18" Bridgewood BS good buy or good-bye?

[Jason VandenBos]

There's an 18" Bridgewood bandsaw posted for sale near me (ok, so I'd have to drive a few hundred miles) on Craigslist for $800. It's reportedly in good condition but it has a 3 phase motor. I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion (experience would be even better) on how easy it would be to retrofit it with a new single phase motor.

I work in Bellingham, WA so I'm weighing this option with saving myself the drive and picking up a 17" Grizzly G0513X2.

Thanks in advance,
Jason

[John Thompson]

There's an 18" Bridgewood bandsaw posted for sale near me (ok, so I'd have to drive a few hundred miles) on Craigslist for $800. It's reportedly in good condition but it has a 3 phase motor. I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion (experience would be even better) on how easy it would be to retrofit it with a new single phase motor.

I work in Bellingham, WA so I'm weighing this option with saving myself the drive and picking up a 17" Grizzly G0513X2.

Thanks in advance,
Jason

Depends Jason.. if it's the 18" Bridgewood PBS.. it's worth it IMO. Before Curt Wilke stopped importing Bridgewood, that was the same saw as the Laguna (same factory) with the exception of a the ceramic guides. So that one is a hoss. But if it was their standard BS and not the PBS series, you would do just as well with the Grizzly if not better.

BTW.. even though Curt is no longer in business as Wilke Machinery and having the Bridgewoods imported... he has part for them with his new company.. C.H. Wilke Inc. Just a note than everyone may not know. He's also a Power-matic.. Steel City.. etc. dealer now. Long story.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Jason VandenBos]

It's their PBS 440 that was made by ACM so I'm pretty confident in it's quality. I'm just not sure how long I'll have a big hunk of steel sitting around my garage waiting for the right sized single phase motor. Are the mounting patterns on these motors farely universal or would I have to buy a machine specific motor?

I keep waiting for C.H. Wilke to get their web site up and running. I've heard them reffered to several times but without a web site to shop I'm pretty much lost.

Thanks for the feedback!

Jason

[John Thompson]

I won't take a stab of "if the mounting holes are comparable", Jason? I simply don't know.. but I have never seen a machine that I couldn't modify to make it work. But.. I do have the advantage of having a BIL who is a shop foreman at Delta Airlines machine shop.

I would look into the cost of a new motor and one of the adapters to see if it is a worthwhile venture. I am aware of the converters that adapt 3 phase to one phase, but I don't know the specifics which have been discussed often. It may not be cost wise to do so... I just don't know without knowing what the actual cost are?

I suggest instead of waiting for Curt to get his web-site up and running.. I would call him at 717-764-5000 as I'm sure he would be happy to assist. He knows his machines very well.. very well.

Good luck with the decision...

Sarge..

[Bob Hallowell]

You could pick up a VFD drive and hook it on. Depending on the size of the motor a 3hp can be bought for $185 here http://www.factorymation.com/s.nl/it....f?category=32
I have the 2hp on my lathe and it works great easy to hook up and great tech support. As a plus you can have a vairble speed band saw incase you ever need to cut metal. Sounds like a nice saw and a vfd would make it even nicer.

Bob

[Jason VandenBos]

Sarge- Thanks for the phone number, I'll give Curt a call.

Bob- Wow, I've never seen one of those before. Is that basically doing the same thing as a rotary phase converter but with solid state electronics? Is there a Hp drop associated with it?

I'm starting to get excited and think about this more seriously.

Great stuff guys!

Jason

[Bob Hallowell]

If you set it at 60hz no there is no power drop, varible freq drives work by slowing down the freq(hertz) going to the motor 60hz to motor runs at full speed you can lower the hz with a button on the front of that vfd or hook up your on pot. They are simple to wire in.

Bob

["Gary Brewer"]

Jason: The bridgewood 440 pbs is a great machine. They were being sold until about a year ago. There is a member of this site named Jameel Abraham that bought the 440. I have the next size up, the 540, and it is wonderful. If it can be used with the suggested converter for the 3 phase it is a good price. You might even be able to shave another $100 off the price because of the 3 phase. There won't be many takers because of it. This assumes the rest of the saw is in good shape and it has the 3 hp motor. Curt Wilke is very nice and knowledgable. I drove down there and saw BS before I bought ( as well as seeing most of the major band saw players ). There was a review in Fine Woodworking a few years ago and it was rated the best ( the 440 ) of the ones tested.
Gary

[Jason VandenBos]

Thanks for the input Gary. It's always good to hear a positive report on something you're looking to purchase. I'm afraid it may be gone though. I emailed the seller last night but he hasn't gotten back to me.

Here's hoping...

Jason