasing my tail.

I must admit this saw is messier than any of the others. With the flood coolant the swarf is scattered all over the base plate and vise.

As I said in my earlier post, finding someone competent to sharpen the blades is not easy. We had a local saw shop that thought they could sharpen them, they couldn't. Like all saws, unequal grind will cause the blade to wander one way or the other. The deflection could be the blade and not the adjustment of the saw. The teeth are (iirc) alternately square on the tip and beveled both sides. If the bevels are not equal the blade will not cut straight.

 

[projectnut]

As I said in my earlier post, finding someone competent to sharpen the blades is not easy. We had a local saw shop that thought they could sharpen them, they couldn't. Like all saws, unequal grind will cause the blade to wander one way or the other. The deflection could be the blade and not the adjustment of the saw. The teeth are (iirc) alternately square on the tip and beveled both sides. If the bevels are not equal the blade will not cut straight.

I understand there could possibly be a problem with the blade currently on the machine. However, in this case the saw was totally disassembled without regard as to where the blade tracking eccentric was set. I do plan to purchase a couple more blades for aluminum and thin wall stock but was inquiring as to whether a saw in good condition, with a new blade can be expected to cut with less than .001" runout. Not having used a cold saw in the past I'm not sure what accuracy can be expected.

 

[projectnut]

After asking the above question here and on another board, I did a few hours of online research. It seems that most of the companies making cold saws avoid publishing specifications for cutting accuracy. I was however able to find the needed information from vendors that sell both bandsaws and cold cut saws.

The tightest expected accuracy of any of the cold saws from vendor information and comparison spreadsheets was .004". So far, I've only cut about a dozen 1/4" thick slugs from 1 1/8" solid rod. This morning I purchased a 2' section of 2 1/4" solid rod for further testing. Next week I'll do a number of slugs on the larger rod to determine what accuracy I can expect. I'll also be contacting the Cold Saw Shop for blade recommendations and prices for non-ferrous (typically aluminum) cutting blades.

I must say I do like the way the saw performs and believe it will be a welcome addition to the shop.

 

[projectnut]

The new cold saw is finally in the shop, up and running, and tuned to the best of my ability. I set the blade tracking and made a few test cuts this afternoon. I'm happy to report that with the blade now tracking to within .001" the saw is very quiet. To check the blade tracking I cut 7 slugs from 1 3/4" solid aluminum round stock. The first slug was .004" thicker on the top than the bottom. Since I don't know when or where the last cut on the stock was made, I labeled it slug 0, and only measured it to see if the following slugs would retain the same pattern. All the remaining cuts
at the recommended speed of 44 rpm were within .001" top to bottom. Slug #4 was cut at the maximum recommended speed of 66 rpm and shows a difference of .002" from top to bottom.

The only slight disappointment is the amount of swarf generated, and the lack of a sufficient disposal system. Until such time that I redesign the coolant/swarf tank I'll have to vacuum off the swarf. It's not a bad job, just a time-consuming procedure I don't have to deal with on any of the other saws.

Attached is a picture of the slugs I cut to verify the tracking and a few more to illustrate the swarf disposal problem. Keep in mind the saw was perfectly clean and dry before I began the tracking cuts. The swarf accumulated on the vise, table, and surrounding areas is from only 7 cuts of 1 3/4" solid aluminum round stock.

 

[MrWhoopee]

The only slight disappointment is the amount of swarf generated, and the lack of a sufficient disposal system. Until such time that I redesign the coolant/swarf tank I'll have to vacuum off the swarf. It's not a bad job, just a time-consuming procedure I don't have to deal with on any of the other saws. have

The swarf accumulated on the vise, table, and surrounding areas is from only 7 cuts of 1 3/4" solid aluminum round stock.

If you have a lot of cutting to do, use an air hose to clear between cuts. Same as on a mill when doing multiples with lots of part changes. Sweep or vacuum it all up at one time when you're done.