Well, yesterday I completed a 1000 mile round trip to pick up an SCMI sliding table saw. This was being held for me for a few years by a friend, and it was time top go get it.
So- I have this thing home now. It is a bit of a restoration project, but nothing major. It mostly just needs cleaning up. It has been covered in grease to prevent rust. I'll re-bearing it, and mount a single phase motor. Fortunately, it takes a normal motor mount, so that should be easy. I have a 5hp Baldor that I'll rebuild and use for this saw. The scoring blade takes a seperate, smaller motor (3/4hp).
It is a short stroke slider, meaning that the table's stroke is only about 51"- enough to cross cut a piece of plywood, but not the long way. This is why the saw was sold to me cheaply- he needed a big slider. But this will be fine for me!
I'll be needing to buy a saw blade. Being Italian, it takes metric sized blades (30mm bore). The blade capacity is 400mm (15 3/4"), but I need to see if you can still use the scoring blade when a 400mm blade is installed. I don't expect to use the scoring blade much, but it is there, so what the heck! I wan't to run the biggest blade I can- my other saw is a Powermatic #70 with a 12"- and I love the capacity. Having almost a 16" blade on the slider will be sweet!
Interestingly, on a saw like this, dust collection is not optional- it is required. The manual states "the speed in the air duct must be ap[prox 25 m/sec and consequently the capacity must never be less than 1000m^3 per hour." I don't have a sense as to how extreme that requirement is, but I have a big ol' 3hp industrial cyclone, so I reckon it will do. The blade cavity is completely enclosed and directed to a dust port on the back that tilts along with the arbor. So, you gotta get the dust out of there!
This is a serious machine- the cabinet is welded up from 1/4" thick steel plate. Weight is 580kg (1278 lb).
Alas, the barn/shop is not quite ready to receive this machine, so it has to live outside greased and tarped up for a time. I'll post pics once I get her set up.
I need to work out a good arrangement of the slider and the regular table saw, with a big outfeed table between.
Fun stuff!