OLD!! iron question 1886-1889 tablesaw

[Bob Weisner]

Hi:

Has anyone here bought and restored any really OLD woodworking machinery? I may have a chance to buy a really old tablesaw that my former sawmiller used. I don't know the name of the tablesaw, but it was made in the late 1880's I think between 1886 and 1889. His father before him bought the tablesaw back around 1960. They converted it to run on 1Phase electric. Before that, it was belt driven waterwheel powered. It is in EXCELLENT shape!!! Not one bit of rust or repair needed on it. But, What about parts? If anything ever needed to be repaired, what do I do for parts? Custom made at a machine shop? What is an old tablesaw like this worth?

Thanks,

[Dev Emch]

Check out my post on The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Also check out the website www.owwm.com as well as the forum on yahoo for the same bunch. Lastly, the answer is yes with a caveat. In short, I would keep my address or url in the file folder on this machine. A longer response would involve knowing what type of part your after. Is the orig. cast iron or hogged? How large a replacement part? Can the machine work be done with an old bridgeport mill or do we need a 20,000 pound metal planer? Do we need to do any patternwork and one off foundary casting? The real answer to these questions will surprise you. Surfice it to say, you guys would be amazed to see what some americans do in their spare time. Just check out my buddy craig as an example...

www.antique-engine.com


or the start of my own website

http://www.users.qwest.net/~emchd/D1...nry_loader.htm

If you like the saw and can get it for a reaonsable price, do it.