junk shop find

[itsme_Bernie]

Fanman, I looked and low and behold I have the catalog for your saw! I'll scan it and get it posted soon probably at Vintage Machinery. However, here is a link to the Popular Mechanics article on building the saw. There were two different saws offered. One was chain driven, one was gear driven. You've got the classy saw! Blades were 8" long.
http://books.google.com/books?id=MCoDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science+january+1968&jtp=160 The article starts on page 160 and shows the castings in kit form, a little how it was built, and a saw stand for it. Enjoy! Mike in Iowa

Mike that is so cool! Great find!

Thanks for posting!


Bernie

 

[FanMan]

Pete, on mine the thing above the gear isn't a guide, but just a block at the end of the pivot arm with two tapped holes. The long bar (that the blade carrier slides back and forth on) is simply bolted to that block... but yes, if they were loose it would hammer on the bolts and likely crack them out.

 

[FanMan]

Doh! The good news is that I got the slide apart. The bad news is that I broke one of the tabs on the blade holder casting doing it. It's in good enough shape that it will go together nicely once I figure out how to fix the tab. Weld? Braze?

 

[PeteH]

Pete, on mine the thing above the gear isn't a guide, but just a block at the end of the pivot arm with two tapped holes. The long bar (that the blade carrier slides back and forth on) is simply bolted to that block... but yes, if they were loose it would hammer on the bolts and likely crack them out.

Sorry, I mis-spoke. That's the part I was talking about -- it holds the top guide bar. If the bolts get loose, the guide bar will wobble and will crack out the sides of the depression that the bar is bolted into. I'm jiust going to make a c-shaped clamp to go over the whole thing. That should take care of it.

Sorry to hear about the broken part, too. Brazing usually works on cast iron. (I've had lousy luck, myself, but that's what my welding friends tell me -- repeatedly.)

 

[FanMan]

On mine there is no recess, the bar just bolts against the flat of the casting.

I showed the broken part to an old toolmaker at work (this guy is probably the best machinist I've had the pleasure of working with in the 30+ years I've been in the engineering business), and he said, "I can weld that," and he did, no problem at all. Said he could usually tell as soon as he touched it whether it would weld OK or not, and this one was OK.

And the motor even runs!

 

[FanMan]

Well, it's back together and working... and it sure is easier than cutting steel bars by hand! After cleaning it up and scotchbriting the rust, it really didn't need paint (except the motor), so a new wood base (with legs and wheels this time) and a tray to catch the chips, a valuable addition to my shop.



Only problem is the motor runs backwards according to the arrow on the gear. No doubt it's a simple wiring change inside the motor, but the motor was so corroded it's questionable whether I can get it apart. But it works pretty good as it is...

Quite the circular project, though. This power hacksaw project has been a distraction... lately my free time has been filled with woodworking projects, then found the saw last week at the junk shop... rusty but salvageable. Anyway, for my woodworking I found I needed a froe, a rather uncommon tool nowadays. I could buy a new one or search the flea markets, but for my particular projects I need one smaller than any I've ever heard of. Simple, make one now that I've got a mill, so I got some tool steel... but it'd sure be easier to cut it with the hacksaw, might as well fix that first, so I did... need a few spacers, sure would be easier to cut those spacers on the power hacksaw, but I need the spacers to run the saw, oh well, still have the hand saw... finally got the power saw done, cut the tool steel with it, back to the mill to make the froe, to continue the woodworking project...

 

[radial1951]

Well, it's back together and working...
Only problem is the motor runs backwards according to the arrow on the gear. No doubt it's a simple wiring change inside the motor, but the motor was so corroded it's questionable whether I can get it apart. But it works pretty good as it is...

Well done FanMan. You'll get your money's worth out of that one.
Geometrically speaking, does it matter which way the crank runs? It wouldn't seem to in this case.

Regards, RossG
radial1951
_____________

 

[Uglydog]

The world is a better place when we salvage the history that built us.
Nice work.

Consider making a short video clip so that we might see her in action.

 

[FanMan]

Well done FanMan. You'll get your money's worth out of that one.
Geometrically speaking, does it matter which way the crank runs? It wouldn't seem to in this case.

Yeah, I sure got my $10 worth just cutting a few pieces last night.

If the crank runs counterclockwise (as viewed in the above picture) it will tend to push the blade down into the work. Running CW as it is now, it tends to lift the blade... though pushing down slightly on the end weight didn't seem to make much difference.

Gotta get a 1/8" carbide drill to drill blades without dulling a standard drill (can't find 8" blades).

 

[hendeygeorge]

Wow, that looks nice I like the stand, now you got me thinking about building one for my band saw.
Good luck with it.
George