old band saw... good buy ?

[stef]

In the market for a decent saw at a good price, i came across this:
http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/76088865.htm?ca=4_s

It's about 40miles from my house. I am planning to go and see it at the weekend.
Is there any reason why this would not be a good idea ?
I assume blades can be found for any machine, right ?
any idea how much would one of those weight ?

I could also go and see this:
http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/76260597.htm?ca=4_s
However, i am more tempted by the old "cast iron" one.

 

[crazylilting]

I have an old Wilson, looks a bit similar to the first one you posted. It is BIG and heavy. That one doesn't seem to have any guards or enclosures etc. so dust extraction will be difficult. They sound like an airplane taking off when starting, mine is 5 horsepower, I was afraid of it at first. You will want to fit it with after market guides, and probably re-cork the wheels, but what they do offer is a solid machine with a big cast iron table. I like mine and will probably even get a housing made for it so i can hook the dust extractor to it.

When the motor goes on it though it may be costly as they have massive motors, who's spindle is part of the wheel assembly, so a replacement might be hard to find. I'm worried about mine but have a winding company close by that will be able to rewind it and get it back in service.

After using one of these old bad boys i don't think i'd get a modern one. However i have seen some big big industrial ones that i like, seen one go for £1500 and looked to be worth at least 5

 

[head clansman]

hi

avoid it like the plague, safety no guards any where . sorry not what you want to hear . hc

 

[beech1948]

Hi,

For your own safety you will probably need to add some guards to the first one on your post.

I have seen guards made from wooden frames and stiff wire mesh so that the inards can still be seen as they are the really cool bits of this machine.

Alan

 

[Smudger]

It's France. Safety guards are for foreigners. Claude next door cut mortice and tenon joints (with a chainsaw) in 30cm oak beams in situ, working over his head, standing on a bale of hay in the raised bucket of his second-best tractor...

Our local timber 'yard' (run by a man in a vest and a dog) has no wimpy safety guards, but one bloke I know won't go there in the afternoons, because le patron is usually a*sed and leaning over a 12" unguarded saw blade, he doesn't want to witness the inevitable...

Leboncoin can be very good, but also ridiculously overpriced (like French car boots) - I'd have that for an ornament, though.

 

[JMcK]

You could always put a saddle and pedals on it and use it to go to the boulangerie for your bread. :lol:

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Smudger]

Like this?

 

[stef]

Like this?

brilliant !
i'll get my montain bike converted !
umm. thinking really hard about this saw still. looks like a pretty solid piece of kit.
I am sure i could make some sort of guards myself.
where abouts are you in normandy smudger ?

 

[AndyT]

I want one!

Where did that "totally practical" idea come from, Smudger?

Andy

 

[Smudger]

The Woodworker, about 1925!
We're in Manche, not far from Mortain/St Hilaire du Harcouet. About to go over and close the house up for the winter. Not far from you, I suspect?

 

[promhandicam]

In the market for a decent saw at a good price, i came across this:
http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/76088865.htm?ca=4_s

I could also go and see this:
http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/76260597.htm?ca=4_s
However, i am more tempted by the old "cast iron" one.

€230 pour le premier -Merde Alors! Selon moi, le deuxième est mieux et ce n’est pas trop cher. You would need to check though that the second one has all the parts as it would appear from the photos that the top guides for the blade are missing.

Steve

 

[Smudger]

I'm always suspicious when extraneous objects are on the thing for sale - what is that weed-suppressing membrane hiding? On the other hand, people tend not to tidy up for Leboncoin.

 

[stef]

I am actually 20mins south of Caen.

 

[Smudger]

So really not far - fancy a beer in the spring? (Sounds like I'm hibernating!)

 

[stef]

So really not far - fancy a beer in the spring? (Sounds like I'm hibernating!)

definitely.
either come down the road, or i'll drive. anytime is usually beer time for me !

 

[Smudger]

Cool.

 

[stef]

you dont live in Normandy during the winter months ?

 

[Smudger]

No, ours is a holiday home in that there is no central heating, so keeping comfortable is hard work. Also, winter in rural Normandy is a pretty dismal experience!
We made the decision when we retired that we wouldn't move out to France full-time, we have too much going on in England to leave it behind, so we try to get the best of both worlds.
The other factor is that both our workshops are in England, and although I largely produce junk I enjoy doing it. I don't think, with the exchange rate as it is, the French workshop is ever going to be finished, which is a pity, as I have an outbuilding for it, with a traditional earth floor...

 

[Steve (Correze)]

With regard to guards, all the saws I've seen of that type are generally fitted with a wooden box enclosure, to the same pattern as a modern machine and covering all moving parts quite safely. Just looks a bit ugly and tends to get "lost" on secondhand ones. Easy enough to build though.

Be aware of the size of the thing though, even the small ones are about 8 feet tall and very heavy.

I'm considering (saving up for) buying a small one from my local machinery dealer, with all the guards and ancillaries, looking in the region of €600, big ones tend to go for about €1000 or more depending on age and homologation.



As for heating... no central heating here, just a nice big fire.