Relic DoAll bandsaw welder brought back from the dead!

[Technical Ted]

I visited an Amish machine shop that is close to me. A young guy I've bought V-belts and stuff from in the past. Good kid and always looking for machining tips. Anyways, last time I was there he offered me a DoAll bandsaw welder that originally came on his big saw. It had been removed before he bought the saw (from another Amish) and it was laying on his shop floor.

It was in pretty bad shape. Very dirty, loose wires everywhere, covered in grease and grime. The grinder motor base and been cut loose with a cutting torch. I was afraid it was 3-phase, but decided to take it home anyways, since it was free. Well, when I got it home, the grinder motor tag stated 220V 1-phase so I knew there was a chance. Did some searching on-line and found an electrical sketch that I thought might be close and went to work. Traced wires and started marking them, tore it apart and cleaned/polished the slide for the movable jaw. Fixed the grinder base, replaced some wiring and a lot of other fix-ups.

After putting it back together it welded great! So, I made up a box out of some 3/4" plywood scrap I had. Once I started welding some test blades I found that the jaws were in terrible shape and didn't even come close to holding the two ends of the blades square or in-line with each other. Tried to touch it up with a file, but no luck. So, on the mill I went and re-machined the jaws nice and straight.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Welds very straight and a good quality weld. I've welded 1/4" and 1/2" carbon steel blades and both seem strong and don't break when I bend them around by hand. Time will tell, but everything is looking great so far.

So, I put some time and effort into this project, but now I've got a nice bandsaw blade welder!

Ted

 

[mikey]

Nice save!

 

[chips&more]

Good Job! That's using your noodle! So it was 1 phase?

 

[Technical Ted]

Good Job! That's using your noodle! So it was 1 phase?

Yes, single phase. From what I've found on-line that is typical for DoAll bandsaw welders that come installed in a bandsaw. There are special orders for different voltages, but 220V 1-phase is the norm. When connected when installed in a saw, only two leads of the 3-phases are connected and used.

Boy, did I get lucky on that one!

I attached the electrical schematic I found on-line that matched up to what I have. This machine is really a very simple electro-mechanical device... The most critical thing for proper welding is excellent mechanical movement/alignment in the sliding jaw. Everything is based on spring tension and the timing of the movement so any binding at all will produce undesirable results. So, the only operational components are the transformer, which produces the weld current (no rectification), a couple of on/off switches, a selector switch (that selects between different taps on the transformer for different current/voltages) and some important mechanical travel adjustments and spring tension adjustments.

Quite clever of a device! Very simple and effective.

Ted

 

[markba633csi]

Don't tell your Amish friend you fixed it up- he'll want it back!
Nice old unit, a classic. Most people wouldn't even know what it does
Mark

 

[Technical Ted]

Don't tell your Amish friend you fixed it up- he'll want it back!
Nice old unit, a classic. Most people wouldn't even know what it does
Mark

Not much chance he'll want it back since they can't use electricity in their shop! He has a large engine, I'm not sure if it's gas or diesel, that runs line shafts that run all his equipment. The only time they actually use the motor is if it's configured as being a jack shaft and driven off the line shaft! This is typical of the Amish in my area. They are very interesting people... they are more or less strict in different areas of the country. In my area, western NY, they are very strict. They can't even ride bicycles because of the pneumatic tires. When they buy a hay wagon or whatever they remove the rubber tires and replace them with steel ones. They can use batteries for portable lights though.

Ted

 

[markba633csi]

I wonder what the issue is with rubber? Some kind of repressed sexual desire? LOL I bet they're into leather
Mark

 

[Technical Ted]

I wonder what the issue is with rubber? Some kind of repressed sexual desire? LOL I bet they're into leather
Mark

I think it's more of an issue with pneumatic tires, not just rubber, since they can use solid rubber wheels on some implements.

I was talking to one of the older men and his boys one day last summer and he said that I must find some of their customs very funny. I thought for a minute and replied that they probably thought that a lot of my customs were pretty funny as well. That got a big laugh from the boys!

Ted

 

[markba633csi]

That is interesting I'm going to read up on Amish customs, especially the pneumatic thing.
Mark

 

[jim18655]

A lot depends on the Bishop (not sure if that's the correct term) in the area. My sister lives in the Lancaster, PA area and around her they can ride bicycles as long as they remove the chain drive. Pneumatic tires are OK also. North of Harrisburg, along route 11/15, there's a large Amish community and I always see them riding bicycles with pedals. Some areas will have battery lights on the buggies and some only an orange triangle. Cell phones have become common since they're not connected to the outside world.
I worked on a school building several years ago and the steel erector was an Amish company. All motorized equipment.