My new bandsaw, I hope...

[Jim Becker]

Nice looking beast of a machine, Zachary! On the fence, it appears from the photo that you could just trim off those extra long fence rails since it would be unusual to use the fence "out there" anyway.

[Bill Dufour]

Good move, nothing got hurt. I thought a bandsaw normally was laid down on the spine for moving?
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

Tom, I have used urethane on my previous two 18" bandsaws and have been happy with it. I have seen your posts about bandsaw wheel questions but have not weighed in, since my experience has been different so far.

Jim, thank you very much. It would be easy to cut the rails and I would just need to get over feeling guilty about it. I'll have to try using this fence first and see if I like it more or less than the Kreg. If I am going to sell it then leaving the rails uncut would be better, but if I keep it there's no rational reason not to cut them.

Bill, thank you very much. I have always laid them down on the spine before, but this saw has a weird configuration on that side. There is a big piece of box steel, maybe 7x7 or 8x8 on the spine, but the lower cabinet sticks way out past it, so it would be tippy on that side. I'll get a picture that shows the spine later on and post it, as it will be better than my attempt to describe the shape.

[Bill Dufour]

When my brother picked up used engines to be rebuilt. talk about wierd shapes with no good balance feet. He took along a few old tires with no wheels. Let the machine crush the tires and settle down to a comfortable position. He preferred big fat racing slicks.
BilL D

[Zachary Hoyt]

I used to run into that with old farm machinery too, that it didn't sit up nicely. The tires sound great for that. I found a picture in my collection of moving the saw that shows the spine pretty well, and why it wouldn't balance nicely on it.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I've got the bearings all out of the saw and motor and will be ordering new ones. The guides are the kind with blocks, so I don't have to order bearings for the sides. I looked up an extra set of casters I had bought a couple of years ago and found out that they are rated for 880 pounds per set so I can use them with some heavy angle iron to make a mobile base. The casters I have had under the Unisaw and 6" jointer have held up well, so I am hoping they will work for the bandsaw too, though it's heavier. I've been very happy with them and they are only $12 a set at Surplus Center. I also put all 11 of the saw moving pictures into an album just for fun.

Casters

Album

[Bill Dufour]

Are you a welder? Mobile bases get a lot easier if you can do that. I bought. a power hacksaw to cut the iron square. Works well, patented in 1912. Previous owner converted it to electric motor.
Bill D

[Tom Trees]

With a saw like that, I'd consider a quick lash up as per Carl Holmgren, no need to make a latch for such experimentation,
as you might choose to weld up something after that.
The lash up would likely be appreciated, as it might take a bit of head scratching concerning the location of swivel casters, which can dip an end of the machine when swivel casters at maximum swing. as this timeless design of lifting mechanism can be troublesome if wheels too close to the centre.

Worth a look at those designs, as you won't find better, if you can make it work without too much hickups.
Saying that, for seemingly such a sought after machine, guessing there's a theme of OWWM which yer going for,
then it could/WILL be made work,
well...that would be the case for myself, as my own bandsaw base just looks annoying/stupid to me now, after spoiling myself.

All the best
Tom

[Bill Dufour]

Good idea to cut one or more plywood pieces to fill in the base. Then throw in some heavy iron stuff to add ballast. Especially if you add wheels or height which will make it less stable.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you both. I have an AC stick welder from the days of yore and used it to repair and modify old machinery at the farm where I used to live. I still think I have enough of the 3/16" and 1/4" 3x3 and 3x4 angle to make another mobile base, but I need to pull what I have out from under the shed. I bought a small pile of odd pieces of this type at an auction years ago and they're very handy. I used them to make the bases for the Unisaw and the 6" jointer. I'd prefer to leave the bottom open if I can so the sawdust can go on the floor, but if it feels at all tippy I can add weight as mentioned. I'll plan to have the caster pivots outside the footprint of the saw itself, and will have to see how it feels. I do want to add at least 6 or 8 inches to the height.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

You should be able to re-saw your instrument wood when you get that the way you want it.
I just had a disappointing failure with my Delta 14 that is a little too small for my resew blade. Don't cut a frozen ham on your new old saw.

I cut a trimmed down frozen ham in half on the bandsaw with a 3/4 inch re-saw bade. The cut went just fine. The instant the cut was done the blade ejected from the wheels and plowed into the steel and aluminum blade guards. It made me feel very foolish. The blade tension and tracking are now both hard to turn. I have not looked every thing over yet. I hope nothing major is damaged. I have cut meat and bones on the bandsaw before with no problems. My first thoughts are, the cold added too much to the blade tension, or the ham fat messed up the tracking.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I do want to add at least 6 or 8 inches to the height.

Wow are you 7' tall? I'm 6'1" and find the table to be a good height (and I've raised up everything else in my shop since I prefer taller work surfaces too)

[Zachary Hoyt]

Maurice, I'm sorry to hear of your trouble with the bandsaw. I didn't realize that the cold would have that effect. My frozen meat escapades have so far been limited to dividing large bricks of frozen ground beef with a cold chisel 20+ years ago, and recently and often whacking 10 pound bags of frozen chicken leg quarters on a large round rock by the porch to separate them so I can thaw a smaller quantity.

Marc, you got it exactly right. I am indeed 7 feet tall, and my previous two 18" bandsaws have been raised 9" on a wooden thing that might be a plinth. The new saw would be at the same height if I raised it 6", but my casters are tall enough that 7-8" may be required, and I won't mind a little extra.