Bit the bullet... Startrite 301 Bandsaw

[Permutation_Jim]

I just couldn't resist. After several years with my highly underrated Elu/Dewalt bandsaw, I got the itch for an upgrade.

If anyone has a bit of specialised knowledge of these (it a second-hand light green Startrite 301, not sure how old), I'd appreciate some advice. And yes, I've searched the forums, as well.

I had little need to justify this to SWMBO. The little Elu is a great all around starter package (lightweight, simple design, blades are cheap and easily available, reasonable dust removal) and it's more than done its job, but it has a couple key drawbacks:

• The fence is rubbish
• The table is thin and aluminum (yes, I'm a Yank), such that upgrading the fence wouldn't really make sense
• The lightweight construction makes the whole thing a little wobbly, especially on a mobile base

I played about with a second table over top the first with a fence upgrade from Axminster (here), but I just couldn't justify the amount of time it would take, compared with the cost of a better second-hand one.

On the other hand, it's an eBay deal, so there's no telling whether its a find or a flop. I pick the thing up later this week, so I'll post results as I find them.

Again, any advice, suggestions, (prayers) etc. are welcome.

Thanks, Jim

 

[andy king]

Hi Jim,

Well, Startrites are rock solid, so hopefully you won't have problems once a new switch is sorted.
Just a couple of things to note, I use a Startrite in our workshop, and the fence, while locking solidly, is not the best design in the world, a simple piece of pressed steel held over a similar piece of pressed steel acting as a running rail, locked with a Bristol lever.
The problem on ours is that the fence always needs to be checked for square in relation to the table as the flange that it locks to the running rail has no registration as such to get an accurate setting each time. A pain if you use it for tenon cheeks and the like.
Later Startrites had a better system using a round steel bar and proper running shoe. There were upgrades available if I recall, but since Startrite have stopped manufacturing in the UK, this upgrade might not be available still.
Might be worth a call to them nonetheless.
Startrite Ltd.
Unit B
Adelphi Way
Ireland Industrial Estate
Stavely
Chesterfield
S43 3LS
tel: 0870 770 1777

The other thing is the side guides.
Again, these are basic, simply a couple of cast iron blocks, held with a single nut for each on elongated holes. No problem as such, but a little tricky to set accurately as they tend to twist slightly as the nuts are tightened, so they can toe in as they are nipped, making it harder to get a paper tight clearance between guides and blade.
Other than that, Assuming yours has the same set up, a very solid saw that should last a long time, and Startrite/Record carry a big range of spares if needed.

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[Scrit]

Hi Jim

Do a search for Startrite 351 or 352 on the forum as quite a lot has been wriiten about these (by myself and others). The 301 is fundamentally a small 351 (the 352 is a 2-speed 351) and many of the components (e.g. blade guides) are similar in style so you'll find many of the comments about the larger machine are equally applicable to their little brother.

I hope you enjoy your machine

Scrit

 

[Permutation_Jim]

I pick the Startrite 301 up on Friday.

I have an older small estate (little Mercedes C Class). Will the 301 be easily taken down to fit, or am I going to need to borrow the wife's Volvo "brick" 960?

Also, don't suppose anyone has a scanned manual of either the 301 or its big brothers?

Thanks, Jim

 

[Permutation_Jim]

I picked up the bandsaw. It had been owned by a sign maker specialising in acrylic and aluminium (his term; I think it should be aluminum) shapes. He even offered me 12 blades and about 20 foot of raw blade roll, all for about £25 extra.

The unit looks pretty good, albeit with a bit of spot rust. The table seems to be in good condition, but I'll have a better look when I start dressing it. I'll get pictures, when I do.

One problem (which I knew before buying)... the no-volt release switch, according to the previous owner, has gone. Tomorrow, I'll test the motor, just to see if it works properly, but if I need to replace it (Weber Unimat WTNL 22-551) I can either get an original or do some sort of retrofit.

Anyone with experience? Also (I sense a flame war coming my way), is there any problem with spot rust on bandsaw blades? I'd like to get a feel for the saw before shelling out for top of the line blades.

Thanks, Jim

 

[Scrit]

Hi Jim

Switchgear patterns change quite rapidly so a switch unit from 10 years ago may no longer be available. Record Power (who now own the Startrite woodworking brand) possibly won't do replacement switches for older Startrites, although you could also try ALT Spares or even Clausing-Startrite who took over the metalworking bandsaw side of the Startrite business. Amnother source I've found is G and M Tools.

As to rust spots on blades I'd just steel wool them off. The only time they'll affect the blade is if the cutting edge is rusty over long stretches (the teeth need to be bright which shows they're sharp). If these blades are unused, then great, but carbon steel narrow bandsaw blades only have a certain lifespan and once they're blunt they normally can't be sharpened or reset.

Scrit

 

[Permutation_Jim]

Turns out the switch was just a small no-volt release unit with a built in light. It must have seized or gave up the ghost.

I had a 2.2 Kw version in a large blue box from an old Charnwood router table (here, at the bottom of the page). While it was set up for a UK plug on top, the insides had the same slip on terminals as on the original Startrite switch. One mounting bracket later, and I was in business (pictures to follow).

The table was in fairly good condition, but showed signs of water rust on one corner, leading me to polishing the whole thing down. I also (anticipating a bit of mistreatment over the years) disassembled the whole upper and lower arm mechanisms, de-rusting and oiling as I went.

The whole procedure, along with making a simple mobile base, took most of a Saturday, but has yielded pretty good results. I'm planning to set the blade tension and add the replacement Axminster fence this afternoon after I get some "real" work done.

Overall, I feel pretty good about the purchase: £125 for the unit, £25 for assorted accessories and blades (mostly for metal, though), a replacement NVR switch (that I had lying around, but would cost £15), an accurate retrofit fence (bought for £45 for another project, but never used), and a day of maintenance. I figure I've got another £50 for 2-3 very good blades and a few easy projects to get a feel for the tool.

So, assuming all goes well, less than £200 for a classic Startrite seems like a pretty good deal. I plan to see about a "like for like" replacement NVR, just out of curiosity, and might pick one up if it's not too expensive.

Thanks (so far) for everyone's help and advice, Jim

 

[Scrit]

Hi Jim

As you're on the service and repair kick here's another couple of things to take a look at. The blade side guides are mehanite (a sort of hard cast iron) and can get scored if the machine has had a lot of use with very narrow blades. If they are badly scored you'll never get the machine to run really sweetly, but the good news is that most small engineering shops cal face them off either on a milling machine or a surface grinder at minimal cost (cheaper than buying replacements) and whilst you are looking at the side thrusts take a look at the two back thrust rods. These are carbide-tipped steel so they don't wear that fast, but sometines the carbid "button" can show signs of damage or be completely gone - either way that does involve buying a replacement

Regards

Scrit

 

[Permutation_Jim]

Checked out the guides and "buttons," as Scrit suggested. All but one guide looks untouched, as do the buttons. I suspect the previous owner just moved them out of the way... not ideal for other components, but the wheels look okay and (after some fiddling) I've got the blade running centred.

Here's a little advice: if the switch goes on one of these, you might consider the "hack" I did, wiring in an aftermarket NVR switch. The replacement costs (get ready for it) £85.

For a switch.

That turns it on.

And off.

Yeah.

Jim

 

[DaveL]

Jim,

You may find that the original switch has over current protection built in to it, as well as being a NVR, with care you should not need it.

 

[RogerS]

Hi Jim

Sounds like you got yourself a good deal. Have to confess that when I saw the eBay ad, it rang all the usual alarm bells re dodgy deals....such as zero feedback and only credit cards for payment.

Just goes to show that there are some great and honest deals out there.

Enjoy your new purchase

Roger

 

[BillP]

I have been reading this topic with some interest. I have just bought a second hand 351. The saw only had one previous owner. The blade guides are showing signs of wear so I will get them machined. One of the thrust parts has lost its carbide tip so I will have to get that replaced. Does anyone know of a source for the manuals for these saws. The saw I have is green and is about 25 years old. Any other advice on setting the saw up would be very useful. Thanks, Bill.

 

[Permutation_Jim]

I've found no manuals, as such (though happy to scan and PDF, if someone has access to them and it wouldn't be violating copyright), but found basic setting pretty straightforward.

Locking in the guides (as has been mentioned) is an easy but very fiddly affair. In my case, I stared with the table removed (I have a 301, so it might be harder to do on a 351).

I put a little tension on the blade (knob on top) and balanced the wheels (using the knob on the side) just spinning them by hand till the blade ran on the centre of the top wheel. I kept putting a bit more tension, then spun a few times, then more tension... all till I was pretty sure more tension wouldn't allow the blade to drift off the wheel.

After than, I raised the lower guides up the right level (eyeballed), and brought the little metal "peg" behind the blade to a thick paper's width from the blade's back. I folded the paper around the blade, moved the metal blocks so they touched the paper, and tightened them in place (trying not to let them rotate out of position... fiddly bit number one).

I repeated the process on the upper guides, which in my case can "twist" a bit if you're not careful.

I reattached the table, put on the fence, hand-spun the blade a bit more (listening for the sound of rubbing) and fired it up. Once going fairly smooth, I tightened the blade tension further till it sounded less like a belt going "thump, thump, thump," and more like an engine with a flat "buzzing" sound.

Others here may have a better, more accurate method, but this worked for me.

Thanks, Jim

 

[BillP]

Jim, Thanks for the advice. I have inspected the thrust pins. The tungsten carbide ends are still attached but they have a large number of groves in the surface. I wanted to flatten the end and debated how best to do it. In the end I put the pins in the pillar drill and placed a cheap, medium diamond sharpening stone on the table. With a small amount of water and gentle pressure I managed to remove all of the groves and produce a flat, square surface.

The guide blocks are also showing signs of wear. I am taking them to a friend with a surface grinder to get them flat.

Bill.

 

[Permutation_Jim]

That's a fantastic way to flatten pins... why didn't I think of that?

My next step is to fit the Axminster fence. That will have to wait till next week (work and SWMBO prevail).

-Jim

 

[Kane]

There's a 301 manual up on ebay at the minute ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wadkin-Startrite- ... dZViewItem

sale ends in 2 days

 

[ivan]

I've had DOL starters from Screwfix before, about £25, by Iskra (Israel?) Choice of current ratings up to about 3kW. Machine Mart used to do the same ones in a wider range but slightly dearer. Worth a check?

 

[Stan in the shed]

I had the exact same thing happen on my 301 last week with the switch, could you show the exact switch that you got to work because I’m less that useless with electronics

 

[Phil Pascoe]

From 13 years ago, possibly not.

 

[Cabinetman]

And there I was reading this with interest as I hadn’t seen it before and I have a 352 – green and pretty ancient. And then Phil said that ha ha